The Unravelling: How Roy Keane’s Feud with Sir Alex Ferguson Ended an Era at Manchester United
When Roy Keane suddenly left United in November 2005, it came as a big surprise; One of our best, and most successful, players ever leaving mid-season wasn’t expected.
Escalating tensions and disagreements between Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson led to the rift which ended an era at the club. Here’s the story:
Initial Frictions
Keane’s outspoken nature often led to small disagreements with Sir Alex Ferguson, but Ferguson viewed Keane’s influence and control over the dressing room as an asset overall.
However, the relationship started to fracture during the pre-season tour of the 2005-06 season. Keane argued with assistant manager Carlos Queiroz, and Sir Alex, over the quality of the set-up at the resort.
The Turning Point
United were without a Premier League title in 2 seasons, and the start of the 2005-2006 season marked the beginning of the end for Keane at United.
United’s performances were inconsistent, and they were lingering between third and sixth during the opening couple of months.
There was frustration within the squad, and the turning point for Keane came after a 4-1 defeat away to Middlesbrough, which he watched from the sidelines.
He took no prisoners in the aftermath, and was openly critical of some of his teammates.
During an explosive interview with MUTV, Keane tore into Rio Ferdinand, saying: “It is poor defending. Just because you are paid £120,000 a week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham you think you are a superstar”.
He also criticised the likes of Kieran Richardson, Darren Fletcher, Edwin Van Der Sar, and Alan Smith during the interview.
The Fallout
Ferguson was furious with Keane’s interview, and stopped the club from releasing the footage.
He viewed the outburst as a direct challenge to his authority, and believed that the criticism should have been kept in the dressing room.
Ferguson decided to call a meeting in his office with all the players, including Keane, to show the interview and confront the Irishman.
Tensions boiled over, and with Keane unwilling to back down, a fiery confrontation followed between him and the manager.
Sir Alex quickly decided that Keane’s position at the club had become untenable.
His influence over the dressing room, which was previously an asset, now seemed a potential threat to Ferguson’s control, and his contract was mutually terminated soon after.
Ferguson previously said: “He criticised his team-mates. We could not release that video. It ended up with two young players being booed in Paris [against Lille] on the Wednesday.”
“The meeting in the room was horrendous. I just could not lose my control in that situation. If I had let it pass I think the players would have viewed me differently.”
Post-Departure
The 34-year-old Keane moved to Celtic shortly after leaving United, where he played briefly before retiring from professional football in 2006.
Keane left United as one of our most decorated players of all time, with 17 trophies, including 7x Premier League titles, 4x FA Cups, and a Champions League.
His departure marked the end of an era for Manchester United, closing a chapter on one of the club’s most successful periods.
Sir Alex had to rebuild, and started putting together the 2008 Champions League winning side.