Bring back Roy Keane

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King Shergar said:
As much as you would like Roy Keane to be our manager, the reality of it ever happening is highly unlikely.

The way his time at Sunderland and Ipswich ended, means he still needs to prove himself as a manager.

And even if he was to prove himself as a manager elsewhere, do you really think SAF, who is a major voice on the board, would consider Keane for the job?
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The candidates for next manager are so thin on the ground I think Keane has to be on the board's initial shortlist.

There's Pochettino who seems to have risen to the top of the list with the media and fans over the last couple of years. I don't follow the hype, but in any case there's no guarantee we could take him from Tottenham.

Then the chasing pack in the bookies odds are Simeone, Allegri, Blanc, Tuchel, Low. If we want to continue the boring, defensive, over-tactical style we've set on since Van Gaal, then fine. But that isn't what United are about to me and I don't see anything in those managers to elevate them above Guardiola, Conte, Klopp, Pochettino or even Wenger, so if the club are content simply to maintain our position as one of the big six then go for it. But to be a special club, with that extra something above the rest, requires a special manager.

I mean, Simeone? He has a very similar playing background, temperament and early management career to Keane. Both hard working, fiery, midfield captains who led their clubs to the double. The difference between the two is that Simeone was afforded chance after chance managing the biggest clubs in Argentina, despite mixed success/failure, and then by Atletico, all due to his hero status. The two aren't so far apart but Keane comes with the added United history/ethos and a more positive brand of football. It's a joke that Simeone should be ahead of him in the running for United manager.

On Fergie, I'm not sure how much influence he has at the club now. From what I can make out, he's an honorary, part time board member/advisor and ambassador. Even if he does hold sway, there haven't been any bad words with Keane since 2014, actually the opposite, they've each spoken well of the other. I think both are big enough to move on from their feud and have done so with others they fell out with. I'm not convinced they dislike one another so much as the media make out.

So it's a goer for me and I think often us fans don't really know what's going on or not behind the scenes.

Can you imagine the announcement and unveiling? Media interest would be through the roof, fan fervor at a high, Roy and Alex walk out on the pitch and shake hands as the old chant of "Keano! Keano! Keano!" echoes around the stadium and opposition around the world tremble in the knowledge that Roy Keane's Manchester United, the real United, are back!

Epic - everyone would know there was something special happening at the club.
 
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gav81 said:
The candidates for next manager are so thin on the ground I think Keane has to be on the board's initial shortlist.

There's Pochettino who seems to have risen to the top of the list with the media and fans over the last couple of years. I don't follow the hype, but in any case there's no guarantee we could take him from Tottenham.

Then the chasing pack in the bookies odds are Simeone, Allegri, Blanc, Tuchel, Low. If we want to continue the boring, defensive, over-tactical style we've set on since Van Gaal, then fine. But that isn't what United are about to me and I don't see anything in those managers to elevate them above Guardiola, Conte, Klopp, Pochettino or even Wenger, so if the club are content simply to maintain our position as one of the big six then go for it. But to be a special club, with that extra something above the rest, requires a special manager.

I mean, Simeone? He has a very similar playing background, temperament and early management career to Keane. Both hard working, fiery, midfield captains who led their clubs to the double. The difference between the two is that Simeone was afforded chance after chance in Argentina, despite mixed success/failure, and then by Atletico, all due to his hero status. The two aren't so far apart but Keane comes with the added United history/ethos and a more positive brand of football. It's a joke that Simeone should be ahead of him in the running for United manager.

On Fergie, I'm not sure how much influence he has at the club now. From what I can make out, he's an honorary, part time board member/advisor and ambassador. Even if he does hold sway, there haven't been any bad words with Keane since 2014, actually the opposite, they've each spoken well of the other. I think both are big enough to move on from their feud and have done so with others they fell out with. I'm not convinced they dislike one another so much as the media make out.

So it's a goer for me and I think often us fans don't really know what's going on or not behind the scenes.

Can you imagine the announcement and unveiling? Media interest would be through the roof, fan fervor at a high, Roy and Alex walk out on the pitch and shake hands as the old chant of "Keano! Keano! Keano!" echoes around the stadium and opposition around the world tremble in the knowledge that the Roy Keane's Manchester United, the real United, are back!

Epic - everyone would know there was something special happening at the club.
Click to expand...

You need to organise a room for you and him <yikes>
 
gav81 said:
The candidates for next manager are so thin on the ground I think Keane has to be on the board's initial shortlist.

There's Pochettino who seems to have risen to the top of the list with the media and fans over the last couple of years. I don't follow the hype, but in any case there's no guarantee we could take him from Tottenham.

Then the chasing pack in the bookies odds are Simeone, Allegri, Blanc, Tuchel, Low. If we want to continue the boring, defensive, over-tactical style we've set on since Van Gaal, then fine. But that isn't what United are about to me and I don't see anything in those managers to elevate them above Guardiola, Conte, Klopp, Pochettino or even Wenger, so if the club are content simply to maintain our position as one of the big six then go for it. But to be a special club, with that extra something above the rest, requires a special manager.

I mean, Simeone? He has a very similar playing background, temperament and early management career to Keane. Both hard working, fiery, midfield captains who led their clubs to the double. The difference between the two is that Simeone was afforded chance after chance in Argentina, despite mixed success/failure, and then by Atletico, all due to his hero status. The two aren't so far apart but Keane comes with the added United history/ethos and a more positive brand of football. It's a joke that Simeone should be ahead of him in the running for United manager.

On Fergie, I'm not sure how much influence he has at the club now. From what I can make out, he's an honorary, part time board member/advisor and ambassador. Even if he does hold sway, there haven't been any bad words with Keane since 2014, actually the opposite, they've each spoken well of the other. I think both are big enough to move on from their feud and have done so with others they fell out with. I'm not convinced they dislike one another so much as the media make out.

So it's a goer for me and I think often us fans don't really know what's going on or not behind the scenes.

Can you imagine the announcement and unveiling? Media interest would be through the roof, fan fervor at a high, Roy and Alex walk out on the pitch and shake hands as the old chant of "Keano! Keano! Keano!" echoes around the stadium and opposition around the world tremble in the knowledge that the Roy Keane's Manchester United, the real United, are back!

Epic - everyone would know there was something special happening at the club.
Click to expand...


I'm sold!!

Bring it on. Get Keane as boss, involve Gary Nev and Paul Scholes and keep Nicky Butt involved.

Could it be worse than ensuring we hit the default Arsenal 'trophy' targets, as is the current perception of things? Everyone shrugging their shoulders and accepting we're not good enough to actually compete for the champions league.

No, could it ****.
 
gav81 said:
I don't see anything in those managers to elevate them above Guardiola, Conte, Klopp, Pochettino or even Wenger, so if the club are content simply to maintain our position as one of the big six then go for it. But to be a special club, with that extra something above the rest, requires a special manager.
Click to expand...

I agree with you here, although what do you think elevates Keane above the rest? As you say, he is essentially an Irish version of Simeone, so if you aren't sold on Simeone, who comes with a recent track record of success in La Liga and the CL, why so sold on Keane?

The only thing I can think of is the connection to the club, and as Liverpool showed us with Souness, Evans and Dalglish a connection to the club doesn't compensate for a manager who isn't one of the best.
 
Red Hadron Collider said:
Kenny did OK first time round <ok> You got much snow up there?
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Aye he did ok, but the league was a lot less competitive then, and obviously no Europe to focus on. He wasn't a bad manager, but then neither are Simeone, Low, Pochettino etc. If you consider the four widely accepted 'special managers' our clubs have had, only Paisley had any prior connection to the club.

Had plenty of snow, but pretty much all gone overnight due to rain. How's it been down there? Plenty over at my parents, but hardly any up at the grandparents.
 
Red Hadron Collider said:
You need to organise a room for you and him <yikes>
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<laugh>

It's not about Keane, it's about United!


Chief said:
I'm sold!!

Bring it on. Get Keane as boss, involve Gary Nev and Paul Scholes and keep Nicky Butt involved.

Could it be worse than ensuring we hit the default Arsenal 'trophy' targets, as is the current perception of things? Everyone shrugging their shoulders and accepting we're not good enough to actually compete for the champions league.

No, could it ****.
Click to expand...

That's how I see it. Moyes 7th, Van Gaal 5th, Jose 6th (it might improve this season but as of now we're in a battle for top four). With the players we have, I don't see the team could do any worse with Keane or no manager at all. If it didn't work out, then nothing lost. If it did work out, and Keane brought back even half of the mentality we had when he was captain under Fergie, then United could be something special again. We need to be United, not a clone of Chelsea (Jose) or Tottenham (Poch).

Expectations are the other point. Aim low and we're more likely to achieve low. First there was Moyes 'aspiring to be like City' and making Liverpool favourites at OT. Then we got this from Mourinho midway through last season: -

“The Manchester United scoring goals and goals and goals is over. There is no more dominancy. And you will see that for the next ten or 20 years.”​

And later: -

"We are not ready to be Manchester United. We are not ready to be a dominant force. We are not ready to try and win everything."​

I couldn't believe it - the defeatism. Ferguson would never have come out with such statements... and neither would Keane.

Keane is a man who went to Euro 16 with Ireland with the battlecry they were there to win it. He's a man to who second is nowhere. He's stated this season that United should be competing to win the Champions League and no less.

That's the expectation, belief and winning mentality every player at United should have, which comes from the top, and Keane would demand.
 
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Swarbs said:
I agree with you here, although what do you think elevates Keane above the rest? As you say, he is essentially an Irish version of Simeone, so if you aren't sold on Simeone, who comes with a recent track record of success in La Liga and the CL, why so sold on Keane?

The only thing I can think of is the connection to the club, and as Liverpool showed us with Souness, Evans and Dalglish a connection to the club doesn't compensate for a manager who isn't one of the best.
Click to expand...

Keane and Simeone are similar in the way they captained their clubs to success - both combative, hard working, midfield leaders. Their motivational qualities, the fear/respect they generate from players and demands they place on their teams, both as players and managers are on a par. I think where Keane is a level above is when it comes to standards and a winning mentality...

“He was the driving force for the club for a decade. His desire and obsession of winning was incredible, that marked him down as a very special player. He was a fantastic character, also. So he was a loss.”

~Fergie, 2006​

Maybe the biggest advantage of Keane is that I think we'd get a more relentless attacking play style from the kick off, fitting of United, rather than the hard working but defensive style of Simeone.

Yeah, even his connection to the club is a plus - he worked under Ferguson for 12 years, knows first hand what it takes to win the title season after season (7 titles in his 12 years), captained the side to the treble. He's done that, got the t-shirt at United - the players should respect his achievements and demands, knowing he wants to bring them to that level.

Then other small advantages: he knows British football, he's accustomed to the English culture, climate and demands of the season, he lives local to Manchester (no living out of a hotel or away from family), he'd probably command half the salary of a manager with an existing record of success thus saving money.

I guess in the end, should United aim to be a reflection of the Atletico team Simeone captained to the '96 double or the United team Keane captained to the '99 treble?

Oh and this....

http://www.givemesport.com/930503-roy-keane-mugged-off-ronaldo-and-diego-simeone-back-in-1999

<laugh>
 
Swarbs said:
Aye he did ok, but the league was a lot less competitive then, and obviously no Europe to focus on. He wasn't a bad manager, but then neither are Simeone, Low, Pochettino etc. If you consider the four widely accepted 'special managers' our clubs have had, only Paisley had any prior connection to the club.

Had plenty of snow, but pretty much all gone overnight due to rain. How's it been down there? Plenty over at my parents, but hardly any up at the grandparents.
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We got off very light. Hardly any disruption bar the usual flapping when people in cars see a snow flake <laugh>
 
The **** is up with Keano? I just listened to him on the CL highlight show and... he barely had a bad word to say. The presenter asks him questions practically begging him to slate Mourinho's tactics or the players' performances... and all Keane would highlight is that it was poor defending on the goals we conceded and that as a team we should be doing better. This is not normal - he would have given it both barrels last season.
 
gav81 said:
The **** is up with Keano? I just listened to him on the CL highlight show and... he barely had a bad word to say. The presenter asks him questions practically begging him to slate Mourinho's tactics or the players' performances... and all Keane would highlight is that it was poor defending on the goals we conceded and that as a team we should be doing better. This is not normal - he would have given it both barrels last season.
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Realised his own limitations?
 
gav81 said:
The **** is up with Keano? I just listened to him on the CL highlight show and... he barely had a bad word to say. The presenter asks him questions practically begging him to slate Mourinho's tactics or the players' performances... and all Keane would highlight is that it was poor defending on the goals we conceded and that as a team we should be doing better. This is not normal - he would have given it both barrels last season.
Click to expand...
Being diplomatic in preperation for his job application at Utd.
 
Swarbs said:
This is increasingly resembling Donald Trump's Twitter feed.

MUGA!!!
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There is no way Trump's Twitter feed can be this good!

Anyway, don't you think Keane could do wonders for the young lads at United?
 
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