Would be interested to see how many who actually saw Robson play, will still claim Keane was a better captain. And I am not saying anything bad about Keane (he is number 2 by miles) - but Robson was better
United's Greatest Captain?
- Thread starter GailSpaceWynand
- Start date
Captain Robbo
VCaptain Keano
Imagine our squad having both leading the team, a balanced combined leadership. Fun.
It really depends on what kind of expectations you have of your captain. While I respect Keane, Robson would be the one I respect + admire, it has added comfortable effects when performing.
VCaptain Keano
Imagine our squad having both leading the team, a balanced combined leadership. Fun.
It really depends on what kind of expectations you have of your captain. While I respect Keane, Robson would be the one I respect + admire, it has added comfortable effects when performing.
The best two are Keane and Robson.
Robson was absolutely the better player but led mainly by example. Keane led by fear and was much more vocal.
It’s tough to say which approach brought the best out of the team. If Keane was skip in Robson’s day, is it possible we’d have played better more often? (Obviously if you take away Robson as a player you are making that team worse, I’m just talking captaincy). Keane has the benefit of the best squad we ever had but deserves credit for his influence on the pitch in making sure those guys delivered.
I make it a dead heat between these two but I reckon Fergie would go for Keane.
Robson was absolutely the better player but led mainly by example. Keane led by fear and was much more vocal.
It’s tough to say which approach brought the best out of the team. If Keane was skip in Robson’s day, is it possible we’d have played better more often? (Obviously if you take away Robson as a player you are making that team worse, I’m just talking captaincy). Keane has the benefit of the best squad we ever had but deserves credit for his influence on the pitch in making sure those guys delivered.
I make it a dead heat between these two but I reckon Fergie would go for Keane.
It's very close as Keane is probably the greatest captain in PL history, but I'd still go with Robson by a very small margin.
Robbo is number one for me then followed by Keane,
Inspirational leaders.
Inspirational leaders.
Roy Keane won the bbc vote for the best Premier League captain
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51871622
Would be typical if he wins on there but loses out on caf (ok its a premier league vote only but still)
I think Robson was the better player, but I think Keane specifically was a better captain of the two, his will to win was massive and was a fulcrum for why we won as much as we did.
Those suggesting Irish people are specifically backing Keane, but I think that goes the same way with English posters backing Robson, specifically, because, er well he's English.
English players have often won a disproportionate amount of PFA player of the year awards, goal of season competitions, team of the year picks and I think some of that is because there is an English bias in the voting (since we're in England). Some English players have a tendency to get quickly overrated also simply because they're English so the Irish are by no means the only ones guilty of patriotic voting.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51871622
Would be typical if he wins on there but loses out on caf (ok its a premier league vote only but still)
I think Robson was the better player, but I think Keane specifically was a better captain of the two, his will to win was massive and was a fulcrum for why we won as much as we did.
Those suggesting Irish people are specifically backing Keane, but I think that goes the same way with English posters backing Robson, specifically, because, er well he's English.
English players have often won a disproportionate amount of PFA player of the year awards, goal of season competitions, team of the year picks and I think some of that is because there is an English bias in the voting (since we're in England). Some English players have a tendency to get quickly overrated also simply because they're English so the Irish are by no means the only ones guilty of patriotic voting.
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the Premier League started in 1992 - Robson was at the end of his career then. Was the club captain but was not a starter and Bruce was the captain on the pitch. Both lifted the very first PL trophy.
that’s clearly why Robson wasn’t in the argument. There was football before the PL.
I don’t really remember seeing the best of Robson myself. I suspect anyone under 40 will say Keane. Both magnificent players and captains - doubt we will see the likes of these two ever again.
Keane was no Robson. Inferior player, inferior captain. Even when Bruce left it wasn't like he was immediately inserted as captain. We still went through the Cantona period.
Robson was just awe inspiring in everything he did. He could actually Carry the team, Keane couldn't.
Robson was just awe inspiring in everything he did. He could actually Carry the team, Keane couldn't.
I take it you didn't watch Keane play for Ireland much?
There is not much between Robbo and Keane but to say Robson by quite some distance is just ludicrous.
Keane for me due to Robson's unprofessionalism, he was basically an alcoholic for most of his time at united and had he stayed off the booze he probably would have avoided some of those injuries. Keane on the other hand was a great professional and therefore shades it for me.
I guess to be fair to Robson he played in a less professional era but still....
How easily we forget!
Keane made every player around him better. He played in a great team so didn't have to carry his team every week. But when we were losing or struggling or when the going was tough, then Keane came into his own. Thats when he "carried" his team, drove them on, took games by the scruff of the neck. He set the standards on the field and ensured everyone kept them.
I only saw the end of Robson. Partly due to age but more because there wasn't TV coverage anything like there is now. If he was a better captain than Keane, then he was truly fantastic and one of the greatest ever.
Id put keane up against virtually anyone in the world, at least in my era
Keane.
Never saw Robson play because I was very young back then so for me It's Keane I have never seen anyone who is close to Keane in terms of leadership ,mentality and dedication.
1. Robbo
2. Keano
2. Keano
I've seen Robbo and Charlton play. Robson was a better player, But Keano was the better captain by miles. Forget about his outcries since leaving this club. When he was here he was Fergie on the pitch. He just let no one give anything less than 110% on the pitch. He was the best captain of the lot.
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I never saw Cantona or Robson lead the team...,So for me it just simply has to be Roy Keane....
NO. I clearly stated Bruce, Steve Bruce. We won a number of Cups plus the League twice under Robson. Under Bruce, although just 3 seasons, we won the League twice plus a FA. Bruce joined United since 87 so very much a backbone of the successful team, fitting to be the Captain in his final 3 seasons.
Robson
Robson, easily. Total hero.
Keane was generally a better pro though. Set a towering bar in training and looked after himself much better than Robbo.
Too young to watch Robbo and even Bruce so :
1. Keane
2. Cantona
3. Vidic
4. Gary Neville
5. Rooney
1. Keane
2. Cantona
3. Vidic
4. Gary Neville
5. Rooney
Having seen both, you'd go for Keane? That's a first (for this thread). Undoubtedly Robbo was a better player but there's something about how Keane led the team and set expectations. Maybe it is something to do with that era that utmost professionalism was not a given? Could Keane enforce his own back then? Would he have met with resistance considering the rampant drinking culture? Good questions to ask.
Keane or Robson.
Didn’t see enough of Robbo so would have to go with Keane. By a massive distance to anybody else I’ve seen captain United.
An absolute boss on the pitch, was like having a mini SAF on the pitch screaming at every fecker, you can’t underestimate how much that sets the tone and focussing the players when they know they can’t get away with anything.
Remember what he said to Rio about playing the ball forward in what I think was his first game
But like Rio said in an interview he knew straight away what was expected at this club. Exactly what a captain should aim to achieve.
An absolute boss on the pitch, was like having a mini SAF on the pitch screaming at every fecker, you can’t underestimate how much that sets the tone and focussing the players when they know they can’t get away with anything.
Remember what he said to Rio about playing the ball forward in what I think was his first game
But like Rio said in an interview he knew straight away what was expected at this club. Exactly what a captain should aim to achieve.
He was truly fantastic and one of the greatest ever. There is a reason everyone who played against him and played with him swears by him.
The difference is Robson had the talent to take over a game going forward in a way Keane just didn't have the ability to. Mind you he faced those circumstances regularly. Never complained, just handled his business.
Cantona is the greatest captain of the PL era. Complete inspiration to the whole team.
Captain Marvel
Robson was our version of Stevie G. Just too much injury.
Apart from the season he was injured and we didn't win anything, and all the times he came back from injury and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw his name on the team sheet, and the fundamental role he played in the treble, and the hole in our midfield against a Bayern side we'd played well against with him present and all the testimonies from his team mates saying all of the above... you're right.
Well pardon me for having an opinion.
Robson was a piss-can, he never denied it, but that was the norm, Liverpool's squad could probably have drunk every other squad in the League under the table at the time and it didn't do them any harm.
Ryan Giggs was a great player, George Best was also a great player, yet by quite some distance better than Giggs, it's the same, just an opinion, and again probably shared by those who saw both live and not just going off highlights as in the case of George, but to some sadly it will mean i'm/we are anti-Welsh.
Yeah cos we all boo-ed when Robson returned from his latest lay-off.
You had to be actually there to pick up on it, Final word.
Was born in '77 mate, I know full well how good Robson was. I just think you're massively downplaying Keane's influence over even better players to make your point. Nobody would've taken you to task otherwise.
It has to be Roy Keane. He pushed a club which had great talent but was hardly filled with galacticos to dominate the league and triumph in the CL.
Don't get me wrong...after all these years I still can't overlook his violent play or how we conducted himself at the end of his United days, but my God he was immense as captain for 6 or 7 years. And we're not debating "best player" as we really could mention maybe a dozen names of "better" players, including Robbo.
Sure, we won the CL final in 99 without Keane on the pitch but there's no chance we would have gotten to the final without Keane having led us to victory against an incredible Juve side in the semis. Just another opinion, but it seems to me Roy Keane is the greatest club captain in the history of the game -- if we mean by that a player who leads his club to greatness, makes everyone realize their potential and ensures that the manager's tactics are implemented to perfection.
Don't get me wrong...after all these years I still can't overlook his violent play or how we conducted himself at the end of his United days, but my God he was immense as captain for 6 or 7 years. And we're not debating "best player" as we really could mention maybe a dozen names of "better" players, including Robbo.
Sure, we won the CL final in 99 without Keane on the pitch but there's no chance we would have gotten to the final without Keane having led us to victory against an incredible Juve side in the semis. Just another opinion, but it seems to me Roy Keane is the greatest club captain in the history of the game -- if we mean by that a player who leads his club to greatness, makes everyone realize their potential and ensures that the manager's tactics are implemented to perfection.
Antonio Valencia couldn't speak English, didn't like the pressure of wearing number seven and hated talking to the media.... but i'm sure he was a world class captain 
(good player and seems like a very nice man - but an unbelievably daft choice as captain)
(good player and seems like a very nice man - but an unbelievably daft choice as captain)
Possibly, but hardened to the forum I was getting my retaliation in first, the amount of posters who wouldn't recognise Robson if he had a dump in their handbag yet accuse me of being anti-Irish for daring to post that he was a better player/Captain than Keane still tickles me.
Two greats and I was fortunate enough because of age/location to see them both up close and personal, we were lucky to have both.
Final word x2
OK
I think you would have a hard time getting Steve Bruce to agree with you but whatever.
I love Steve Bruce and he was a great Captain but you're talking about a time when there were 11 captains on the pitch, Steve Bruce wasn't the catalyst for that period, he was merely part of it. Robson dragged United through the 80's. We wouldn't have been in that position if it wasn't for him and yes he had his injuries towards the end but there was a reason Bruce put the premier league crown on Robbo's head
That's all very well and good but the debate is who is the better captain, not player so the giggs/best comparison is neither here nor there.
In my view the ongoing boozing had a significant impact on his injury record which in turn impacted on uniteds trophy haul in the 80s. Keane gave up the boozing around age 25 and became a better more mature player and captain as a result. Robson for whatever reason couldnt do that.
Anyway I think its perfectly acceptable for one to argue that Robbo was the better captain but to say he was by quite some distance is nonsense. Keane led us to trophy after trophy, Robbo and his drinking buddies led us nowhere in the end unfortunately.
I've heard it all now, Bryan Robson being a piss-can is the main reason apart from the occasional Cup win we won feck all ....
@admin, it's my Birthday today, can I have special dispensation to post LOL?
Robson's best days were under Big Ron I felt. That semi final against Liverpool, the cup replay against Brighton and the QF in the Cup Winners Cup against Barca.
I am sure that fans who saw the semi final replay against Liverpool would confirm this. The same in the Cup Final replay against Brighton. The QF against Barcelona. We would have beaten Juventus with Platini and the Italian world cup winning side if Robson was not injured.
I remember the match against Barca when we beat them 3-0 and the TV commentator saying on a night like this and with a performance like that how dare anyone even think of selling Robson. The big Italian clubs were after him.
He is not called Captain Marvel for nothing. If United needed inspiration in any match it's invariably provided by Robson. I will put Keane as the second best captain after Robson.
I am sure that fans who saw the semi final replay against Liverpool would confirm this. The same in the Cup Final replay against Brighton. The QF against Barcelona. We would have beaten Juventus with Platini and the Italian world cup winning side if Robson was not injured.
I remember the match against Barca when we beat them 3-0 and the TV commentator saying on a night like this and with a performance like that how dare anyone even think of selling Robson. The big Italian clubs were after him.
He is not called Captain Marvel for nothing. If United needed inspiration in any match it's invariably provided by Robson. I will put Keane as the second best captain after Robson.