Robbie Keane [Archive]

Slash/ED

13/10/2004, 9:24 PM

I can't remember the last time he played well in a competetive international.

France away, all of last saturday. He held up the ball superbly and linked the play excellently.

Typical over reaction bullsh*t. He missed chances yes, but that's the way he plays, with Keane it's all about the way he gets the chances. Look at Henry, he misses a boatload at times, Owen the same. His quality is in his ability to get the chances and his all round play. He has three goals in four qualifyers and yet people want him dropped, he's our highest goal scorer in history yet people want him dropped, it's laughable

tricky_colour

13/10/2004, 10:02 PM

I felt Keane could have rounded the keeper and slotted home
on a couple of occasioins, instead he had his effort blocked by the
keeper.

pipes

13/10/2004, 10:40 PM

Typical over reaction bullsh*t. He missed chances yes, but that's the way he plays, with Keane it's all about the way he gets the chances. Look at Henry, he misses a boatload at times, Owen the same. His quality is in his ability to get the chances and his all round play. He has three goals in four qualifyers and yet people want him dropped, he's our highest goal scorer in history yet people want him dropped, it's laughable

Good point. Getting scoring chances is a positive thing. If he scored on every chance he created for himself he'd have 200 goals by now, which obviously is impossible for anyone. Too bad he has to "settle" for just being the best striker in Irish history.

loscherland

13/10/2004, 10:55 PM

Shut up you absolute Knob end!!! :eek:

Come back to us when you know something about international football...
What a F**kin W**k*r!!!

Closed Account 2

14/10/2004, 12:01 AM

If you think he's so bad I suggest you watch a video of our match v Holland last June.

He's probably or most skillfull finisher since Aldridge, and the only bad games I can remember him having recently were vs the Swiss and (maybe) Cyprus - even then he was not fully fit but his sheer ability meant he had to be put in the team anyway.

IMO he is the player in our team who tries the most in each game, and its also worth remembering how he kept a cool head in WC2002 vs Spain when others didnt. Few Ireland players have had to deal with that much of a pressure situation.

on_me_head_son

14/10/2004, 2:56 AM

What the beep? :confused:

So he misses a few chances or makes a few dodgy decisions, he's still our best striker by a mile. I'd like to see Keane and Morrison play together for a while. I reckon they could be a really good partnership.

thecorner

14/10/2004, 3:26 AM

im thinking here that condex must be just a young fella cos if he had to endure what we had to go through in terms of strikers the last 20 years, he couldnt call robbie keane crap.

to broke a record in such a short space of time is brilliant and we can only imagine what the record will end up as.

keane is miles ahead of the strikers we have had the last couple of years

condex crawl back under your rock and come back out when you something worth talking about

Plastic Paddy

14/10/2004, 6:20 AM

ah London,I figured you were in or from England.

WTF does this mean? :mad:

:ball: PP

ilpostino

14/10/2004, 7:36 AM

Glenn Hodddle(yes a muppet) once said that he'd never pick Andy Cole for the England team cuz he needs 4 chances to put away 1 goal. I have exactly the same opinion of RK. He's simply not clinical enough at international level, yes he works his hole off(ala Stad de France) and yes he adds a physical presence-yet when he dribbles with the ball it would make you cry, and his first touch is woefull. He also seems to be on a different wavelenght from the rest of the team( ie feints and step overs that go nowhere). Saying that, we have no other leader for the line and he has the presence to take a chance in vital moments in the game. The hype surrounding him is not a honest reflection on him but surely a sad reflection on the lack of attacking opinions of the Irish team over the last decade. I'd say this is a fair apraisal of the debate. Instead of slagging the 5hite out of each other try and look at the situation objectively and ignore the b�llicx you read in the tabloids every day.

thecorner

14/10/2004, 7:39 AM

the fact that he is our record goalscorer already and might go on to set a record that might never be broken counts for nothing is it :rolleyes:

FFS how long did it take quinnie to get his goals

blobbyblob

14/10/2004, 8:16 AM

16 years for Big Niall v 6 years for Robbie

I think Robbies goals per game average for international football now surpasses or at least equals Michael Owen.

3 points is what mattered last night. Congrats to Robbie on the record. Played super stuff in the first half. I think when O Shea went off we lost a lot of width/shape around midfield and got sloppy. Apart from that were sitting pretty going into the new year. Same as always though. I'd prefer to play another international next week while were on a role.

Has a nation ever had mass counselling for begrudgery and inferiority complex?

razor

14/10/2004, 8:18 AM

I don't think Robbie is clinical enough either, he certainly isn't a world class striker and his form in recent times has been poor.
But at the end of the day he's the best we've got and he's been the only constant in our front line for a long time.

But questions must be asked such as why can't we score more than 2 goals against a team as bad as the Faroe Islands

thecorner

14/10/2004, 8:23 AM

jesus christ some people are never happy.

we finally get an out and out goalscorer after years of searching and people still arent happy :mad:

Peadar

14/10/2004, 8:26 AM

WTF does this mean? PP

It means you're thick. Obviously it's true if you can't work it out! :D
Oh, actually he's referring to me too! :mad: :D

Here's my two cent.

Robbie is a little gem and I'm eternally grateful to him for some fine memories.

There just always seems to be something holding him up though.
Last night it was the record.
He broke it and I thought, 'right, that's that, lets move on.'
Then he was on a hatrick and all of a sudden we were back to square one.
Everyone was trying to get the ball to him and more often than not that wasn't the best ball to play. He was trying too hard for his first international hatrick which would have made it a truely special night for him which no doubt he'd dedicate to his fathers memory.
No more records now Robbie, just concentrate on the job in hand.
You're a little dinger though, well done!

feckless

14/10/2004, 8:33 AM

24 years of age and Irelands top goal scorer! I watched the game (from England) on TV last night, and I thought RK was sharp as fe*k, he scored two, hit the keeper a few times and took the wrong decision on a few occasions. So what, he was involved!

It is hard to break down any international defence these days, especially if they are all behind the ball. Get a sense of perspective lads, some of youse are sounding like the gobshi*tes who go to games to be entertained by 5-0 victories!

Que Sera Sera :)

harpskid

14/10/2004, 8:49 AM

Aye, Robbie Keane's crap....

sure he's only our record goalscorer - what more do you want??

zinedineontour

14/10/2004, 8:57 AM

Thanks God Robbie is so crap would have been a marvellous 0-0 draw without him.. Top scorer for our country at 24 thats so crap. Fair enough he does miss a few but he scores enough to make up for it and makes a lot of his own chances. Sure yeah lets drop robbie and play the potent duo of connolly and docherty scare the **** out of the french yeah..

green goblin

14/10/2004, 9:05 AM

Let's hope his crapness infects all our players. We could do with everyone being as cr*p as Robbie. Remember the 93rd minute goal that kept us in the Wordl Cup? What a cr*p goal. He's rubbish, he is. Let's hope all our strikers are dragged down by his weary example and play with the same lacklustre enthusiasm. :rolleyes: Sheesh. He's already outgoaled Quinny- what more do you want from him?? :confused:

Colm55

14/10/2004, 9:11 AM

For a crap player, not only does he have the record goals at twenty four but if he stays playing until he's thirty, he'll take stephen stauntons 'most caps' scalp aswell ! ! ! Whats he on now fifty odd ? ?

feckless

14/10/2004, 9:21 AM

Haven't got the stats to hand, but his goals to games ratio leaves the likes of Quinn, Frankie and Cas trailing in the wake.

Kingdom

14/10/2004, 9:45 AM

Haven't got the stats to hand, but his goals to games ratio leaves the likes of Quinn, Frankie and Cas trailing in the wake.
Ay but not Dave Kelly I would bet :D
Bring him backfor the Israel games, guarenteed hat-tricks home and away. :o

furiousD

14/10/2004, 9:51 AM

just because this country doesn't have anyone else to put up front it doesn't make rk a clinical finisher. his peno was dodge and evn doherty would have put away the second, all work done by ROY. and the first all the work done by duffman.

LFC in Exile

14/10/2004, 10:00 AM

Let's get some balance here.

Robbie is the best striker Ireland has at present. I don't think he is the best striker we ever had but that is a different argument. He should not be dropped. He is not crap.

However, last night he was the reason we did not score more goals (and that could be important). At this stage he is hard-wired - we can't say any more that he is young and learning his trade etc - this is what we have. And he consistently takes the hard option. Roy Keane made the point last night about being over-elaborate. He was right. Robbie tried to do the hard thing every time. He should have been told to get at the end of balls in teh box - not drop back to create his own chances. He doesn't seem to learn that the game does not have to be difficult. Those boys were there for the taking last night - and every time the ball went into Robbie Keane the play broke down because he tried to do something fancy instead of laying it off and heading to the penalty spot.

The argument will coem back - well, why couldn't score for Ireland blah blah blah - which is beside the point. He is to be judged by the standards of international football - and while he is a really skillful player and the best striker we have, he would be much more effective if he stopped playing as if he was knocking around on some road in Tallaght. :ball:

As for the Irish record - breaking that shockingly bad record is laudable but not exactly the stuff of legend.

koneinc

14/10/2004, 10:14 AM

Robbie is a good striker, he didn't really have a good game last night but he scored a couple and we got the 3 points. We really need a couple of options upfront beside the Doc and Clint!

thejollyrodger

14/10/2004, 10:16 AM

I'd like to see Keane and Morrison play together for a while. I reckon they could be a really good partnership.

I would like to see that as well. Morrison has came on leaps and bounds and looks competent on the ball now. I hope he continues to progress under kerr.

Robbie no doubt has talent. He has done well to get 23 goals in 55 odd caps. About the same as Owen. If this was England we would have Robbie all over the T.V, Newspapers, etc. Owen and Robbie both look terrible at times, but score when the sides need them.

The Irish goal scoring record is a joke, thank god its now broken.

However taking a critical look at robbie there is clearly a lot missing in his game. For a start some of misses he made last night were unforgiveable. He should went around the keeper once. He should have scored another 1 or 2 goals. This was after all a part time team.

Maybe the fact that Clinton wasnt playing made our attack so weak. Clinton did a savage amount of running about, getting into the right positions and helping out. For example that goal against the Dutch Robbie scored, probably wouldnt have went in if Clinton didnt run up alongside Robbie and throw the defenders and Keeper of balance.

Roy Keane and Kerr were right about the poor goal difference last night. But we really have been relying on Clinton and Robbie so much. None of the midfield have score ANY. So rather than RMK mouth off about the lack of goals, something has to be done urgently.

Holland (Mr Invisible) is the only midfield player that I can think of that scores goals when we need them.

Kerr is going to have to work on set peices like corners etc. He should designate 2 free kick specialists. Maybe Finnan or someone like that. Defintely NOT Reid. there is plenty of oppurtunity to wip in goals outside the box. (please dont mention hearte)

Kerr is also going to have to bring in Elliot and see what he's like. He may be very young but we have only 2 forwards in the entire squad worth anything.

bryanodowd

14/10/2004, 10:27 AM

Keane is the best striker ever for our country what more do you want?
sure he missed some chances last night but at least he got into the positions and did score two. what other options do we even have upfront i dread to think if he gets injured for any of the games.
he may not be the most clinical of strikers but he is our best and thatds damn good enough for me.

keano!

drummerboy

14/10/2004, 10:53 AM

I think its obvious that Robbie benefits more from a big man or an out and out target man. He has scored some really vital goals for Ireland like against Iran in play-off, Germany in World Cup, Spain in WC. All high pressure games. Give the lad a break. He is still only 24 and not the finished article yet.

joeSoap

14/10/2004, 11:11 AM

Glenn Hodddle once said
Jesus H Christ....what a way to start a post. You should be banned for that :D

Karlos

14/10/2004, 11:21 AM

Don't agree with the stick Robbie is getting here. The lad works his sock off and deservedly holds the goal scoring record. He's a proud Irishman who gives his all for his country. Granted he is incredibly fustrating at times and his finishing can be wayward - who's isn't! I'd still rather have him in there than not and we don't have anyone at present who is better.

Is he world class though? I have my doubts, based on his all too regular eratic performances at club level over a number of seasons. When he's on fire he's great, but when he's poor he's dire! Real world class players nearly always offer you something even when they are playing bad (Roy Keane for example - even though I hate saying that!), Robbie for me doesn't do that. Thankfully playing for Ireland only means 6 or so games a year and we nearly always see the good side of Robbie, thank god! He's a fantasic player for us and should be regarded as one - no more, no less.

Besides the only world class players at Tottenham leave to join Arsenal - aint that right Sol..........spoken like a true gooner! :D

Robbie just leave the dodgy performances for Spurs and we'll get along just peachy!!! :p

Congrats on the record, very well deserved and I'd like to think appreciated by all (even us Gooners!)

Adrianovic

14/10/2004, 11:47 AM

If Robbie Keane read the start of this thread he would wonder why he bothered!

I am watching the game as we speak as I was out last night, but I can't believe a performance with our only two goals and breaking the record, which wasn't brilliant, but Robbie will make it a respectable 40 odd by the end of his career, can't be such a bad night's work!

I've read two threads so far, one calling Reider tubby and the other calling for Robbie's head. What's got into some people? It might not have been the best ever performance, but since when have Ireland had the right to steamroller teams? We got the 3 points last night against a defensive outfit, just like France did, and in other groups the likes of England did. At the end of the day, goal difference is only worth less than a point, I'd be much more concerned we came out with 4 points from Paris and this game.

Ade

LFC in Exile

14/10/2004, 12:22 PM

but since when have Ireland had the right to steamroller teams?

Since they played at home in front of a full house against a bad team of part-timers and have a two goal lead going in at half time. That's when you can "steamroll" teams. We should be happy that we got the points. But we should not be happy with the performance overall. We're not there to make up the numbers either and talk ourselves down. In his post match interview Roy Keane looked livid - and he was right to be. The Faroese were not in the same class as us - we should have ensured that we concentrated on doing teh right things and get into the habit of doing the right things.

It is like the game in Holland when we lost a two goal lead. A draw was a creditable result but with the way the game was going we should have closed it out. A win against the Faroese was job number one. Once that was done we should have "steamrolled" them.

blobbyblob

14/10/2004, 12:23 PM

Given - Who does he think he is? Going home to his wife just cause shes preggers. Get rid of him.
Carr - Couldnt handle the pressure at Spurs so heads for Newcastle. Cheat and a liar and has a fake tan and Doctor evil haircut.
O Brien - Dont talk to me. Mercenary. We dont want you. Not good enough. Bring back Stan.
Cunningham - Captain of a sinking ship.
Finnan - Heading back to where he came from. Oblivion.
Roy Keane - Cheat. Loser. Traitor. Past it. Go walk your dog
Kilbane - Donkey Sanctuary has a free spot if your interested Kev
Duff - Chelsea manager has seen through him. Over rated, over paid and has a poor haircut.
Robbie Keane - record my ar se. Ugly duckling at the Swanlake auditions. Take up a new sport
Clinton - mercenary. your rubbish
Reidy - Who ate all the pies
Doc - Put me in goal gaffer. Havent tried that yet.
Miller - Cork tool. Man U reject

Come on Ireland!!!! Stand up for our crock of shife!!!
(this was all tongue in cheek for the more sensitive among you)

Adrianovic

14/10/2004, 12:45 PM

Since they played at home in front of a full house against a bad team of part-timers and have a two goal lead going in at half time. That's when you can "steamroll" teams. We should be happy that we got the points. But we should not be happy with the performance overall. We're not there to make up the numbers either and talk ourselves down. In his post match interview Roy Keane looked livid - and he was right to be. The Faroese were not in the same class as us - we should have ensured that we concentrated on doing teh right things and get into the habit of doing the right things.

It is like the game in Holland when we lost a two goal lead. A draw was a creditable result but with the way the game was going we should have closed it out. A win against the Faroese was job number one. Once that was done we should have "steamrolled" them.

Maybe we could have and should have got more, but it's not so easy when you have got 10 men sitting in front of you to beat. So it wasn't vintage, but looking back on the Faroes record, they don't often concede a lot of goals - Switzerland was an exception to the rule. The rules for qualifying all but rule out the goal difference aspect, especially against the Faroe Islands. For the sake of entertainment it would have been nice to get a few more, but calling our best players crap is extreme.

Ade

fergalr

14/10/2004, 12:47 PM

First - fair play for breaking the record in rapid quick time.

However, personally I thought Robbie Keane was woeful last night. His finishing was awful, his link up play innefectual, his touch poor, and lack of effort obvious. It was summed up for me when he miscontrolled a dropping ball and then glared and gestured at Duff as if it was someone else's fault.

Of all the current Irish team I find him the most annoying because he could and should be doing so much better.

Kowalski

14/10/2004, 12:59 PM

Criticse Him all you want but:
Robbie Keane is now an Irish Goalscoring Legend:
FACT

thejollyrodger

14/10/2004, 1:32 PM

23 goals isnt a massive record by international standards. I wouldnt be jumping up and down over it. 40 would be decent and respectable.

The fact that we play the faores at HOME and only scrapped a 2-0 win is what is bugging me. France will rip this team to peices with a massive goal difference. Just wait and say "... if only we had approached that game properly".

RMK might be the grand dad in the team, but he dead on about the poor performance of our front 6.

RMK Still solid at 33.

Kilbane - looks like he can grow into the box to box player. good performance so far.

Miller - should have stuck at Celtic. At 24 its unlikely that he will amount to much.

Reid - at 22 he is no kid either. I reckon he has exactly 1 year to prove himself. He should get himself in the primership by next janurary and stop eating all the muffins after training. Pratice actually delivering a half decent cross. Again, we would be lucky if he amounts to anything decent.

Clinton and Robbie - sit down and have a discussion about what happens when one of them gets the ball and what the other one should do. dreadful communication. Keep it simply robbie. I have never seen him going round a keeper in I dont know how long.

Robbie is going to have to learn that the big man up front is gone and he cant rely on scraps. Most of the play is on the deck and its crosses, through balls and maybe a few set peices. All of which he needs to work on.

Duff - has to start developing his game. Good way out on the left but teams can shut him down easily. His shooting is terrible and so is his finishing. He has been in those positions in the Champions League, Priemership and now WCQ and keeps missing easy goals. Its going to cost us in the future.

O Shea - a potential liability at the back. Needs to work on his positional play and work on passes completed. The amount of times he gave the ball away was astronomical.

Carr - I thought he played very well in France. I hope he continues his good form. He was very suspect in those early games.

Given - solid :)

O Brien & Cunnigham - looking good enough so far.

I would rate this team as just another average Irish side with some improvements in the way they play.

Peadar

14/10/2004, 1:38 PM

23 goals isnt a massive record by international standards. I wouldnt be jumping up and down over it. 40 would be decent and respectable.

We're kinda hoping he's not done yet and will have at least another 10 years to add to his tally, which I consider impressive.
Is he a mere 5 goals behind Michael Owen in the International goals stakes?

thejollyrodger

14/10/2004, 1:45 PM

And another thing Robbie Keane cant do is head the ball. how many times has he scored from heading the ball.

Tuesday, 10 June 2003.

And Owen's strike rate isn't too bad either, scoring 20 times in his first 49 matches, but he's hungry for more and will be looking to improve his ratio, starting on Wednesday.

So Robbie is probably doing about the same as Owen

Pat O' Banton

14/10/2004, 2:00 PM

ah London,I figured you were in or from England.Ya Gobs***e he's unbelievable,I'd like to see you go out and score for Ireland,in fact I'd like to see you even get on the bench for da boyz in Green.Gob

Don't think your getting away with this crap, come on explain yourself or do you realise what a muppet you have set yourself up as, and are a bit ashamed?

Metrostars

14/10/2004, 2:18 PM

Robbie Keane might be crap.

But he's the best crap we've got.

zinedineontour

14/10/2004, 2:42 PM

Let's get some balance here.

However, last night he was the reason we did not score more goals (and that could be important).
As for the Irish record - breaking that shockingly bad record is laudable but not exactly the stuff of legend.

Laugh night he was the reason we scored any goals you muppet.. The lad is our best striker fair enough he may not be ronaldo but we should support him rather than criticise.

LFC in Exile

14/10/2004, 3:30 PM

Laugh night he was the reason we scored any goals you muppet.. The lad is our best striker fair enough he may not be ronaldo but we should support him rather than criticise.

First off I never said he was crap as someone accused me of earlier. He is the best striker we've got.

I know he scored two golas last night - but one was a penalty. Are you suggesting that nobody else on the team could have scored that penalty. His second goal he recovered from not getting to the ball fast enough to finish fairly well in the end. His other chances - well, it can happen to any striker. What I am really annoyed about is his insistence on taking too much out of the ball, trying to the hard thing instead of laying it off and dropping deep to try to create his own chances. You didn't quote my full comment. I said that every move that went through him broke down. I am not doubting that he is the best striker we have. I agree that he is a talented player - really talented. But last night he had a poor game. And overall he is not as complete a striker as his supporters claim for him. I really think Kerr has got to get him to focus on doing simple things well.

I absolutely do support Robbie at Ireland matches. I hate people that criticise or boo their own players at games. You are there to support, full stop. However, on a forum like this we should not just all wave our virtual inflatable hammers and virtually sing ole ole ole. Go on the Joe Duffy show if you want a forum like that.

Bald Student

14/10/2004, 3:48 PM

France will rip this team to peices with a massive goal difference.

France beat them 2-0 as well, and were very lucky to get the result. The first goal came well into the second half.

Peadar

14/10/2004, 3:59 PM

The first goal came well into the second half.

Looked off side to me.
Actually, the 2nd goal did too.
Lucky, they were.

barglee

14/10/2004, 4:11 PM

Robbie Keane is our best striker in years.
he scored 2 goals and missed a few chances. not exacly a nightmare .........

are some of you forgetting 90th minute against Germany?
or the goal against Iran in landsdowne road...
or the last minute penalty against Spain

Do ye honstley thin kerr shud play some unproved Sunderland striker instead of him.
yer mad.
if Kerr did that ud prob be giving out.

Keane is as good some of Englands Strikers e.g Smith, Defoe.......
and is definetely ireland best