ROY KEANE HAS recalled a bust-up with former team-mate Peter Schmeichel during their playing days at Manchester United.
While on a pre-season tour of Asia back in 1998, two of Alex Ferguson’s greatest ever signings clashed in the team hotel after a night of drinking — forcing the United boss to step in and break the fight up.
In his soon-to-be released autobiography The Second Half, as seen by The Daily Mirror, the Ireland assistant manager explains how the pair came to blows.
“I had a bust-up with Peter when we were on a pre-season tour of Asia, in 1998, just after I came back from my cruciate injury. I think we were in Hong Kong. There was drink involved.
“There’d been a little bit of tension between us over the years, for football reasons. Peter would come out shouting at players, and I felt sometimes he was playing up to the crowd: ‘Look at me!’
“He was probably doing it for concentration levels, but I felt he did it too often, as if he was telling the crowd: ‘Look what I have to deal with’.
“He said: ‘I’ve had enough of you, It’s time we sorted this out.’ So I said ‘Okay’ and we had a fight. It felt like 10 minutes. There was a lot of noise – Peter’s a big lad.
Peter had grabbed me, I’d head-butted him – we’d been fighting for ages.
“He (Ferguson) told us that we were a disgrace to the club, and that we’d woken Bobby Charlton up, that Bobby had come out of his room and seen us.
“Peter took responsibility for the fight, which was good. I admired him for it. But Sir Bobby could have tried to break it up.”
The Second Half hits shelves in Ireland this Thursday, 9 October
So he’s not going to Newcastle then
@Richard O’Brien: Thought he was a shoe-in for Derby County. Everything he needs there too.. sorry, except the bottomless pit of money.
@An Observer: your not suggesting that the reason he’s so successful is the cash he can flash are you. The citeh fans won’t like that
@Richard O’Brien: An awful lot more to management than money. Obviously he can buy whoever he wants but then he has to handle all those huge egos, keep them happy and get them playing for the team, which I think is the secret to his success. If it was just about money Mickey Mouse could be manager.
@ger o’ dwyer: thanks for the lesson and I don’t necessarily disagree but I think it takes a better manager to be successful without the cash
@Richard O’Brien: careful now, in the spirit of the 21st century we shouldn’t take the piss out of minority groups.
Great to hear a man with extensive knowledge of the game commenting about how good a league the premiership is, a lot of haters out their saying the premier league is a joke, because only one or two teams can win it, which is not to far from the truth, but the overall competition for placing is brilliant and always throws up battles for the winners, top four, europa spots and relegation.
@Devilsavocado: I mean isn’t that the case for most of the top leagues in Europe?
@Devilsavocado: style of football lacking still. Too many foreigners. Should see if this year was a one off in terms of Europe, Spain has pretty much ruled the roost for a decade or more on the club and international scene. Best players like Hazard still know the best gravy. Lots love the hustle n bustle of the premier league but prob know little else.
Earth to Chippy!?