Soccer: The wit and wisdom of Roy Keane

Manchester United captain Roy Keane (right) argues with referee Paul Durkin. File picture / Reuters

The famously ranting Manchester United captain has a track record of outbursts long before the Middlesbrough debacle:

THE LATEST

Britain's Mirror Sport claims Keane gave the verbal machine-gunning to the whole side who went down 4-1 to Middlesbrough, saving the most savage burst for England defender Rio Ferdinand. "Just because you are paid £120,000-a-week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham, you think you are a superstar.

"The younger players have been let down by some of the more experienced players. It seems to be in this club that you have to play badly to be rewarded.

"Maybe that is what I should do when I come back. Play badly.

"I wasn't surprised by the result. I had been expecting one like this.

"The players have been asked questions and they are just not coming up with the answers. I am sick of having to say it, and they are sick of listening to me. They have let down the club, the manager and the fans. When they sign their contracts, they think they have made it."

THE REST

Big Jack

Roy Keane was no shrinking violet, even in his teens. Witness his verbal standoff with Big Jack Charlton after Ireland had a friendly international against the United States in Boston in 1991. After a night out, with departure set for 7.30am, the team are kept waiting by Keane, who shows up at 8am.

"Nineteen years old, your first trip, do you have any idea how long we have been waiting?" Charlton roared.

Replied Keane: "I didn't ask you to wait, did I?"

Prawn sandwiches

Keane slams sections of United supporters after the team copped flak in a Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev in 2000.

"Sometimes you wonder, do they understand the game of football?" Keane said. "Away from home our fans are fantastic. I'd call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch. I don't think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell 'football', never mind understand it."

The letter

In 2000 the club wrote a letter to its fans, blaming Keane's new £52,000-a-week contract for the ticket price hike. Roy's unimpressed.

"I'm not one for holding grudges, but this was a stupid mistake, a bad public relations exercise and something that should never have happened.

"I'm still waiting for my apology, but I could be waiting a long time."

The tackle

One of the two real biggies. Keane had suffered a season-ending knee injury fouling Alf-Inge Haaland in September 1997. He blamed Haaland for the injury and for mocking him, and he bided his time for three years. In the Manchester derby in 2000 he took his revenge, as he recalled in his autobiography.

"I'd waited long enough. I ****ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you ****, and don't ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries. And tell your pal [David] Weatherall there's some for him as well. I didn't wait for Mr Elleray to show the red card. I turned and walked to the dressing room."

The blazers

In 2001, Keane indicated he might quit playing for the Republic of Ireland if officials kept treating players like second-class citizens.

After a fine display in a 4-0 win in Cyprus he let fly.

"I was fairly critical about our seating arrangements on the flight out, when the officials were sitting in the first-class seats and the players were sitting behind.

"For me, that's simply not right, and it's not just because I'm playing for Manchester United. The priority has to be the team, and I don't think that has always been the case here."

The bosses

It's 2002 and Keane is grumpy over Dutch defender Jaap Stam's £16.5 million transfer to Italian club Lazio.

"His transfer illustrates how little power footballers have in the game," Keane grumbled. "Contracts mean nothing. He has discovered that to football clubs players are just expensive pieces of meat."

Team-mates

Just before the crucial premiership match against Arsenal in 2002, Keane wonders aloud at the desire of his team-mates and warns United will finish the season without a trophy. He's right.

"There are a lot of cover-ups sometimes and players need to stand up and be counted. I'm not sure that happens a lot at this club.

"We shouldn't have to demand it from the players. We're not asking for miracles. We're asking them to do what they should be doing. When players don't do that, it's bloody frustrating."

The World Cup

Another hefty hit. This time, it's Irish manager Mick McCarthy in the firing line. Keane walks out of the 2002 World Cup after a serious verbal stoush with McCarthy in front of his team-mates. Keane had been unhappy at preparations and said so in a newspaper interview.

McCarthy called him to explain himself in front of the squad. He should have known better.

"Mick, you're a liar ... you're a ****ing wanker. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager and I don't rate you as a person. You're a ****ing wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country. You can stick it up your bollocks." He was on the next plane out of Japan.

The youngsters

Last year, Keane turns on unidentified younger players.

"We have one or two young players who have done very little in the game. They need to remember just how lucky we all are to play for Manchester United and show that out on the pitch."