Roy Keane - at it again.

[Web of Bissaka]

The one we're going to celebrating is getting back to Champions League not the top four.

Big clear differences.

Top four is just the requirement, it's like celebrating for getting a limited edition PS7 Manchester United custom version, but to get it you need to be among the earliest four customers in the queue.

Okay, that may be a poor example.

 

[sullydnl]

Sure, I'll be celebrating. We simply don't have the players to be challenging for the title. CL Football next season will be one step of many towards getting back to the top. I'd rather be realistic than feel entitled to glory because of what's been and gone.

Tbf, I think he was reffering to the players rather than the fans.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

But no one's celebrated anything, he's made up something in his head to have a pop and I don't even remember the last time we were 4th after a round of games.

Arsenal never really celebrated it either. So they are all sort of making up something in their head. The only team I have seen really celebrate top 4 was Spurs in 09-10.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

I'm pretty sure this place would be "celebrating" if we pulled top four out of the bag at liverpools or City's expense.

I would celebrate for knocking down Liv or MCity and not for getting the top 4.

 

[buckooo1978]

can be a bit of a grumpy gobshite our Roy

in his day it would have been a disappointment but in terms of getting back on the map and attracting players it's a big step in the right direction

I hardly imagine us celebrating - we won the FA cup and didn't have a parade

 

[DomesticTadpole]

He could at least let it happen first before he starts cringing.

Premature cringing.

 

[sullydnl]

The one we're going to celebrating is getting back to Champions League not the top four.

Big clear differences.

Top four is just the requirement, it's like celebrating for getting a limited edition PS7 Manchester United custom version, but to get it you need to be among the earliest four customers in the queue.

Okay, that may be a poor example.

Same thing from his point of view. I'm sure he'd say CL football isn't anything to celebrate as that where Manchest United are supposed to be.

 

[AXVnee7]

Roy Keane says a lot of things. Sometimes he's right, sometimes he's out of touch.

Such statements only gain credence if you permit it. Do we really need a thread everytime he gives his opinion to magnify and analyse it? Man Utd is a HUGE club. It's high profile in every aspect, and that means many people are going to have their own opinion.

With regards to the actual content, he's right we shouldn't be celebrating it. But then again hardly anyone is. For me it's simply the minimum for a satisfactory season.

 

[Attila]

I'll celebrate top 4, getting CL football again will be a big boost for us

Keane is so annoying these days

 

[MemphisDepay]

I don't understand his point, who is celebrating? I don't think anyone connected to the club - fans, players, staff, board would celebrate top four. Of course we all want to win and compete for trophies, but if you don't win and your best achievement available is to get top four or in to the champions league then you obviously have to go for it and if you achieve it then you'd be fairly satisfied. That isn't celebrating. It's just accepting that you haven't been as good as you previously have been but doing the best you can to get in to one of the biggest competitions you can. Shall we just give up and accept we're rubbish? Jesus Roy. His kids must have it tough, if they're not on course to get all A's and then 'celebrate' getting B's he'll probably hang them.

 

[SirAF]

The one we're going to celebrating is getting back to Champions League not the top four.

Big clear differences.

Top four is just the requirement, it's like celebrating for getting a limited edition PS7 Manchester United custom version, but to get it you need to be among the earliest four customers in the queue.

Okay, that may be a poor example.

 

[Manny]

Keane is used to higher standards. However I still fully expect an over the top caf reaction to a harmless statement.

This

He's asked about whether trophies are still 'that' important in light of clubs banging on about top 4.

That's when he said he cringes at "Liverpool, and even Man United, celebrating top 4". It's about winning medals and silverware like Barca and Real. But obviously the focus will be on the use of the word 'celebrating' rather than targeting, just to slag him off.

 

[Rado_N]

I'm honestly starting to think he has an account on here and spouts this bollocks because he gets hard being talked about.

Roy, if you're reading this, you're a boring tosser, shut up.

 

[Morpheus 7]

Roy is spot on, winning a trophy is something to celebrate never the wenger trophy. Liverpool have a different mentality, look at West Brom last year. It's replicating that winning feeling because they haven't experienced it much in the last 10 year's. Top four should be the minimum requirement league wise, ultimately you want to be winning trophies and competing if not winning the league.

 

[Oaencha]

Keane was an amazing player but my God he's a miserable cnut; the Jack Dee of Football.

 

[diarm]

He's one of our finest ever players, definitely one of our greatest captains and his view on things is painted by his drive for success.

He's 100% right.

When Keane was a leader at United we cared about attacking football and winning. Nothing else.

Now we're all very busy being realistic and being good losers but in a very short spell of time, we've turned into Liverpool or Arsenal.

There are so many reasons we shouldn't expect to be the best that all give us reasons and excuses not to be.

Leicester won the league last year because none of the big sides were good enough.

Arsenal, Liverpool, City and Leicester have all been shite this year but we're outside the top 4 not because we haven't been good enough to beat them, or even Spurs or Chelsea, but because we haven't had the balls to beat sides like Swansea, Hull, Stoke, West Brom and Burnley.

We have a club that was built on the back of winners like Roy Keane. Then when he comes in and criticises the losers representing us now we mock him? Ridiculous.

 

[zeekey]

When you have 3 kids and a wife that despises football any excuse for alcohol is taken advantage of.

 

[poleglass red]

he's actually spot on here. Not everything he says I agree with but in this instance he's bang on.

 

[Cheesy]

He sort of has a point, although he's probably not expressed it in the right way. I'll be delighted if we get top four, since it'll be great to be back in the competition after a year out, and it'd be fantastic to get it at the expense of either City or Liverpool.

But, it's obviously not what United were used to in the successful era he played for us, and while CL football's fantastic, there's always the risk of becoming an Arsenal-type club, wherein achieving top four is lauded and celebrated instead of actually pushing on to win stuff; especially when Arsenal invariably get humiliated in the competition every year anyway.

So...yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with us celebrating top four or being particularly happy with it, but it should definitely be seen as a stepping stone as we look to achieve something greater again, as opposed to a fantastic success in itself.

 

[Eli Zee]

At this point in time, if we make top 4, we should celebrate it. It isn't supposed to be our teams goal at the beginning of the season, it should expected for teams like man utd (although not the last few years).... but when it is near the end, when our team is in the position it's in, injury ridden and fatigued and it's all coming down to the wire for a top 4 CL spot, there's no shame in celebrating it..

 

[Bubz27]

I'm pretty sure this place would be "celebrating" if we pulled top four out of the bag at liverpools or City's expense.

I'd laugh at City/Pool but I wouldn't be celebrating our achievement. There's a difference.

 

[Gio]

I don't think anyone can argue with his quoted comments - that massive clubs like United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona shouldn't be happy with just a top 4 spot. Obviously it's the MEN, which is always sensationalist, and it's Keane, so the delivery is inevitably abrasive, but the point stands.

 

[Ban]

It's something we need to do, it's step into a right direction but nobody is or will celebrate it so I don't know what is he on about.

 

[Mr Anderson]

His exact words: "I cringe when I see Man utd and Liverpool celebrating top 4". When have we ever celebrated top 4?

Depends on context of his answer. Is he on about the club/business side or us fans? Looking at the article it seems he is on about the club.

Van Gaal done enough of it. Claiming we aimed too high as a fan base when he fudged us over and went from scraping top 4 to 5th

 

[dannyrhinos89]

Nothing wrong with what he said tbh

 

[dogwithabone]

Great player but a right cock as a pundit, boring and predictable. I gave up taking Keane seriously years ago.

Oh and to the poster who says Keane was our greatest ever captain, ever heard of Bryan Robson ? Robbo was a great example on and off the pitch as to how a captain should conduct himself and to this day he still commands great respect and rightly so. You can never say the same of Keane.

 

[Henry94]

There are three good things about finishing fourth. Qualifying for the Champions League, possibly keeping City or Liverpool from doing so but above all a sign of better things to come. It's not a celebration but a relief. I'd love if the players we had now had a bit of the Roy Keane. attitude. I think the manager has and that gives me hope.

 

[Eli Zee]

I'd laugh at City/Pool but I wouldn't be celebrating our achievement. There's a difference.

So if it's gameday 38, your team needs 3 points for 4th, you aren't celebrating 4th place if you win? Are you just going to tell your squad "no celebrations, we should've done better." .... cuz the way it's panning out, 4th place could be a good achievement from where we're currently sitting.

with the current situation, i'd say it's celebratory material... come next season, I expect more from a refreshed, improved , older squad

 

[Snow]

I get it. I'm not sure who's celebrating getting top 4 though?

 

[Bubz27]

So if it's gameday 38, your team needs 3 points for 4th, you aren't celebrating 4th place if you win? Are you just going to tell your squad "no celebrations, we should've done better." .... cuz the way it's panning out, 4th place could be a good achievement from where we're currently sitting.

with the current situation, i'd say it's celebratory material... come next season, I expect more from a refreshed, improved , older squad

What do you mean celebrating? I ain't doing no parade or anything like that.

Will I be happy? Yes

Am I going to have a smile on my face the rest of the week (like if we'd won the league)? Not at all.

 

[Lentwood]

Every time Keane starts fading back into obscurity caused by his general unpleasantness and inability to get on with others he has a pop at Utd because he knows its automatically headline news

Great player, questionable character

 

[minoo-utd]

I don't blame him, the man was part of a historical Manchester United side and now he must be upset of what we are at, players need to realize that we have to challenge for title not top 4 finish.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

I think there's some truth in the implication that the business case for getting in the CL with little to no genuine intention of winning it has trickled down from the suits to the management/players and is now with the fans. The mentality where qualifying for Europe is great but then the actual European campaign the season after is a massive inconvenience that only hampers the league campaign (where the prize is more dreaded European games the following season) is hilarious to witness in sections of fan bases.

We're being conditioned to be satisfied not with trophies but with taking part in lucrative games from which no trophy is realistically attainable for all but a few clubs because that's where the money is. If Keane is alluding to this sort of madness then he's bang on, however I also understand I and many other fans certainly would not be satisfied with CL qualification and nothing else year on year so I don't see the fan base at large going wild at the thought of fourth.

 

[matherto]

He's bang right.

 

[Lay]

He's right. Give me trophies over top 4 finishes.

 

[Rory 7]

Keane is used to higher standards. However I still fully expect an over the top caf reaction to a harmless statement.

Nicely put. Nothing wrong with Keane's comments. The headline about him 'slamming' the club hardly helps. I cringe at the idea that top four is the best we can hope for of late. Simply not good enough for a club of United's size.

 

[acnumber9]

Keane is used to higher standards. However I still fully expect an over the top caf reaction to a harmless statement.

He's talking about something that hasn't actually happened. If it wasn't Roy Keane you'd have no desire in defending it.

 

[lem8sh]

He's talking about something that hasn't actually happened. If it wasn't Roy Keane you'd have no desire in defending it.

I'm defending nothing as there is nothing to defend.

 

[acnumber9]

I don't think anyone can argue with his quoted comments - that massive clubs like United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona shouldn't be happy with just a top 4 spot. Obviously it's the MEN, which is always sensationalist, and it's Keane, so the delivery is inevitably abrasive, but the point stands.

It's a slightly different situation for Real Madrid and Barcelona though. Their financial dominance is such that it's close to impossible for them not to qualify every year. That's not the case in England.

 

[acnumber9]

I'm defending nothing as there is nothing to defend.

Then what are you doing? He's talking shire about something that hasn't happened. If it weren't Roy Keane your post would not have been made.