IRELAND ASSISTANT MANAGER Roy Keane said responsibility for the Manchester United’s poor season lies beyond sacked manager David Moyes.
Keane slammed chief executive Ed Woodward, and inexperienced defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, after United’s worst finish (seventh) in the English top flight since 1989-90.
A United midfielder of 12 years, Keane said disgraced boss Moyes was made to be the scapegoat of a wider problem – recruiting – as he put the blame for United’s struggles at the feet of Woodward.
“He (Moyes) had one transfer window, and it’s not always down to the manager when players don’t come in,” Keane said, speaking at ITV’s World Cup launch.
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“I think Ed Woodward needs to look at himself. He’s got to get deals done. I think he (Moyes) should have been given more time. I was happy with David Moyes.
“I think (Louis) Van Gaal is a good choice. Only time will tell. He’s managed big clubs.”
Keane particularly lamented the signings of Smalling – from Fulham – and Jones, bought off Blackburn – both deals done prior to the infamous Moyes era.
“They’ve had a platform for the last couple of years,” he said. “We were told two or three years ago Jones was going to be the new Duncan Edwards, Smalling was this… I’ve watched United live nine, 10 times this year and they have been none of those things.
If anything I think they have gone backwards. I’ve actually been a big fan of them – yes, give them a chance, you say you have to give players a chance to mature but also you’ve got players who you say we’ve given you a chance and you’re not taking it.
“They need to do a lot better if they want to cement their place at Man United and United to win trophies. Jones needs to toughen up.
“Every time I see him he is getting carried off. He’s got to toughen up – he’s playing for Man United. They have to recruit in the summer – they might get two.”
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Keane said a strong line-up through the middle was what United lacked, as they finished below the top-three for the first time in 23 seasons.
“It’s the spine of the team. United have come up short defensively and in the middle of the park they have not done enough,” Keane said.
“You watch any of the teams that are winning trophies… I’m stating the obvious, you’ve got to have a strong spine, goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker and United have been short in two of those areas. “It makes it very difficult to win trophies.”
Why would the journal leave out the funniest part of the interview on Rio Ferdinand, see below…classic Keane.
Keane was not surprised that Rio Ferdinand will leave United this summer or bothered that the defender was not given a chance to say goodbye to the Old Trafford crowd.
“That might have suited him,” he said. “Not everybody wants to wander around the pitch waving and crying. It’s not about walking on the pitch – I don’t know where you’re going with this one. He didn’t have a chance to say goodbye? You can say goodbye on Twitter, can’t you?”
As usual, Roy is spot on… Woodward embarrassed the club last summer with that 28m bid for baines& fellaini and the ridiculous pursuit of a player who clearly didn’t want to join in cesc Fabregas…..Not to mention finalising that 23 mil deal for that Useless Belgian.
27.5m it was for Fellaini but he wasnt used correctly and too many United fans are using him as a scapegoat.watch him in the World Cup and i bet you see a very good player…..
fran he should never have been bought he played as a 10 in the attacking Everton team and sat square in midfield when they were under the cosh but United already had Rooney and kagawa who play 10 and needed a hard man midfielder, ya he will probably have a decent world cup but honestly I don’t see Belgium making it past the last 16 but that’s another story
I think its harsh to blame Fellaini. Okay he took some time to settle in but that was because he was playing as a defensive midfielder instead of an attacking midfielder/playmaker which he was used to playing at Everton. He scored 12 goals in 36 appearances for Everton the previous season. Fellaini reckons defensive midfielder is his best position but i disagree. Any time he has played as an attacking midfielder this season (although it hasn’t been much) he has played well. I don’t want to blame Moyes too much because the players have to take their share of the blame too but i think Moyes tried to change too much too soon. He brought in a new backroom staff, went after targets that were never going to come (e.g. Fabregas) and tried to play a new style. The players struggled to adapt to that new style and when they started losing games, their confidence began to sink. I agree with Keane in a way though. Moyes should have been given more time and Woodward needed to get deals done quickly. I think Woodward realises that now though after the bid for Luke Shaw on Monday.
He still has not settled in he has looked out of his depth in every aspect since he joined United last summer I said he was the last player I wanted Moyes to try and attract from Everton but we ended up with him and as a club we got fully behind him but he has let himself down so many times , I’ve also been an avid supporter of Tom cleverly but when I was at the Derby game in march I was astounded to see how bad both cleverly and fellani were , he won’t get to play off the striker at ùnited and he is too slow to play a free flow attacking role , I’d love to be proven wrong by him next season but I think he is done at United
You think Fellaini is done at United after only one season?? That’s a bit premature if you ask me. Why would you be an avid supporter of Cleverly and not Fellaini? Cleverly hasn’t exactly set the world on fire either since he came back from Wigan. He played well for them on loan and now I am starting to think we should have let them keep him. He probably won’t get to play off the striker because we already have Rooney and Kagawa in that position but his performances as a defensive midfielder might improve. I’m not holding my breath but stranger things have happened. To be fair, with the exception of Rooney and De Gea, I think every United player has looked out of his depth this season. Not just Fellaini.
I have followed cleverly from the youth team as I do with welbeck and any of the youth team players and he always impressed me up to this season where I thought maybe he is just not feeling right or something but after seeing him in the flesh (as the tv does not give you the real feel for a game imo) he looked so out of his depth and I have no defence for him any more ,I hope he can rediscover the form and his potential again but we will have to wait and see as for fellani well I just don’t think he is up to it he looks like a deer in the head lights both off and on the pitch Everton seemed to suit his lifestyle and his playing style but at United he has not settled in, he has no chance of playing 10 with Rooney kagawa and mata there and his supposed favourite position is defensive midfielder but he needs big improvement if he wants to take on that role next season , hopefully he can prove me wrong buy honestly if LVG gets the job I don’t see fellani starting much next season .
I don’t think “toughen up” is the tight word for Jones. He throws himself into challenges an aerial duels like a mad man most of the time, causing injury. He just needs smarten up and know when to go in full blooded and when to stay on his feet.
United are gone? Haha West Brom were nearly gone this season. They stayed up and still sacked their manager. I think West Brom have more problems than United and will be lucky if they stay up next season!
Not sure who was more out of depth, Moyes replacing Fergie or Woodward replacing Gill. United badly need a strong manager like Van Gaal who can control the circus that The Glazers have created. There’s talks of a split in the Glazer family now where half want to sell and the other half don’t. As for Keane’s comments, agree with everything bar the suggestion that Jones needs to toughen up. I think he just needs to wise up and not be so wreckless in his positioning/tackling. Both he and Smalling would benefit from a long run at centre half, assuming United bring in a world class centre half like Hummels, does not look like happening for both.
Everything he said is spot on, the only thing I don’t agree with is blaming Jones and Chris Smalling…. When there were others players that were more to blame then them two.
I don’t think he was blaming them necessarily, just said that they need to toughen up or else they’re not really Man Utd quality. He seemed (rightfully) much harsher on the midfield.
Jones doesn’t need to toughen up he needs to smarten up,it was the same with Kevin Moran wen he played for utd,he was always getting his head split open by throwing himself needlessly in tackles,
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Harsh But True.
Why would the journal leave out the funniest part of the interview on Rio Ferdinand, see below…classic Keane.
Keane was not surprised that Rio Ferdinand will leave United this summer or bothered that the defender was not given a chance to say goodbye to the Old Trafford crowd.
“That might have suited him,” he said. “Not everybody wants to wander around the pitch waving and crying. It’s not about walking on the pitch – I don’t know where you’re going with this one. He didn’t have a chance to say goodbye? You can say goodbye on Twitter, can’t you?”
As usual, Roy is spot on… Woodward embarrassed the club last summer with that 28m bid for baines& fellaini and the ridiculous pursuit of a player who clearly didn’t want to join in cesc Fabregas…..Not to mention finalising that 23 mil deal for that Useless Belgian.
Unfortunately it was 27.5 million , sickening waste of money
27.5m it was for Fellaini but he wasnt used correctly and too many United fans are using him as a scapegoat.watch him in the World Cup and i bet you see a very good player…..
fran he should never have been bought he played as a 10 in the attacking Everton team and sat square in midfield when they were under the cosh but United already had Rooney and kagawa who play 10 and needed a hard man midfielder, ya he will probably have a decent world cup but honestly I don’t see Belgium making it past the last 16 but that’s another story
I think its harsh to blame Fellaini. Okay he took some time to settle in but that was because he was playing as a defensive midfielder instead of an attacking midfielder/playmaker which he was used to playing at Everton. He scored 12 goals in 36 appearances for Everton the previous season. Fellaini reckons defensive midfielder is his best position but i disagree. Any time he has played as an attacking midfielder this season (although it hasn’t been much) he has played well. I don’t want to blame Moyes too much because the players have to take their share of the blame too but i think Moyes tried to change too much too soon. He brought in a new backroom staff, went after targets that were never going to come (e.g. Fabregas) and tried to play a new style. The players struggled to adapt to that new style and when they started losing games, their confidence began to sink. I agree with Keane in a way though. Moyes should have been given more time and Woodward needed to get deals done quickly. I think Woodward realises that now though after the bid for Luke Shaw on Monday.
He still has not settled in he has looked out of his depth in every aspect since he joined United last summer I said he was the last player I wanted Moyes to try and attract from Everton but we ended up with him and as a club we got fully behind him but he has let himself down so many times , I’ve also been an avid supporter of Tom cleverly but when I was at the Derby game in march I was astounded to see how bad both cleverly and fellani were , he won’t get to play off the striker at ùnited and he is too slow to play a free flow attacking role , I’d love to be proven wrong by him next season but I think he is done at United
You think Fellaini is done at United after only one season?? That’s a bit premature if you ask me. Why would you be an avid supporter of Cleverly and not Fellaini? Cleverly hasn’t exactly set the world on fire either since he came back from Wigan. He played well for them on loan and now I am starting to think we should have let them keep him. He probably won’t get to play off the striker because we already have Rooney and Kagawa in that position but his performances as a defensive midfielder might improve. I’m not holding my breath but stranger things have happened. To be fair, with the exception of Rooney and De Gea, I think every United player has looked out of his depth this season. Not just Fellaini.
I have followed cleverly from the youth team as I do with welbeck and any of the youth team players and he always impressed me up to this season where I thought maybe he is just not feeling right or something but after seeing him in the flesh (as the tv does not give you the real feel for a game imo) he looked so out of his depth and I have no defence for him any more ,I hope he can rediscover the form and his potential again but we will have to wait and see as for fellani well I just don’t think he is up to it he looks like a deer in the head lights both off and on the pitch Everton seemed to suit his lifestyle and his playing style but at United he has not settled in, he has no chance of playing 10 with Rooney kagawa and mata there and his supposed favourite position is defensive midfielder but he needs big improvement if he wants to take on that role next season , hopefully he can prove me wrong buy honestly if LVG gets the job I don’t see fellani starting much next season .
I don’t think “toughen up” is the tight word for Jones. He throws himself into challenges an aerial duels like a mad man most of the time, causing injury. He just needs smarten up and know when to go in full blooded and when to stay on his feet.
Fergie is gone and so are utd,everydog has its day,Keane is right on all points,harsh but honest.
Moyes hadnt a chance!
United are gone? Haha West Brom were nearly gone this season. They stayed up and still sacked their manager. I think West Brom have more problems than United and will be lucky if they stay up next season!
Not sure who was more out of depth, Moyes replacing Fergie or Woodward replacing Gill. United badly need a strong manager like Van Gaal who can control the circus that The Glazers have created. There’s talks of a split in the Glazer family now where half want to sell and the other half don’t. As for Keane’s comments, agree with everything bar the suggestion that Jones needs to toughen up. I think he just needs to wise up and not be so wreckless in his positioning/tackling. Both he and Smalling would benefit from a long run at centre half, assuming United bring in a world class centre half like Hummels, does not look like happening for both.
Moyes wasn’t the ‘disgraced Man Utd manager’. He had a job, it didn’t work out and now he’s gone.
Everything he said is spot on, the only thing I don’t agree with is blaming Jones and Chris Smalling…. When there were others players that were more to blame then them two.
I don’t think he was blaming them necessarily, just said that they need to toughen up or else they’re not really Man Utd quality. He seemed (rightfully) much harsher on the midfield.
Jones doesn’t need to toughen up he needs to smarten up,it was the same with Kevin Moran wen he played for utd,he was always getting his head split open by throwing himself needlessly in tackles,
And gettin sent off in FA cup finals. ..
Womanchester Divided would be better off without Metalward
Wow… are you an actual adult?
Well my mum said im a big boy now
Has she checked recently?
No but yours has