Roy Keane blames Sir Alex for Manchester United's depth; Fair or hot air?
By Nicholas MendolaFeb 12, 2014, 8:30 AM EST
The soccer feels ready to pounce on David Moyes at any point, a perfect storm of Manchester United critics feeling their time has arrived and Sir Alex Ferguson supporters finding new ways to laud the former Red Devils mastermind ("Look what he did with nothing!").
Nevermind that the club Moyes took over is lacking in depth, and that the manager's been largely without two of the better players in the world in Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.
Rarely shy in any way, leave it to Roy Keane to point out that Fergie may have played a role in this "mess" of Manchester, with the Red Devils in seventh place ahead of today's tilt with Arsenal.
Keane told itv.com:
"I think Man United need five or six players. If it happens in the summer then instead of being fearful of it, embrace it – it's exciting.
"They've kind of cut corners in terms of transfers in the last few years, they've not gone out and got the big players, and it's just caught up with them this year."
"On form at this moment in time you have to say the Champions League is a long way off for Manchester United. Would I fancy them for it? Probably not. But they're still a threat, they're still there and, with their big players like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie back up to speed with their fitness, United will be a dangerous team if they can get their act together over the next month or two."
Look, we know Keano and Fergie don't get along. I said we know it. But isn't there an Occam's Razor ("Among competing theories, the one with the least amount of assumptions should be selected) quality to what Keane says?
Manchester United is lacking depth in star quality, and their best players have been hurt. The only way to overcome injuries to superstars is by having strong support in place to back them up. Manchester City loses Sergio Aguero… there's Edin Dzeko. Cristiano Ronaldo returns for Real Madrid and their supporters wonder who could possibly come out of the lineup for the reigning Ballon d'Or winner.
Again, Keane can be a bag of hot air and Sir Alex is an all-timer in terms of football minds, but why the constant "Moyes out" references while Ferguson looms like a blameless specter in the crowd? He's a director, after all, and you'd believe one with more influence than any other. Are Keane's comments fair, or rubbish?