The story of Roy Keane remains the great passion play of Irish sport: the journey from Mayfield to Manchester via Cobh and Nottingham. Unfortunately, the shenanigans of Saipan can obscure what really is a legendary tale: how a working class kid from Cork became captain of the biggest football team in the world.
If you'd like a glimpse into the mind of Keane before Saipan and all that, we'd highly recommend a 1997 RTÉ documentary about Keane that has surfaced on youtube this week. 'Have boots will travel' was made by proud Corkmen Dave Hannigan and Colm O'Callaghan. The documentary features extensive interviews with Keane as well as Alex Ferguson, Jack Charlton and Dunphy, plus many Cork football men.
It's a great watch. Then, as now, Keane was never boring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=-Hl2pLtsw-s&feature=emb_title
There's a lot to love in this, including Jack Charlton calling Alex Ferguson 'Alec'. We'll give Eamon Dunhphy the last word:
'He's a warrior. He's a footballer. He's going to win matches. All this talk about being a role model... You can't expect someone with his exuberance and great spirit to be tame, to always do the right thing.
