FOOTY FAIR

5 Times Roy Keane Has Blasted Manchester United

2015-09-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was in the news again this week after he defended PSV defender Hector Moreno's horror tackle on Luke Shaw that left the United player with a broken leg.

Keane angered a lot of United supporters when he said: "I thought it was a brilliant challenge. I love the physical side of the game. You can always tell by the players' reactions - they are the best judges as they are near the tackle. They didn't think it was a bad challenge at the time," Keane told ITV. "When players are travelling at great speed then (injuries) are always going to happen. I am surprised there's not more. It was an accident with his trailing foot."

It's not the first time Keane has made a controversial statement or had a pop at the club he helped to seven Premier League titles. Even before his acrimonious departure, after falling out with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, he let rip about certain things at Old Trafford.

Here are five times he's sounded off on United:

Then United captain Keane on what he perceived as a muted atmosphere at Old Trafford:

“Away from home our fans are fantastic, I'd call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch.”

Roy Keane on Rio Ferdinand, during his infamous MUTV rant that led to his split with the club:

"Just because you are paid £120,000-a-week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham, you think you are a superstar."

Roy Keane on Sir Alex Ferguson:

"If he was being nice I would think: ‘This is business, this.’ He was driven and ruthless. That lack of warmth was his strength. United was a much bigger club than [Nottingham] Forest, but his coldness made him successful. As a manager I would take Clough’s warmth and Ferguson’s ruthlessness and put them in the mix – but also add my own traits.”

To United coach Carlos Queiroz in 2005:

“I said, ‘Don’t you fucking talk to me about loyalty, Carlos. You left this club after 12 months a few years ago for the Real Madrid job. Don’t you dare question my loyalty. I had opportunities to go to Juventus and Bayern Munich.'"

On United under David Moyes:

"I wonder about the current United dressing room. When a manager like Sir Alex Ferguson is replaced the new man needs a helping hand. Does that mean every player should like him? No.

"I look at the current players, and they should have been doing a lot better. It might be argued that it was up to the manager to motivate them. But not liking a manager, for whatever reason, can never be an excuse for not going out and doing your best.

"Looking at what happened to David Moyes, I have to conclude that he can't have had a strong dressing-room: he had a weak dressing room."

5 Premier League Flops in 2014/2015

2015-06-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

As we settle into the transfer silly season, clubs will know doubt look back on a few of the failures of the seasons that just passed.

For a variety of reasons, the following players failed to live up to expectations this year:

5. Emmanuel Rivière - Newcastle United

Newcastle United's run of signing quality, or at least serviceable, lesser known players from French football came to a shuddering halt this season. Emmanuel Rivière, signed from Monaco for £6 million in the summer of 2014, was an utter disaster. The alleged striker scored a grand total of one goal in 23 matches and he had to wait until 16 May to get that against already relegated QPR.

4. Luke Shaw - Manchester United

The most expensive teenager in world football, after his move last summer for £30 million from Southampton, seemed to weigh heavily on 19 year old left back Luke Shaw. His form was decidedly patchy and then once injuries kicked in his season went even further downhill.

3. Mario Balotelli - Liverpool

The talented, but enigmatic Mario Balotelli was once said to be "uncoachable" by Jose Mourinho, but Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers thought he could get the best out of the Italian forward. He couldn't and Mario has been useless, scoring only one Premier League goal all season.

2. Dejan Lovren - Liverpool

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers certainly wasn't paying attention when Tottenham replaced the quality of Gareth Bale when he left for Real Madrid, when they signed a bunch of dubious quantity. Rodgers did the same thing after losing Luis Suarez to Barcelona last summer and one of the duds he brought in was the £20 million Dejan Lovren from Southampton, who has been a bungling disaster that ended up being dropped for long stretches of the season.

1. Angel Di Maria - Manchester United

A star for Real Madrid in the 2014 Champions League Final and one of the key players in Argentina's run to the World Cup Final, Angel Di Maria initially hit the ground running at United after his blockbuster £59 million move. He turned in a match winning performance against QPR and then scored one of the goals of the season against Leicester before his form plummeted. Some have blamed the trauma of his house being burglarized, others have played Louis Van Gaal's use of the player, but whatever the case his form for most of the season was dreadful. After a run that saw him not even doing the simple things correctly, he was dropped to the bench in favour of an in-form Ashley Young. Di Maria is reportedly staying in Manchester for the upcoming season though and will look to turn things around.

Can Southampton Finish in the Top Four?

2014-11-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

As Southampton's supporters witnessed the nightmare of their team, which had finished in 8th place in the Premier League in 2013/2014, ripped to shreds in the summer through the sale of several of their best players, you couldn't blame them for being concerned.

By early August, with defender Dejan Lovren, striker Rickie Lambert, and attacking midfielder Adam Lallana sold on to Liverpool, left-back Luke Shaw sold to Manchester United, and right-back Calum Chambers transferring out to Arsenal, the prospect of relegation seemed to loom large for the Saints.

With Argentinian coach Mauricio Pochettino leaving for Spurs, the club appeared to be going through it's most traumatic period since the dark days of League One.

Prior the season starting I tuned into BBC's 606 Phone-In show to hear an interview with Southampton's new Chairman Ralph Krueger. Coming to the club after a long spell in North American and European hockey, the Canadian seemed from the outside to be an odd choice to take up such a post at the football club.

In light of what had occurred that summer, Krueger was predictably skewered by Saints fans and neutrals a-like who called into the show. Some even suggested that it was a "Fire Sale" and that the club didn't care if they got relegated.

Krueger, for his part, displayed a quiet confidence in the face of such a strong backlash and told caller after caller to have faith in new manager Ronald Koeman. He suggested that the club would bring in replacements for the players that had left and he believed that there was talent in the youth ranks that was ready for the step up to the first team.

Despite his positive outlook many, myself included, remained unconvinced. But then something incredible happened.

With the club bolstered by the signings of Dušan Tadić from Twente, Sadio Mané from Red Bull Salzburg, Hull City's Shane Long, Toby Alderweireld on loan from Atletico Madrid, and best of all Graziano Pellè from Feyenoord, the club has roared to their best-ever start to a top flight season.

Southampton haven't been scraping results either, rather they have pulled themselves to within four points of league leaders Chelsea by playing terrific attacking football.

Under Ronald Koeman, they have become one the best sides to watch in the Premier League and many neutrals are now hoping that they can stay in the top four.

In the years since the Champions League was expanded to include four sides from England, the usual suspects for qualification into the biggest competition in club football has been made up of a small number of teams. For years it was Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal that consistently locked down the qualifying spots, with Manchester City's new riches later forcing out Liverpool, and outside of that it was only Tottenham and Everton occasionally threatening to force their way in.

This season though with Manchester United still struggling through their post-Alex Ferguson transition, Liverpool in a mess after the sale of Luis Suarez, Arsenal dropping silly points, and Manchester City nowhere near as good as they were last season, the only one of the big clubs that's assured of finishing in and around the top of the league is Chelsea.

So if Southampton can maintain their current form, even allowing for one rough patch at some point, this season may be the best opportunity for the club to break into the Champions League.

Looking at the Saints schedule after a match with Aston Villa at Villa Park, they then have matches against Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal in consecutive weeks. It's a tough run of matches, but if the club can come through that relatively unscathed they should be in great shape heading into the New Year.

For Southampton to make the top four, after the trauma of last summer and being only a few years removed from League One and Administration, this would certainly rank as one of the greatest single season accomplishments of the Premier League era.

8 Great Southampton Youth Academy Graduates

2014-10-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

In an English Premier League awash with money provided by, mainly, rich foreign ownership now, one club has fought the trend and continually developed their own stars.

Throughout the history of Southampton FC, the club has been famous for bringing through their own talent from the youth ranks and giving these players first team opportunities.

Although quite a few of these players have moved onto bigger clubs, their contributions whether on the playing side or by bolstering the Southampton coffers via their outgoing transfer fees have been key to the club's success.

The following are a few of the more notable players The Saints have brought through into their first team over the years:

1 - Mick Channon

Making his debut for Southampton in 1965, Mick Channon would go on to score 185 goals over two stints with the South Coast club. Channon was a part of The Saints 1976 FA Cup winning squad, who upset Manchester United by a score of 1-0 at Wembley. The future successful racehorse trainer also made 46 appearances for England, for whom he scored 21 goals.

2 - Matthew Le Tissier

Debuting in 1986 at 18 years old, the supremely gifted midfielder Matthew Le Tissier went on to score 161 goals for the club, including converting an incredible 47 of 48 penalties. Despite offers to go to Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea, he snubbed both clubs and played his entire career for his beloved Saints.

3 - Alan Shearer

Making his full debut for Southampton at 17 in 1988, Shearer would break the legendary Jimmy Greaves record for the youngest player to score a top division hat-trick, as he put away three against Arsenal in a 4-2 win in his debut at The Dell. Shearer would move on to Blackburn in 1992, where he would win a league championship, before eventually going home to Newcastle after a star turn for England at Euro '96. Over the course of ten years at St. James' Park he would become the Tyneside club's all time league and cup record goal scorer with 206 in total. He also bagged 30 goals in 63 England appearances.

4 - Theo Walcott

Making his first appearance for The Saints at 16 in 2005/2006, Walcott would within a few months be sold on to Arsenal for £5 million, with the fee rising to £13 million based on appearances. Coming through the youth side as a striker, he was moved out to the wing by Arsene Wenger and has had a stop-start career thanks to injuries. Despite this, Walcott has made nearly 200 appearances for Arsenal in eight years and has been capped 36 times for England. One of his career highlights, so far, was a memorable hat-trick for the Three Lions away to Croatia in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

5 - Gareth Bale

Beginning his career as a left back, Bale broke into the first team at the age of 16 at the tail end of the 2005/2006 season. With a reputation for marauding attacking play down the left, and deadly free kicks, Bale was bought by Tottenham for £7 in 2007. After a slow start at Spurs, Bale was moved further up the pitch and would go on to become one of the most exciting attacking players in England. Thanks to his inspired play, he would win the PFA Players' Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2013. In the summer of 2013, the Welsh winger was sold for a world record £85 million to Real Madrid and would help the club to the 2014 Champions League crown.

6 - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

By making it into the first team at only 16 years and 199 days in 2010, Oxlade-Chamberlain became the second youngest player to make a first team debut for the club after Theo Walcott. After only one full season at St. Mary's, in which he was named in the League One Team of the Year for 2010/2011, 'The Ox' was sold on to Arsenal though for £12 million. The exciting winger, who is somewhat similar in style to Walcott, was a surprise inclusion for England's Euro 2012 side and has won 18 international caps to go along with his 64 first team appearances for Arsenal.

7 - Luke Shaw

Joining the Southampton Academy at the age of 8, Shaw worked his way through the youth ranks before making his debut for The Saints at age 16. By the time he had made his debut clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City were already showing an interest in him. Southampton was able to hang on to him though for a couple of seasons as he was first a part of the side that stormed to promotion to the Premier League and then helped the club consolidate their position in the top flight. Along the way he was named as the left back in the PFA Team of the Year for 2013-2014. Shaw would end his breakout season by earning three international caps for England. In the summer of 2014, Shaw was sold to Manchester United for £30 million and thus becoming the world's most expensive teenage footballer.

8 - Adam Lallana

Starting his youth career at Bournemouth, Adam Lallana would move over to the Southampton Academy at the age of 12 and would make his first team debut at 18 years old. Coming into the side at time when Southampton were struggling in League One, Lallana lit up the third tier and finished the 2009-2010 season with a total of twenty goals in all competitions. The first Saints midfielder since Matthew Le Tissier to score twenty or more goals in a season. Lallana would help the club progress out of League One, through the Championship and finally back into the Premier League before departing for Liverpool for a fee of £25 million in the summer of 2014. To date, Lallana has also made 11 appearances for the senior England side.

The Best of MUFC Facebook

2014-10-12T15:00:00.001-04:00

Manchester United are undoubtedly one of the biggest clubs on the planet, with fans spanning all corners of the globe.

This is reflected in the often bizarre and hilarious comments that are posted on United's official Facebook page, as fans struggle to articulate how much they love the club.

Picking up on these hilarious tweets, a Twitter account called @MUFC_Facebook was set-up to capture some of the better comments left on the Red Devils' Facebook page

Here are some of the best ones that this account has captured:

Louis van Gaal Joins United

LVGs philosophy is to play good football with lots of good passes and goals. My philosophy is to eat lots of good food
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) August 4, 2014

van gaal needs to be my life coach so i can perform better all through my life
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) August 3, 2014

van gaal is my 2nd fav man utd manager nd he has not even coached a game (lol its b/c moyes was bad)
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) July 12, 2014

hello lvg good evening i was going to give you advice but ill let u rest tonite. look for my post in the morning for some good tips
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) August 5, 2014

Transfer Business

i feel like vidals girlfriend or wife (or husband if he is gay) i go to bed thinking of Vidal nd wake up nd think of Vidal.....
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) July 31, 2014

Evra to me is like my imaginary best friend. except he is real. but now he is gone and i cry all hours of the day
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) July 21, 2014

luke shaw is so young that if i had a baby when i was 6 then he would be my son
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) July 20, 2014

i will decorate my house with the tears of other fans when we sign the world class players. am confident as a ostrich b/c God is Good. Dave
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) August 19, 2014

Di maria nd Falcao r like gettin a big good pizza after bein starving. blind shaw herrera rojo r like the bread sticks
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) September 6, 2014

I Don't Know What Revenue Is But If It Helped Us Get Di Maria And Falcao Then I Love Revenue
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) September 10, 2014

A Tough Start

that game did not make any sense it was a lot like a episode of "LOST" or the movie "INCEPTION"
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) September 21, 2014

[First post] We are defending very bad so I believe that we should sign cannabalism [Second post] Lol sorry I meant Cannavaro lol sorry
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) September 24, 2014

Back to Winning Ways

daily blind is a renegade of funk
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) October 3, 2014

I love too many players on our team, I cannot keep track of it and it stresses me out
— Man Utd Facebook (@MUFC_Facebook) October 5, 2014