Having ended one of the most impressive (and most controversial) playing careers in Premier League history, Roy Keane turned his hand to management in 2006.
It didn’t go well and it didn’t last long, but it did lead to some truly crazy moments, and there are even rumors that the Irishman could be back in the dugout soon as Salford City are tipped to bring him in. has been given.
If they do, here’s what they have to look forward to.
Keane and Gordon don’t see eye to eye / Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
Kane made Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon the most expensive goalkeeper in British history when he paid a then-record £9m to bring him to Sunderland in 2007, so his expectations were high.
However, after a less-than-impressive performance in training, Kane takes it upon himself to show Gordon how it’s done awkwardly.
“I put the gloves on and I said if they could get the ball off me I would give them £1,000 each but, if they missed, they would have to pay me £100,” he said in his autobiography. Remembered in my lifetime. “Eight or nine players lined up, and I knew Craig and the other goalkeepers were upset about it.
“They didn’t even look at my goalkeeping skills. They just did their stretches. I tipped a few over the bar, over the post, and I kept a clean sheet. I won £800 from the players – Lose eight grand. I was trying to make a bit of a joke, but I’d be embarrassed, and maybe let the goalkeepers down. I didn’t mean to. But I didn’t think I’d hit the keeper from 25 or 30 yards. should be killed.”
Kane’s spell at Sunderland was full of crazy moments / Matthew Lewis / Getty Images
It’s safe to say that Kane proved to be a bit… volatile during his time with Sunderland, and you only have to look at one story from Dwight Yorke’s autobiography for proof.
“After one game, he asked our kit manager if he could get a strategy board,” York wrote.
“‘Sure,’ he said. The board goes up. And Keanu takes a running leap and kills him with a kung fu kick. He yells at Danny Collins. ‘Don’t ever come and make a deal with me again.’ .’ And then the captain, Dan Whitehead, is next. ‘Captain? Captain? Something’s making you captain’.
Kevin Dillon leaves Kane unimpressed / Phil Cole / Getty Images
After the heavy defeat to Reading, Kane was unimpressed, but it was not his Sunderland side that let him down. Instead, it was Reading coach Kevin Dillon.
After the game, Kane wandered into Reading manager Steve Koppel’s office to meet with Dillon, and as the coach stood up, Kane hit his head on the table.
Pinning Dillon’s head on the table, Kane unleashed a tirade of abuse on the coach and then calmly walked out as if nothing had happened.
Stokes left behind / Patrick Bolger / Getty Images
When a player turns up late, he’s usually fined and slapped on the wrists, but that’s not how Kane likes to do things.
Ahead of Sunderland’s trip to Barnsley in March 2007, Anthony Stokes, Martin Flop and Tobias Hyson arrived five minutes late on match day, only to find that the team’s coach was not there.
Kane instructed the driver to overtake the trio late on, criticizing them for their lack of commitment to the team.
Ken had a funny way of motivating his team / Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images
Managers need to know how to motivate their players and help them bounce back from tough times. For some owners, that means a comforting arm around the shoulder, but no can.
In the 2007/08 season, Kane’s struggling Sunderland side came up against Aston Villa, and Kane made sure his players knew they were up against him.
In his autobiography, then-Sunderland midfielder Danny Higginbotham wrote: “‘Listen to the fight,'” he said. ‘Basically you’re not. Try and enjoy the game. You’re probably going to fail. But just enjoy being s**t.”
They ended up drawing 1-1, so I guess it worked?
Kane disagreed with Yorke’s decision to withdraw/Patrick Bolger/Getty Images
Dwight Yorke signed a new contract with Sunderland at the age of 36, after which he decided to announce his return to international duty. Kane was not happy to see the striker’s declining fitness.
“If I knew what Dwight was going to do, I wouldn’t have given him a new contract,” Kane said (via The Guardian ). “Dwight is a clown and he’s on an ego trip; he’s brought it on himself. He’s retired from international football about five times.
“He’s the most famous player in Trinidad and Tobago and there’s a stadium named after him, but he’s 36 years old, he can’t play two games in a few days and he’s been playing for us all season. Not played for because it’s exposed. Cheekbone.”
He then described FIFA vice-president Jack Warner as a clown and a “little man” for wanting to return Yorke to international duty. beautiful
Leading up to Keane’s time with Ipswich, the Irishman’s most famous moment came during a routine press conference when a journalist forgot to switch off his phone.
After being interrupted twice by a ringing phone, Kane was unable to bite his tongue and called out to the reporter, and was (understandably) stunned when the offending journalist refused to hang up his phone.
Sure, it wasn’t during his managerial career, but how can you not include Kane’s brilliant effort in selecting the dream XIs of the 2019/20 Liverpool and 1999/00 Manchester United players.
Refusing to listen to any feedback, Kane tries his best to build his team entirely from his former teammates and slowly starts to lose his mind when Jamie Redknapp won’t let him.
This might be Kane’s funniest moment ever, so enjoy.
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