Roy Keane - new assistant manager (CONFIRMED)

[Ads]

Keane, Lambert, with Sid just in front of them. Is there no way we can blood dope them to get them fit enough to play?

Christ almighty that would be a good midfield.

The medals those three have prove this.

Pure speculation, but I wonder just how much an impact a midfield like that would have if we had all three in their pomp?

We wouldn't have them, for a start. Be nice to dream, though.

Ha! True! We'd be like Southampton. I struggle to think of too many better balanced midfields than that.

[LeeB]

Keane, Lambert, with Sid just in front of them. Is there no way we can blood dope them to get them fit enough to play?

Christ almighty that would be a good midfield.

A buzzer, a cruncher and a spreader. Perfect.

[KevinGage]

The problem with Keane is that the same thing which made him the player he was may also have been what drove him to such explosive acts of brutality from time to time. While I know I'm against the consensus on here (I think his technical deficiencies would have been shown up in, say, today's Premier League)...

There are some pretty dreadful midfielders operating even in today's Premier League.  We have a few of them, for a start.

The other issue with that is that Keane operated at a time that the likes of Zidane, Nedved, Boban, Viera, Beckham, Scholes and co did, and never looked technically inferior.  He was/is a bit of a prick, but he was some player. 

[Monty]

In European terms, but not week after week. It was a time of great individual players, but also of midfields where physicality dominated and those creatives made the difference. This was a time when Edgar Davids was considered a top level player, for goodness' sake. Keane was better than Davids because of that mad leadership quality that he had, but he was obviously technically inferior to Zidane, Nedved, Boban, Viera, Beckham, Scholes, Totti, Baggio, Djorkaeff, Joao Pinto, Figo, Rui Costa, Guardiola.

He was a different type of player to these guys, and an important type in context, as good as Deschamps, Effenberg and Dunga, and that's certainly not meant as a criticism. However, that kind of midfielder doesn't really have the ball-playing game to be really effective at the top level anymore - the last one who was was probably Gattuso. There are plenty of decent players now who don't have half the inspirational drive that Keane has - Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Marchisio, Pjanic, Ramsey, you name it - but the technical standard now means that these forceful individuals just get outmaneuvered and negated by good teamwork.

[kippaxvilla2]

[Olneythelonely]

You've nailed uploading that image Kippax. Nailed it.

[Steve67]

"Oiv'e got the ball, come and get it you pussies!!"

[manic-road]

That really does sum up the Villa squad though.

[Matt C]

Andy Marshall now goalkeeping coach (last paragraph)?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/10958016/Aston-Villa-manager-Paul-Lambert-ready-to-offload-seven-players-to-raise-transfer-funds.html

[ciggiesnbeer]

Marshall back at Villa would be welcome news.

[Percy McCarthy]

Keane, Lambert, with Sid just in front of them. Is there no way we can blood dope them to get them fit enough to play?

Christ almighty that would be a good midfield.

A buzzer, a cruncher and a spreader. Perfect.

Bill Shankley's philosophy wasn't it?

[Steve R]

I am still puzzled by Keane's appointment. If Lerner wanted creativity through conflict, you can have a little too much conflict. It makes no sense at all.

I could see a logic in hiring McLeish, even if I disagreed with it. I don't see where or why with Keane. Maybe the inpending departure of Faulkner led Lerner to seek advice from the only other name he knows, O'Neill - who must have pissed himself laughing when he put the phone down. Perhaps there was more than one letter from Ferguson and Lerner simply pulled the next one out of the safe.

It really is baffling.

[dekko]

I am still puzzled by Keane's appointment. If Lerner wanted creativity through conflict, you can have a little too much conflict. It makes no sense at all.

I could see a logic in hiring McLeish, even if I disagreed with it. I don't see where or why with Keane. Maybe the inpending departure of Faulkner led Lerner to seek advice from the only other name he knows, O'Neill - who must have pissed himself laughing when he put the phone down. Perhaps there was more than one letter from Ferguson and Lerner simply pulled the next one out of the safe.

It really is baffling.

I doubt Lerner had anything to do with it, I imagine its Lambert's idea.

He's gone all these years appointing a manager, assigning them a budget and then letting them get on with it (probably his biggest failing re MON) I can't see why he'd suddenly start appointing coaching staff himself a few weeks after announcing that he wants out.

[Gregorys Boy]

Marshall as Goalkeeping coach seems fine to me, he has lots of experience at this level and was a pretty solid keeper himself.

[supertom]

Marshall as Goalkeeping coach seems fine to me, he has lots of experience at this level and was a pretty solid keeper himself.

Honestly I never realised we let him go. I thought we'd kept him on at some capacity but obviously not. We probably should have. I believe he's done his badges and he's been around for years. Despite never playing we've only really heard good things about his attitude.