Roy Keane - new assistant manager (CONFIRMED)

[RussellC]

Not from me they won't. It rankles that he's still employed in football at all

On a bit of a tangent - who on earth has the job of choosing pundits for ITV? Whoever it is is literally stealing a living. Having Clark Carlisle commentating on World Cup game is a bit like getting Dave Benson-Phillips to present News Night.

[Chris Smith]

Nobody likes Roy Keane, I bet even his dog hates him. That said our options are limited due to the bigger picture at the club so as a short term solution I can live with it. Let's face it, the only way him and Lambert can survive a takeover is by performing well above expectations and I struggle to see how anyone could see that as a bad thing.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think my main emotion about this is not so much that I don't like the idea (and, to be honest, I don't) but that it all just sounds extremely strange.

- why would Lambert want such a high profile number 2?
- if the problem with C and K was they alienated people at the training ground, why replace them with someone else with a reputation for being the same?
- why would Keane agree to take the job as a number 2?
- why would Keane agree to take the job here, under the current circumstances?

Hope it works out, but it just looks a bit, well, odd.

[Monty]

The reason I hate him has nothing to do with potential results though, Chris, although you're right about Lambert's chances of surviving a takeover.

Perhaps a more pressing question would be to ask why Lambert only seems to hire arseholes as his assistants? Does he value that over technical coaching? Does he think that's more likely to help him achieve results good enough to retain his job?

Paulie, in a way I hope it doesn't work out. I hope we win every match, but everyone suddenly realises that they hate Roy Keane and he gets fired in spite of the results.

[RussellC]

I get the impression that Lambert likes a "good cop, bad cop" set-up and doesn't particularly like being the bad cop.

[Monty]

Never liked good-cop-bad-cop. I wonder how much the players appreciate being treated permanently as criminals under investigation.

[paul_e]

I think my main emotion about this is not so much that I don't like the idea (and, to be honest, I don't) but that it all just sounds extremely strange.

- why would Lambert want such a high profile number 2?
Deflects criticism, draws the attention of the press, they're friends, also see my final answer
- if the problem with C and K was they alienated people at the training ground, why replace them with someone else with a reputation for being the same?
We don't know enough of what actually led to the sackings to be able to say, it may be that they crossed a line but Lambert likes the dynamic so wanted someone similar
- why would Keane agree to take the job as a number 2?
He is already employed as an assistant, maybe he's realised he took the top job too soon
- why would Keane agree to take the job here, under the current circumstances?
Because he's pretty much bullet-proof until the takeover and if he's 'let go' after it happens no one would think badly of him, it's a fairly simple win-win for someone with a high-profile, convincing someone with a lower profile to take the job may well have been tougher.

Hope it works out, but it just looks a bit, well, odd.

Added the answers as I see them.

The key thing for me is the last one, his profile (regardless of the points Monty makes which are my reservations as well) is high enough that he can't really come out of the situation badly.  I think the benefits for the club are pretty low but I think the benefits for Lambert and Keane are pretty clear.  The club may have issues but if we want Lambert to stay until the takeover completes we have little choice but to back him over this.  I also think that Keane's reputation is nothing like as toxic as Monty makes out, his ITV gig has largely confirmed that.

[supertom]

Never liked good-cop-bad-cop. I wonder how much the players appreciate being treated permanently as criminals under investigation.

Some of their performances last season were bordering on criminal to be fair. I wonder if Roy Keane will bring a gavel and a wig with him.

[Monty]

Keane's reputation isn't toxic. In fact, it's completely untarnishable, which I regard as a disgrace. Here's a man who boasts about setting out to cripple his fellow professionals. It's disgraceful that his reputation is as pristine as it is.

[dave.woodhall]

Keane's reputation isn't toxic. In fact, it's completely untarnishable, which I regard as a disgrace. Here's a man who boasts about setting out to cripple his fellow professionals. It's disgraceful that his reputation is as pristine as it is.

See Shearer, A. Some people are bombproof.

[Monty]

Keane's reputation isn't toxic. In fact, it's completely untarnishable, which I regard as a disgrace. Here's a man who boasts about setting out to cripple his fellow professionals. It's disgraceful that his reputation is as pristine as it is.

See Shearer, A. Some people are bombproof.

Absolutely. The English media are guffawing smugly about the Uruguayan defence of Suarez, but they continue to refrain from condemning quite a few of their own for much, much worse offences - presumably for the same reason, namely that they were good players.

[dave.woodhall]

As an aside, imagine this scenario:

Keane's appointed, it's matchday. After the match he's stomping around and bumps into our special guest for the afternoon, an elderly gentleman. "Gerrout of me way" he shouts. Ron Saunders glares back... 

[Steve67]

As an aside, imagine this scenario:

Keane's appointed, it's matchday. After the match he's stomping around and bumps into our special guest for the afternoon, an elderly gentleman. "Gerrout of me way" he shouts. Ron Saunders glares back... 

Blimey, I wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall for that one!! Hopefully, Keane can have the same sort of effect on the club that Lord Saunders did.

[PeterWithesShin]

As an aside, imagine this scenario:

Keane's appointed, it's matchday. After the match he's stomping around and bumps into our special guest for the afternoon, an elderly gentleman. "Gerrout of me way" he shouts. Ron Saunders glares back... 

That's a fight someone like Keane would take. Such a hardman that he never sought out a straightner with Haaland, preferring to do the equivalent of a Judas punch instead.

[dave.woodhall]

As an aside, imagine this scenario:

Keane's appointed, it's matchday. After the match he's stomping around and bumps into our special guest for the afternoon, an elderly gentleman. "Gerrout of me way" he shouts. Ron Saunders glares back... 

Blimey, I wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall for that one!! Hopefully, Keane can have the same sort of effect on the club that Lord Saunders did.

Which reminds, me, it can't be far off the fortieth anniversary of his appointment.