Celtic have just unveiled Roy Keane as their new signing

LegacyUser

Just saw it there on bbc.co.uk/sport

Below is the article...

Roy Keane has ended weeks of speculation and completed his move to Celtic by signing an 18-month deal.

The 34-year-old Irishman, who ended his Manchester United career in November, had interested several Premiership clubs and Spanish giants Real Madrid.

But, as he was unveiled at Celtic Park, Keane said: "I gave other clubs a chance and was impressed with them all.

"But it's a great move for me. I feel that this is where I belong and I'm here to work hard and win games."

Keane had appeared close to joining Real Madrid only days ago, while Bolton, Everton, West Brom and West Ham were among other clubs to express their interest.

But he revealed that he had still been mulling over his decision up until his arrival in Glasgow for talks on Wednesday.

"It's been a strange few weeks having left United, but I thought it was about time I made a decision," he said.

The midfielder's deal is believed to be worth £40,000 a week.

He will not be eligible to make his Celtic debut against Hearts at Tynecastle on New Year's Day as Scottish Premier League rules do not allow for players to be both registered and play on the first day of the new transfer window.

Keane will instead be aiming to face Clyde at Broadwood Stadium in the Scottish Cup third round the following weekend.

His move to Scotland comes after nearly 13 years under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford and a well-documented falling-out with the club.

Keane was reported to have been critical of a number of his Manchester United team-mates in an MUTV programme that was pulled from the schedules because of its content.

Big Nelly

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054862684

LegacyUser

Big Nelly wrote:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054862684

whoops!

The Muppet

Keano made some interesting comments in his press conferance about wanting to win things and pushing players to win things. I only heard a snippet of it but there appeared to be some subliminal messages for United.

I wish him all the best at Celtic.

gracehopper

The Muppet wrote:

Keano made some interesting comments in his press conferance about wanting to win things and pushing players to win things. I only heard a snippet of it but there appeared to be some subliminal messages for United.

I wish him all the best at Celtic.

yeah, i got that myself from the report i read on sky sports, fair play to him, i hope he becomes a god up there, i think he could replace lennon in the centre, judging by his comments i dont think he'll be moving to CB in a hurry

LegacyUser

He could replace anyone there. He is such a class player.

ziggy

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gracehopper

ziggy67 wrote:

So much guff is said about this guy in general- in technical terms he is nothing special at all.

Roy Keane is a quality technical player, i really dont understand the above comment, a player doesnt have to do 4 or 5 step overs and hit 60 yard passes to be technical, Roy Keane is one of the best passers of the ball in the world, he rarely gives the ball away, is passing not a technique??

eirebhoy

ziggy67 wrote:

He couldn't replace the creative players, the strikers or the goalie.

So much guff is said about this guy in general- in technical terms he is nothing special at all.

Sometimes things like decision making are more important than technical ability. Aidan McGeady has more technical ability than most players, he doesn't seem to have a great football brain though. John Terry isn't a great player with the ball yet he has the ability to be the best centre half in the world.

ziggy

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RVN10

well done roy that is the place you could possibly have joined

Necronomicon

Quote of the press conference:
"I'm a player who has always liked to push myself harder, and push all of those around me...apparently, you can't do that nowadays."

eirebhoy

ziggy67 wrote:

Didn't say anything of the sort. He can tackle, read the game & no he doesn't give the ball away, but he doesn't pass the ball more than 10-20 yards. I think Keane knows what he can & can't do, this is one of his strengths.

If you were young and can only remember Keane since he's taken up his new role at Man Utd I'd forgive you for that but you don't become the best box to box midfielder in the world (which he was in '99, Gerrard probably is now in the premiership at least) without having the ability to pass more than 20 yards. I just want to ask, could he pass it further 5 years ago or has he always been like that?

Just because he had that role at Man U for the last few years doesn't mean he's "past it" as many people like to think. He got MOTM against France because he knew he had to do more than just sit in front of the back 4. He was excellent against Liverpool when he wasn't expected to play, think it ended scoreless.

He joked in the press conference today "Some people think I'm 94". He also said he did very well in the medical with a little smirk on his face.

The Muppet

eirebhoy wrote:

If you were young and can only remember Keane since he's taken up his new role at Man Utd I'd forgive you for that but you don't become the best box to box midfielder in the world (which he was in '99, Gerrard probably is now in the premiership at least) without having the ability to pass more than 20 yards. I just want to ask, could he pass it further 5 years ago or has he always been like that?

Just because he had that role at Man U for the last few years doesn't mean he's "past it" as many people like to think. He got MOTM against France because he knew he had to do more than just sit in front of the back 4. He was excellent against Liverpool when he wasn't expected to play, think it ended scoreless.

He joked in the press conference today "Some people think I'm 94". He also said he did very well in the medical with a little smirk on his face.

Celtic have got themselves a great player and Keano will have another winners medal by the end of the season.

ziggy

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cournioni

ziggy67 wrote:

So much guff is said about this guy in general- in technical terms he is nothing special at all.

Oh cop on. :rolleyes:

ziggy

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Big Nelly

ziggy67 wrote:

What a compelling argument... i've seen the error of my ways :rolleyes:

Simple question. Do you watch football? from your comments on here I don't think you do because you are talking alot of c**p. What about the games for the Irish team where he more or less dragged the team onto win the game and into the World Cup. We know what happened after that but wasn't it the Cyprus game where he created everything.

Watch the Juve game as well. It was the best performance by one player that I have ever seen in European footie. Box to box, passing was great.

Last few seasons cause of injury Keane's job was to sit in front of the front four. break up play and then pass the ball into SCholes/Giggs and so on in the middle of the park and they would attack. Keane would always stay behind the play in case the attack broke down and then he would challange for the ball and pass it onto Scholes and so on again. This meant that if Keane can't pass then the whole of the Utd teams moves would break down.

ziggy67 wrote:

For 2 seasons (00/01 & 01/02 i think) i had a running bet with a workmate that Keane wouldn't make a defence splitting pass that led to a goal- i collected on both occasions. To answer your question he has always been like that.

Did he score in either of these seasons? I bet he did. Think your just making stuff up now.

ziggy

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Big Nelly

ziggy67 wrote:

Honestly didn't see the Cyprus game so i can't comment on that.

Was as good as Juve game because hadnt as good a players with him on Ireland team that he had on Utd team

ziggy67 wrote:

Juve game- astonishing performance. Box to box? absolutely. Passing was great? Don't recall that, but i only watched the game live, haven't seen it since. From what i recall he scored a goal & covered every blade of grass on the pitch 10 times over. He dragged Utd into the final.

Yes he was great in that game. Point is here that Utd where playing there 4-4-2 and Keane wasn't a holding player. Utd policy was to attack. Plenty of defence spilting ball and long passing to wings from the middle of the park. Move ball quickly to wing and then get Giggs/Becks to knock it into the box. Keane plus Scholes played alot of these long balls

ziggy67 wrote:

Last few seasons i agree with you- these are the 20 yard passes i'm talking about. He breaks up play & gives a simple ball to the likes of Scholes- that is fantastic, he does this brilliantly. Can he go beyond that though?

Yes he can. If you watch alot of Man Utd which I do because I watch most games on TV. Every so often pops up wit a long pass forward to miss the midfield

ziggy67 wrote:

Did i say he didn't score? Read what i said.
Disagree with me by all means but if your going to accuse me of "making stuff up" read what i say, understand it & then prove me wrong.

I did, I understood it, the thing is a defence splitting pass? I would see a goal as the best defence splitting pass out there. Would you not?

emc2

Just saw this :

Oasis create uproar with Roy Keane tribute
Rockers Oasis created uproar in Glasgow last night when they dedicated a song to Irish footballer Roy Keane, who has just signed for Celtic.

Liam Gallagher taunted the Rangers fans in attendance before singing 'Bring It Down', saying: "This one's for Roy Keane".

Both Noel and Liam Gallagher are Manchester City fans and would never have dedicated a song to the football star while he was playing with Manchester United.

The dedication sparked jeers from the Rangers fans in the audience, with many of them throwing plastic beer glasses in the direction of the stage.

Liam Gallagher responded by saying: "You can take it, you're grown up, aren't you?"

Necronomicon

ziggy67 wrote:

For 2 seasons (00/01 & 01/02 i think) i had a running bet with a workmate that Keane wouldn't make a defence splitting pass that led to a goal- i collected on both occasions. To answer your question he has always been like that.

What a load of crap. Did you watch every minute of every United game, analyse every pass and see every goal for two seasons?

cournioni

Have you ever watched his link up play with other players? A good example of this is his goal against Brondby in 1999. There are tons of other examples of this too if you want more.

Have you ever watched his control? Have you ever seen his heading ability? Have you ever seen his shooting ability?

He is probably the best header of a ball I've seen (which is why he has always played at the front post when United are defending and attacking a corner).

His ball control is just as good as Zidane, except Keane just does the simple thing that Zidane doesn't do.

His shooting ability is also unbelievable, I remember when he was trying to get his 50th goal for United he hit the post from 25 yards so many times I lost count.

The most important thing about Keane is his footballing brain. He has the most intelligent footballing brain that I have ever seen. He plays to his strengths (breaking up play, passing it, making runs off the ball, getting into areas where he can make a difference, tackling and shooting) and he gets other players to play to their strengths too.

I'm going to stop at that because I'll be on here all day if I try to point out everything he does well. He is simply a world class, all round midfielder.

Big Nelly

PORNAPSTER wrote:

His shooting ability is also unbelievable, I remember when he was trying to get his 50th goal for United he hit the post from 25 yards so many times I lost count.

I remember this, was hitting the ball from all position. kept hitting post or just missing. In the end in one game I was watched he carried the ball from midfield and hit it, was a beauty of a shot. Hit the post and he just stood there laughing.

I think it has been shown that Ziggy aint got the bext soccer knowledge

whiskeyman

PORNAPSTER wrote:

Have you ever watched his link up play with other players? A good example of this is his goal against Brondby in 1999. There are tons of other examples of this too if you want more.

Have you ever watched his control? Have you ever seen his heading ability? Have you ever seen his shooting ability?

He is probably the best header of a ball I've seen (which is why he has always played at the front post when United are defending and attacking a corner).

His ball control is just as good as Zidane, except Keane just does the simple thing that Zidane doesn't do.

His shooting ability is also unbelievable, I remember when he was trying to get his 50th goal for United he hit the post from 25 yards so many times I lost count.

The most important thing about Keane is his footballing brain. He has the most intelligent footballing brain that I have ever seen. He plays to his strengths (breaking up play, passing it, making runs off the ball, getting into areas where he can make a difference, tackling and shooting) and he gets other players to play to their strengths too.

I'm going to stop at that because I'll be on here all day if I try to point out everything he does well. He is simply a world class, all round midfielder.

All mostly true, but you made reference to something 6 years ago... he is not the same player, and is long off his peak.
He still has the football brain and passion though, and is a brilliant man-motivator for the team.
I really feel he should have left Utd 2 years ago to a big Europe move. It would have been great experience for him and perhaps helped with his managerial career in the future (to make contacts etc...).
He still then could have come back to Celtic at this time.

Big Nelly

whiskeyman wrote:

All mostly true, but you made reference to something 6 years ago... he is not the same player, and is long off his peak.
He still has the football brain and passion though, and is a brilliant man-motivator for the team.
I really feel he should have left Utd 2 years ago to a big Europe move. It would have been great experience for him and perhaps helped with his managerial career in the future (to make contacts etc...).
He still then could have come back to Celtic at this time.

Most of the questions posted by Ziggy was that he never could pass in his career. I was making the point because of injury he can no longer cover the ground in a 4-4-2 solution for Utd so was playing in front of back four and only poasing 10-20 yards because that was his job

whiskeyman

Big Nelly wrote:

Most of the questions posted by Ziggy was that he never could pass in his career. I was making the point because of injury he can no longer cover the ground in a 4-4-2 solution for Utd so was playing in front of back four and only poasing 10-20 yards because that was his job

yeah, I agree.
He has limited ability due to his fitness / age, but what he can do, he still does damn well.
I was just making the point he was a fantastic player, but he's not that same player now, and a lot of people seem to be in denial about this.
He still is a great addition to any team, but his role will be limited.

Big Nelly

whiskeyman wrote:

yeah, I agree.
He has limited ability due to his fitness / age, but what he can do, he still does damn well.
I was just making the point he was a fantastic player, but he's not that same player now, and a lot of people seem to be in denial about this.
He still is a great addition to any team, but his role will be limited.

I am not so sure, at Utd alot of his time was actual spent with the youth teams and working with them. He has coaching badges and all. I think Celtic will use him for the same thing. They have just opened there acedemy so he could help with that. Also one position that Celtic are light in is Central defence so Keane could play there. Also will hopefully bring on McGeady

ziggy

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eirebhoy

ziggy67 wrote:

What has being a box to box player got to do with passing? Thats running & determination.

I would disagree that he was ever the best box to box player in the world but i would definetly be in the minority there.

For 2 seasons (00/01 & 01/02 i think) i had a running bet with a workmate that Keane wouldn't make a defence splitting pass that led to a goal- i collected on both occasions. To answer your question he has always been like that.

He has scored 5 goals since May 2002 having scored 20 goals the 3 previous seasons. He's just not been asked to contribute to goals anymore. As I said, what makes you think he's lost that running and determination?

ziggy67 wrote:

WTF? I never once said he doesn't score goals! I'm talking about PASSING.

If he has the ability to score so many goals from outside the box I'm sure he has the ability to pass more than 20 yards.

Big Nelly

ziggy67 wrote:

He couldn't replace the creative players, the strikers or the goalie.

So much guff is said about this guy in general- in technical terms he is nothing special at all.

Was this not you Ziggy? you still haven't retracted it.

Also your comments about him not making a defence spliting pass. How can you tell this? there is no stat anywhere that anyone can make this out? you also made reference to collecting winning for this. How could you and your mate have any way to track over 2 season every ball that was passed and what direction it came from on the pitch. If you can tell that would be great.

Also you haven't backed anything up on here about his passing or your so called knowledge that he cant pass. As pointed out by alot of people on here the guy has no problems with passing. I am not sure what you want him to do? take the ball off the goalie and hit it the lenght of the pitch onto the forwards head for a goal?

You should know most passes in any good team are only around 10-20 yards, this is where the majority of the ball is during the game. Goalie to defence, defence to midfield, midfield to wingers or strikers. These should be all quick interchanges of the ball from one player to another. This splits open teams. Watch Sky SPorts and they will show the possesion stats for last 5, 15 mins and always most & in middle of park

keane is one of the major reasons why Utd have been so sucessful over the past while. The decline in Utd has also come at the same time that Keane has had to move into a defensive midfield role.

Daemonic

gracehopper wrote:

Roy Keane is one of the best passers of the ball in the world

Ehhh, no...to say he is one of the most consistent passers in the game would be more accurate. Short passes and lots of them is what he's best at.

chiller

delighted he signed 4 celtic he his the best midfielder of the last decade he can do everything he my hero and fair play to him good luck keano

eirebhoy

This is the clip I mentioned earlier:
http://rapidshare.de/files/9280965/keane.wmv.html

It looks to me that he'd love to get back to his old style of play.

Lemlin

Players like Keane aren't in a team to make defence splitting passes. He's like Makele, there to mop up anything in front of defence and look after link-up play.

Keane was there to make sure players like Beckham and Giggs had the time to whip in the defence splitting crosses from the wing, or to allow Scholes to make forward runs.

Your argument is like saying that Ruud van Nistelrooy isn't a good player because he can't defend - He's not there to defend.

LegacyUser

Keane is gonna be the quarterback of Celtic.