Robbie Keane

[Duggie]

He always does well when there is no pressure on him.

At Liverpool there was massive pressure.

But the guy has done brilliantly for Ireland especially for 2002 WC. Scored against Iran in Dublin in the qualifier, scored against Germany in the WC and scored the peno against Spain in the second round.

bull.

[Emmet7]

bull.

Ah right, so there was no pressure at Liverpool to justify his transfer fee then? :rolleyes:

[DeLorean]

I've always seen Keane as a player who performed better under a bit of pressure, like his first stint at Spurs when Defoe was competed with him for a starting place. The Liverpool situation was a bit different in that I don't think it mattered how well he performed, Benitez didn't want him and that was that.

[Duggie]

I've always seen Keane as a player who performed better under a bit of pressure, like his first stint at Spurs when Defoe was competed with him for a starting place. The Liverpool situation was a bit different in that I don't think it mattered how well he performed, Benitez didn't want him and that was that.

exactly. benetiz did everything he could to dent his confidence to make him look bad and get rid of him. on 2 occasions he scored 2 goals in games and both times he was benched the next game. dont think benetiz wanted him to get going. 100% banetiz wanted him out asap. tosser.

[KK77]

exactly. benetiz did everything he could to dent his confidence to make him look bad and get rid of him. on 2 occasions he scored 2 goals in games and both times he was benched the next game. dont think benetiz wanted him to get going. 100% banetiz wanted him out asap. tosser.

Incorrect my friend. Benitez did want him but wanted Barry first then Keane. I saw i'd say 95% of Keanes games home and away last season for Liverpool and it kills me to say it but it just wasn't happening for him. Some games you wouldn't have thought he was playing in. His last ever game against Everton on the Monday evening sumed it all up for me he was awful. In saying that i agree that Benitez was wrong to drop him when he scored at Arsenal and the following game at home to Bolton. Too easy to say he was taken off all the time as in all those games he started and last 60-70 mins and was contributing nothing. Just one of those moves that didn't work out.

[Leeside Swagger]

Still think liverpool were crazy to let him go,they probably would have won the league if they kept him. I'm sure he'll perform for us in the playoffs. Keep the faith!

[Emmet7]

Had he to choose between Keane and Barry, he would have chosen Barry. He wasn't really given that choice, basically it was Keane or no-one.

[dr_peepee]

Still think liverpool were crazy to let him go,they probably would have won the league if they kept him!

Had they kept Crouch, and showed Keane and Alonso the respect they deserved last season, they would have started this season as favourites and would be hot on Chelsea heels right now.

This is a classic case of Benitez reaping what he sewed... Good enough for him.

[Emmet7]

Showed Keane respect? From what I remember Keane was annoyed for being subbed in games with 10 or 20 minutes to go, even though he didn't look like scoring. It was time to change things around.

Robbie is the sort of player if you subbed him in injury time of a game, he would be upset.

[irishfan86]

Showed Keane respect? From what I remember Keane was annoyed for being subbed in games with 10 or 20 minutes to go, even though he didn't look like scoring. It was time to change things around.

Robbie is the sort of player if you subbed him in injury time of a game, he would be upset.

He was generally subbed at the 60 minute mark, and I think at one staged he was the most subbed player in the Premier League (which is ridiculous for a player of his calibre, and certainly did nothing for his confidence).

[rebelmusic]

The fact that in one game he was en-route to a hat trick and benitez still subbed him at the 60 marked proved that he had no respect. A hat trick at that point would have done wonders for his confidence.

[SuperDave]

He always does well when there is no pressure on him.

At Liverpool there was massive pressure.

But the guy has done brilliantly for Ireland especially for 2002 WC. Scored against Iran in Dublin in the qualifier, scored against Germany in the WC and scored the peno against Spain in the second round.

Like against Iran? The last minute goal against Germany? The last minute penalty against Spain?

The guy eats fukcing pressure flakes for breakfasts.

[antrimgreen]

We Love you Robbie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[geysir]

He is keeping a low profile in the lead up to this game.

[antrimgreen]

Good, he can do his talking on the pitch hopefully!

[hunt4the]

robert david keane will score tommorow (first goalscorer)
get on it 6/1

[OwlsFan]

robert david keane will score tommorow (first goalscorer)
get on it 6/1

Nice tip thanks.

And of course Robbie doesn't score in "big games" my a*s*. The guy also worked his socks off and yet, I know, will still get negative comments from some quarters. This I can never and will never understand.

[Stuttgart88]

And I think any doubts about his captaincy are long banished now.

[OwlsFan]

Robbie looked like a dead man walking last night against Man U. He seemed totally disinterested - like someone who's had his spirit destroyed. Mind you Defoe wasn't much better. Post Paris syndrome?

[geysir]

Such is his depth of despair that a 9-1 league win makes no serious impression.

Harry will have to get into his head and psyche him up with suitable motivation statements.

[Fixer82]

The guy eats fukcing pressure flakes for breakfasts.

I hear he also has a penchant for the all new crunchy nut pressure flakes God bless him!

[dan o d]

i wudnt say it is easy for him at the moment , and its made worse by the fact that his two striking partners- defoe and crouch-will be doing their utmost this season to impress and make it into the english world cup squad

[seanfhear]

Snap out of it Robbie or you will end up at Celtic before your time;)

[geysir]

Maybe he just needs some treatment.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Nu3_Oa2Bk2v2PM:http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2008/05/14/electroshock_NoTwe_183.jpg

[Stuttgart88]

Ham & High (i.e., Hampstead and Highgate) - a North London local newspaper - ran a strory last week saying that Harry Redknapp is urging some Spurs fans to get off Robbie's back as he seems to be getting stick from some quarters.

[shakermaker1982]

Ham & High (i.e., Hampstead and Highgate) - a North London local newspaper - ran a strory last week saying that Harry Redknapp is urging some Spurs fans to get off Robbie's back as he seems to be getting stick from some quarters.

Dave Mason - the Observer Tottenham fan cannot stand Robbie. Every week he'll give Keane 5 out of 10.

[Jicked]

Ham & High (i.e., Hampstead and Highgate) - a North London local newspaper - ran a strory last week saying that Harry Redknapp is urging some Spurs fans to get off Robbie's back as he seems to be getting stick from some quarters.

Some quarters? The Spurs fans can't seem to stand him this season, he's seemingly very unpopular.

[seanfhear]

Robbie seems to struggle in a top four team;)

[geysir]

It appears he is always popular with the Spurs fans when they play Man U.

[OwlsFan]

It appears he is always popular with the Spurs fans when they play Man U.

..and the Man U fans as well. They chant "there's only one Keano ;)

[irishultra]

oh dear.

[Nagger]

Any news on clubs who might be interested? I read somewhere Celtic might be, but i dont think Celtic could afford his wages.

[Jicked]

link?

[OwlsFan]

Usual stuff linking Keane with Celtic but according to Spurs Chairman Levy there would be "no disruption to the core team."

Levy continued: "Having a settled squad gives us the best chance for consistency.

"We are striving for top-level displays, including the ability to take on and beat the so-called top-four teams."

[Crosby87]

Its funny to me that people think Keane will still be around for world cup 2014 Quals.
This is the start of the end of his career....

[NeilMcD]

Its funny that people have said things like this for ages and have been consistantly proved wrong.

[Crosby87]

You are right as always Neil. He will play forever. Age will not be a factor for any of our players. What a relief! So its strange he might change teams again since he does not age and always plays well and will play forever though, no? Weird. Can you get to the bottom of that for me?

[jbyrne]

You are right as always Neil. He will play forever. Age will not be a factor for any of our players. What a relief! So its strange he might change teams again since he does not age and always plays well and will play forever though, no? Weird. Can you get to the bottom of that for me?

get to the bottom of this.... he was our top scorer by far in the most recent qualifying campaign and scored some critical goals. only as good as your last campaign and he was hugely important to us

[Murfinator]

Its funny to me that people think Keane will still be around for world cup 2014 Quals.
This is the start of the end of his career....

Alright who let one of the suns backpage writing staff out of their cage? Own up now!

[jbyrne]

Its funny that people have said things like this for ages and have been consistantly proved wrong.

i know. the Irish just love knocking their own successful people. not that long since people wanted him replaced by stephen elliot. hilarious really.

[Colbert Report]

You are right as always Neil. He will play forever. Age will not be a factor for any of our players. What a relief! So its strange he might change teams again since he does not age and always plays well and will play forever though, no? Weird. Can you get to the bottom of that for me?

Robbie Keane was born on July 8, 1980, which by my maths makes him 29 right now. He'll be 30 at the start of the next qualifying campaign and 33 when the World Cup 2014 is played. Given that we're such a small country and he's our captain, all time leading goalscorer, and one of our greatest ever players, I'd expect him to keep playing until at least the next World Cup, if not the 2016 Euros.

Who is going to take away his place? There's nobody on the radar right now, save for Terry Dixon who has never made a senior appearance for any club.

[Stuttgart88]

33 is no age for some players. Henrik Larsson was as fit and effective in his 30s as he was in his 20s.

[Morbo]

Its funny to me that people think Keane will still be around for world cup 2014 Quals.
This is the start of the end of his career....
Whats so funny about it? He will be 32/33 during the qualifiers, he will be getting on and will probably have lost a pit of pace but I still think he will be better than any of the youngsters coming though, I'd be surprised if he wasn't still a starter for us.

[SkStu]

the last few posts have made me realise just how screwed we are when Robbie Keane is gone... is there another player coming through even similar to him? No. He's a one in a million player for a country like ours and we should appreciate him while we can. Will rightly go down as the best Irish striker of all time.

Shame on the detractors!

[geysir]

We have a tradition of getting good milage from our strikers.

[John83]

We have a tradition of getting good milage from our strikers.
Some of them never had any pace or skill to decline with age.

[Murfinator]

i know. the Irish just love knocking their own successful people. not that long since people wanted him replaced by stephen elliot. hilarious really.

Sad more than anything. I remember reading this time last year how it was "the beginning of the end" for Damien Duff while Newcastle were struggling, and there he is flying for Fulham and Ireland this year. Or when Dunne left Man City it was all doom and gloom and how he was destined for a relegation struggling team. He's in the top 4 now ffs and has been pivotal for villa to get them there.
Or the people that said Given was in his way out from the injuries a few years ago, it's sad how people can make these rash judgments based on so little.

Keane is 29, a year older than Arshavin and berbatov who few would claim are knocking on the door of being on the way out. He's in his peak years and will be for years to come, I'd fully expect him to be at the top level in 2014 and beyond, there'll be many more twists and turns in the career of robbie keane.

It annoys me that people here buy into the british philosophy of looking at a players age and making nonsensical sweeping judgments on their ability based on that number. A players career very rarely follows an n-curve pattern where they emerge at 21, peak at 27, start going down at 30 and retire at 34. It doesn't work like that in reality. Players peak at different times, some are peaked by 23 like Michael Owen, others not until well into their 30's like Makelele.

[John83]

very good point about the age factor. the only thing that should decline with age is your pace. if you take care of yourself you should actually become a better player.
I think you're underestimating how important stamina is for most modern players. Players are also slower to recover from injuries, and accumulated physical problems can begin to cause difficulties.

[geysir]

I think your other points are more relevant to Robbie, namely his dependency on pace and skill. If he retains as much of that as say Mark Hughes did at the age of 33, then injuries permitting he has the guts of 2 campaigns left in him.

[TrapAPony]

Was an unused sub tonight against Man City. Even when Defoe was brought off in the end it was Jenas that replaced him. Could Robbie be on his way in January?