Reports linking Keane with City.

[ScottyT]

It's not 'our club', it's the manager. He's a petty vindictive man.

 

That smug response he gave when asked why Keane wasn't in the squad really disgusted me.

 

I really think he's going down the same road as Houllier.

[The Dude Abides]

Arsenal offer for Andrei Arshavin accepted - Telegraph

 

C'est la Vie!!

[ScottyT]

He was exactly the type of player we needed in the summer, and still do. He's perfect for the system we use and can play in a number of positions behind the main striker.

 

Instead we're stuck trying to shoe-horn 3 main strikers into the team.

[zigackly]

Personally I think we need someone who can give us proper width. I see Arshavin as a central player who can play wide in a three at a push.

[The Dude Abides]

Have a degree of sympathy for Keane tbh. Not his fault the club went and spent a hugely overinflated fee for him. So there was no reason, on his part, to think he'd be anything other than a regular starter(which he was early on tbh). That must surely add to the frustration for him.

 

But, again, its been said many times, even before he pulled on the jersey. Where was he going to fit in? Gerrard and Torres had built up a lovely understanding. Why tinker with that?

 

Even if Keane was bought more as a back-up, and probably earmarked to play a few games on the wing as we seen in pre-season and one or two league games, he just wasn't worth the outlay. £20m for a player with not one outstanding talent? Ludicrous.

 

So Rafa is far from blameless, and i cringe at the suggestion Parry went and signed him himself.

[The Dude Abides]

Personally I think we need someone who can give us proper width. I see Arshavin as a central player who can play wide in a three at a push.

 

Width is not really much use when you've got two players max in the box. Arshavin would have been exactly what we've needed when we've got plenty of the ball in and around the opposition's area but no fucking clue how to penetrate them. We need more of that type of player, cause at the moment its only really Gerrard that can do it with a pass(and when he does the ball is arriving a the feet of somone like Kuyt) and Torres through sheer raw skill and speed.

[zigackly]

I've not seen a lot of him other than a couple of games in the European Cup. How quick is he in general? I remember him being skillful. We also need more pace in our attack as well as width.

 

The reason I want more width is to make space for Gerrard and Torres. Not sure how much congesting it more will help, although a skillful player would be better than Dirk when we're struggling to break teams down.

[DJLJ]

Told not to turn up by the club is very,very sad.

 

What has happened to our club? When a player is told not to turn up, jesus drop him by all means but stop him from going the match?

 

Wrong, I feel for the lad to be honest over this bit

 

Spot on.

[The Dude Abides]

I've not seen a lot of him other than a couple of games in the European Cup. How quick is he in general? I remember him being skillful. We also need more pace in our attack as well as width.

 

The reason I want more width is to make space for Gerrard and Torres. Not sure how much congesting it more will help, although a skillful player would be better than Dirk when we're struggling to break teams down.

 

Very nippy mate.

 

He's a player where i think it wouldn't matter too much where he was played, as long as he was played, he makes things happen.

[col06]

It's not 'our club', it's the manager. He's a petty vindictive man.

 

That smug response he gave when asked why Keane wasn't in the squad really disgusted me.

 

I really think he's going down the same road as Houllier.

 

oh please he's a football manager not a social worker he's not there to be liked

[Josef Svejk]

Sympathy for Keane? Last time he was substituted, as I recall, he was seen shouting fuck off at Benitez or the bench or the gods or whatever. So, he's been dropped. Which his form merits in any case.

[Spy Bee]

Sympathy for Keane? Last time he was substituted, as I recall, he was seen shouting fuck off at Benitez or the bench or the gods or whatever. So, he's been dropped. Which his form merits in any case.

 

Yep.

 

Not sure but I think I may detect Momo.

[Josef Svejk]

Yep.

 

Not sure but I think I may detect Momo.

 

ATK is Momo?! Actually, that makes sense...

[el nino laff]

Being Irish i really hoped that Keane would be a success at liverpool its been a long time since we had that real Irish connection at the club. However I did question his buy at the time as having followed his career and going to Ireland games I knew that Keane needed maybe four chances to score one! Not anywhere good enough for our club. Have to say do that Benitez has to take some of the blame for his form with his harsh treatment of the lad. I know he should have never said Fuck Off to the gaffer or whoever but I mean everytime his number goes up the cameras focus on him waiting for a reaction out of the lad. I wonder if they did this to all players how many others react like this!!

[philyhamann]

Sympathy for Keane? Last time he was substituted, as I recall, he was seen shouting fuck off at Benitez or the bench or the gods or whatever. So, he's been dropped. Which his form merits in any case.

 

Get to fuck, he showed displeasure at being subbed like a lot of players and fans do. ANTI-KEANE AGENDA!!!1112

[Dirk]

Loads of non-internet reds I've spoken to think a) that he's been really shit and b) that the "petulant little rat can fuck off". I think he's been poor, I would like him to succeed but I don't think he does any favours by telling his boss to "fuck off" frustration or no frustration.

[RedinSweden]

Sympathy for Keane? Last time he was substituted, as I recall, he was seen shouting fuck off at Benitez or the bench or the gods or whatever. So, he's been dropped. Which his form merits in any case.

 

Wasn't he dropped after scoring a few goals too though?

[hamstrung]

Yep.

 

Not sure but I think I may detect Momo.

 

Thought the same.

[Josef Svejk]

Wasn't he dropped after scoring a few goals too though?

 

He was on the bench for the Newcastle game after scoring three times in two games. That looked harsh, but we won comfortably without him. He then returned for the cup game and was awful, as he was in the league game last week.

[Royal Family]

James Lawton: Benitez's treatment of Keane has become close to a gruesome joke - News & Comment, Football - The Independent

 

An interesting read, more for the rather sad comment on what a dysfunctional club we have become, with players caught in the middle. Rightly or wrongly Rafa has convinced himself that Parry bought Keane, not him. But what is clear is that his selections have been influenced by political and contractual manoeuverings rather than what is best for the team.

 

I think as a read it's overly sympathetic to Keane, whose form has been terrible and who is miles out of his depth, but even I must admit to feeling sorry for him at the weekend. When you're not sel;ected to make way for David N'Gog, I think you have every right to feel disillusioned with life.

[ScottyT]

I don't think Keane has been that bad, especially early on, nor is he out of his depth. He was working hard but just struggling for goals, and was under pressure, which was compounded by the poor treatment from the manager.

 

When you're searching for form and score two goals in a game, the last thing you need is to be brought off on 65 minutes for 'tactical' reasons, while other players are seemingly untouchable, regardless of performance.

 

It's sad that we have a manager who will make decisions like that, not to win the game, but to send a message to the powers that be.

[GJM]

Somebody else here recently wondered if there had ever been a transfer deal which had been quite so bad for all parties concerned. I honestly can't think of one, although, of the three parties involved, Spurs have definitely come out tops...although given that it probably contributed to them now having Redknapp in charge, perhaps not.

 

A terrible move for Keane, a terrible waste of money for us, and a bad loss for a Spurs side in which he would have done better job than what they were left with.

[Eiler]

The fucking "Keano" chant ruined him.

[Catch22]

James Lawton: Benitez's treatment of Keane has become close to a gruesome joke - News & Comment, Football - The Independent

 

An interesting read, more for the rather sad comment on what a dysfunctional club we have become, with players caught in the middle. Rightly or wrongly Rafa has convinced himself that Parry bought Keane, not him. But what is clear is that his selections have been influenced by political and contractual manoeuverings rather than what is best for the team.

 

I think as a read it's overly sympathetic to Keane, whose form has been terrible and who is miles out of his depth, but even I must admit to feeling sorry for him at the weekend. When you're not sel;ected to make way for David N'Gog, I think you have every right to feel disillusioned with life.

 

Prior to England winning the RWC in '03 Lawton wrote a ridiculously sanctimonious piece on Martin Johnson about how he was too aggressive & dirty after he had punched somebody & was disgracing the name of English rugby.

 

& There was me thinking that international rugby especially amongst the forwards was a non-contact sport.....

 

That article is up there with his best.

Why is Martin O'Neill lumped in with Fergie & Wenger?

People know my views on Keane so i won't repeat them but "overachievement" at Spurs is highly questionable & not relevant to the fact that he may or may not be out of his depth.

He admits that Keane started poorly & didn't link with Torres & that Gerrard is a great attcking dynamo but then criticises Rafa for not playing Robbie.

 

However the final paragraph is the best: He had cited Fergie as an example of a great transfer manager which means he must be a great judge of talent.

He concludes with "This is part of the football landscape Keane is never likely to tread, a point made scornfully by Sir Alex Ferguson when he questioned his £6m move from Wolves to Coventry."

Which is precisley the point of those who thought that Keane wasn't good enough (whether that point is correct or not)

 

So Fergie is a transfer genius & thinks Keane isn't up to it at the highest level. But Rafa should still play him at that level.

 

Whatever your view of the Keane saga Rafa should only be playing him if he is good enough so don't end an article criticising the manager for not doing selecting him with your main witness saying that the player isn't actually up to it.

 

As always, Lawton disguises a complete lack of logic with a very flowery turn of prose

[rebel23]

James Lawton: Benitez's treatment of Keane has become close to a gruesome joke - News & Comment, Football - The Independent

 

An interesting read, more for the rather sad comment on what a dysfunctional club we have become, with players caught in the middle. Rightly or wrongly Rafa has convinced himself that Parry bought Keane, not him. But what is clear is that his selections have been influenced by political and contractual manoeuverings rather than what is best for the team.

 

I think as a read it's overly sympathetic to Keane, whose form has been terrible and who is miles out of his depth, but even I must admit to feeling sorry for him at the weekend. When you're not sel;ected to make way for David N'Gog, I think you have every right to feel disillusioned with life.

 

I think it was more to do with the 'fuck off' when substituted in the previous game more than anything else.