Robbie Keane

[Junior]

He'll definitely be gone in the Summer. Despite not being fully fit Robbie was picked on his own up front today and he's never been at his best without another striker alongisde him. The club is a mess with a squad full of bad signings and no spirit. Robbie should try and get as many goals as he can in the remaining games and then start planning for next season back in England.

He started up front with Fortune. For me Robbie was the only Celtic player to get anywhere near pass marks. Cant wait for this season to just end.

[EastTerracer]

He started up front with Fortune. For me Robbie was the only Celtic player to get anywhere near pass marks. Cant wait for this season to just end.

It was a very weird lineup as Fortune and Samaras played most of the game as wingers with McGeady playing in the middle.

[Stuttgart88]

Why exactly is Robbie a bit of a joke?

[bennocelt]

Why exactly is Robbie a bit of a joke?

His time with Celtic will definitely bring his ego down a peg or two

[Razors left peg]

His time with Celtic will definitely bring his ego down a peg or two

I never seen anything to make me think that needed to happen. All strikers need to be confident and cocky and I never thought Robbie was anymore than that

[yapster]

To be fair, both Celtic & Robbie are a bit of a joke just now....

spot on... Celtic should never have appointed Mowbray as manager as it was a sentimental decision, Desmond needs to splash the cash and get good players in not cheap duds and a top proven manager. As for Keane he needs to cop himself on and stop his disgraceful diving and pointing the finger in games. He is in the last chance saloon as his career goes.

[SkStu]

according to you maybe (as if that matters). Keane will be given chances at premier league clubs for the next 4 years at least. More rubbish talk.

[yapster]

according to you maybe (as if that matters). Keane will be given chances at premier league clubs for the next 4 years at least. More rubbish talk.


maybe at mediocre clubs or maybe Villa at best....

[yapster]

I never seen anything to make me think that needed to happen. All strikers need to be confident and cocky and I never thought Robbie was anymore than that


The elevator goes up and goes down not sideways.....

[Razors left peg]

The elevator goes up and goes down not sideways.....
When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea

[geysir]

I always liked that Cantona allegory,
you degrade it by association with yapster's literary imagination :D

[OwlsFan]

When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea

A solid home base builds a sense of self

[dr_peepee]

I don't think Robbie reputation has been done any damage to date since he moved to Celtic. His options in the summer will be much the same as they were in Jan.

[geysir]

“Reputation is character minus what you've been caught doing.”

[TrapAPony]

Robbie should sign for Fulham or Newcastle IMO.

[rebelmusic]

Would love to see him at fulham. Woy is no question the best manager in the prem for rejuvenating aging players. What he's done for duff is proof in the pudding

[geysir]

Indeed, the proof is in the pudding.

[dr_peepee]

I dunno if Fulham would be my choice right now. I'd rather a club but with more scope for growth and momentum if he moves, even a lower profile club.

I think Fulham are right at the tip of a peak this season and will fade off again in the near future. Anything from an injury, a couple of sales or even a signing or two has more potential to upset the balance there than any other in form club at the moment IMO. Just a hunch on my part.

[SkStu]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8615887.stm


On-loan Tottenham striker Robbie Keane's goalscoring feats with Celtic have won him the player of the month award in the Scottish Premier League.

The 29-year-old received his Clydesdale Bank award for March following a streak of 12 goals in 13 games.

Keane was signed in January by then Celtic manager Tony Mowbray as he attempted to claw back the points deficit with title holders Rangers.

But Keane's eight goals during March could not save Mowbray from the sack.

Celtic won four of their five matches during the month, but a 4-0 defeat by relegation-threatened St Mirren sealed Mowbray's fate.

Keane also failed to score as Celtic suffered a surprise Scottish Cup exit in Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final at the hands of First Division side Ross County.

[yapster]

he also couldn`t hack it against rangers when he was needed most....

[Junior]

Played with an injury in what was a very poor performance from the whole team.

Any chance you might have something vaguely interesting to post? You seem to have singlehandedly made this forum half as good as it used to be - Quite an achievement.

[elroy]

Played with an injury in what was a very poor performance from the whole team.

Any chance you might have something vaguely interesting to post? You seem to have singlehandedly made this forum half as good as it used to be - Quite an achievement.

Come on lads, not worth replying to the WUM at this stage. As mentioned before theres a ignore list for a reason.

[Crosby87]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8615887.stm


On-loan Tottenham striker Robbie Keane's goalscoring feats with Celtic have won him the player of the month award in the Scottish Premier League.

Any chance of him simply staying at Celtic long term? :watermelon:

[Colbert Report]

Any chance of him simply staying at Celtic long term? :watermelon:

No. They can't afford his wagers.

[Crosby87]

No. They can't afford his wagers.

Sure they can. Just move some things around. He also sells a lot of shirts. :present:

[Charlie Darwin]

Robbie probably would pay for himself for a year or so, but Spurs would need a bigger loan fee considering his value will drop over the course of the year (unless he goes on a CL run or something, which is incredibly unlikely at this stage). I'm not sure if the club could afford it, or if they could justify not investing the same money in younger players.

[sheao]

No. They can't afford his wagers.

Better off going back to the premiership imo, if Spurs don't want him some side like Aston Villa surely will.

[dr_peepee]

Robbie probably would pay for himself for a year or so, but Spurs would need a bigger loan fee considering his value will drop over the course of the year (unless he goes on a CL run or something, which is incredibly unlikely at this stage). I'm not sure if the club could afford it, or if they could justify not investing the same money in younger players.

HR has already said that Keane definately won't be on loan again next season. There was some diplomacy about how he said it but it was basically a case of he's too good a player not get a decent fee for if he goes somewhere else...

[Crosby87]

I truly believe he should consider one of the upper tier German Clubs.

This also got me thinking, I wonder what the record is for amount of teams an Irish player has played for. Or amount of transfers/loans.

[John83]

I truly believe he should consider one of the upper tier German Clubs.

This also got me thinking, I wonder what the record is for amount of teams an Irish player has played for. Or amount of transfers/loans.
Whatever about numbers (no doubt there's an old LoI mercenary who changed clubs at least once a year), Keane's comfortably top on total transfer fees.

[pineapple stu]

Whatever about numbers (no doubt there's an old LoI mercenary who changed clubs at least once a year)
I've never heard you discuss Paul Doolin in such polite terms before.

[Stuttgart88]

Today's News of the World (so it must be true) says Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle, Aiden McGeady and Stephen Ireland are all targets of Martin O'Neill at Villa.

5 Irish (assuming Ireland counts) in one team, and a good one at that, would be pretty good.

There are reports that Ashley Young is a £25 million target for Barcelona, so that'd give Villa money to spend. Milner may be on his way too. I saw Young live at the FA Cup semi-final a couple of weeks ago and wasn't impressed, though in fairnmess, the pitch was so heavy he couldn't use his pace at all. Still, his final ball was very poor. Milner was superb by the way.

[Razors left peg]

I wouldnt be surprised to see Man Utd make a bid for Milner. Really think Villa need some more options up front, they are lacking a bit of cuteness at times that Keane could give them. At the moment all they have is speed or brute strenght

[elroy]

Milner is almost single handedly dragging that team to get results in recent weeks. Def will be a target of the top clubs, Villa should try and keep him though if they have any ambitions of their own. Villa would be a great move for Keane, Doyle and McG. Couldnt care less about the other individual linked with the club.

[yapster]

I wouldnt be surprised to see Man Utd make a bid for Milner. Really think Villa need some more options up front, they are lacking a bit of cuteness at times that Keane could give them. At the moment all they have is speed or brute strenght


I don't know about the cuteness factor with Keane...

[Razors left peg]

I would suggest that there is alot you dont know

[Charlie Darwin]

I don't know about the cuteness factor with Keane...
Out of interest, what do you actually think Keane's positive attributes are?

[Supreme feet]

Just going to investigate a few of the repeated claims I often see on here, regarding Robbie Keane...

Claim: Robbie Keane is a big-game bottler.

Nonsense. In Keane's international career, he's scored against Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy and France in competitive games, along with Turkey and Iran in playoffs. Of course, many of his 41 goals for Ireland have come in friendlies, and competitive games against lesser nations; but given the infrequency of genuine top-level games that are played in international football - particularly outside of tournaments - Keane's record is excellent. He has scored against every 'Big 4' club for Spurs, and during his spell at Liverpool, scored against Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.

Claim; Robbie Keane misses too many chances.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many readily available chances/goals ratios online; but one from a few seasons back compared Keane's ratio to that of Berbatov, Bent and Defoe - Keane's was at 29%, Bent 10%, Berbatov 15% and Defoe 14%. Opta stats compiled in December of last year showed that Keane had the third highest goal/chance conversion rate, just behind Bellamy and Kenwyne Jones - ahead of Torres, Drogba, RVP, etc. This coming in a supposedly poor season. If Keane lacks any of the qualities needed to be a 'top' striker, his finishing ability is not one of them.

The chance he missed against France was agonising, but the goal he scored (yapster conveniently forgets about this one) was a perfect first-time finish. Let's not forget, France's lauded strikers missd their fair share during both games, Govou in particular spooning over from six yards in extra time.

Claim - Keane has underachieved at top clubs.

Harder one to argue. His moves to Inter and Liverpool did not work out, but both moves fell victim to managerial politics. Lippi was shown the exit only weeks after signing Keane, and his replacement didn't fancy him. Benitez never wanted Keane in the first place, and repeatedly dropped him even after scoring crucial goals. Keane was slightly unlucky with the moves. He was also unlucky that Leeds didn't make him available after the 2002 WC, when many clubs would have snapped him up eagerly. Instead, they waited until the autumn to sell - a point when the big clubs had already spent their money. Spurs was the best option at the time, and he repaid them by becoming the 9th highest goalscorer in their history. In Keane's time at Spurs, the 'Big 4' wasted millions on players like Diouf, Cisse, Morientes, Crespo, Kezman, Shevchenko, Mutu, Forlan, Smith, and Reyes. Fair? No, not really. Keane's goalscoring record at Liverpool actually wasn't bad in comparison to the above - one less than Benitez's fellow Spaniard Morientes, who was given repeated chances over a season and a half to score his eight goals.

Keane's qualities aren't blindingly obvious; he doesn't have the pace or power of a Drogba or Torres, nor the quick feet of a Ronaldo. But he scores goals, goals of every type - and has done consistently for almost thirteen years, at every club he's been. We know all the stats; 11th highest EPL goalscorer since its inception, 9th on Spurs' all-time list, first on Ireland's by quite a distance. When he retires, he'll be rightly lauded as one of our all-time greats, with an above-average record in a league that many world-renowned strikers have found impossible to crack (Kluivert, Shevchenko, Crespo, Morientes). The only regrettable thing about his career thus far is the way he was messed around by Liverpool - and given their fortunes this season with David Ngog (and before him, Voronin) toiling ineptly in front of goal, it's just desserts for Benitez. Keane will be playing and scoring in the EPL for a few years to come, maybe even for Spurs in the CL next season; which would be sweet irony at a fitting stage for such a player.

[yapster]

Keane failed at Inter,Leeds and Liverpool and now Spurs are doing better than ever without him.


Keanes enthusium and committment to Ireland is highly commendable.

Yes of course the first goal in Paris he took superbly but his miss was deplorable..

His flopping and diving and his moaning at referee's for no reason is a disgrace to the Irish shirt...

[Charlie Darwin]

Liverpool's form has nosedived since he left. Are we to conclude that his presence in the Liverpool team was just as pivotal as his absence from Spurs has been?

[yapster]

Liverpool's form has nosedived since he left. Are we to conclude that his presence in the Liverpool team was just as pivotal as his absence from Spurs has been?


Liverpools form has nothing to do with Keane...

[Charlie Darwin]

But Spurs' does?

[strangeirish]

Out of interest, what do you actually think Keane's positive attributes are?
His missus...:cool:

[bennocelt]

His missus...:cool:


10 a penny those women are

As for Keane, lets be honest he is not a Man U/ Chelsea kind of player (ie top drawer stuff) - Spurs or Liverpool were/are about his level which is fine

[Stuttgart88]

I just saw a Bayern centre forward miss an absolute sitter. No way would Robbie have missed it. I'd say that makes Robbie CL semi-finalist (or finalist if Bayern stay ahead) standard myself.

Not being good enough for Chelsea or Man U is hardly a damning indictment. That said, I'm not convinced Kalou is top drawer. Maybe I haven't watched him enough.

[yapster]

But Spurs' does?


All I'm saying is they don't need him do they? He was dropped for most of the time he was with Spurs this season.

[Colbert Report]

I just saw a Bayern centre forward miss an absolute sitter. No way would Robbie have missed it. I'd say that makes Robbie CL semi-finalist (or finalist if Bayern stay ahead) standard myself.

Not being good enough for Chelsea or Man U is hardly a damning indictment. That said, I'm not convinced Kalou is top drawer. Maybe I haven't watched him enough.

I wasn't convinced about Kalou either, until I saw his magnificent performance on Sunday against Stoke.

[bennocelt]

I just saw a Bayern centre forward miss an absolute sitter. No way would Robbie have missed it. I'd say that makes Robbie CL semi-finalist (or finalist if Bayern stay ahead) standard myself.

Not being good enough for Chelsea or Man U is hardly a damning indictment. That said, I'm not convinced Kalou is top drawer. Maybe I haven't watched him enough.


If my aunty had...................
Still a hat trick isnt to bad, is it!!!!:D Now in the finals of the CL while Robbie on the other hand has the mighty Motherwell to deal with next - thats the reality of it

[Stuttgart88]

It wasn't Olic who missed the sitter (or was it? I had the sound turned down as I was on the phone). First minute, open goal, missed target....

[TrapAPony]

It wasn't Olic who missed the sitter (or was it? I had the sound turned down as I was on the phone). First minute, open goal, missed target....

Thomas Müller