They’re definitely not mates anymore.
As many of us know, it wasn’t too long ago when Eamon Dunphy was staunchly defending Roy Keane to the nation during the Saipan saga.
It also helped that Dunphy was ghostwriting Keane’s first autobiography at the time, but this segment on RTE still makes for riveting viewing.
Clip va – Piaras Kelly
Fast forward 16 years and the mood has definitely changed because the RTE pundit has launched an incredible verbal attack on the former Manchester United and Celtic midfielder.
Of course, Keane’s insights and cutting remarks have arguably made him the most interesting pundit on TV – his comeback to the English ‘It’s Coming Home brigade was vintage – but during an interview on RTE 2fm show Game On, Dunphy slated Keane on a number of issues.
Here’s what Dunphy had to say on…
Keane’s tenure as Martin O’Neill’s assistant with Ireland.
“Ireland are not playing the same game as every other nation, small and large. We’re playing Stone Age stuff, it’s an embarrassment. I don’t know how Roy Keane can actually go on television and open his mouth as someone has only got to say “you’re assistant manager or assistant coach with the team in the world that plays the worst football”.
Keane’s punditry work with ITV at the World Cup.
“He (Keane) has become a caricature. I watched the ITV coverage last night, because he was on it, of the Colombia Poland game and in terms of insight he offered nothing. At half time is where the analysts do their job, this is why something’s working or this is why it isn’t working, there’s no analysis, there’s just smart arse remarks and “ripping Carlos Queiroz’s head off or some such thing, having a go at the English, there’s no intelligent analysis. I don’t think he knows much about the game. Not all the great players were good judges of the game, they didn’t know what was going on and a lot of the great coaches for example Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson, we’re not great players, they were just journeymen.”
Keane’s perceived lack of football intelligence and knowledge for the punditry gig.
“When you watch him (Keane), I just watched as an exercise to see what he’d offer and what he offered was nothing. Absolutely nothing. And if you look at Didi Haman, Liam Brady, John Giles, all these people who have worked here, and if you look at Gary Neville on Sky, the knowledge is there, you can see it, you’re wiser after you watch them about what’s going on. With Keane you get nothing except you know the kind of, I should have ripped Carlos head off. So he has become a joke in my opinion and the biggest joke of course is that the team he has got influence with can’t play at all. Nothing happens at training involving Keane except he puts the cones out and gives press conferences.”
At this point, it’s worth noting that during the last World Cup, Dunphy absolutely slated the contribution of a player named “Lorenzo” to Argentina’s World Cup campaign. Who? Yeah, you’re right. He doesn’t exist.
Keane’s reply- if he gives one – should be very interesting.
