Roy Keane press conference - what we learned
After a week of leaks we finally heard from the man himself as Roy Keane gave a press conference to launch his autobiography ‘The Second Half’.
It could have started badly after a foolish journalist’s phone rang as the conference got underway, but Keane just rolled his eyes and ignored it.
A journalist's phone has gone off. RK merely rolls eyes to heaven. Must be in a good mood #RoyKeane
— Neil O'Riordan (@noriordan) October 9, 2014
The questions centred around stories from the book and Alex Ferguson was one of the first topics brought up.
Asked if he would ever forgive Ferguson for his perceived mistreatment Keane answered: “It’s a good question, I don’t know.”
He did say he definitely wouldn’t be meeting his former manager for a pint tonight
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“No, I’ll be busy tonight getting ready for the game on Saturday so no, no meeting up.”
Keane branded some of Ferguson’s behaviour as “ridiculous”.
“The problem I had was when you worked with someone for such a long period of time, it is afterwards when they come out with nonsense,” he said. "Alex Ferguson criticised players who bought him a lot of success. He's got his statue. Why criticise people. Ridiculous."
He added: “Ferguson had pals in the media. I can spot ‘em a mile away. There’s a few here today.”
Asked when he knew his time at Manchester United was coming to an end Keane said:
“You had a lot of nonsense coming out. There was a lot of propaganda from United about this leaked video. United were quite happy to let that run.”
He was asked about the possibility of returning to management in the future and admitted there was some talk about the Celtic vacancy, but said he was about “10th choice” and negotiations did not go well.
“I’m not sitting around waiting for managers to lose their jobs. That’s not my style.”
Kenny Cunningham’s captaincy of the national team when Keane returned in 2004 was also brought up. Asked why he didn’t look for the captaincy Keane repeated what he’d said in the book: “He was popular with the players.”
Keane said that initially he had no plans to write a second book, but felt he had to correct the “pack of lies” that was being spoken about him.
Keane "For people to tarnish that (his time at MUFC) and have little digs, you have to come out fighting and enough's enough." He means SAF.
— Daniel Taylor (@DTathletic) October 9, 2014
The Corkman said he felt he didn’t fall out with that many people in football, but that’s what the media focused on and what made the headlines again this week.
The conference finished up after 30 minutes, but Keane is scheduled for more individual interviews all afternoon so we can expect to hear plenty more this evening and tomorrow.
Fair to say Keane's embargoed section for daily newspapers was dynamite. Online at 10.30pm and across the papers tomorrow.
— Daniel Taylor (@DTathletic) October 9, 2014
We’ll leave you with a brief clip of the audiobook - narrated by Keane himself.
If you want to hear a longer clip where he talks about the FA hearing into the Alf-Inge Haaland interview click here.
