Every week, we invite you to read the thoughts of Roy Keane on the latest footballing issues of the day. The former Manchester United midfielder is the very definition of someone shooting from the hip, talking in very much the same style as the way he used to play the beautiful game.
So what have we got this week? Maybe an attack on player agents and the fact that they are leeches on the arm of football? Perhaps he’s upset by the way that certain footballers don’t want to come to the north-east as they’re frightened it’s a bit cold in winter? The Daily Mirror instead reveal that the Irishman is fed up with his own squad players not wanting a bit of loan action when they can pick up their pay packet at the club instead.
Keane said: “I’m talking about players who are different animals to when I was a player. They’ve had opportunities to go to clubs, particularly on loan, and were reluctant to do it.
“Footballers are changing these days. Some don’t love the game as much as they should do. If you love football you want to play.
“It doesn’t annoy me but it’s a sad reflection on the people themselves. One or two have had opportunities in the last few weeks to go to very good clubs, at a very good level, just to get games. There’s no hidden agenda. They said no.
“Footballers are a strange breed these days, trust me. I thought I was strange.
“In an ideal world you have to reduce the size of the squad, the wage bill. I have a chief executive, a chairman, owners of the club who constantly ask that. We can’t keep bringing players in on top of the ones we already have at the club.
“Some professionals have no intention of moving anywhere. There’s one or two of those at every club. They are going nowhere unless Real Madrid came in for them.”
Roy has a point, with his words echoing the frustration of Tony Pulis at Stoke, who has bemoaned the fact that players would rather miss out on first-team football and play for the stiffs instead. Who could deny themselves the chance to walk out and play in front of tens of thousands of fans at the weekend?