Life after Keane

[Dante Lavelli]

Good post Jimmy Smash.

I also hope the team learn from his leadership and movement.  Someone in the attacking third needs to step up and start orchestrating our play rather just going through the motions.  Strangely I think Gabby might be the man.

[Concrete John]

Good post Jimmy Smash.

I also hope the team learn from his leadership and movement.  Someone in the attacking third needs to step up and start orchestrating our play rather just going through the motions.  Strangely I think Gabby might be the man.

I don't think Gabby has the footballing brain to do that, but Ireland does!

[wookster]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4132754/LA-Galaxy-news-Robbie-Keane-tempted-by-Premier-League-return.html
Apparently he's homesick and wants to come back.

When ever we have had the option/chance to sign up a player who's been a success as a loan we ignore, eg Carbone. I wont be holding my breath as his wage demands will be too high, unless this is the bg signing Eck has said he wants in the summer

[JUAN PABLO]

Heskey will be gone with his wages , so I would have him back .   I wasnt Keane at first but hes been ace.

[Concrete John]

I wanted the loan deal and have always been a fan, but financially I think a permanent deal probably wouldn't make sense.

[Dante Lavelli]

I wanted the loan deal and have always been a fan, but financially I think a permanent deal probably wouldn't make sense.

Nor me.  Another loan next year would be great as he provides an injection of passion and ideas at a time when the players are (potentially) getting tired and complacent.  However I do not think he has the legs for an entire season and whilst he's been great the total cost to sign him would be too much for me.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

Keane will be getting my player of the year vote.

[Dave]

Is it not worth seeing what happens for the rest of the season?

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

Probably not no.

[KevinGage]

Difficult one.

Based on his current form he's well worth a permanent deal.

But he'll be 32 in the summer, and will most likely require a lengthy deal to make it worth his while and turn his back on LA.  Hard to imagine he'd be a Heskey or Beye style waste of money, true.  But I'd still be reticent to commit to a long term deal for a player of that age having been burned before.  Maybe someone like Fletcher at Wolves would be a better long term investment.

I have been impressed with his movement and willingness to receive the ball though, he looks like a leader compared to our current lot.  How much of that is adrenaline, the spring in the step most players feel when they first arrive at a club (but usually soon fades in our case)  is hard to quantify.

[Steve R]

I am not so sure that we will necessarily see a downturn in fortunes either. Keane is clearly still a good player, but we have the same problem with him that Benitez had, how to accommodate him within a formation that works for us.

He has not been a midfielder, more a deep lying striker.

Picking him has not just meant shoving Ireland out to the right. Clark has had to move forward from where he did so well just in front of the back four to compenaste for the fact that we only had 2 in central midfield, and has not looked the same player.

I felt for Gardner against Man City. Several times he had the ball at his feet with two or three City players hounding him and not a Villa player in sight. Part of that was down to the fact that we had two spectators up front rather than the customary one. The presence of Heskey alone did not make us play as badly as that.

I doubt Keane has really had much impact on our points total. What he arguably gained against Wolves (maybe we would have beaten them with ease even with Frimpong on the pitch had we played 3 in midfield) we may well have dropped against others since because of the imbalance.

Maybe the real value of the loan is that it has illustrated how short our senior players are when it comes to application and true leadership. If Keane had the legs for it I'd be happy for us to buy  him and play him as a genuine midfielder, but I doubt he has.

 

[supertom]

I'd love him back. He could be our own Sheringham. Someone who can impact games, even if from the bench. He won't play 40 games a year, but we could get plenty from him and he offers creativity.

Perhaps too, in the summer, if we're lucky, a better manager might be here who'd find a system that would incorporate Keane and still leave us with a competitive midfield. We just need better organisation full stop.

[Brian Taylor]

Robbie is saying that he leaves clubs where he does not fit in. He is happy to return to America but wants a move back to the PL. He fits in here! He says he left clubs, quickly, where he didn't fit. Once he makes up his mind he sticks to it..quote. He does not say he will return to us though!
Make him feel the force at the Wigan game.  You fit in Robbie! You fit in. Come back a fully committed team member, Please.