Ever heard of the Champions League?Originally Posted by Superhoops
You may have been away from the planet at the time, but the club had two games against each of Barcelona, AC Milan and Shahkhtar Donetsk last season (one win, two draws and three defeats). I'd say that's just ever-so-slightly better in standard than the Championship, no?
Anyway, like Eirebhoy says, no more talk about Celtic. Unless Robbie Keane decides he wants Champions League football this coming season...
PP
Semper in faecibus sole profundum variat
I AgreeNo more ****** talk would be great lads. There should just be a part of this site . . www.foot.ie/******threads where ye can all go and leave the rest of us in peace.
Thanks for your considered view and ascension to the moral high ground TP but, until you yourself stick to the script in all its forms, leave the moderating to the mods. Good man.
Well, that changes everything, dunnit? All right then, you win...
Last edited by Plastic Paddy; 09/07/2005 at 7:00 PM.
Semper in faecibus sole profundum variat
someone a while back pointed out that his goals aren't worth that many points. to be fair tho, how many points to spurs have to go around? he's never been given a proper chance at a big club (i shall loathe marcello lippi forever for f***ing him up at inter), i'll bet if he played for a team like chelsea or arsenal he'd score the same amount of goals but they'd be worth a lot more, thanks to a decent defence keeping out the opposition! in any case it looks like he's going nowhere this summer, which is fine as long as he gets good preparation for the world cup in germany!(final word on "relevant" goals - he scored three at the last world cup, i doubt there's a more relevant place to score!)
Due to academic and work commitments, I have been unable to contribute as much to this forum as I would like over the past few months. However, whenever I have read the topics being discussed, it has become apparent that Robbie Keane is the most talked about player. The opinion seems to be somewhat polarised - there are those like myself who have the utmost respect for him and there are others who give him a lot of stick. While I agree with some of the criticisms, I believe we are too harsh on the younger Keano. This post is similar to one I posted on the same player last season. My thoughts have remained the same.
I have been lucky enough to follow Robbie Keane's career since his first game with Wolves in August 1997. The 17 year old came off the bench to make his first team debut and score. Since then, Robbie has gone on to write himself into the history books. He became a hero during his time in the Black Country. After a £6 million move to Coventry City, Robbie blossomed under the watchful eye of Gordon Strachan. That season, he set Highfield Road alight with goals against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. After a promising start at Inter Milan, a change of manager made it difficult for Robbie to establish himself in Serie A. Bear in mind that Robbie was at a club that already had Ronaldo, Christian Vieri, Ivan Zamarona, Hakan Sukur and the young Uruguayan, Recoba.
However, his time on the sidelines did not dent his confidence as Robbie returned to the Premiership with a bang. In his first month with Leeds, he won the Premiership Player of the Month award, scoring some outstanding goals along the way. There is no doubt that Robbie had enough ability to succeed at Leeds. However, it was at this point that one of Robbie's weaknesses became apparent. Dave O'Leary dropped him as he felt that Alan Smith and Mark Viduka were a better partnership. For all Robbie's talent, one of his major failings is that he has struggled to perform as part of a successful partnership. The exceptions being his partnership with Niall Quinn at international level and Cederic Roussell at Coventry.
Some people on this site have the perception that Robbie Keane is always on the move. This is not quite true. He is about to start his fourth season with Tottenham Hotspur. For the first two seasons he was voted the club's player of the year. Last season, he may have won that award again if it hadn’t been for the outstanding form of Jermain Defoe. Over the past few months, I have become tired of members of this forum who constantly slate Robbie. Despite spending more time on the bech last season than on the pitch, he notched up 17 goals. Indeed, his 11 Premiership goals was as much as the combined total of Van Nistlerooy, Smith and Saha in the same league - players who are at a club that tends to create more chances.
Indeed, it appears to me that Robbie has achieved a level of consistency throughout his career that he is rarely given credit for. The man has completed eight seasons of first team football. He has scored 107 career goals at club level. In other words, Robbie Keane has scored an average of over 13 goals a season in his club career to date. That's not bad for a 25 year old who has had plenty of clubs and spent most of the 2001-02 season on the bench at Leeds. In addition, he has scored 25 international goals in 60 appearances for Ireland. That's six more goals than John Aldridge managed and five more than Frank Stapleton. Robbie even went through a goal drought for Ireland between September 2000 and November 2001. However, since he scored against Iran in November 2001 he has hit the net 18 times for his country. That's one of the most impressive strike rates in international football.
As far as I am concerned, Robbie Keane (along with Damien Duff and Brian O’Driscoll) epitomises Celtic Tiger Ireland. Keane is an iconographic figure for a young, confident nation. Nonetheless, I think many of us in Ireland suffer from an inferiority complex. Take some of those who post on this forum for example. A lot of posters on foot.ie look towards English strikers and almost covet them.
Two players often compared to Robbie Keane are Alan Smith and Craig Bellamy, perhaps due to the similarity and intertwining of their careers. Alan Smith is about the same age as Robbie and burst on the scene at approximately the same age. There is no doubting Smith’s talent. However, I don’t think he deserves to be compared favourably to the Irishman. Smith may be on the books of Manchester United. However, he has scored approximately half the career goals that Robbie has. Also, Smith has achieved very little at international level. Furthermore, he has a disciplinary record that is on a par with either Patrick Viera or Roy Keane. Smith might have kept Robbie out of the Leeds team for a period, but even David O’Leary admitted that it was not because Smith was a better player, but that he was a better partner for Viduka. Since their days at Leeds, it would appear to me that Keane has progressed his career more than Smith.
As for Craig Bellamy, I don’t think he even deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Robbie. Another indisciplined player, Bellamy refused to play on the right wing for Newcastle. Compare that to Robbie who has willingly played in that position for both Inter Milan and Spurs. It seems to me that Bellamy talks the talk, but rarely walks the walk. His average of eight goals per season in his professional career hardly compares to the Irishman. Indeed, when Keane left Coventry for Inter, the man who replaced him was Bellamy. I recall Wolves fans that season continuously saying that the Welshman wasn’t a patch on Keane.
There is no doubt that the petulance of both Bellamy and Smith is often visible in Keane. Keane can often frustrate with his moaning attitude on the pitch. However, I would class Keane as a good professional. I can’t think of any occasion that he has failed to turn up for an Ireland match, due to a dubious injury. He never misses a friendly which is more than I can say for some players. It is clear that playing for Ireland means so much to Robbie. Along with Shay Given, Kenny Cunningham and Kevin Kilbane, I can’t think of too many players that give more to the Irish cause.
Yet despite all he has achieved, people still persist to give him a hard time. I believe the man is worth his weight in gold to the international team. Before we had Robbie, all we had was David Connolly, Keith O'Neill, Jon Goodman, etc. People seem to think that our small nation should produce strikers like Ruud Van Nistlerooy and Thierry Henry. We need to treasure this player while he is playing and at his peak. Robbie may go on to set records that will never be broken by another Irish international. He looks set to win more than a hundred caps and it is difficult to predict just how many goals he will score for us. Similar to Paul McGrath, Roy Keane and Damien Duff, Robbie Keane is a gift from God. We should appreciate his talents and pray that he will remain injury-free.
My major criticism of Keane is that he seems to produce the goods, only when it suits him. Like many players he rises to the big occasion. Take for example, his debuts for both Wolves and Coventry. From what I can remember, Keane scored two goals in both games. He also began his Leeds career with a flurry of goals. Furthermore, he is player who has always done well against his former clubs. In July 1999, in his last game before leaving for Inter, he came on as a sub and scored the only goal in a pre-season friendly for Coventry against his former club, Wolves. He was given a standing ovation by both sets of supporters, illustrating the high regard with which he was held (and still is). When Wolves made their long-awaited return to the Premiership two seasons ago, Keane scored a hat-trick against them for Spurs. The same season, he also sank his previous club, Leeds United with his an outstanding goal. While he had been at Leeds he scored a bicycle kick against Coventry. It is therefore clear that Robbie seems to rise to the occasion when it suits him. In this regard, it is imperative that he produces this type of form on a regular basis. If he can do this, we have a world-class talent on our hands.
Robbie clearly has some faults, but these can be rectified with good coaching. For that reason, I am glad that he has decided to meet the challenge laid down to him by Martin Jol. Spurs is tailor-made for Robbie. He has Chris Hughton and a number of emerging Irish players alongside him. Robbie needs consistency and he needs to lose some of the rawness that exists in his game. This will allow him to become a better stike partner. Robbie is clearly in direct competition with Jermain Defoe, a precocious talent by all accounts. However, I’m just wondering how brittle Defoe’s confidence is at the moment. He hasn’t set the world alight in pre-season. Despite some of Martin Jol’s harsh comments, Keane has probably been Spurs’ best striker in pre-season. He has looked sharp, scored goals and won the most valuable player award at the Peace Cup. Keane has even spoke about how hard he worked over the summer, in order to hit peak condition for the new season.
This will be a defining season in the career of Robbie Keane. I believe he will start the season the way he finished the last - on the bench. However, football is a funny old game and I wouldn’t be surprised if Keane sets the world alight by the time Germany ‘06 comes around. He has shown glimpses of what he might achieve (eg. Amsterdam 2004). I believe he is a very good player and in time I hope that he can be a great player. I don't buy the argument that Robbie is in the comfort zone. He has too much enthusiasm for his club and his international team to be like that.
Lets give him the encouragement and praise that he deserves.
Last edited by TheJamaicanP.M.; 06/08/2005 at 9:15 PM.
"Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe." Dillo
I think if a player doesnt improve they become a crap player. I dont think a striker can stay the same without changing. They go downhill. Im afraid that is what will happen with Robbie, he wont change his game and will go downhill. He is such a fustrating player to watch, pity he missed out on technical training when he was a kid.
Last edited by thejollyrodger; 08/08/2005 at 4:47 PM. Reason: a few words missing
Keane means business this season, he did extra training during the summer and has lost weight. He has been Ireland's most effective striker, he will have another successful season, end of story. Next please...
Robbie Keane is a good striker and I reckon is well liked on this board. I think the reason it appears that some of us get on his case is that we know he could be better. The underlining point of the post was that he's under rated. Not at all. He's just frustrating to watch. There's a difference. I'm tired of the vision of him on his arse screaming with his hands in the air. This is after boxing himself in, and tripping over the ball trying to beat two centre halves and a full back. Just because he's a good player doesn't mean he's not accountable. There's areas of his game he can work on.
Who among us 18 months ago would've thought Duff needed work. Mourinho gave him a kick in the arse none of us thought he deserved. Now Duff is a better player for it.
Keane needs to acknowledge the 'kick in the arse', wheather it be from Irish fans or Spurs managment and maximise his potential. Otherwise all he'll be is a good forward.
Robbie is not even on the bench for Spurs' open game of the season today.
What gives?
"Jacques Santini...will be greeted in every dugout of the country by "one-nil, one-nil" - Clive Tyldsley, 89th minute of France-England June 13, 2004.
"Ooooohhhh Nooooooo" Bobby Robson 91st minute.
Robbie is last choice of striker IMO. Unless he starts to improve
Injured.
Is it serious???
The debate over robbie is not whether he is crap or not. we all know he is a very good player. Its the fact that he could have been a great player but missed out somewhere on training.
(err i just saw the highlights of spurs goals, defoe getting the second and doing a half robbie rountine to celebrate the goal, oh no)
As for competing with Ingerland, well we can do a far better job if we made a proper effort with our own league.
I've said it before Givens, Stapleton, Quinn, Keane - that is the number of home grown top flight strikers we have produced in the last 40 years, so shut the fcuk up and let Robbie alone, this is a manufactured debate, the imbeciles versus the rest of us
trying to produce strikers without a proper technical plan in place coupled with a disregard for your own league effectively ties one hand behind your back before you can even begin.
read he did his ankle (again!) in training on friday. probably out of Italy match but no further info
said it before and will probably say it again he is one of our finest ever strikers will always have my support i shudder to think of the day when him and duff are no longer available for selection
hehe i really shouldnt admit to knowing this but i think it was in homage to a big brother house mate , eugene who was robbed incidentally
(err i just saw the highlights of spurs goals, defoe getting the second and doing a half robbie rountine to celebrate the goal, oh no
.
I hate watching him because it's so painful to see him miss so much. I think he's still getting better. We are so damn lucky to have such a great striker though & I hope he gets first team footy across the water this year. He really does the business for us & for that I love him.
"I always likened him to a Rolls Royce. You just used him once a week & he'd be flawless"
Townsend on McGrath
Lets hope he does the business for us in the next 3 qualifiers
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