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.”
Pity we aren’t allowed to use such profane language in the comments,
f ing mickey mouses everywhere—- I may start using that phrase in my everyday life.
Classic Keane shooting from the hip.
And spot on, dear god shur Crerand would turn your stomach , and Newstalk live Rolling him out spewing tripe, without question. Good man Roy.
Keane’s certainly not afraid to speak his mind!
Whether you agree with everything he says or not it’s refreshing to have someone who says it how he sees it.
Paddy Crerand still thinks it’s 1967- classic. The aul bast### will be fuming! Bast### is considered foul language by the score ?
I’m really starting to like Roy Keane.
No filter just calls it as it is. Modern day sports interviews are so mediated he’s the fckn man..
He’s not afraid of anything. He was a warrior on the pitch & it looks like he hasn’t changed that off it. I saw this so called red card incident & no one agreed with Roy. Im not sure if it was a lucky call from him but as different tv footage was coming in he proved to be correct & everyone else agreed.
Hard to argue with Keane on that one! Fear and Loathing at Old Trafford!
Angry head strikes again..
With justification.
To be honest a lot of the stuff in the book I can take or leave, but he’s 100% on the money here, I used to subscribe to MUTV but sweet jeebus Paddy C would annoy the boll0x off ya, there were political officers in the Red Army that didn’t tow the party line as much as Crerand!!
Pity his book wasn’t a bit more like that piece!
Dunno lads… was a huge fan and starting to get a little weary of him. Purposely seeking spotlight now with comments like that. Its hard to begrudge the older brigade making a few bob off their legend status given their relatively meagre pay in their playing days. Just seems a little unnecessary havin a crack off a soft target. Lacked class I thought.
What’s embarassing is that this knob was the united captain.. zero class.
Will he ever get bills old Job on rte that would be a laugh ha ha
What a great player.. but what an almighty bell-end. Write what you like Roy.. Fergie won the war!!
Just want to point out that the phrase is ‘TOE the line’ not ‘TOW the line’. Apologies for being a grammer Nazi but reading misspellings in any kind of publications is the mental equivalent of fingernails on a blackboard.
If you think about it, tow the line makes zero sense anyway.