How SAF signed Roy Keane

[Sandyman]

Interesting piece about how SAF tracked down Keane and persuaded him to join Man Utd. Keane had already given his word to Daglish but they could not finalize the deal as the Blackburn staff had left early. There are so many transfers that have interesting stories behind them. Hope there is a similar positive story involving Utd happening right now.
Some excerpts from the article:

Historic moments usually have an epic quality. But sometimes all it takes to change the world is for a few office staff to get that Friday feeling. Exactly 25 years ago – in the summer of 1993 – the world of football changed for ever because the admin team at Ewood Park clocked off on time. If somebody had stayed late in the office, Roy Keane would have become a Blackburn Rovers player. Instead, Alex Ferguson was given the chance to oversee one of his most important injury-time winners.

The Blackburn manager, Kenny Dalglish, met Keane at the end of the season. At that stage Keane did not even have an agent and was instead accompanied by the PFA’s Brendon Batson. He liked Dalglish – “his obvious intelligence and cool persona impressed me” – and though he asked for £500,000 a year, the same as Shearer, he eventually accepted £400,000. Those few hours of bargaining were crucial: when Dalglish phoned Ewood Park to see if somebody could prepare the contract, everyone had gone home or to the pub. He shook hands on the deal with Keane and said they could sort the contract on Monday.

Ferguson tracked Keane down after reading about his talks with Blackburn in the tabloids. While some papers thought he had other targets – a couple said Carlton Palmer was his first choice – Ferguson and his staff had decided Keane was the only player they wanted to add to the title-winning squad.

When he did get hold of the player, Ferguson asked whether anything had been signed with Blackburn. A hungover Keane, his United-loving family all gawping excitedly at him, mumbled that he hadn’t, so Ferguson casually suggested they meet for a chat. “From that moment,” said Keane in his first autobiography, “I was never going to sign for any other club.”

The following day, Ferguson picked Keane up at Manchester airport and went back to his house for a game of snooker. “I liked him straight away,” Keane said. “He was unaffected, funny and reassuringly human. He was also clearly hungry for more trophies.” And new ones.

Except that is precisely what he had done to Dalglish, who reacted with volcanic fury when Keane phoned him. “Nobody does this to Kenny Dalglish,” he said. “You’re a wee bastard and you won’t get away with this.”

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/19/alex-ferguson-roy-keane-blackburn-manchester-united

 

[Buchan]

Keane’s version of events is quite funny.

 

[MJJ]

“Nobody does this to Kenny Dalglish,”

 

[Ribble Valley Red]

I remember the Lancashire Evening Telegraph published a photo of Keane in a Rovers shirt.

Keano turned out to be my favourite Utd player. Thank god Fergie stepped in and made his move

 

[SER19]

Keane’s version of events is quite funny.

Love keanes subtle sense of humour, ‘sightseeing’

Sir Alex is the king.

 

[devilish]

King Kenny encounter with Keane is on clip

 

[JohnnyKills]

Have to say I've never bought the Blackburn admin staff story. Fergie clearly wanted Keane - he now admits that he asked all the players who to sign and they all said Keane. So why would United wait until Keane had almost gone elsewhere before making a move?

 

[Frank Grimes]

Have to say I've never bought the Blackburn admin staff story. Fergie clearly wanted Keane - he now admits that he asked all the players who to sign and they all said Keane. So why would United wait until Keane had almost gone elsewhere before making a move?

It's a well documented story, why would everyone be lying about the same thing?

 

[Billy Blaggs]

Have to say I've never bought the Blackburn admin staff story. Fergie clearly wanted Keane - he now admits that he asked all the players who to sign and they all said Keane. So why would United wait until Keane had almost gone elsewhere before making a move?

Keane had promised to sign with Blackburn. Then we came in and he changed his mind.
It happened in reverse with Gazza and us with Tottenham.

 

[Maurice Setters Training]

It's amazing just how amateur our transfer dealings were in those days. We managed to salvage Roy Keane's signature, but missed out on Shearer a couple of years before, by not making him feel wanted until the last minute.

 

[Eckers99]

This is one for the things that make you feel old thread.

What a player though. Impossible to overstate his impact on the glory years.

 

[royboy16]

Interesting piece about how SAF tracked down Keane and persuaded him to join Man Utd. Keane had already given his word to Daglish but they could not finalize the deal as the Blackburn staff had left early. There are so many transfers that have interesting stories behind them. Hope there is a similar positive story involving Utd happening right now.
Some excerpts from the article:






Link: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/19/alex-ferguson-roy-keane-blackburn-manchester-united

There was also a good piece in the book where Keane said he then fecked off on holidays after meeting Fergie and was looking behind him in the bar in case Kenny walked in

 

[royboy16]

I wonder would we have tried to get Viera had Keane fecked off to Rovers ?

 

[GBBQ]

I wonder would we have tried to get Viera had Keane fecked off to Rovers ?

No it would have been David Batty or someone like that.

 

[.Rossi]

It's amazing just how amateur our transfer dealings were in those days. .

Those days??

 

[Frank Grimes]

I wonder would we have tried to get Viera had Keane fecked off to Rovers ?

Vieira was relatively unknown in England even when Arsenal signed him 3 years later.

 

[ghagua]

Was so pissed when I heard that Keane was about to sign for Blackburn, especially when we failed to sign Shearer from Southampton. Not sure how the planning for new signings were done back then, but most of stories seem to point out a very disorganized approach. We did pull of some great signings, but we also left some of them till the last second. I know Forlan was basically kidnapped before signing for Boro I think.

 

[204Red]

Keane’s version of events is quite funny.

That's great... and the Keano we'd all like to see more of

 

[JohnnyKills]

It's a well documented story, why would everyone be lying about the same thing?

Ok, so this all happened in July 1993 right? The season had finished in mid-May.

So why had Fergie, having identified Keane during the previous season, wait until July to make his move? Surely that would have been slightly negligent given that practically everyone else wanted Keane?

 

[clarkydaz]

Have to say I've never bought the Blackburn admin staff story. Fergie clearly wanted Keane - he now admits that he asked all the players who to sign and they all said Keane. So why would United wait until Keane had almost gone elsewhere before making a move?

the man himself explains it all in the above clip. No reason to lie about it

 

[Frank Grimes]

Ok, so this all happened in July 1993 right? The season had finished in mid-May.

So why had Fergie, having identified Keane during the previous season, wait until July to make his move? Surely that would have been slightly negligent given that practically everyone else wanted Keane?

Ok everyone is lying(for literally no reason). You're correct.

 

[JK-27]

I think Keane also said in his biography that one of the main things SAF said to convince him to join Utd was 'Listen, we'll dominate the league next season without you but, with you, we'll dominate Europe.'

 

[Sandyman]

There was also a good piece in the book where Keane said he then fecked off on holidays after meeting Fergie and was looking behind him in the bar in case Kenny walked in

Would have loved to have been there when that happened.

Ok, so this all happened in July 1993 right? The season had finished in mid-May.
So why had Fergie, having identified Keane during the previous season, wait until July to make his move? Surely that would have been slightly negligent given that practically everyone else wanted Keane?

It's mentioned in the article. I only posted few excerpts from the article. This should answer your question. It's from the article

Ferguson says his apparently laissez-faire attitude was simply because he had promised Forest’s new manager, Frank Clark, that he would wait for official permission to speak to Keane. When he did get hold of the player, Ferguson asked whether anything had been signed with Blackburn.

 

[stevoc]

It's amazing just how amateur our transfer dealings were in those days.

To be honest i wish we could go back to those amateur days when we signed Schmeichel, Irwin, Keane and Cantona for about £6-7m combined.

 

[MrMarcello]

To be honest i wish we could go back to those amateur days when we signed Schmeichel, Irwin, Keane and Cantona for about £6-7m combined.

That would cost 200m+ combined these days.

 

[Raoul]

 

[Needham]

How Ferguson signed Keane originates in Forest getting relegated and Brian Clough retiring. If they'd both been doing a bit better he might not have left that season and Utd gone in for someone else.

 

[Globule]

Keane’s version of events is quite funny.

Thanks for posting this. I've watched the other clips on the back of this and they're great. And I love the rapport between him and the interviewer. I mean, how many people could call Roy Keane a c*nt

 

[ROFLUTION]

How Ferguson signed Keane originates in Forest getting relegated and Brian Clough retiring. If they'd both been doing a bit better he might not have left that season and Utd gone in for someone else.

Maybe, but Keane in his autobiography tells how he's fed up with the Forest dressing room so I think he'd have left if they hadn't been significantly better. Albeit Forest might not agree to sell him for that fee.

 

[Rozay]

Was so pissed when I heard that Keane was about to sign for Blackburn, especially when we failed to sign Shearer from Southampton. Not sure how the planning for new signings were done back then, but most of stories seem to point out a very disorganized approach. We did pull of some great signings, but we also left some of them till the last second. I know Forlan was basically kidnapped before signing for Boro I think.

Much more recent than that even. Fergie and Gill performed a similar kidnapping on Berbatov the day he signed. He arrived at Manchester airport with permission to speak to City only, and our guys were basically waiting and said ‘get in the car!’.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

The cheek. Love it.

 

[Josep Dowling]

Carlton Palmer would have been the alternative , could you imagine?

 

[stevoc]

That would cost 200m+ combined these days.

Yeah would still be a bargain in today’s market.

 

[Buchan]

http://www.the42.ie/roy-keane-manchester-united-1993-4137582-Jul2018/?utm_source=shortlink

 

[Minimalist]

Thanks for posting this. I've watched the other clips on the back of this and they're great. And I love the rapport between him and the interviewer. I mean, how many people could call Roy Keane a c*nt

The 'I was going to Cyprus on holiday with a few mates... just to do some sightseeing' line always cracks me up.

Also the scenario of an irate Kenny Dalglish ambushing a drunk Keane in a strip nightclub is fcuking hilarious.

 

[Tom Foster]

I think us getting Keane was made in heaven.

The way all the potentially big clubs were lining up when we bought him, every club knew he was the game-changer and would shape the league for the next 4 or 5 years.

Simply, we HAD to get him to ensure the likes of Giggs, Sharpe, Ince, Cantona, Pally, Irwin et al all knew we meant business.

Thank god it happened.