Roy Keane with Sir Alex Ferguson (Flickr)
It’s the hottest rumour in town, according to The Age: Roy Keane, former Manchester United star, is reportedly considering signing on to coach the Melbourne Victory, after he was spotted at Sydney FC’s Asian Champions League clash before a reported trip to Melbourne to discuss a possible deal.
The debate is now raging as to whether Keane, who took Sunderland to the English Premier League and recently exiting the English game following a disappointing stint at Ipswich Town, is the right man to lead Melbourne Victory.
But take with a grain of salt the criticism from the doubters who question whether Keane has the coaching pedigree to lead the Victory. Having captained the great Manchester United side of the nineties to domestic and continental crowns, under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, with top-line coaching experience in one of Europe’s biggest and best leagues, Keane is more than qualified.
In terms of the excitement and publicity, Keane’s arrival is already causing a significant stir.
The fact the A-League is being talked about to such an extent in the mainstream, a month after the season finished and in the midst of the AFL and NRL seasons, proves Keane’s pulling power.
Keane, like Dwight Yorke and Robbie Fowler, is an English Premier League great, remembered for his aggressiveness and take no prisoners style. His presence will entice the Euro-snobs; legitimising the A-League to these doubters while bringing some much-needed star power to a league with a marquee system that has failed to live up to the name.
But while the media shy Fowler has done little in the media to significantly promote the league off the back of his cult status, and Yorke did his best work in nightclubs (and bedrooms), Keane’s brooding intensity will be on full display as head coach.
Keane, who is said to be quite reserved in his dealings with the public and media, will nonetheless need to make himself available to the press in his coaching capacity, no questions asked.
So unlike Fowler, who can disappear after his ninety minutes of service each week, Keane will be at the forefront, guiding the biggest team in the A-League.
And as witnessed in press conferences from his previous coaching gigs, Keane can be quite engaging and articulate, despite his reputation as a recluse.
A big part of the Keane’s appeal is his intensity. He will be a Kosmina-, Blieberg-type figure with the reputation to pull it off, which will reach a wider audience than any local coaching product could as a result of this legacy.
With Kevin Muscat his likely assistant at the Victory, the combination could provide a fiery double-act that could set tongues wagging in Melbourne, across the A-League and, perhaps most importantly, to the wider football community.
Even if Keane decides coaching the Victory isn’t for him, the speculation around his presence in Australia has helped achieve what the FFA continues to struggle to do; get people talking about the A-League.
So just imagine what’s in store if Keane does decide to coach the Victory…
Follow Adrian on twitter @AdrianMusolino
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
um yeah about that. ive literally just done what you said. googled for kevin sheedy. I get to page 3 before theres a mention of anyone else besides the AFL guy, and thats for a uni lecturer in the UK..then the rest of the page is the AFl dude. Its halfway down page 4 we get the irish guy...and everything else on that page of results is the aussie rules guy. That said a search for Gary Ablett brings up the wikipedia entry for the english guy straight off the bat so kudos there.
David V.
Guest
Aye you remember well. Sheedy had a wand of a left foot and took wicked free-kicks. A better player IMO than Kewell ever was. And work rate was not his strength. Neither was speed. It was the subtlety of his passing skills, pinpoint accuracy of his crossing, and his shooting.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@Bondy You're spot on. Just opened the sports section of the Saturday Age (as always, it's best to start from the back of this paper!) and Michael Lynch has a half-page column on the Keano/MVFC issue. As Michael Lynch points out - speculation about Keane's coaching MVFC went viral in the Football media in the UK and, as a result of this free publicity for MVFC, "Anybody who didn't know that the MVFC job was available does now - and Victory hasn't had to pay any middlemen to get that message across". Actually, it's quite amazing - it's the HAL off-season but, each Saturday, the Age has been running double-page spreads totally devoted to Football. Interesting times.
eric
Guest
you guys really want that thug as a coach here?I don't know if a name coach will equate to more people rocking up to a soccer game.
Bondy
Guest
Nathan . Just too pick you up on a point you know the Arsenal stadia as you mentioned The Emirates in relation to the W.A Government building a new stadia just like The Emirates as you say, but you don't know the Captain of the stadia you mention Capitan Fabregas, Arsenal.
Bondy
Guest
Nathan. I'll go again if you were to ask the Australian sporting public is Cesc Fabregas a Tennis Player or a Footballer i know which one they would answer Footballer ,European and World Cup Champion.
Nathan
Guest
Also not to say that football and its systems don't have relevance and impact. The most interesting thing to come out of the Collingwood v Carlton friday night clash wasn't anything that occurred on the field but rather the interview between captain Nick Maxwell and coach Mick Malthouse of Collingwood where the old SOB came out and advocated for a two-tier AFL competition with promotion & relegation because he was such a fan of the European league systems.
Nathan
Guest
Fabregas? Ah, not as many as you think... Very sorry, but if you had asked me who Fabregas was, I would have recognised the name, but couldn't have told you who he plays for and I'm positive most of my friends and acquaintances wouldn't pick the name regardless. Please understand, I have no doubt Arsenal is deeply relevant to you, and deeply relevant to a number of people across Australia, born here or elsewhere. However, as far as their impact on the Australian sporting fabric *as a generality*, it is not relevant, or at least, not as relevant as the clubs I mentioned before. No offence to your chosen club intended (and don't I wish the WAFC and WA State Government had half Arsenal's skill at building a new home ground).
Bondy
Guest
Nathan.from above You mention Arsenal are not relevant in the overall sporting landscape of Australia what if their my only football club of choice they are the only relevant thing in my life apart from family. Id go as far to say if you were to ask the general sports lover Australia wide who is Cesc Fabregas most would know him over a Collingwood player ( i cant even give you a collingwood players name ) thats how relivant football is.
Nathan
Guest
Which is why I mention the Rabbitohs (and I couldn't mention any current league players, let alone Rabbitohs players. But certainly, I know of the club. Can think of a couple Union players but not league. Blame the people that killed the Reds). I mean, there are certainly a lot of global teams that Australians would know before Port Adelaide (for NSW people) or ... say Cronulla (for Vic people). New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburg Steelers, Barca FC, Man Utd, etc. But I do believe that Australians are still more likely to know the top Australian clubs before overseas clubs. Hard to tell if I'm translating my thoughts right, I'm in the grip of "Woo Friday" syndrome atm.
punter
Guest
Nathan, not in the eastern states, most would struggle to know one player from Collingwood.
Nathan
Guest
Bondy, Arsenal as a Big Four has very impressive numbers, but they're really not relevant to the Australian paradigm being examined. My word, I'd *never* claim that Collingwood was more well known than Man Utd ... *anywhere outside of Australia*. However, inside of Australia, I'd still think you'd have to credit Collingwood and Rabbitohs (I believe so, League supporters might suggest a more well-known club, I'm just a Perthie, after all) would be more recognised brands *within* our (silly insular old) country. I'm under no illusions that even the Mining Boom buffered Australia could compete with an England nearly three times our size and twice the GDP, plugged into the European milieu at the centre of the World Game and bankrolled by Russian gas magnates (with more money than sense) when it came to promoting and funding clubs. However, achieving 75m in Australia is impressive (as much as I hate them with a passion). [Btw, just found out what the IPL expansion licenses went for, Holy Carp]
jamesb
Guest
that is the best point of this thread
BigAl
Guest
Well Bondy, maybe it's our different browsers but just 3 minutes ago I keyed in 'Kevin Sheedy' and got a whole host of entries for our 'Aussie Kev.' Sheedy . . . footballer; public speaker; memorabilia; pioneer... and one entry for Kevin Sheedy (Irish Footballer) . ?????? . . .
Midfielder
Guest
Bondy Perez is going home ... he got very homesick .... he asked for a release to go home... Bondy LOL which club would you choose.... it is a no brainer... BTW have sent in a little article on Amini & GA handling of him ... keep an eye out for it...
BigAl
Guest
Malthouse also worships Confucious ! . . . and a whole lot of other obscure deities and weirdos.
Bondy
Guest
Fussball. The important thing is A.F.L. hq patrol these threads, so they've got a bit of a history lesson tonight. I have too say doesn't Musilino know how to fire the Roarers up. I didn't excactly have a preminition but trust him with a story like this. It appears it's stired Victorian's up, big A.F.L. contingent follow Man Utd , Malthouse worships Ferguson i bet this might get a run on the Back page this week if they cant find their normal soccer violence.
Bondy
Guest
Nathan. from comment above. What would the financial and veiwership global difference be between Collingwood and Man Utd ?. As an Arsenal supporter we have 300 million registered website users ( free to join) and we are a smaller club globally compared to Man Utd. Id call that case closed.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Bondy And to add even more spice to the situation, at the same time as Kevin Sheedy was playing for Everton, there was a lad named ... Gary Ablett - I kid you not!! - playing across town at Liverpool! In fact, in 1989 (how appropriate it was THAT year!) in the FA Cup final Gary Ablett played for Liverpool when Liverpool beat Everton in one of the best FA Cup finals that I've watched. And, would you believe ... Kevin Sheedy was playing for Everton that day! Gary Ablett later transferred to Everton and may even have played one season with Kevin Sheedy.
Bondy
Guest
Fussball. I google'd that name a while back to get a background on the bloke from down south and found him K.Sheedy Ireland ,the A.F.L. have to live with that for life. You google K.Sheedy you get a proper Footballer. Well Done.