IT COULD be said that there are many sports people with a passion for success: those who will go the extra mile to achieve it.
But to continue doing so and set yourself higher goals when you have crossed the peak of those ambitions is a sign of true greatness.
There are quite a few of those from our little country, such as athlete Sonia O’Sullivan, golfer Padraig Harrington, and boxing champion Bernard Dunne, to name just a few who have reached the pinnacle of their sport. Then there is Roy Keane, probably the most successful footballer ever to leave these shores and ply his trade in the white-heat of the top echelons of English soccer over many years, winning every club honour available on numerous occasions, as well as being captain of a Manchester United team at its peak, and also holding that position for Ireland.
Born Roy Maurice Keane in Cork on 10 August 1971, dad was Maurice, known to his friends as Mossie, Marie was his mother. He has three brothers and one sister. Roy has always been loyal to his parents, for whom he purchased a house for £3.7 million in the Whitechurch district of Cork.
Roy began his career at Rockmount AFC, where he would spend ten years. He also had an interest in boxing, and trained in this sport for a couple of years from the age of nine, winning all his four novice fights. Those years also saw him develop as a footballer, highlighted by being named footballer of the year in his very first season. Keane’s favourite teams were Spurs and Celtic, with Liam Brady being one of the players he admired most.
Soon, Manchester United’s Bryan Robson would assume that role. Not everyone thought Roy had what it would take to make the big time. When he went to Dublin for a trial with the Irish schoolboys’ squad, coach Ronan Scally decided that the 14-year-old Cork lad was “just too small” to make it at that level. Keane started applying for trials to English clubs, only to meet with refusal. In 1989, he joined Cobh Ramblers as a semi-professional, on the urgings of youth team manager Eddie O’Rourke.
Full-time training meant rapid progress and development, and soon Roy was playing two games a week: one with the youths, the other with the seniors. It was while playing in an FAI Youths’ Cup match against Dublin side Belvedere FC that he was observed by Nottingham Forest scout Noel McCabe, who suggested he travel to England for a trial.
He created a huge impression on manager Brian Clough and his staff who, after negotiations, agreed a fee of £47,000 with Cobh for Keane’s signature in the summer of 1990. Delighted with his move, Roy soon found life away from home a bit difficult, and would regularly look for a few days off to visit his family. There was seldom a difficulty meeting this request from Clough, and Keane has expressed his gratitude to the controversial manager for his generous response.
His first games for Forest came in an under-21 pre-season tournament in Holland where he netted the winning penalty in a shoot-out with Haarlem. Rapid progress saw him come through the reserves to make his senior debut against Liverpool at the start of the 1990-91 season, and his performance encouraged Clough to use him more and more as the season progressed.
Soon, he had replaced England international Steve Hodge as a starter in the first team, and would make 35 appearances and score eight goals. His first came against Sheffield United, while three of his goals helped Forest to a first FA Cup final in 32 years, and their last up to the present day.
The game, played at Wembley on 18 May before 80,000, saw Keane line out in what would become his favoured central midfield position against a crisis-hit Tottenham Hotspur side, who had been dragged to this final by the brilliance of Paul Gascoigne. The Spurs man was perhaps a bit too fired up for the occasion, catching Garry Parker in the chest with a crude follow-though in the first few minutes, which merited no more that a ticking-off from referee Roger Milford. Gascoigne was at war again ten minutes later, scything down Gary Charles. Again Milford was happy with a lecture and, although having avoided being sent off, the Spurs player had damaged his cruciate ligament and was stretchered off a minute later.
From the resultant free kick, Stuart Pierce availed of the fact that Lee Glover tugged Gary Mabbutt out of the wall, leaving a clear passage to the back of the Spurs net. After 25 minutes, Lineker had a Spurs goal ruled out for offside, and five minutes later saw his penalty for a foul on himself saved by Crossley. But Spurs would not be denied, and Paul Stewart levelled in the 55th minute to take the match to extra time.
Four minutes into the first half, Des Walker put the ball into his own net to give Tottenham the victory and deny Roy Keane a dream end to his first season. However, he did have the consolation of knowing that he was now part of a bigger picture. The following season, Forest would return to Wembley in the League Cup final, only to lose to Manchester United, Brian McClair scoring the only goal of the game in the 14th minute.
The 1992-93 season saw the new Premier League kick off. Ominously, it also saw the decline of Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, who were in difficulty a long way from the finish. Roy Keane, meanwhile, was negotiating a new contract, which would include a get-out clause if the club were relegated.
Clough branded Keane a greedy child because of his wage demands. Blackburn and Arsenal were showing interest and keeping a close eye on developments. Despite all this, Roy kept up his high standards on the pitch, and was the outstanding player in Forest’s fruitless fight against the drop. This was appreciated by the fans who, despite knowing Keane would be leaving, voted him player of the year.
An agreement was reached with Blackburn manager Kenny Daglish for Roy’s transfer, but the evening before he was due to sign, he was contacted by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson to know if he would join them instead. He cancelled his move to Blackburn, to which Daglish’s response is not printable here and, two weeks later, signed for United for a fee of £3.75, a British transfer record at the time.
From day one, Roy’s international career was one of confrontation with the FAI. His first experience was as an under-21 against Turkey in 1991. On his arrival to join the squad, he was dismayed to see how poor the organisation and preparation was, and he would have many confrontations over this matter his time with the Irish side. Keane would play four times for the U21s and earn 66 senior caps and score nine goals - most of significant importance.
At one point, he refused to travel to Algeria, leaving manager Jack Charlton to inform him he would not play for Ireland again. However, a year later, he was happy to be called into the squad for a friendly at Lansdowne Road. Charlton’s style did not meet with Roy’s approval. The Corkman preferred a more skilful approach, and there was another confrontation in the US when the manager scolded Keane for staying out late, drinking with Steve Staunton.
Next week, we will look at the rest of Roy Keane’s career, from Manchester United to Celtic, and his international appearances. We will also take a look at what happened in Saipan.