[Investblogger]

Quote, originally posted by Sportsillustrated »MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Roy Keane left Manchester United on Friday, two weeks after he lambasted his teammates in an interview so scathing the club refused to broadcast it.
The cornerstone of the team that dominated English soccer throughout the 1990s, the team's captain had his contract canceled by mutual consent, United said in a statement on its Web site.
The 34-year-old former Ireland midfielder is now free to join another club. In 2000, Keane said he wanted to end his career with Celtic -- the team he supported as a boy -- and has also been linked with the vacant position of Ireland manager, despite having no coaching experience.
Keane had already said he expected to leave United when his contract expired at the end of the season. The Ireland midfielder joined the club in 1993 and until recently it was assumed he would end his career at Old Trafford.
Keane had long been regarded as a spokesman for manager Alex Ferguson, helping discipline players and communicate the coach's instructions. However, the interview with the club's in-house television station, in which he singled out players for criticism, may have proved too much.
British media reported Friday that Keane had a row with Ferguson this week after being left out of a reserve-team match. That prompted Ferguson to strip Keane of the captaincy, making his position untenable.
"At all times I have endeavored to do my best for the management and the team," Keane said. "Whilst it is a sad day for me to leave such a great club and manager, I believe that the time has now come for me to move on."
Keane's departure may mean United will increase its efforts to sign Michael Ballack from Bayern Munich. The Germany captain, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, is out of contract and available on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Famous for his abrasive personality and refusal to tolerate those who failed to live up to his own high standards, Keane also quit international soccer suddenly. On the eve of the 2002 World Cup finals, he walked out of the Ireland squad after criticizing training facilities and cursing manager Mick McCarthy.
Although he returned to the team after McCarthy departed, he retired for a second time last month when Ireland failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals.
One of the best midfielders in the world, Keane's tough tackling, neat passing and ability to score crucial goals helped United win seven Premier League titles and four FA Cups. He scored 51 goals in 480 games for United.
His most notable performance came in the second leg of the 1999 Champions League semifinal at Juventus. He inspired United to rally from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and advance, even though he had a yellow card that he knew would rule him out of the final.
"The best midfield player in the world of his generation, he is already one of the great figures in our clubs illustrious history," Ferguson said. "Roy has been central to the success of the club in the last 12 1/2 years and everyone at Old Trafford wishes him well in the rest of his career and beyond."
Keane joined United from Nottingham Forest for a then British record 3.75 million pounds ($6.4 million) as a replacement for former England captain Bryan Robson.
He became captain in 1997 when Eric Cantona retired, despite having received several red cards for on-field violence and malicious tackles.
Although his appearances have been limited over recent seasons because of injuries -- including cruciate ligament damage that kept him out for a year through August 1998 -- Keane remained a crucial part of the squad. He hasn't played since Sept. 20, when he broke a bone in his left foot against Liverpool.
Despite previously saying he wanted to end his career in Glasgow, he later signed a contract committing him to United until June 2006.

Source:SI.com

[ahagotyou]

looks like Celtic it is

[feqlmwtuqx]

i heard this just when i was leaving school - shocking news.

[Paiblyelaxy]

I heard on BBC 5Live that Celtic can't afford him. An Italian team is being mentioned as well.

[jamemeveRhype]

I'm a Liverpool fan, so this is good news for me. It's good to see Fergie's empire is crumbling day-by-day, Fergie isn't going to win any more trophies. Hopefully Man Utd are finished too, they've had long enough at the top

[Paiblyelaxy]

hahaha. there was a thing on 6-0-6 last night on 5Live about who hates ManU the most. ManC, Liverpool, Leeds are all candidates.

[jamemeveRhype]

I didn't used to mind Man Utd, I just accepted that they were so good and we werent. But I remember Fergie telling Hansen his greatest achievement was "knocking you [liverpool] off your f***ing perch"
so since then i've wanted to slap fergie, and see him get knocked off his f***ing perch. and mourinho's done it, although i'm not his greatest fan either.

[Investblogger]

Quote, originally posted by AM2K »Omar, as a scouse fan you're gonna hate anyone who's better than you, so that pretty much makes a lot of teams for you to hate
People hated Man Utd because they were dominant for so long, and then they started saying Arsenal annoying because of their title reign. And now a lot of people are hating Chelsea because they look just about unbeatable!
I'm a Man Utd fan, and am a bit concerned at the state of things at the club. Keane was past it in terms of skill, but he kept the team in shape. Hopefully we buy a player good enough to fill his shoes (and not put Alan Smith in there as a cheap option!!).
Agreed AM2k, Ballack would be nice, but Madrid will probably sign him....
Just watched the match against Villareal. I've noticed that we always seem to fade away towards the end, with no passion or drive. The whole midfield needs a re-think IMHO.

[jamemeveRhype]

Quote, originally posted by AM2K »Omar, as a scouse fan you're gonna hate anyone who's better than you, so that pretty much makes a lot of teams for you to hate
People hated Man Utd because they were dominant for so long, and then they started saying Arsenal annoying because of their title reign. And now a lot of people are hating Chelsea because they look just about unbeatable!

Oi, I'm not a typical fan of the scousers, in the past I just had to accept we were not good enough, but Fergie's big mouth made me wanna see him fall off his perch. And fall he has. Ho ho ho
BTW, seeing as we're champions of Europe there isn't a club better than us in the continent so it's not possible for us to hate anyone whose better than us
5 Euro cups: !

[Paiblyelaxy]

Latest news on Keane (for those who care); signing for Celtic, but with a huge salary reduction (alledgedly 50,000 per week cut).
on bbc.co.uk