Updated at 15.06
SPEAKING DURING A Q+A at Lancashire Country Cricket Club in Manchester to promote his new autobiography The Second Half, Keane took aim at many ex-United players who now find themselves employed by the club in ambassadorial and media-related roles and who Keane feels must tow the party line at all times, regardless of what the truth might be.
“There’s a lot of propaganda. A lot of nonsense gets spoken about at United. A lot of ex-players work for the club and they’re on contracts. Ex-players from the 1960s and 1970s — the Paddy Crerands of this world. F**k me. Do me a favour. People have to listen to all that — ‘United were great today’. No, they weren’t. Why are you saying it?”
During a Champions League clash against Real Madrid in March of last year, United’s then-winger Nani was sent-off in controversial circumstances. Working as a pundit for ITV that evening, Keane, though admitting the Portuguese was a little unlucky, said he agreed with the decision and that the referee had made the correct call. Afterwards, there was a backlash from United fans and from within the club too.
“I got a lot of aggro over the Nani stuff — people were pissed off with me over that. But you have to try and give a fair opinion. The next day Robbo (Bryan Robson) was on some local channel and he’s employed by Man United remember, he has to comment on United. What do you think he’s going to say? He said ‘Keaney was the only man at Old Trafford who thought it was a red card’. I was thinking — ‘Didn’t the referee think it was a red card too?’
“It’s almost like a Mafia situation — ‘You’re one of us — don’t ‘f**king say anything bad about us’. It’s like Disneyland. ‘Man United Land’. ‘F**king Mickey Mouses running everywhere. People getting swayed by Paddy Crerand! Paddy still thinks it’s nineteen sixty f**king seven.”
Well deserved, I’m sure you’ll give one hell of an account of yourself and pose big questions. Bring that belt home