The Celtic players are “soft”, and Roy Keane would need to bring in players with similar mindsets to his own.
That’s according to Frank McAvennie, who is seemingly everywhere at the moment. A contributor to Open Goal, and always ready with a quote or two, the likeable ex-Celtic man is unafraid to give his opinion.
His latest take is that if Roy Keane got the Celtic job, the current crop of players would be too “soft” to handle him. Because, as we all know, the best managers get results out of their players by shouting at them, berating them and demeaning them.
It’s part of a bizarre, quasi-generational debate about the characteristics of modern footballers. Celtic need an old-school shouter like Roy Keane to improve our fortunes. Because, clearly, today’s players are too obsessed with social media, are overpaid and don’t like being criticised, apparently.
McAvennie told Football Insider:
“If Roy Keane comes into Celtic, he will bring in the kind of player who can deal with his approach.
“The Celtic players at the moment, they can’t handle that, they’re soft. Your manager should be able to criticise you if you do something wrong.
“Your gaffer should be shouting things like ‘what are you doing?’ and if they can’t handle that they go and cry to their mum.
“Sometimes Keane’s temper can get the better of him but what’s he supposed to do if one of his players has a terrible first half? It’s part of football.”
Tiring slights on Celtic players are based on little to no evidence
So, in this situation, Roy Keane is Celtic manager, and he’s shouting at a player for not being good enough. Are we honestly imagining that Neil Lennon didn’t do that constantly this season?
Should the Celtic board give carte blanche to an out-of-work manager to berate players until they want to leave the club? Or, more realistically, do we need a tactically astute manager who doesn’t always have to have a tantrum to get players motivated?
It’s more of this nonsensical, “old school” stuff that just doesn’t wash these days. Yes, plenty of footballers need a kick up the backside when they’re not playing well. Still, are we genuinely arguing for a manager whose players celebrated once he left the club [Telegraph]?
Maybe things are changed from McAvennie’s days, but it’s more abstract “back in my day” stuff that doesn’t have any application to real life. Neil Lennon, a noted man-manager, couldn’t get the best out of his players this season, and he’s hardly known to be the quiet type.
Indulging this narrative about player softness is redundant. It doesn’t mean anything. If it’s based on footballers doing adverts and having agents, etc, that’s something that’s decades old. There is still next to nothing to suggest Roy Keane would be a capable Celtic manager. That hasn’t changed, because he’s moody on Sky Sports, or whatever the justification is for this take.
Our discourse, and our club, deserves better than this.
READ MORE: It’s to unleash Anthony Ralston. Again.
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