Roy Keane as the gracious assistant manager. Was it ever going to work in the day to day world of club football? Some might say he is too justifiably dominant, some might say too arrogant. Either way it quickly went the way many were expecting it to and now some light has been shed as to why.
Saturday's Daily Mail has quoted an unnamed source from within Aston Villa who has given some fairly exact details as to why the Ireland assistant manager left the club after less than six months in the post.
The source, who described the atmosphere as 'horrible' whenever Keane was around, said that the former Man Utd man 'pissed off all the big names that he shouldn't have pissed off.
Said source then listed the grievances of specific players with England internationals Gabby Agbonlahor and Fabian Delph singled out as presumably two of the 'big names'.
Keane's run in with Agbonlahor was somewhat predictable in nature. At one point, when the forward was having a tactical discussion with Paul Lambert, Keane let his feelings be known to which Agbonlagor responded 'excuse me, but I’m talking to the boss'. Unsurprisingly, Keane didn't take well to that and the pair became involved in a heated row.
Delph's opinion of Keane was seemingly set in stone from the beginning. Keane immediately set to letting the Villa squad know what was wrong in training and, during one less than ideal session, he singled out Delph as having under-performed. Delph's retort of 'don’t try to fucking mug me off' was the nail in the coffin of their relationship from the outset.
Ultimately, it seems Keane's demanding nature was the primary reason for his departure. Much like his time at Ipswich and Sunderland, he clashed with players who didn't strive for as high a standard as he did and continues to.
The problem with Keane is that he demands the same standards that he was used to at United and the lads at Villa don’t get paid enough to put up with that kind of crap.
While that quote won't come as a surprise for anyone who has followed Keane's career even passively, you have to wonder what that says about the Aston Villa squad. The source quoted is obviously someone with an intimate knowledge of inside the dressing room, and to say that the players don't get paid enough to strive for perfection is a serious kick in the teeth to the ever dwindling numbers of the Villa Park faithful.
However, having said that, you have to wonder if Keane's personality has now preceded him to such an extent that another job within Premier League management is very unlikely.
