Author Topic: Roy Keane Interview (Read 149 times)

Woozie · « **on:** May 22, 2005, 03:13:15 PM »

What's the best game you've played in?

Hopefully it will be this year's FA Cup Final! Hopefully I'll reach 500 games for United next season, I've played 60 or 70 times for Ireland and made 150 appearances for Forest.

I've just been very lucky to do that so I don't want to pick out a single game.

Do you still get nervous before matches?

No. If you've done your preparations and looked after yourself all week there's no need to be nervous.

I think players tend to get anxious if they've not really done things properly - like eating, resting or training. If you're fully prepared you've got nothing to worry about - it's just a game of football.

How do you prepare mentally and physically before each game?

As you get a bit older that does change slightly. I try and have a relaxed attitude and stay quite switched off until about an hour before kick-off.

If you've worked hard during the week and done your homework on the opposition there's no need to worry too much on the day. You just want to get on with it.

You're at a club where you've won everything. What motivates you to carry on with the same passion you showed when you joined the club?

Whatever team you are with or whatever player you are, what you've achieved in the past is history.

If you have a good season then great - time to move on. If you've had a bad season, learn from it and do better the following season.

As a midfielder and captain what is the last thing you tell your team mates before kick-off?

I don't speak too much before the start of the game. By then we'll have done our work and be fully prepared.

The manager and coaching staff will have their jobs and everything will be right - there isn't much more for me to say.

Where do you get your hunger, desire and will to win?

Any player who wants to play for Manchester United, or do well in their career, has that in abundance - certainly the players I've played with have it in them.

Who have been your influences and what was Eric Cantona like to play with?

Cantona was an outstanding player, as were all the players in the 1992/93 team that I came into. He was a good team-mate to have and he worked hard for the team.

I've had influences from many people including the coaches and players I've worked with. Obviously two of the most important have been Sir Alex Ferguson and my manager at Nottingham Forest, Brian Clough.

What sort of influences have Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson had on your career?

Brian Clough bought me over from Ireland, gave me my debut after only a few weeks at the club and looked after me well away from football. With top managers like Clough and Ferguson, the advice and the way they train is very simple.

People might think there's some magic science to it, but there isn't - they just keep it nice and simple.

Brian Clough's advice to me before most games was: 'you get it, you pass it to another player in a red shirt'. That's really all I've tried to do at Forest and United - pass and move - and I've made a career out of it.

Who is the best opponent you have ever played against and why?

Zinedine Zidane. Technically he's an outstanding player and also very strong. He scores great goals and sets them up too. He's my toughest opponent, without a doubt.

You've been the most influential midfielder in Premiership history. Who's been the most difficult opponent and who did you learn the most from when you started at Forest?

There have been so many. When I first started out at Forest we had the likes of Stuart Pearce, Des Walker and Nigel Clough.

When I joined United, players like Bryan Robson and Paul Ince were fantastic too, but there have been so many that I think it's unfair to single out just one.

Nowadays the game seems to be a lot quicker and stronger, with the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard at the fore.

After recovering from your injuries do you have a routine to help you focus? Do you have to do what the doctors tell you?

I definitely listen to what the doctors, surgeons and physios tell me because they're the experts.

We all think we know what's best when we're young, but as I've got older I definitely take on board what they tell me. Whatever they say, I do - it's as simple as that.

What would you say to a kid who would love to play for a Premiership team one day. Any advice?

Train very hard, listen to your coaches and believe you can make it.

I didn't come to England until I was 18 and a lot of people felt I may have missed the boat, but I always believed that if I got a chance I would take it.

Hopefully kids will look at me and see that your dreams can come true.