What is there to say that hasn't already been said about Roy Keane? While he certainly had his flaws, he was the type of charismatic leader that we rarely see in football. He held his team, and himself, to incredibly high standards at all times, something that helped drive on Manchester United during their most successful period.
We have heard countless stories about the leadership displayed by Keane during his playing days, and we can now add this one from Steve McClaren to the list.
McClaren was United's assistant manager during their famous 98/99 season, when they would win the treble. Speaking on a talkSPORT documentary about that season, he recalled one particular incident that summed up Keane.
The former England manager described their dressing room after the Champions quarter final against Inter at Old Trafford that season, a game which United won 2-0. It had not been a great performance, however, something McClaren would soon find out Keane felt strongly about.
I think it was against Inter Milan at Old Trafford and I think they won 1-0. It wasn’t a good performance and I think I came in and was a bit over the top by saying “well done boys, great win”.
Roy Keane just turned round and said: “Steven, don’t give us that bullshit Don’t give us that crap. When we’re crap, tell us we’re crap”.
Impossibly high standards such as this are what made Keane the player he was. Even after winning a massive European tie, Keane took no time to pat himself or others on the back, it was onto the next one.
Rightly or wrongly, this is a far cry from the modern game. This is something the former Ireland captain has lamented in recent times, and you get the feeling there would be a lot less dressing room selfies if Roy Keane was still about the place.
