’After Manchester United have lost, Roy Keane will usually
be one of the few players to talk to journalists, who
appreciate his honesty and reluctance to hide behind
cliches. But not this time.
‘The Irishman was last out of the away dressing room at the
Dragao stadium, a structure that resembles a cross between
the Reebok at Bolton and the City of Manchester Stadium but
which proved a far more intimidating venue than either.
Keane did not stop and the fact he had been shown the 11th
red card of his career meant few expected him to.
‘There is a pattern to Keane's dismissals. The straight red
cards have tended to come in the final throes of games in
which Manchester United have played poorly. There were a few
minutes remaining when he ran into the Porto keeper, Vitor
Baia, and seconds were left when he elbowed Jason McAteer at
Sunderland and when he threw a punch at Alan Shearer. Two of
those matches were lost, one dismally drawn. His first
straight red, for stamping on Gareth Southgate in the 1995
FA Cup semi-final, was an exception; it was 10 minutes into
the second half and United beat Crystal Palace comfortably.
‘After the McAteer incident Keane disappeared for months to
undergo a hip operation, and after throwing the ball and the
punch at Shearer in the final moments of a 4-3 defeat at St
James' Park, he told his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, he
would be quitting football. Ferguson talked him round and
Keane agreed it would be a "slap in the face" to leave when
United were struggling. Two and a half years on they are
struggling once more.’