DESPITE BEING ON the receiving end of some criticism from Roy Keane recently, Irish sports pundit Eamon Dunphy has praised the Manchester United legend’s new book as “outstanding” and “tragic”.
Dunphy, who wrote Keane’s first autobiography, accused the star of “bulls**tting earlier in the week, after the Corkonian suggested that the pundit didn’t exactly help his case back when he appeared as a witness to defend the star following a controversial passage in his first autobiography.
But nonetheless, Dunphy believes Keane’s latest book, The Second Half, is a compelling read.
“It’s an excellent book not just for Manchester United fans, but for anyone who’s interested in the end of greatness,” he told Today with Sean O’Rourke.
Not for the first time in his broadcasting career, Dunphy comes across as strongly pro-Keane while recalling his departure from United, accusing Carlos Quieroz of “goading” the star and claiming: “Ferguson manipulates him into a situation where he knows given Roy’s character that he will walk out.”
On Keane’s controversial Old Trafford exit, Dunphy adds: “He hasn’t come to any arrangement about his contract. He stops his car and he starts crying. This is Roy Keane, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, having been there for 12 and a half years and been their leader for seven or eight of those years, so it’s very poignant and it shows how cruel football can be.”
However, Dunphy acknowledges the book may hinder Keane’s future career in management.
“There are elements of his character — intolerance of other people, for example, that suggest he may never be a great manager.
“I do think kids should read this book. Young people who want to be footballers. Because it does show the difference between someone like Keane, who’s bright, emotional and someone like Ferguson, who’s shrewd, manipulative, experienced and a great manager.
“Ferguson shafted him badly — and I think that’s an important story to be in the public domain.
“It isn’t an exercise in score-settling. It’s a compelling and interesting story that’s well told.”
