a ship without her captain...
here's the shock of the day for all you united fans out there... roy keane has mutually terminated his contract with the club. yeah. you heard me right. keano has left the old trafford building.
as a die hard united fan, any player who has brought to the table such distinguished service and dedication is always a sad moment. however, i believe the time is right for our old battle axe to move on, for it will allow the younger players like alan smith to step forward and claim his place in the united mythos. on a more cynical note, it's a signal to the world class players who can replace keano that they will be filling in a huge role at united, with the possibility of captaincy(hint hint michael ballack...). united cannot possibly rely on him forever, as at 34, his influence is on the wane and even proving detrimental on the red devils. even sir alex has admitted that the switch to the much maligned 4-5-1 system was to accommodate roy keane's ageing legs.
having said that, keano will always be a manchester united legend, up there with the ranks of sir matt busby, sir bobby charlton, george best and eric cantona. no one can deny that the centre half sir alex ferguson brought over from nottingham forest has blossomed into one of the best box to box midfielders in the world. an all action midfielder who refuses to give an inch, keano has governed and pulled the strings of the manchester united midfield like a true maestro, never compromising in his tackles or his leadership. no one has proven as inspirational and tenacious while he has held on to the skipper's armband. who can forget his inspirational performance against juventus, when the man from cork singlehandedly dragged the red devils to the finals of the champions' league at the expense of his own opportunity to play in that fateful treble winning night in barcelona. he is and will always will be a symbol of what manchester united stands for: an undying spirit that asks for no less than the best. even vieira speaks of respect for the man he always clashes with, on and off the pitch. it speaks bounds when your enemy has nothing but respect for you.
i'm sure all true united fans around the world will join me in saying thanks for all the great times you've given us keano. and all the best in wherever your future lies. you will be missed, but you will always have a place as a legend burning in our hearts.
as a die hard united fan, any player who has brought to the table such distinguished service and dedication is always a sad moment. however, i believe the time is right for our old battle axe to move on, for it will allow the younger players like alan smith to step forward and claim his place in the united mythos. on a more cynical note, it's a signal to the world class players who can replace keano that they will be filling in a huge role at united, with the possibility of captaincy(hint hint michael ballack...). united cannot possibly rely on him forever, as at 34, his influence is on the wane and even proving detrimental on the red devils. even sir alex has admitted that the switch to the much maligned 4-5-1 system was to accommodate roy keane's ageing legs.
having said that, keano will always be a manchester united legend, up there with the ranks of sir matt busby, sir bobby charlton, george best and eric cantona. no one can deny that the centre half sir alex ferguson brought over from nottingham forest has blossomed into one of the best box to box midfielders in the world. an all action midfielder who refuses to give an inch, keano has governed and pulled the strings of the manchester united midfield like a true maestro, never compromising in his tackles or his leadership. no one has proven as inspirational and tenacious while he has held on to the skipper's armband. who can forget his inspirational performance against juventus, when the man from cork singlehandedly dragged the red devils to the finals of the champions' league at the expense of his own opportunity to play in that fateful treble winning night in barcelona. he is and will always will be a symbol of what manchester united stands for: an undying spirit that asks for no less than the best. even vieira speaks of respect for the man he always clashes with, on and off the pitch. it speaks bounds when your enemy has nothing but respect for you.
i'm sure all true united fans around the world will join me in saying thanks for all the great times you've given us keano. and all the best in wherever your future lies. you will be missed, but you will always have a place as a legend burning in our hearts.
greg last trudged in on 11/19/2005 12:16:00 am
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