Roy Keane was in great form last night in the first of a great series of talks in the Olympia Theatre in aid of Barretstown. Matt Cooper was the host, as Roy Keane gave his viewpoints on a number of topics including Brian Clough, Saipan and Ireland's future producing some great quotes.
Here is the best of the quotes of the evening.
Keane On Brian Clough:
"Is Clough the only person who hit Roy Keane without you hitting him back?" "A fella hit me on the M50 a few weeks ago+I didnt hit him back"
— The Opel Jersey (@TheOpelJersey) June 25, 2015
"Do yourself and O Neill tell stories about Brian Clough?" "Jeees ya, that's all we bloody do"
— The Opel Jersey (@TheOpelJersey) June 25, 2015
Keane On Social Media:
What would have happened if social media and camera phones were around when you were younger?
-I'd be in prison.
If people are polite and nice to me I’ve no problem, but not if they think they can approach you and be rude because you’re in the public eye.
I bump into a lot of idiots! If they are polite it’s no problem, but some come up in a different angle, whether there has been drink involved and maybe because they saw you 10 years ago you owe them something.
People have hang-ups about you, but I’m ready. I spot them a mile away and I can tell by the way they are walking up to me, I’m thinking ‘here we go’. And that’s just the women!
Keane On Drinking:
We're renaming this Barretstown LAUGHS... #Barretstowntalks with @cooper_m & #RoyKeane pic.twitter.com/G8fD2tghtW
— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
Signed for Forest on last day of season.2 months off? "I gettin paid for that?" "Think myself+my brother stayed in 2 nights of next 6 weeks"
— The Opel Jersey (@TheOpelJersey) June 25, 2015
Keane on Alex Ferguson:
Roy Keane on meeting Alex Ferguson for first time: "We played a game of snooker at this house...I let him win." #BarretstownTalks
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 25, 2015
"Ferguson said your Juve performance was the best performance he'd ever seen from a Utd player". Roy - " which book did he put that in?"
— The Opel Jersey (@TheOpelJersey) June 25, 2015
Keane On His Man Utd Days:
#RoyKeane tells @cooper_m that he isn't a @ManUtd fan... #Barretstowntalks pic.twitter.com/Z2PrnOBHF1
— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
Roy Keane on early Champions League meeting with Barcelona: "I think I touched the ball four times and that was in the warm-up." #MUFC
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 25, 2015
"If you play for Man Utd for over 10 years you're going to win trophies. The players... they're the memories" #RoyKeane #Barretstowntalks
— Mary McGuire (@MaryMcGuire7) June 25, 2015
Keane: "People have asked me about the formula for success at Man Utd. We had really good players........decent manager." #MUFC
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 25, 2015
#RoyKeane says Saturdays were almost a day off for Manchester United cos training games were harder than league games #Barretstown
— Neil O'Riordan (@noriordan) June 25, 2015
Keane On Saipan:
We got a lecture from the medical team that because of the weather we had to drink these drinks. 'If you don't take these drinks, you might die...' that's what we were told (laughter). And we're sitting there, obviously jet-lagged, goin' 'Oh whatever, we might die'. And then he said 'But unfortunately, these drinks haven't arrived yet (very loud laughter).
"I remember it like it was yesterday... What a load of nonsense. People think it was easy for me to walk away" #RoyKeane looks back on 2002
— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
"I said Mick, I don't respect you & he said 'If you don't respect me you shouldn't be playing for me' and I said 'Well, I won't" #RoyKeane
— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
"I should have said I wasn't playing for him - I was playing for my country." #RoyKeane #Barretstowntalks
— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
How do you think McCarthy is doing at Ipswich?
- A lot better than me...
Keane On Pundits:
Keane: "If you told me I could only listen to one pundit it'd be Souness."
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 25, 2015
Keane On Nearly Moving Clubs:
#RoyKeane recalling being offered 6 or 7m signing on-fee by Bayern. Says didn't appreciate size of the club. Should have gone to them/Juve.
— Neil O'Riordan (@noriordan) June 25, 2015
Keane On His Time With Celtic:
My pride was hurt.
Keane On Sport Outside Of Soccer:
If I could play in one other sporting event, it'd be an All-Ireland for Cork. Playing for your city/parish. That must be amazing.
Keane On The Biggest Moment Of His Career:
Keane - Biggest moment in my career as getting through the trial at Nottingham Forest, that was my biggest break barretstown
— david kelly (@dk3lly) June 25, 2015
Keane On That Documentary :
"He said 'Would you ever do a documentary with Patrick [Vieira]?', I said 'Yeah", thinking it would never happen..." #Barretstowntalks
— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
Keane On The Player Most Like Him:
Matt Cooper: Can anyone suggest a modern day Roy Keane?
Shout from audience: Lee Cattermole.
Roy Keane: Lee Cattermole?? Do me a favour.— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 25, 2015
Keane On That Tackle On Marc Overmars:
He took a bad touch and my eyes lit up.
Keane On What Makes A Player:
"Size does matter, don't get me wrong... In football terms I mean" #RoyKeane
Of course Roy!
*cue laughter*#Barretstowntalks— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
"Focus on what a player has and not what he hasn't" #RoyKeane at #Barretstowntalks
— Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) June 25, 2015
Keane On Life After Playing:
The horror stories out there for ex-players is terrifying. It's a short career and the money is easy come, easy go.
Keane On Parenting:
Roy Keane: My kids say to me 'are you happy, dad?' And I say yeah and they say 'well tell your face.'
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 25, 2015
Keane On Road Rage:
I was in court last week because apparently I glare at people a little too much.
Keane On John Delaney:
Well I can't see into the future. I'm just glad he's working for the FAI, we obviously don't want to lose him.
Keane On Martin O'Neill:
I still think we are in there fighting. Martin O’Neill is a bloody good man. I’ve been involved in the game 20-odd years and it is full of bluffers, who will tell you lies and talk crap after games.
Martin is a good guy, a top, top manager and I love working with him. Before anyone says ‘you’ve got to win matches’, we’re not daft. We live in the real world, we’re winners and Martin has had success before. And he will bring success to Ireland but he has got to be given a chance.
Nobody has any patience and I can be as bad as anybody. With the Irish media at the moment, I can’t put my finger on it but there is that negativity with the group of players.
I think we’ve lost one in the last eight or nine games. We’re nearly a decent team and we just need a bit of luck, one or two young players to come in, and Robbie firing on all cylinders.
It was the same when I was a player, when you turn up to play for Ireland you need you top players at it or we’re going to struggle. Will we qualify? Please God, we’ll do our best. That’s all we can do.
If we didn't qualify, do the FAI want to keep us on? That's a big question mark. Would Martin want to stay on? Martin's a very proud man. If he did stay on, would he want me to stay on with him? If he's gone obviously I'm gone. Even if Martin stays on, do I want to get back into the driving seat myself? We'll see, we'll see.
Keane On His Future:
I’m really enjoying my time with Ireland at the moment. Obviously things might change in the next few months depending on results. But I see myself getting back into club management hopefully in the next few years, we’ll see. I know people have been quite dismissive of my managerial career and I have been myself but I feel I did OK at Sunderland and I’m not patting myself on the back.
Long term do I see myself getting back into management? Yes. I think there will be a job out there for me and hopefully I can do a good one.
I'm enjoying the job. Do I see myself here in two years? Who knows
Keane On Ireland's Future:
Where are these players? How come they’re not at the bigger clubs? It’s definitely a worry.
First and foremost when we’re talking about selecting a squad, ideally you want them out in the Premiership and playing every week. It doesn’t always pan out that way.
When you’re talking about selecting players I want them playing at the top clubs and playing every week. And when I say the top clubs I mean the Man Uniteds and playing in the Champions League.
We will suffer on the international front and some of our players aren’t regular in the Championship.
We can’t make excuses for Irish players just because clubs are recruiting from Africa and further away. If you’re good enough and hungry enough you have to compete with that. You have to roll your sleeves up and get on with it.
It’s frightening to think none of our lads are really competing. It’s a big problem and it’s not a quick fix.
Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
