5 People Who Weren’t Scared Of Roy Keane

 8 years, 7 months ago 4 Comments

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Manchester United legend Roy Keane is certainly one intimidating Irish specimen. The controversies in his career stand shoulder to shoulder with his phenomenal success, his opinions are vicious, his red card record is up there with the most mentally unhinged in football and I for one am glad he’s not my father-in-law. Imagine falling for a girl and when you go to meet her dad it’s Roy Keane with his soul-burning stare and feck off demure – where the f**k do you go from there?”

As Roy has gotten older, he doesn’t look ready to mellow any time soon and he’s just as terrifying as ever…

However the following men are so alpha that they can claim to have done what not many other have in the football community – the ability to not be intimidated/scared/shit your pants in the presence of the growling Rotweiller from Cork that is Roy Keane.

Jason McAteer

jason Mcateer Roy Keane

 

Less alpha, more of a scruffy Scouse caricature. McAteer had spoken fondly of Keane in the past, but Keano’s take-no-prisoners autobiography in 2002 ruffled as many feathers as possible and McAteer took some comments about himself to heart.

Manchester United played Sunderland at The Stadium of Light shortly after the book was published and McAteer went nose-to-nose with Keane and even wound him up every time they went for afters – simulating with his hands that Keane should bring up any discrepancies in his next vitriolic book of poison. Keane ended up breaking McAteer’s nose with his elbow. Standard.

Fergie

Not the bird from Black Eyed Peas, or the ginger princess, but of course the incomparable Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex basically got to that stage in life where a lot of men do in the UK, when they’re just going to say what the hell ever is on their mind and not give a shit what anyone thinks. Even if they are Roy Keane.

“We need fucking more from you,” is said to be what Keane screamed at Fergie during a team meeting, shortly before the Scotsman showed him the door, later on confirming that “The hardest part of Roy’s body is his tongue.” Oh meow.

Alan Shearer

It was two of the best players English football has ever witnessed almost coming to blows at the end of a pulsating game, which Newcastle won 4-3, when Alan Shearer and Roy Keane went head-to-head at St James’ Park in 2001 in an iconic Premier League moment.

Keane attempted to punch Shearer after words were exchanged, but ended up knocking the yellow card out of the ref’s hand which then turned into a red and Keane was given his marching orders. Keane went for the Newcastle legend but suspectly allowed himself to be outmuscled by the brutish strength of…David Beckham. Alan stood his ground in front of 52, 000 over-excitable Geordies and the rest is history for fans to argue about forever and ever.

Patrick Vieira

No question about this one. The Keane/Vieira rivalry was one of the best ever seen in English football and the massive Frenchman never looked perturbed by Keane’s presence – quite the contrary.

Check out this brilliant hour long documentary about the two, starring the legends years later talking about their epic battles. Keane finally met his match in Patrick, after all the 6′ 4″ midfield enforcer was also a psycho – picking up eight red cards during his successful Premiership career.

Brian Clough

Ol’ bighead was so not scared of Roy Keane, that he proved it by thumping him and making Roy Keane cry. Yes, Roy Keane has the ability to release tears like an actual human being. You could argue this was before the birth of the ‘real’ Roy, which adds weight to the theory that the bullied become the bully…

Did we miss anyone out who didn’t seem to shit their pants when face-to-face with Roy Keane? Disagree/agree with any of the above?

Related: Paul Merson Quotes – 11 Of The Funniest, Weirdest Mersonisms

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