ROY KEANE INSISTS that Celtic need to change their mindset following Tuesday’s 7-0 defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the Champions League.
While the Republic of Ireland assistant manager, who finished his playing career at Celtic, accepts that a drubbing at the hands of a side of Barcelona’s calibre “can happen”, he questioned the level of Celtic’s ambition.
Keane was speaking last night in his role as a pundit on ITV. At the end of his rant, fellow pundit and former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon almost had to calm Keane down as he put a consoling arm around his shoulder.
In spite of Tuesday’s scoreline, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said there was “no embarrassment” in being defeated so comprehensively by a side like Barca.
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Keane said last night: “I’m scratching my head sometimes with managers. I know it’s difficult after a game and if you have an off-night in Barcelona you’re in big trouble. But on one hand we’re being told that Celtic are a great club, great traditions, great history… then they go and lose 7-0 to Barcelona and people almost say these things happen, it’s acceptable.”
When asked if Celtic — who have been Scottish champions for the past five seasons — need to reassess their ambitions, Keane said: “I think so. All I hear sometimes when people talk about Celtic is that it’s about winning the league, but they need to do a lot better in Europe. Easier said than done, of course, and this time around it’s obviously difficult with the group they’re in.
“But even in the qualifying games they were poor. They scraped through. They didn’t win any of their away games, I think. I think the whole mindset has to change and, particularly away from home, don’t accept being the whipping boys of Europe. It’s Celtic. Huge club, and they need to do a lot better.
“Even when they qualified for this group, the celebrations to me were way over the top. They scraped through. I thought they actually won the competition. People were hugging each other — the manager, the coaching staff, the players. They should be expecting to do well in this group.”
Keane added: “I appreciate that it’s going to be tough, and this group is going to be different because, of course, Barcelona and obviously Manchester City. But throughout the last number of years when they’ve been involved in Europe they’ve struggled, and lesser teams than Celtic have done well in Europe.
“A lot of these players for Celtic are international players. It’s not Altrincham, it’s Celtic. They’ve got to do much better. I think again it’s a case of changing the mindset. I don’t necessarily mean the game against Barcelona, because that can happen. I’m on about the qualifying games where they were scraping through and celebrating like they won the bloody thing. Excuse my language.”
don’t usually like him but he’s dead right, celtic constantly celebrating mediocrity the past couple of years. no challenges whatsoever in that Scottish league
Same way he celebrated mediocrity when Ireland Qualified for the Euro’s..
During the ad break it was “Dixon, you ever put your hands on me again ,I’ll break your jaw ” !
Roy Keane and a certain Honey Badger come to mind (if you get the reference).
In the last 24 hours he’s dissed the last 2 clubs he’s played for.
That man just doesn’t care!
Agree with him 110%. The players seemed to play with an acceptance that they were nowhere near the standard of Barcelona and therefore it was fine to concede 7 goals. A bit of guile and hardwork and the score could have been kept to a more manageable, acceptable result. Instead they allowed Barcelona to make a mockery of them.
120%
When Keane speaks you have to listen, the man has won it all. He never bullshits just says it as it is.
125%
Come on Biscuits, get real, everyone knows 120% is the highest % possible
It wasn’t very long ago that Roy Keane and MON were jumping around a Football pitch kissing each other when Ireland qualified for the Euro’s.. Roy Keane played for one of the richest clubs on the planet, so far this season they’ve made hundreds of millions and signed a player for £90 Million. Celtic get 5 million from Sky in TV money and have to play six games in the summer to even qualify for the group stages.. Real Madrid got beaten 6-2 by Barca not so long ago, Roma got beaten 5-1 last year and countless other teams better than Celtic have been hammered as well.. I’ll wait until Celtic have played all their games until I judge how they got on..
One day I’d love to see roy manage celtic , see if he can do any better and see if he can change the players mindset and keep the team harmony at the same time and given some cash
Roy the Pundit. Even when he gives good analysis …he’s still an unbearable opininated slangword for male genital appendage.