Roy Keane's United all-time XI

[TheReligion]

Schmeichel

Neville
Stam
Ferdinand
Irwin

Ronaldo
Scholes
Keane
Giggs

Cantona
Rooney

Subs;

De Gea
Evra
Vidic
Beckham
van Nistelrooy

 

[Gazautd18]

He picked Ron Atkinson for manager

Yeah that was funny
He changes his best 11 on any given day.
I wouldn't take it to serious.

 

[Attila]

Did you not think when they all burst out laughing immediately after that it might not have been 100% serious?

Yes it was an obvious joke. Do I need to put a disclaimer it was a joke for the slower people

 

[Reditus]

Schmeichel

Neville
Stam
Ferdinand
Irwin

Ronaldo
Scholes
Keane
Giggs

Cantona
Rooney

Subs;

De Gea
Evra
Vidic
Beckham
van Nistelrooy

Id have VDS as sub keeper. Apart from that I’d be thinking exactly the same

 

[The Corinthian]

Yes it was an obvious joke. Do I need to put a disclaimer it was a joke for the slower people

Maybe for people who didn’t watch it and think he was being serious after reading your post that is devoid of the actual context.

 

[Attila]

Maybe for people who didn’t watch it and think he was being serious after reading your post that is devoid of the actual context.

He didn't even play under Ron Atkinson Who the hell could think he was being serious

 

[TheReligion]

If have VDS as sub keeper. Apart from that I’d be thinking exactly the same

Great minds

 

[Frank Grimes]

Yes it was an obvious joke. Do I need to put a disclaimer it was a joke for the slower people

Not everyone watched the programme so the way you stated it could be misleading.

 

[Gazza]

 

[Baneofthegame]

Schmeichel

Neville
Stam
Ferdinand
Irwin

Ronaldo
Scholes
Keane
Giggs

Cantona
Rooney

Subs;

De Gea
Evra
Vidic
Beckham
van Nistelrooy

This would be my team.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Nothing controversial, cracking team that.

 

[Lentwood]

His reason for including 'Pally' was that he was a 'good lad' and 'showed him the nightlife when he moved from Forest'.

I'm not sure how many of these Sky can churn out, sure they have had Roy Keane picking a 'United XI' about 6 times in the last few seasons.

 

[Banana Republic]

If you watched the programme, you would have seen the final shortlists and heard Roy saying he didn’t like picking names like this.
He said it was so hard to make choices and clearly from what he said in discussing each player and picking the final places, he would have liked to put more players in his final 11 than was possible.

He wasn’t discrediting players like Scholes, Cantona, Rio or RVN etc., and some of his choices reflected the impact those players had on him personally, particularly when he joined Utd, as a young up and coming player, from Notts Forest.

Roy freely admits he’d probably choose different players on another day.
The truth is, as most of us know, the all time top Utd team from the Premier League era, consists of about 20 to 25 players, which doesn’t fit the 11 player remit.

Oh, and the Ron Atkinson quip was clearly a joke.

 

[crossy1686]

What's his beef with rio?

There's no beef. I'm not sure why the OP didn't give the full context of this.

He said he hated doing this because he had to leave people out who he played with. He said Rio was the CB he would have in next and he regretted leaving him out but he basically picked a team that he went out on the lash with, were good craic, and cared more about football than brands or image etc.

He also said it pained him to leave Scholes and Butt out of the midfield, and Eric and Ruud out of the forward line.

There was only really Irwin and Robbo he was 100% on.

He said about Pally:

"He took me out on the lash when I arrived from Forest and helped me settle in at United. He always looked tired as a player but he's a good lad. We also had a fight at 4am in Magaluf. Pally was good craic. Yeah I'll pick him"

 

[RedRonaldo]

Why did he leave himself out though?

 

[Devil may care]

I only caught the back end of this, not a hugely controversial team, the lack of Scholes and Cantona are the biggest eyebrow raisers and not enough mentions of Carrick in here in terms of making this a balanced team.

 

[Gazautd18]

Main news on Sky today.
Obviously slow news day...

 

[Gio]

It's a good listen.

Actually, I wouldn't disagree that Robson/Ince is a more natural partnership in the middle in a - let's say - functional XI (as opposed to just an all-time type of thing).

Then again, can you say that functionality is what he's gone for?

Ronaldo up front is ridiculous based on his United career: it would have to mean Keano rates his performances this season over the other alternatives.

I think - rarely for these sorts of things - he's developed a very functional team. I reckon that's what pushes him to put Ronaldo as a forward, rather than as a midfielder. Peak United Ronaldo was far more of a free-roaming forward than a two-way midfielder.

Why did he leave himself out though?

One less ex-teammate to piss off I'd say.

 

[Pass and Move]

The depressing thing is there's not an all-time United 11 you'd have put money on to beat the 2011 Barca team. Could have thrown in Maradona and we'd still not have touched them

 

[Oranges038]

Scholes is the obvious absentee but not a bad team. Swap Ince (who was great player btw) for Keane/Scholes and it's an even better one.

I'd like to hear more about Pallister as i was probably a bit too young to appreciate him. I remember his double against Liverpool in 97 and him being a good passer but was he better than Rio? His PFA team of the year inclusions are very impressive, also won a player of the year award.

He was also great when it came to his tackle .

 

[Fortitude]

There's no beef. I'm not sure why the OP didn't give the full context of this.

He said he hated doing this because he had to leave people out who he played with. He said Rio was the CB he would have in next and he regretted leaving him out but he basically picked a team that he went out on the lash with, were good craic, and cared more about football than brands or image etc.

He also said it pained him to leave Scholes and Butt out of the midfield, and Eric and Ruud out of the forward line.

There was only really Irwin and Robbo he was 100% on.

He said about Pally:

"He took me out on the lash when I arrived from Forest and helped me settle in at United. He always looked tired as a player but he's a good lad. We also had a fight at 4am in Magaluf. Pally was good craic. Yeah I'll pick him"

Would love to see a Keane team he's ever picked Rio in... he dug him out publicly in vagaries stating he was one of those who thought just getting to United was good enough... he may well of changed tack on him, but it isn't a new thing, and whilst not beef per se, Rio is not one Keane has fancied as a player.

 

[Pexbo]

Sky Sports producers swapped Scholes out for Ince. Convince me otherwise.

 

[christinaa]

Don't like Neville in that team too.

 

[crossy1686]

Don't like Neville in that team too.

The other options were Paul Parker, Wes Brown, John O'Shea or Dalot/Wan-Bissaka. Keane immediately said "Irwin could play RB as well you know?" when he was given the list.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

I never understood his love for ince, he was good for us at first obviously but it all kinda got into his head.

Ronnie instead of rudd is pretty sensible?
No surprise in there at all.

Ince and Robson were in the same mould as Keano.

 

[crossy1686]

Just watch this is you have any questions about Keane's 'beef' with people:

 

[arnie_ni]

Don't like Neville in that team too.

Why not? Parker was before my time so can't fight his case but no one else comes close to nev since.

 

[Red the Bear]

Ince and Robson were in the same mould as Keano.

Robson is obviously world class but with ince? I don't know he was obviously great but that great?

He talks a lot about character and how he liked hanging out with him so maybe that's what tipped it in his favor.

 

[Luffy]

For me Pallister is my favorite CB. He won the 1992 PFA Player of the year and was the only United defender apart from Irwin to score from a free kick in the league. He also was one of the rallying leaders in the team when Cantona was banned in 1995. He scored a goal in the FA Cup semi final against Palace.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Robson is obviously world class but with ince? I don't know he was obviously great but that great?

He talks a lot about character and how he liked hanging out with him so maybe that's what tipped it in his favor.

I mean in style and yes character. Not levels. He's picked the players that were most like him.

 

[Carl]

Pallister

 

[VivaJesperBlomqvist]

Denis Irwin Denis Irwin: left foot right foot, never injured, could play right back or left back, get you a goal, free kicks, when you’re talking about the modern fullback, he was world class, he would be world class today, never injured, 7/10 guaranteed every week

 

[VivaJesperBlomqvist]

He was also great when it came to his tackle .

I’m in stitches here

 

[Red the Bear]

He was also great when it came to his tackle .

This should be put up in a museum

I love how she take a little glance of it afterwards as well.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

I think - rarely for these sorts of things - he's developed a very functional team. I reckon that's what pushes him to put Ronaldo as a forward, rather than as a midfielder. Peak United Ronaldo was far more of a free-roaming forward than a two-way midfielder.

That's true - but the way this is lined up, it looks off: as though Ronaldo is a designated striker/CF (like he tends to be these days), with Rooney in a (designated) deeper role.

If you go for a customized 4-4-2 with a pair of free roaming forwards (Rooney and Ronaldo), that would be different (and actually a pretty interesting set-up).

ETA I have no idea what he said about this, to be frank - just saw the line-up. Perhaps he elaborated on how he imagined it would work.

 

[The Corinthian]

The depressing thing is there's not an all-time United 11 you'd have put money on to beat the 2011 Barca team. Could have thrown in Maradona and we'd still not have touched them

Nonsense.

 

[Gio]

That's true - but the way this is lined up, it looks off: as though Ronaldo is a designated striker/CF (like he tends to be these days), with Rooney in a (designated) deeper role.

If you go for a customized 4-4-2 with a pair of free roaming forwards (Rooney and Ronaldo), that would be different (and actually a pretty interesting set-up).

ETA I have no idea what he said about this, to be frank - just saw the line-up. Perhaps he elaborated on how he imagined it would work.

I think the line-up is Fortitude's interpretation of how it would work. On the screen it was a straightforward 4-4-2 with Ronaldo and Rooney on the same line.

 

[Thaumaste]

The depressing thing is there's not an all-time United 11 you'd have put money on to beat the 2011 Barca team. Could have thrown in Maradona and we'd still not have touched them

This is both absurd and pointlessly negative in a thread where all the discussion is and should be about great Manchester United players.

Anyway, put a midfield 3 of peak Keane, Scholes and Robson behind Rooney, RVN, and Ronaldo, and in front of Schmeichel, Rio, Stam, Evra, Irwin (as RB), and I defy anyone to say we wouldn't have given them a great game on any day. That Barca team was sensational, but they weren't invincible, and it's madness to elevate teams to untouchable status like that. Especially so when it's completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

 

[GDaly95]

Opposition fans who get off on the Gerrard, Lampard & Scholes debate will be looking at Scholes' absence from Roy's side with glee.

 

[arnie_ni]

He was also great when it came to his tackle .

It might just be the angle then about 5 glances down