Roy Keane claims he never had bond with Sir Alex Ferguson in blast at 'pals act'
Roy Keane insists a player's relationship with their manager doesn't need to be "cosy" for a Premier League team to be successful.
Keane was asked for his opinion ahead of Tottenham's trip to Manchester City on Sunday. Spurs will aim to get back to winning ways at the Etihad after three consecutive defeats, but it'll be difficult for them to beat Pep Guardiola's champions on their own patch.
As part of their pre-match content, Sky Sports interviewed Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou and his captain Son Heung-min. The Australian coach, who gave Son the armband after his arrival from Celtic in June, was full of praise for his skipper.
Yet Keane wasn't impressed. The ex-midfielder famously clashed with Sir Alex Ferguson during his time as Manchester United's captain, but the pair still won countless trophies together - including a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble in 1999.
In their interview, Postecoglou and Son were asked about the Asian Cup final in 2015. Postecoglou's Australia defeated South Korea 2-1, despite a last-minute equaliser from Son to send the game into extra-time. Son congratulated Postecoglou at full-time.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
Postecoglou said of Son's classy move: "His whole career is evidence of the type of person he is. His deeds on the football field, it's about how people speak about him. I had an earlier introduction into something people found out throughout his whole career."
Keane was asked for his reaction to the interview. The former Nottingham Forest star said: "I don’t think it has to be as cosy as what they’ve got going on there, from my experience. It didn’t need to be a pals act, I didn’t believe in it and it didn’t suit my personality.
"When I went to Forest and particularly at Manchester United, I didn’t believe in it. Never any bond there (with Ferguson), it was a case of just get on with it and do your job. You get the captaincy for a reason but that wouldn’t have worked for me.
Ange Postecoglou gets on well with his captain Son Heung-min (Sky Sports)Do you agree with Roy Keane? Let us know in the comments below!
"I’m glad I wasn’t close to a manager like that. From my experience, ultimately they throw you under the bus anyway. But that's for another day!"
Jamie Carragher agreed. He said: "I loved putting the armband on for Liverpool, but I’m a little bit with Roy on the manager-player relationship. I didn’t want to get close with a manager as there will be a day that he leaves you out and that relationship will fracture."
Carragher, who played under several managers at Liverpool, added: "I think it makes it a little bit awkward. For me, I liked the manager picking me, but I didn’t need anything else. As a defender, that’s your job and they could be quite tough with them."
Yet Micah Richards disagreed with his Sky Sports colleagues, highlighting his "tough love" relationship with Roberto Mancini at Manchester City. He noted: "I loved Mancini, he used to call me out in the media every week... but we had a great relationship."
Mancini even paid for Richards' treatment on a knee injury during the 2012-13 campaign, the manager's last at City. Richards added: "It was honest, tough love. It would push me. He would pay for my treatment when I went to Italy."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
