Robbie Keane

[eirebhoy]

Another goal for Keane today. Reid also started but I don't think he took his chance.

[Fergie's Son]

Scrappy goal for Keane but a good striker's goal. Reid seemed to vanish during the game. Nasty incident involving Keane accidently kicking a Middleborough player in the head.

[geysir]

Reid did well for his part in the first goal. Midfield was a mix and match for Spurs in that game, messy on the left side. I blame the manager :)

Keane looked sharper than the last game. I predict he will get a run of games in the first team :)

[Marked Man]

Keane looked sharper than the last game. I predict he will get a run of games in the first team :)

He still won't get any respect on this forum though. His goal either (a) was a fluke, or (b) wasn't important.

[brine3]

Mido got a lower rating and Defoe acted like a spoilt brat, so Robbie is in the team for another few matches at least.

[thejollyrodger]

the competition is doing robbie the world of good IMHO

[Stuttgart88]

I watched most of the Spurs game & my own reaction was almost comical. I'm an Arsenal fan so would prefer not to see Spurs doing well, but on the other hand I cheer on Robbie & Andy Reid whole-heartedly. But when Defoe was clean through at the end I was praying he'd miss! The last thing I wanted was for Defoe to take his one & only chance.

Watching the game as objectively as I could, I'd say that Robbie's goal was actually a good goalscorer's goal. But I felt he spent too much time moaning at the ref again, and two of Boro's goals came from Robbie being far to careless in possession in his own half. He had a good claim for handball one of those times I suppose but he was sytill trying to be too fancy. Spurs' equaliser was from a corner that Robbie won.

[Hither green]

Mido got a lower rating and Defoe acted like a spoilt brat, so Robbie is in the team for another few matches at least.

Sounds like Defoe's out for a couple of weeks. So that's hopefully 3 more 90 minutes for Keane.

[Irish_Praha]

Sounds like Defoe's out for a couple of weeks. So that's hopefully 3 more 90 minutes for Keane.

Mido is off to the African Nation's Cup for a few weeks too.

[geysir]

The last thing I wanted was for Defoe to take his one & only chance.
Yeah, sometimes I wonder about my own sanity when I cheer for one white shirted player take great pleasure at another's miss and chuckling when the same player gets injured. Do we take patriotism to its basest level, or what?

[Stuttgart88]

Do we take patriotism to its basest level, or what?Nothing at all wrong with that!

[Crunch]

Robbie Keane just scored his 3rd goal of the season. He now has the same amount of goals as both Mido and Defoe, yet he's had less than half the playing time. It's Robbie's second start in a row. Maybe Robbie has played his way back into the team.

He is doing well and it seems a bit unfair that he is not playing enough. Hopefully he will keep it up for Ireland, when we get a manager.

[NeilMcD]

I think Martin Jol has worked it very well with the 3 strikers. Mido has scored goals in the last few games as has Keane. Defoe was stuggling to get goals and as a result he was dropped for Keane. He then comes on against Portsmouth and scores a great goal. Keane has been playing well in my view. He is now a starter for the next 4 games at least over the x mas period. If he does really well over that time he will be hard to shift from the team in January.

[tetsujin1979]

Mido is off to the African Nation's Cup for a few weeks too.
Don't think that will matter too much, Rasiak (sp?) was brought in as cover for Mido and I expect him to get a run of games while he's away at the African Cup of Nations

[eirebhoy]

It looks like Keane played well again yesterday:

"Keane 9 - Outstanding. Work rate as good as anyone on the field, first touch was exceptional and in my opinion our best striker."

"Keane-8- miles ahead of Defoe, created alot in the first half"

"Keane - 9 - Man of the match for me. Did everything today. Got crosses in, won headers, got shots in, came deep and got the ball and defended. Far more superior than his moaning partner."

"Keane 9.5 (first half) 7 (Second half) (What a first half - he was everywhere and deserved a goal - second half I have a feeling Villa put a man on him and it worked)"

"Special mention to Keano... He had an outstanding game, reminded me a bit of gascoigne with his cheeky nutmegs and great vision. A superb display, the only thing lacking was the obvious goal. Defoe looks out of sorts at present, hes having a frustrating season, like keane did last year."

Kelly was solid defensively but it seemed a lack of confidence meant he was unwilling to get forward too often.

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

It looks like Keane played well again yesterday:

"Keane 9 - Outstanding. Work rate as good as anyone on the field, first touch was exceptional and in my opinion our best striker."

"Keane-8- miles ahead of Defoe, created alot in the first half"

"Keane - 9 - Man of the match for me. Did everything today. Got crosses in, won headers, got shots in, came deep and got the ball and defended. Far more superior than his moaning partner."

"Keane 9.5 (first half) 7 (Second half) (What a first half - he was everywhere and deserved a goal - second half I have a feeling Villa put a man on him and it worked)"

"Special mention to Keano... He had an outstanding game, reminded me a bit of gascoigne with his cheeky nutmegs and great vision. A superb display, the only thing lacking was the obvious goal. Defoe looks out of sorts at present, hes having a frustrating season, like keane did last year."

Kelly was solid defensively but it seemed a lack of confidence meant he was unwilling to get forward too often.


I only saw the highlights on the Premiership, but it looked like he played very well. Jimmy McGee said that he hadn't seen Keane play so well in years! Considering that Spurs were going for the win, it seems strange that Jol took Defoe off with 15 minutes to go. In that type of situation, he usually plays with 3 frontmen. However, that probably shows how poorly Defoe played. He had one change and scuffed the ball over the bar. He was also selfish when in posession. Keane has established himself ahead of Defoe in the pecking order. He has formed a good partnership with Mido who is unfortunately away at the African Cup of Nations. I think if anyone leaves Spurs it will be Defoe.
BTW, Robbie may have had a frustrating season last year but he still got 17 goals for Spurs. Defoe has 5 this season so he has some catching up to do!:D

[Hither green]

He said: “I admit, Robbie Keane is a big regret. The other day I was watching him play for Tottenham on the television [against Charlton]. He had a perfect game.

“He had a thousand touches and not one mistake. It drives me mad! It was my choice to bring him to Inter, I liked him as a player, but he didn’t shine with us. And now look at him.”

Nice to see. I thought he was okay there, considering his chances in the team. Of the few goals he scored there were some nice ones, and the fans loved him.

[Emmet]

He was very young though and Inter are really the sort of club a player would go to in their mid to late 20s when they are playing at their best. He is right though - Keane is starting to show the kind of performances we always knew he was capable of

[livehead1]

playing for one of the top 5 teams in the premiership, being named their player of the year 2 years in a row and probably player of the year this year as well. Ireland's record goalscorer of all time, combined tranfer fees of 36millions pounds and at the age of 25? i think hes done rather well!

[as_i_say]

heh :)

[eirebhoy]

The players appreciate his skill too. He played in some tournament this week with the likes of Reyes, Rooney and Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "Joga 3 is my kind of game  high tempo and skills based, the futsal allows you to do some great tricks. Robbie and Cesc are fantastic to play alongside; Robbie is such an expert finisher whilst Cesc is such a talented play maker."

Cesc Fabregas: "It was such fun to play alongside Robbie and Cristiano tonight, both are hugely talented players. Joga 3 allows you to express yourself as a player whilst the futsal is the perfect weight for showing off your skills."

[Galwayutdcelt]

this is the same guy that went on the pish before game last year and then played pish poor, and as for playing Elliot he has not kicked a ball since November:confused:

[NeilMcD]

Well maybe the extra responsibilty will do him good. There are many ways to manage players and maybe Staunton feels that giving Robbie Keane the captaincy that he will respond in a positive manner. Also Elliot played on Saturday and as far as I am aware he did kick a ball. Also its a friendly so giving him 60 minutes could be a good idea. Its a brave team with a formation that is very flexible also.

[deadman]

i'm sure robbie's performances for tottenham when he was stand-in captain for king held sway for stan. the added responsibility seemed to have a positive effect on him.

Given certainly deserves the honour more than anyone but i'm not really a fan of having you 'keeper as captain.

[Poor Student]

It also needs to be a player you're certain you'll hardly want to drop throughout the whole campaign and I'd put Keane among the top of such a list beside Given and Duff. He wanted an outfielder and Keane has experience captaining and huge international experience in general.

[brine3]

And so ends Kevin Kilbane's record breaking consecutive starts for Ireland.

Excuse me while I get a hanky to wipe the tears... of joy. :D

[Hither green]

Not a bad choice in Keane. I'm not a fan of keepers being captains either, I'd have rather had Dunne as Vice Captain.

[finlma]

I'd have rather had Dunne as Vice Captain.

What exactly does a vice-captain do? I think its one of those made-up roles to make people happy. I don't even think the role of captain is that important in modern day football - its more of an honour than anything else.

[onenilgameover]

And so ends Kevin Kilbane's record breaking consecutive starts for Ireland.

Excuse me while I get a hanky to wipe the tears... of joy. :D

Have to agree in a way....

[Hither green]

What exactly does a vice-captain do? I think its one of those made-up roles to make people happy. I don't even think the role of captain is that important in modern day football - its more of an honour than anything else.

Vice captain? Captain's the side when the captain's off the pitch, which in the case of a forward is likely to be a fairly regular occurence. I don't agree that it's just honourary, sometimes they're not necessary, but with the right person in the role, they can have a big impact.

[zinedineontour]

Think its a good choice might be the making of keane for us it has worked for him at spurs and he has looked a changed player. .. dont knock it before we see how it works ffs ..

[The Legend]

Come to think of it I think Dunne might have made a good captain, maybe it was just too early for him, he hasnt played that much for us.

[colster]

I think Keane is a good choice.
One of things people have said is that this team lacks leadership with the retirement of Cunningham, Roy Keane etc.
Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and a few others will be expected to stand up and give that leadership.
I think giving the captaincy to Given would have been obvious. It would have been easy for the likes of Keane to remain in the background. Giving it to Keane forces himself and a few others out of the comfort zone. It's a statement of intent from Staunton that he wants these lads to stand up and take responsibility for their own perfomances and that of the team.

[nedder]

I think Keane is a good choice.
One of things people have said is that this team lacks leadership with the retirement of Cunningham, Roy Keane etc.
Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and a few others will be expected to stand up and give that leadership.
I think giving the captaincy to Given would have been obvious. It would have been easy for the likes of Keane to remain in the background. Giving it to Keane forces himself and a few others out of the comfort zone. It's a statement of intent from Staunton that he wants these lads to stand up and take responsibility for their own perfomances and that of the team.

Spot on colster. Best post yet on this topic

[dancinpants]

I agree with Colster. This may actually have been a very smart move by Staunton ;)

[Irish Pride]

Good move by Stan, i seen Robbie quite a few times this season as captain for Spurs and he has done really well. We always look to Keane for goals but now we need to look to him for for Leadership and i hope he relises that.

[livehead1]

I think Keane is a good choice.
One of things people have said is that this team lacks leadership with the retirement of Cunningham, Roy Keane etc.
Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and a few others will be expected to stand up and give that leadership.
I think giving the captaincy to Given would have been obvious. It would have been easy for the likes of Keane to remain in the background. Giving it to Keane forces himself and a few others out of the comfort zone. It's a statement of intent from Staunton that he wants these lads to stand up and take responsibility for their own perfomances and that of the team.
yeh either that or leave them out! just imagine the uproar, but could be a real carrot for them to prove themselves...just an idea!!!!

[Den Perry]

Why do people criticise Robbie Keane so much? He is irelands top scorer ever at the age of 25, and has 64 caps....and plays for a top 4 premiership team

Having said that, a striker as captain may not be ideal.....I feel a captain has a better view and gets more involved from the back or midfield.

But very best of luck to Robbie

[colster]

yeh either that or leave them out! just imagine the uproar, but could be a real carrot for them to prove themselves...just an idea!!!!

If they perform badly then they will end up being dropped. I think the captaincy issue is a statement from Staunton that he wants Keane, Duff and others to look beyond their own performance, be more vocal in encouraging and getting the best out of the players around them i.e. that they stand up and give the leadership, direction and discipline that is required.

[livehead1]

If they perform badly then they will end up being dropped. I think the captaincy issue is a statement from Staunton that he wants Keane, Duff and others to look beyond their own performance, be more vocal in encouraging and getting the best out of the players around them i.e. that they stand up and give the leadership, direction and discipline that is required.
dont count on him dropping them if they play poorly.

[gustavo]

yeah i think like previous managers stan will end up having his favourites

[thejollyrodger]

Its time robbie grew up. whether this arm band can help him do that remainds to be seen. I hope it does though.

[Over the post]

Irish striker to stay at Tottenham for another four years

Friday March 3, 2006

Guardian Unlimited

Robbie Keane has signed a new four-year contract with Tottenham.
The 25-year-old Republic of Ireland captain, who has been keeping England striker Jermain Defoe out of the Spurs team this season, highlighted the progress made at White Hart Lane under Martin Jol as a key factor in his decision to sign on until 2010.

"I had the feeling it was a club going in the right direction and I still believe this, especially with how the team are doing and the quality of players that have been bought in," Keane said.

"I am flattered and delighted the club have given me the opportunity to sign. I am happy and have a lot of good friends here - players and staff. Making the right decision was important for me and I feel I have certainly done that."

[Fergie's Son]

This is a good move. Jol rates him he just needed to motivate him. A Mido/Keane partnership will do the business for Spurs.

[Over the post]

Could this herald a second coming for the Irish goal-scoring messiah? He fights his way into the first team at Spurs, is made captain and scores for his country (without the half-ar$ed celebratory cartwheel I understand) and now signs a new club deal.
Maturity beckons.

[concanta]

I think he is more mature and more of a complete player

I am trying not to get carried away but i think we have a bright future but the one position i worry about is central defence

[Dj Duffer]

I think Robbie Keane just sumed up his week with a wonderful goal against blackburn. Great skill!!!

[joema]

What a goal!!!!! - Robbie has just scored an absaloute cracker for Spurs

[sligoman]

Class goal alright. Great skill needed to create it.

[tricky_colour]

Apparently he just scored a 'wonder goal' for Spurs, flicked it over
a couple of peoples heads or something and then volleyed it in, I haven't seen it myself yet though but it should be worth seeing.