Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[DeLorean]

It probably seems worse to us because he's so high profile, but would anyone really bat an eyelid if Mark McGhee left his assistant manager job at Scotland to manage Celtic? It would be seen as an opportunity too good to turn down, a man only trying to better himself by accepting a greater challenge. I think we might be better off without the Keano circus anyway to be honest, especially with his new book coming out at the beginning of the Euro campaign. Will there be a chance that he'll do both roles? I hope not.

[shakermaker1982]

Why would you want to manage Celtic at the moment? Where is the challenge? If he wins title after title people will go so what.

[DeLorean]

They're still a massive club, day to day management and an opportunity to rebuild his managerial reputation by winning a few handy trophies.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

This could go one of two ways.

He signed a ream of Irish players at Sunderland, so if he maintains that transfer policy we could see a lot of Irish players in the CL.

Or Celtic could fail to qualify for the CL, in which case we would just have a lot of Irish players playing a sh*t level of football every week.

Personally, I would like to see Irish players playing CL football but Celtic qualifying is a big, big ask.

[tricky_colour]

We might need to change the headline of this thread back to "managed" if the Indo is to be believed. Keane bookies' fave to manage(d) Celtic.

Yes, it was always a correct title, I am well ahead of the game, even my typing errors turn out to be correct!! :)




Hmmmm...... Ireland win 2018 world cup.....

[geysir]

As I always said, Celtic and Keane are a marriage made in paradise ;)
So the seating arrangement at he last game could have reflected the cooling relations?
No escape for our Anthony, what did he do to deserve this?

if Keane goes I would like every cent that was paid to him returned and.......... give us back the jersey.

[Yard of Pace]

I think we might be better off without the Keano circus anyway to be honest, especially with his new book coming out at the beginning of the Euro campaign. .

I agree wholeheartedly. That article by Paul Rowan last week, the photos of Keane at the training sessions before the Turkey game, the rigmarole of people giving out about him doing punditry on the CL final before an Ireland match, just brought home how distracting it is to have so much focus on the assistant manager.
He's currently bigger than the team. I don't like that. Let these lads make a name for themselves and let MON go about his business without having to give a soundbyte about Roy at every press conference.

[tricky_colour]

We might need to change the headline of this thread back to "managed" if the Indo is to be believed. Keane bookies' fave to manage(d) Celtic.

The worst odds I can see on that are 1/3 , he is 1/8 at PaddyPower, and 1/10 on at another bookie.

Looks like someone thinks they know something!

[geysir]

Worth a punt Tricky?

[tricky_colour]

Why would you want to manage Celtic at the moment? Where is the challenge? If he wins title after title people will go so what.

Because it is easy job guaranteed to make you successful.

Lets face it even I would struggle to screw the job up, it is chance for Roy to show he can manage a 'big team'.

I say guaranteed but then look how Moyes struggled at Man U, what if half way through next season Celtic
are struggling in 4th or 5th place? It could happen. I am not a follower of Scottish football so I don't know
what sort of shape Celtic are in for next season, Roy may have been left a poisoned chalice a bit like Moyes was
perhaps?

[tricky_colour]

Worth a punt Tricky?

Not a chance, especially at 1/10, that is pretty ridiculous unless somene knows something.

For starters he could get run over by a bus at the weekend.

Only joking, I already have the mortgage on it!! :smiley_simmons:

[geysir]

It's actually a dangerous job. It's mandatory to qualify through 2 rounds plus play offs for the CL and then you have to win 3 games at the group stage.
The expectations at Celtic are to perform 2 or 3 miracles a season.
It's easier to be perceived a failure at Celtic than a success.

[tricky_colour]

I agree wholeheartedly. That article by Paul Rowan last week, the photos of Keane at the training sessions before the Turkey game, the rigmarole of people giving out about him doing punditry on the CL final before an Ireland match, just brought home how distracting it is to have so much focus on the assistant manager.
He's currently bigger than the team. I don't like that. Let these lads make a name for themselves and let MON go about his business without having to give a soundbyte about Roy at every press conference.


There has hardly been a transformation under the new management anyway, Roy does not have a lot to lose.

Not sure how it would affect Ireland, probably not much however I do wonder if O'Neil is the manager he was
his glory days are very much in the past.

[NeverFeltBetter]

I've always thought Roy's appointment was a decision that would invariably end in tears some day. I never thought it would happen quite so quickly. I have a feeling he'll still be in the Ireland dug-out in a few months.

[Charlie Darwin]

Having thought about this a bit, I don't really see how it won't end in tears. The pressure in Glasgow is immense in spite of the low standard of the league, and Roy has a history of walking away without a moment's thought when the pressure comes on.

[the doc]

Having thought about this a bit, I don't really see how it won't end in tears. The pressure in Glasgow is immense in spite of the low standard of the league, and Roy has a history of walking away without a moment's thought when the pressure comes on.

Just as did MON at Villa!

[Charlie Darwin]

I thought he left Villa because Ciaran Clark injured him in training.

[SkStu]

Jazz hands Robbie Keane better than Shane Long in his worst EPL season. :rolleyes:

Someone that spends 85% of games chastising the referee and his teammates while another striker invariably does all the donkey work for him. Thank God he gobbles goals against small teams - he netted more in one game against Burnley than he in anyways because if he didn't have that.... he's not renowned for his technical brilliance.

Now I may be not be appreciating Robbie Keane enough but you could accuse other people of not appreciating Shane Long or Kevin Doyle enough too!

Look at me! Look at me! Over here! Over here!

Yawn.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I'm not sure what is more reprehensible. Me giving my own opinion or someone else quoting the 14th last post simply to have yet another go at me.

The irony was that post was ancient history before you brought it up, Stu. Everyone else had moved on, except you.

[samhaydenjr]

Jazz hands Robbie Keane better than Shane Long in his worst EPL season. :rolleyes:

Someone that spends 85% of games chastising the referee and his teammates while another striker invariably does all the donkey work for him. Thank God he gobbles goals against small teams because if he didn't have that.... he's not renowned for his technical brilliance.

Now I may be not be appreciating Robbie Keane enough but you could accuse other people of not appreciating Shane Long or Kevin Doyle enough too!

I remember that Robbie was criticised early in his career for a tendency to score spectacular, highlight-reel goals and not get enough bread-and-butter goals to be a prolific striker - half a century of international goals later, against opposition great and small, in friendlies and competition, it appears he solved that problem, only to be criticised for doing this.

As regards a lack of technical brilliance, now I'm not sure if you're being ironic (really) but when you think about the great Irish strikers pre-Keane (Aldridge, Quinn, Stapleton, Cascarino) he was really the first one who didn't just get on the end of moves to finish chances - he created his own chances. I remember watching Match Of The Day one day when Gordon Strachan and Gerard Houllier were the pundits and they showed a clip of a Korean football juggler who was the half-time entertainment at one of the games (carrying a ball from his head half the length of the pitch). Host Adrian Chiles jokingly asked if either of them had managed somebody who could do that and Strachan said without blinking "Robbie Keane".
I guess, when all is said and done, the reason why I don't agree yet with those who believe Keane should have a dramatically reduced role in the upcoming campaign is that I expect him to score 4-6 goals (or possibly more) whereas I hope that Shane Long will get 2 or 3 (and that one of them will be a winner against Poland or Scotland)

[Charlie Darwin]

I'd say Robbie is one of the most technically-gifted players we've ever produced. But that would mean I'd be encouraging this ridiculous revision of our greatest ever striker's career.

[SkStu]

I'm not sure what is more reprehensible. Me giving my own opinion or someone else quoting the 14th last post simply to have yet another go at me.

The irony was that post was ancient history before you brought it up, Stu. Everyone else had moved on, except you.

Irony (like rain on your wedding day)? Ancient history (barely 8 hours later)? Reprehensible no less. Your hyperbole knows no bounds and your ego is out of control... I will continue to address your anti-Keane agenda in a manner befitting the offending posts. People like samhaydenjr and Charlie have far more patience and class than I have in that regard.

[tricky_colour]

I remember that Robbie was criticised early in his career for a tendency to score spectacular, highlight-reel goals and not get enough bread-and-butter goals to be a prolific striker - half a century of international goals later, against opposition great and small, in friendlies and competition, it appears he solved that problem, only to be criticised for doing this.

As regards a lack of technical brilliance, now I'm not sure if you're being ironic (really) but when you think about the great Irish strikers pre-Keane (Aldridge, Quinn, Stapleton, Cascarino) he was really the first one who didn't just get on the end of moves to finish chances - he created his own chances. I remember watching Match Of The Day one day when Gordon Strachan and Gerard Houllier were the pundits and they showed a clip of a Korean football juggler who was the half-time entertainment at one of the games (carrying a ball from his head half the length of the pitch). Host Adrian Chiles jokingly asked if either of them had managed somebody who could do that and Strachan said without blinking "Robbie Keane".
I guess, when all is said and done, the reason why I don't agree yet with those who believe Keane should have a dramatically reduced role in the upcoming campaign is that I expect him to score 4-6 goals (or possibly more) whereas I hope that Shane Long will get 2 or 3 (and that one of them will be a winner against Poland or Scotland)

I think I can believe that after watching this!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq9AwloHntI

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Irony (like rain on your wedding day)? Ancient history (barely 8 hours later)? Reprehensible no less. Your hyperbole knows no bounds and your ego is out of control... I will continue to address your anti-Keane agenda in a manner befitting the offending posts. People like samhaydenjr and Charlie have far more patience and class than I have in that regard.

At least they can constructively debate something without belittling someone. It's no more an "agenda" than the "agenda" against Long. 2 goals in his last 4 games yet all anyone - the media and fans - can talk about is the chances he misses. I didn't offend anybody as I never insulted anyone.

And "ancient history" was a figure of speech. I didn't literally mean that you replied to an ancient post!

[SwanVsDalton]

All the reports I've read and some of the quotes on Twitter appear to be resigned to Keane going.

[Supreme feet]

At least they can constructively debate something without belittling someone. It's no more an "agenda" than the "agenda" against Long. 2 goals in his last 4 games yet all anyone - the media and fans - can talk about is the chances he misses. I didn't offend anybody as I never insulted anyone.

And "ancient history" was a figure of speech. I didn't literally mean that you replied to an ancient post!

If you’re going to be credible about your judgement of players, you can’t have a such a subjective, varying standard.

If we want to be ultra-cynical, and Robbie is the show-pony, flat-track bully who over-celebrates his goals and whinges at referees, then Shane Long and Kevin Doyle are little more than blundering, huff-and-puff culchies who couldn’t hit a cow’s backside with a banjo, but get a free pass from the GAA-supporting yokels amongst our support because they run around a lot, clatter into people, and show ‘pashun’.

However, if we want to be positive, and Doyle and Long are, indeed, the under-rated, brave, physical, selfless, hard-working strikers that every team needs, then Robbie is, in turn, the outstanding goalscorer and finisher; peerless in Irish soccer, who has scored all kinds of goals against all kinds of opposition in both competitive and non-competitive games, and deserves to be credited as such.

[geysir]

All the reports I've read and some of the quotes on Twitter appear to be resigned to Keane going.
"Resigned" assumes regrets.
We don't know what Roy brought to the set up. He got paid a hefty fee for a 1st deputy role, demoted to 2nd deputy role and I doubt if it will matter that much if he goes.
Possibly he could have had a positive impact into the team and worked well with O'Neill, but we will never know. O'Neill will be left with a full complement of professional back room staff.

[DeLorean]

And who knows, maybe John Robertson might be ready to fill the 'void'? It's actually nothing personal against Keane, but I really want this to happen.

[Bungle]

Just out of interest, how much compo will the FAI get from Celtic if Roy gets the job? I'm guessing it's a few million.

Personally, if it meant clearing off even a small portion of the FAI's debt and/or being able to get more youth coaches set up around the country, I'd be more than happy if he left and someone like Robertson came in.

[Charlie Darwin]

No way it would be a few million.

[geysir]

JD is probably peddling him for peanuts to Desmond and throwing in the plane ticket for free.

[ArdeeBhoy]

It's actually nothing personal against Keane, but I really want this to happen.
Most Celtic fans don't...

[Charlie Darwin]

Most Celtic fans don't...
Even better!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Why??

[Charlie Darwin]

A bit of entertainment is always nice.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hardly entertaining unless RMK as a pundit...what happens one day when some moron offers him the full Ireland job...that won't be pleasant.
Would any LOI club want him near their club, bar Cork or Cobh? Long-term, I doubt it.

[ArdeeBhoy]

But I agree with Ardee, the glass probably is half full. I want to see evidence it's not going to fall over though, which it might.

Tbf, Stutts, I meant geysir's glass, not my own...which is often perpetually empty!
;)

[Charlie Darwin]

If any LOI could afford Keane I'm sure there'd be plenty who'd take him on. He wasn't as bad a manager as people made him out to be.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hmm, Sunderland and Ipswich fans would generally disagree...

[Charlie Darwin]

I could not give less of a **** about whether Sunderland and Ipswich fans agree or disagree. I'll take Niall Quinn's word for how good a job he did for them. He did a great job at Sunderland but struggled at Ipswich, it happens.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Not what my Mackem pals tell me...if you leave out the swearwords, 'bottle merchant' is as good as it gets.

Thanks, but no thanks. Not that he'll last two years anywhere...

[Charlie Darwin]

If your Mackem pals are anything like Paul O'Shea's posse at YBIG I think I'll stick with the chairman of the club where he was such a success who, having been the coach before him, knew exactly how challenging a job it was to take on.

[back of the net]

Celtic chief exec peter lawell saying this afternoon that they have spoken to roy but he is one of 5-10 outstanding candidates they have in mind for the job.

[ArdeeBhoy]

If your Mackem pals are anything like Paul O'Shea's posse at YBIG I think I'll stick with the chairman of the club where he was such a success who, having been the coach before him, knew exactly how challenging a job it was to take on.

Yes, which is why he walked out on them...almost six years ago, btw. He got them promoted, but 'success', that's just silly...they only just avoided releagtion and then even his own players celebrated when he left!
Go figure...

[DeLorean]

Sunderland were relegated with a lowest points total the season before Keane took over. They were bottom off the Championship after five games when he arrived. I think to almost anybody, promotion would have appeared a big ask at that point. He didn't only get them promoted, he won the division. He then kept them up in 15th place in the PL (just two seasons after the PL's worst ever performance by any club). The way he left them was poor, no doubt, but he obviously did an excellent job while managing at that particular football club. If it wasn't for Keane's job there, Sunderland may not be the established PL side they are now. He might have spent poorly at times and fallen out with players but I think everybody agrees it's a results game, and he definitely got the results there. From where Sunderland were at the time, getting them back to the PL and keeping them there was very much a 'success'.

[Stuttgart88]

I think I read that Brendan Rodgers is already the third longest serving manager in the EPL. It seems like he only arrived at Liverpool yesterday.

According to this the average tenure is 54 weeks.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/west-brom-manager-steve-clarke-2929492

So, does Keane's spell really single him out as some kind of under performer?

[ArdeeBhoy]

Sunderland were relegated with a lowest points total the season before Keane took over. They were bottom off the Championship after five games when he arrived. I think to almost anybody, promotion would have appeared a big ask at that point. He didn't only get them promoted, he won the division. He then kept them up in 15th place in the PL (just two seasons after the PL's worst ever performance by any club). The way he left them was poor, no doubt, but he obviously did an excellent job while managing at that particular football club. If it wasn't for Keane's job there, Sunderland may not be the established PL side they are now. He might have spent poorly at times and fallen out with players but I think everybody agrees it's a results game, and he definitely got the results there. From where Sunderland were at the time, getting them back to the PL and keeping them there was very much a 'success'.

I disagree. He's a walking disaster area in football management, in his case, literally...

Though acknowledge Stutts point about managers now only getting a year to turn things round generally, which is plain silly...

[Stuttgart88]

I disagree. He's a walking disaster area in football management, in his case, literally...
Would that change to metaphorically if he was in a wheelchair, or took coaching sessions on a pogo stick?

[ArdeeBhoy]

But he's not, that we know of. Talking of his walking away from jobs when the going gets 'tough', a surprising trait given his personal attitude as a player...

[Stuttgart88]

I'm a bit undecided on all of this. On one hand Keane creates an unnecessary sideshow and on the other, if he were to leave, it'd further undermine the status of the BIG in the Irish public's eyes.

Either way. I suppose our media never needs a second chance to elevate the personal situation of Cork footballers over thoughtful coverage of our national team.