Roy Keane: 'Some idiots still think I owe them something a decade on'
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Updated 26/06/2015 at 13:22 GMT
Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough. Roy Keane says he attracts the attention of "a lot of idiots" in the street because of his abrasive persona, but is adamant he is always "ready" for them.
Roy Keane is said to have behaved aggressively towards a cabbie
Image credit: PA Sport
The Ireland assistant manager turned engrossing TV pundit was found not guilty last week of alleged road rage in a case involving a taxi driver, who was apparently reduced to a state of "fear" and "embarrassment" by Keane's glaring and swearing.
A judge threw the case out of court and criticised the Crown Prosecution Service in Manchester for wasting time by bringing a case against the former United captain.
"I was in court last week because apparently I glare at people a little too much," said Keane at Dublin Olympia Theatre in an evening organised for kids charity Barretstown.
Never a dull moment with Keano, who apparently has difficulties keeping a low profile with or without his trademark beard.
"If people are polite and nice to me I’ve no problem, but not if they think they can approach you and be rude because you’re in the public eye.
I bump into a lot of idiots! If they are polite it’s no problem, but some come up in a different angle, whether there has been drink involved and maybe because they saw you 10 years ago you owe them something.
"People have hang-ups about you, but I’m ready. I spot them a mile away and I can tell by the way they are walking up to me, I’m thinking ‘here we go’. And that’s just the women!"
Keane confessed that his children were not overly content with his demeanour.
"My kids say to me 'are you happy, dad?' And I say yeah and they say 'well tell your face."
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Martin O'Neill, Roy Keane (PA Sport)
Image credit: PA Sport
Keane heaped praise on Ireland manager Martin O'Neill for his honesty having worked alongside him for the national squad over the past 18 months.
"Martin O’Neill is a bloody good man," said Keane. "I’ve been involved in the game 20-odd years and it is full of bluffers, who will tell you lies and talk crap after games."
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Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane have both managed.
Image credit: Reuters
But his relationship with Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy continues to be a source of discomfort for Keane after he infamously walked out of Ireland's 2002 World Cup campaign in Japan and South Korea as a result of a childish bust-up with the then Republic coach. He admits he has regrets about how he handled the matter.
"I remember it like it was yesterday...what a load of nonsense. People think it was easy for me to walk away.
I said Mick, I don't respect you and he said 'If you don't respect me you shouldn't be playing for me' and I said 'Well, I won't'. I should have said I wasn't playing for him - I was playing for my country.
In reflecting upon a gilded career at United that saw him win seven Premier Leagues, the Champions League and four FA Cups, Keane said: "Saturdays were almost a day off for Manchester United because training games were harder than league games.
"We had really good players - a decent enough manager - Man Utd was everything I could've ever wished for. If you play for Man Utd for over 10 years, you're going to win trophies. The players...they're the memories."
But he could not resist a swipe at former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was severely critical of his former captain in his 2013 autobiography. When told that Ferguson had described his performance against Juventus in the 1999 Champions League semi-final in Turin as "the best he'd seen," Keane replied: "which book did he put that in?"
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2007-08 Premier League manchester United Sunderland Alex Ferguson Roy Keane
Image credit: Reuters
Keane feels Real Madrid's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from United for £80 million six years ago today was "the bargain of the century".
He also reserved special praise for former Liverpool and Scotland captain Graeme Souness, whose style as a pundit impresses him.
"If you told me I could only listen to one pundit, it'd be Souness," he said.
Barretstown is a specially-designed camp that provides Therapeutic Recreation programmes for children with serious illnesses and their families. More information here.
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