Every Word Of Roy Keane's Banned MUTV Rant That Led To Him Leaving Manchester United
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It remains one of the most infamous moments in the club's history.
On 29 October 2005, Manchester United were well beaten by Middlesbrough at the Riverside, losing 4-1 in a dreadful showing from Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
After the full-time whistle, MUTV went straight to an injured Roy Keane to get his thoughts on the game.
Keane, of course, pulled no punches in the "Roy Keane Plays The Pundit" section of the show, slating a number of players including Rio Ferdinand, who was at fault for the second goal after being dispossessed by Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink.
"I have seen that happen to Rio before," the Irishman said. "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."
#OnThisDay in 2005, Manchester United lost 4-1 to Middlesbrough. Comments made by Roy Keane on MUTV about the game led to his dismissal from the club.
— Sky Sports Retro (@SkySportsRetro) October 29, 2020
This is what he had to say about the incident in 2014: pic.twitter.com/cuWESNiD7v
A livid Keane also criticised several other Manchester United players, including Darren Fletcher and Alan Smith, during a quite remarkable rant and as a result, he was fined £5,000 as the club sought to destroy all copies of the tape, according to The Mirror.
The former United captain would never play for the club again. So what did he say that day? Was it really that bad?
Here's that entire rant in full:
Edwin van der Sar: "He should have saved that (a 30-yard goal from Gaizka Mendieta). That was saveable."
John O'Shea: "He's just strolling around when he should have been busting a gut to get back."
Darren Fletcher: "I can't understand why people in Scotland rave about Darren Fletcher."
Kieran Richardson: "He is a lazy defender who deserved to get punished. He wasn't doing his job."
Alan Smith: "What is he doing there? He is wandering around as if he is lost. He doesn't know what he is doing."
Youth players involved in the game: "When they [the young players] sign the contracts, they think they have made it. They owe it to the manager, the staff and the fans. They think they have made it. They haven't."
Experienced players involved in the game: "The younger players have been let down by some of the more experienced ones - they are not leading. There is a shortage of characters."
"It seems to be in this club you have to play badly to be rewarded. Maybe that is what I should do when I come back - play badly."
The result: "I wasn't surprised by the result, I had been expecting one like this. The players have been asked questions and they are just not coming up with the answers.
"I am sick of having to say it and they are sick of listening to me. They have let down the club, the manager, and the fans."
In the past, Keane has said he "will not forgive" Ferguson for his involvement in the final days of his Old Trafford career.
Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, has openly criticised Keane for his involvement in the MUTV incident.
"He criticised his team-mates," said Ferguson in his autobiography. "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.
"Throughout my career I have been strong enough to deal with issues like that.
"Roy absolutely overstepped the line. There was nothing else we could do."
Featured Image Credit: MUTV/Alamy
Topics: Roy Keane, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson, Middlesbrough
