Robbie Keane

**Acornvilla** · 10/01/2025, 1:33 PM

Whatever about everything else, there was a Hungarian journalist on a podcast during the week saying the manager before Keane very much wasn't liked by the fans and did jump before being pushed, but fair play to him for getting a decent job

I would fall in to the bracket of people who think he did deserve criticism for his last job, the optics of sitting on the FAI contract another bag of spiders a man with more cop on could have avoided given his extreme fame and wealth, he's certainly not making choices I would and it has affected how I view him unfortunately. The fact he's chosen another dodgy spot is an amusing sub plot, they're doing well in the Europa League this season, so clearly something to work with whatever about the strength of the rest of the league, he will have very high expectations to meet.

Incredible player, great person or manager, I don't know, we'll see.

**EalingGreen** · 10/01/2025, 3:41 PM

Originally Posted by samhaydenjr

You know he didn't pick a brand new 11 every game, don't you?

And you do know that a club isn't just 11 players either? That is, as manager, HR will have had contact with Reserves, U-21's, Youth etc, plus transfers and loans in-and-out, also lots of coaches and other club people. Which over 33 years in management must come to a big number.

But hey, even if I had posted "hundreds", rather than "thousands", my point still stands.

P.S. I was once talking to Norman Whiteside with a few of the lads and Norm mentioned that after he left Man U, The Sun (I think) offered him �50k to put his name to some muck-raking story they wanted to print about Alex Ferguson, who was going through a lean period at MU at the time. That was a huge amount of money back then, but Norm refused, since Ferguson had been so good to him over his departure from OT and his signing for Everton etc. Maybe Taarabt fancied a few easy quid for himself at Harry's expense?

**Jolly Red Giant** · 11/01/2025, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Y
He signed for Inter, not AC. Defoe is spelt with an E. In the three seasons Mido and Keane were both at Spurs(04/05 to 06/07), Mido played 11, 27, and 23 games, scoring 3, 11, and five goals in each season. In the same seasons Keane played 45, 38, and 44 times, scoring 17, 16, and 22 goals. Nobody, anywhere, ever has thought Keane lost out to Mido.

Stephen Kenny famously didn't want Keane as part of his coaching staff, so whatever happened during his reign has nothing to do with Robbie

Average attendance in the Hungarian league last season was 4,187. That's a 20% increase on the in the league of Ireland average attendance of 3,490.

Finally, the coach didn't run out of there, he was headhunted by New York City FC to take over ahead of the 2025 MLS season.

So we are being petty about typos now - well let's do the same - Mido wasn't at Spurs for three seasons, he arrived at the end of the Jan transfer window in 2005. Again - Keane was a talented player, who I think could have achieved a lot more than he did, but was limited because of his approach. He had a good stint at Spurs but most of the rest was not so good - all because he chased the money.

As for the FAI job - �250K a year for someone with zero coaching experience or record - says it all.

Now - onto Hungary - yes the average attendance is higher than the LOI (by 20%) - from a population almost double that of Ireland. Soccer is the most popular sport in Hungary - by far - they have won the Olympic gold medal three times, competed in nine World Cups and four European Championships and got to the WC final twice. Ferencvaros won the Fairs Cup, were runners-up in the same competition and in the Cup Winners Cup, with other Hungarian teams getting to the finals of the Fairs Cup, the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup. There is no comparison between where soccer in Hungary should be and where it is in Ireland (there is zero competition from the GAA and rugby for example).

Ferencvaros have won the league 35 times and the Hungarian Cup 24 times - they are the Shamrock Rovers of Hungary - with a spanking new �40m stadium that they can't half-fill. Football attendances in Hungary have been more than halved in the last 30 years - accelerating in recent times because of the dominance of far-right ultras at clubs (something encouraged by the ultra-nationalist government).

As for Jansen - he was gone at the first opportunity - to a league that is not exactly a shining light in world football. Jansen learned his trade under Arnie Slot and was sacked by AZ when the club were in 4th with 10 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses after the owners got a fright when an amateur nearly beat then in a cup game (they finished 4th). Ferencvaros was very much a stop gap for Jansen. For Robbie Keane, Ferencvaros is a major step up in terms of what the expectations would be.

**rebelmusic** · 11/01/2025, 3:15 PM

Why is anyone bashing Robbie or Roy Keane? Two of our greatest soccer players. What's wrong with ye?

**Acornvilla** · 11/01/2025, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by rebelmusic

Why is anyone bashing Robbie or Roy Keane? Two of our greatest soccer players. What's wrong with ye?

There is more to a man than what they can do with a football

**Snapshot** · 12/01/2025, 4:55 AM

Originally Posted by Acornvilla

There is more to a man than what they can do with a football

I've never looked, but I'm sure there are myriad anthropology forums out there. This one is football. Do you ask your plumber his/her views on Israel/Gaza before he/she fixes your stopcock? Do you ask him/her what his/her spouse posts on the sewer formerly known as Twitter? Do you interrogate him/her on former or current employers before accusing him of following the money? Did he ask similar questions of you before lifting a spanner?

Too many people casting stones.

**Acornvilla** · 12/01/2025, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by Snapshot

I've never looked, but I'm sure there are myriad anthropology forums out there. This one is football. Do you ask your plumber his/her views on Israel/Gaza before he/she fixes your stopcock? Do you ask him/her what his/her spouse posts on the sewer formerly known as Twitter? Do you interrogate him/her on former or current employers before accusing him of following the money? Did he ask similar questions of you before lifting a spanner?

Too many people casting stones.

I do talk to people about stuff

**EalingGreen** · 12/01/2025, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Acornvilla

I do talk to people about stuff

Why did that post make me think of Father Austin Purcell?

(Nothing personal btw, only messin')

**SkStu** · 14/04/2025, 4:54 PM

Ferencvaros hit the top of the NB-1 (Hungarian PL) over the weekend - ahead by one point. Nine wins, 4 draws out of 17 games; 53% record there after a very slow start. Seems to be a 3 team race to the title. Would love to see him win another obscure honour! He's in the running for next MNT manager.

**Razors left peg** · 14/04/2025, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by SkStu

Ferencvaros hit the top of the NB-1 (Hungarian PL) over the weekend - ahead by one point. Nine wins, 4 draws out of 17 games; 53% record there after a very slow start. Seems to be a 3 team race to the title. Would love to see him win another obscure honour! He's in the running for next MNT manager.

Hopefully people will start giving him some credit for being a good Football manager and not worry about his political views.

**EalingGreen** · 15/04/2025, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

Hopefully people will start giving him some credit for being a good Football manager and not worry about his political views.

Might not the point be that Robbie doesn't have political views?

Or, at least, the political views that one group of people are demanding he should have?

**seanfhear** · 15/04/2025, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Might not the point be that Robbie doesn't have political views?

Or, at least, the political views that one group of people are demanding he should have?

It's kinda weird when people demand that other people have such and such politics views ~ I doubt very much, if the same people would be very happy if other people demanded of them to have certain political views !

**~YTM~** · 15/04/2025, 10:46 AM

This would be Ferencv�ros seventh title in a row if they win it.

**Eirambler** · 15/04/2025, 5:39 PM

Almost everything he has won, he's won in either the US, Israel or potentially now Hungary. That's possibly the three most authoritarian countries/governments in the western world. I agree that he doesn't seem to have much in the way of political views or a moral compass, but it's very odd that he has ended up spending parts of his professional career in all three of those countries in particular.

**Razors left peg** · 15/04/2025, 5:52 PM

Originally Posted by Eirambler

Almost everything he has won, he's won in either the US, Israel or potentially now Hungary. That's possibly the three most authoritarian countries/governments in the western world. I agree that he doesn't seem to have much in the way of political views or a moral compass, but it's very odd that he has ended up spending parts of his professional career in all three of those countries in particular.

My moral compass is in the toilet these days alright considering I am also working the authoritarian USA.

**osarusan** · 15/04/2025, 6:32 PM

All the experience he's getting can only be good for him. I know he's been in charge of very strong/dominant clubs within both the Israeli and Hungarian league, but still, he's honing his trade.

**EalingGreen** · 15/04/2025, 6:50 PM

Originally Posted by Eirambler

Almost everything he has won, he's won in either the US, Israel or potentially now Hungary. That's possibly the three most authoritarian countries/governments in the western world

Eh? The authoritarian USA?

If you're referring to his 5 year spell playing for LA Galaxy, that was entirely during the two Presidential terms of Barak Obama.

And whatever else you might think of Obama, he was hardly what could be called "authoritarian"

**elatedscum** · 15/04/2025, 8:59 PM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Eh? The authoritarian USA?

And whatever else you might think of Obama, he was hardly what could be called "authoritarian"

waiting on one or two posters who shall remain nameless to bring up the apparent moral turpitude of BLM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2HQbScS43c

**zero** · 15/04/2025, 9:15 PM

if we're going on a deep dive to go after obama we'll get nowhere. have to give robbie a pass on his playing career.

the managerial appointments are both odd in their own way. who's next, spartak moscow?

**Razors left peg** · 15/04/2025, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by zero

if we're going on a deep dive to go after obama we'll get nowhere. have to give robbie a pass on his playing career.

the managerial appointments are both odd in their own way. who's next, spartak moscow?

Im sure he would have loved to have gotten the opportunities that Lampard or Gerrard got. Hes had to make the best of the offers that he has received and to this point he has done as well as he possibly could have with what he was given.