Keely on sports tonight

[Red4Eva]

any1 else see it? pure funny i thought. i get the impression he's not keen on div 1 football

[SPXcyan]

maybe he forgot the champions were relegated?

[A face]

Was he his usual bitter self, condeming the league and painstakingly pointing out all its faults as if every problem applied to every club? The guy is a PR disaster for this league and the first thing any promotions officer should do is clock him one for making their job so hard.

[don ramo]

good thing shels wont have one so, well not one subsidised by the FAI

[passinginterest]

He said he hated the first division and summer football. Also that Shels couldn't possibly get promoted, but, they might... It was pretty funny really, he's a complete nut job. I reckon he'll have Shels competing in the top half anyway.

[MyTown]

I hated him as a player. He was a real nasty bit of business kicking anything that moved. But credit to him - look at his list of honours - played in probably the best ever Shamrock Rovers side in modern times winning everything in sight consistently, the same with Dundalk, went to Glentoran for the sterling and did okay there too.

As a manager, you can disparage him all you like, but he achieved success - and I like the fact that he is literally CRAZY about the game. Who would have touched Dublin City and now Shelbourne with a barge pole? - so while I feel Shelbourne have got at least what they deserve, I say fair play to him for taking it on.

One thing he hasn't been quoted on is saying that a club that fails to honour its contracts with its players for one week should be docked three points, for two weeks six points and so on. A bit drastic, but at least you'd provide less fodder to the bar stoolers to ridicule the way things are done off the field - and only clubs that manage their affairs within budget would survive. It might mean a 10 team national league, but at least it would be a viable one.

[passinginterest]

Forgot about his proposals on not paying wages. Made a lot of sense actually, fair play to him. He's making sure he's going to be payed this season anyway. ;)

[drummerboy]

Reckon Shels will be promoted this season. Like him of loathe him, Keely is a decent manager who will soon have Shels back in the top tier of Irish football.

[Anto McC]

Here is what he had to say about Roddy during the week

By Neil O'Riordan


DERMOT KEELY has hit back at Roddy Collins' claims that he is past it as a manager.

Keely, 52, was installed as Shelbourne boss on Friday with no players on the books. Last night, he had brought his number of signings up to 12 with at least three more expected today.

His appointment was criticised by his old sparring partner Collins who claimed it was the act of a desperate club and that Keely's best days were past him.

But Keely said: "If my best years are behind me, what about Alex Ferguson who is 65 or Arsene Wenger who is 57?

"I would much rather have a career behind me than none in front of me as is the case with Roddy.

"The fact that the directors at Shels threatened to resign en masse when it was suggested that Roddy be brought in as manager says it all. Things were bad at Shels but they were not that desperate.

"It's been a while since Roddy worked but if he wants to drop his CV in to Tolka Park then I am sure I could find him some plastering work."

Keely has won four Premier Division titles, a FAI Cup, two promotions and a First Division shield in a managerial career stretching back over 23 years. Collins won the League and Cup double with Bohemians in 2001.

The pair regularly clashed as Shels and Bohs slugged it out to be the top dogs in Irish football around the turn of the millennium.

[Schumi]

Hee hee. Fair play to Keely.

[el punter]

Best interview since Rico's Ridden Rock Solid, was even better than Stuey Byrne's on the night Shels won the league in my opinion. Keeley is a fantastic character, the league is a richer place with his absurd ranting.

[monzo]

Thought it was a superb wee showing on Sports Tonight. One of the only reasons I watched eL Weekly in the first half of last season was the chance of Keely being interviewed after games.

I like his replies to Collins :D

[pete]

Keely is a dinasour & the sooner he back out of the league the better.

He did have some valid points to say about shels wages & stuff but I did not understand why he talks abou Shels in the 3rd person as if he isn't part of them.

Shels have a budget that makes them 3rd favourites for the title yet they can't pay their players...

[Raheny Red]

He did have some valid points to say about shels wages & stuff but I did not understand why he talks abou Shels in the 3rd person as if he isn't part of them.


Well that's what happens when you have been involved with so many clubs in your career I suppose.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Keely is a dinasour & the sooner he back out of the league the better.

He did have some valid points to say about shels wages & stuff but I did not understand why he talks abou Shels in the 3rd person as if he isn't part of them.


Pete
Cause he wasn't there last season and the off field shenanigans of 2006 do not have his fingerprints anywhere near them.

and another point if you want to use the word dinosaur learn to spell it :D

[Martinho II]

classic interview with keely hes the steve coppell of the eircom league! the print media interview is awful funny!

:D

[JW.]

Keely's teams usually play pretty ugly football but the man's wit is rare, I'm delighted he's back TBH.