In recent years, Roy Keane has established himself as one of the most popular football pundits on UK TV.
The Manchester United legend had been a regular presence on ITV's panels for major tournaments, but it was his move to Sky Sports for Premier League coverage in 2019 that made him a staple of modern football punditry.
Keane has developed a reputation for his outspoken rants, especially when analysing his former club at Old Trafford - as well as for his good cop-bad cop rapport with ex-Manchester City man Micah Richards.
One former Premier League manager, however, does not quite understand the widespread love for Roy Keane.
American coach Jesse Marsch managed to guide Leeds to Premier League safety at the end of the 2021-22 season but was sacked midway through their relegation campaign last season.
Speaking this week, Marsch said he could not understand the general negativity of the UK media when covering football - and Roy Keane as the prime example of his befuddlement.
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Jesse Marsch taken aback by widespread love for Roy Keane
Marsch appeared alongside Simon Jordan on the 'Up Front' podcast this week and discussed one of the biggest differences he felt working in the UK compared to his home country.
The Wisconsin native said that he was taken aback by the "tear them down" negativity that was common in Premier League punditry in the UK - and said that the love for Roy Keane (perhaps the poster boy for such rants) was at the core of his confusion.
(The comments on Roy Keane come around the 47:30 mark in the above video)
Marsch said that he found Keane to sometimes be "kind of an asshole," and explained why he had been so shocked by the cynicism of the UK media:
It's always interested me that people love Roy Keane so much and his commentary. I think Roy can be kind of an asshole.
There's something about English culture - that kind of negative, edgy, cutting...that's the truth. He says it like it is.
I will tell you - our [American] truth is we believe we can achieve great things. We believe in ourselves. If people want to knock us down, that almost drives us more. When I have positive takes on certain things, that's not me trying to be something different or trying to be American. This is how I feel.
With the ever-growing influence of social media in football discourse, outrage and shock clicks are a major driving factor behind how TV stations choose to portray their punditry. That, coupled with the negativity prevalent on many football panels, is perhaps at the core of what Jesse Marsch is getting at.
Nonetheless, we can't imagine many Premier League fans will agree with the American.
Marsch has returned to work in Germany in a second spell as a coach with RB Leipzig.
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