End of an Era

Filed in archive Players on November 18, 2005

Source:Sky Sports
We must have had a vibe yesterday in discussing the Ballack issue relating to Roy Keane's eventual departure from Man Utd. As of a few hours ago, Keane is now an ex-Red Devil, having stamped his authority, and often his opinion, on the team for over a decade. His immediate departure was announced by the club, allowing him to move to another team either as players (celtic?) or manager (Ireland), so say the media.

While no one would doubt Alex Ferguson's statement this morning that Keane was the most influential player of his era in England in terms of sheer ability and stamina, he has in recent years become a second center of power in the side for which he plays - intolerable now that the game is becoming more corporate. I can't see him going to Ireland after what he put the FAI through in 2002 walking off from the World Cup training camp, but perhaps they truly backed him in the background. After all, look at where it left Mick McCarthy?

Now the race for Ballack or another midfield general really begins.