Robbie Keane has come home

[sharky_marky]

I'm becoming really concerned that our interest in Keane is for real and I really haven't felt this fear about one of our transfer targets before. Going for Keane has absolutely no logic at all and I really don't subscribe to this theory that 'he's a good player, and we can never have too many of those'. Sorry, but this is utter rubbish when he wouldn't fit into the current team, and in particular with our new little striker..... We've had enough square pegs over the years and we really don't need another, very expensive, one.

Yes, he was a very good player for us during his time here, but we sold his best strike partner last summer and sometimes you just have to move on.

 

[steve]

let him rot. honest to god, i'd prefer jason roberts, who could play with either of pav or defoe and thus would be far more useful than keane who could only play with pav. keane may be more talented, but right now, to spurs, he would be far less useful.

Jason 'couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo' Roberts? I'll have some of what you're smoking.

And Keane and Defoe can play together, we just have to keep the ball on the deck a bit more like we did at Highbury in the 1 - 1 game a few years back. Fine by me.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Jason 'couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo' Roberts? I'll have some of what you're smoking.

And Keane and Defoe can play together, we just have to keep the ball on the deck a bit more like we did at Highbury in the 1 - 1 game a few years back. Fine by me.

I never expected it to be a well received idea, but I stick to my guns.

 

[The Original Yiddster]

let him rot. honest to god, i'd prefer jason roberts, who could play with either of pav or defoe and thus would be far more useful than keane who could only play with pav. keane may be more talented, but right now, to spurs, he would be far less useful.

yep says it all for me:roll:

 

[donny1013]

rather average than class

"Chose to leave", you sound like children. He followed a dream, so what? I loved they guy and hated when he left but i'd definitely have no problem seeing him in our colours again.

But you can feel safe because it won't happen.

well now his dream is a nightmare. And steed is not average, and a lot of people on here agree with that. Top of the assist chart this season and works his bollocks off. But yeah let's spunk more money on a player that we don't really need. I loved keano, berba, carrick but they decided to go and people should move on

 

[BringBack_leGin]

yep says it all for me:roll:

i'm open to criticism and happy to receive it for my suggestion that we would be better off bringing in low scoring never quite done it jason roberts instead of supposedly world class spurs legend robbie keane, but i've outlined my reasons and even if they are deemed not good enough, i challenge anybody to say that they are not valid.

 

[sharky_marky]

I never expected it to be a well received idea, but I stick to my guns.

I'm backing you up on this one BBlG. I totally agree that we need a big physical striker to complement Defoe, and Keane really isn't that. While Jason Roberts doesn't have the elegance of a Santa Cruz, his effectiveness is underrated by many. Instead of shelling out £16m on Bent we really could have a got a cheaper (and probably better) alternative in Roberts for £2m.

 

[mil1lion]

People are so short sighted. They actually think every player that plays for Spurs should naturally fall in love with the club and never leave. Sure, it ok for Spurs to get rid of players. Its ok for our fans to boo our own player for a small incident that happened 2 years ago. Its ok for Spurs fans to chant the name of a striker who plays for someone else, while a striker who actually plays us is scoring a hat-trick. But its not ok for a player to leave for the 2nd biggest club in England.

Keane was here for 6 years, and how anyone can complain about him leaving, especially when there have been so many players come and go in that time, is quiete sad really. Oh Keane left us, he's a disgrace. Get over it. Spurs aren't the greatest club on earth you know. Keane was a great servant for us and in those 6 years he won 1 trophey (not including the pre-season ones.) Not even the biggest trophey, but the Carling Cup. We had plenty of time to qualify for the Champions League, but we failed. Keane left for a club that always qualify for the Champions League and i dont blame him.

And thats before mentioning the fact that Keane was subbed on a number of occassions last season.

In fact, the more i think about it, the more pathetic these Keane haters are.

 

[Tonio]

i really dont get the animosity towards keane , i for one would take him back in a nano second! SO WHAT if he jumped ship on us? anyone who had the opportunity he had would have done the same thing. . .and before you all react, think about it in reality for a sec...the man had an offer of more money/champs league footy/and boyhood club football!!. if the club hadnt taken such a nosedive after the player left us then im sure there wouldnt be the witchhunt there is over keano.
bring him back at the right price and listen to the cheers at WHL compared to the boos!

 

[Tonio]

People are so short sighted. They actually think every player that plays for Spurs should naturally fall in love with the club and never leave. Sure, it ok for Spurs to get rid of players. Its ok for our fans to boo our own player for a small incident that happened 2 years ago. Its ok for Spurs fans to chant the name of a striker who plays for someone else, while a striker who actually plays us is scoring a hat-trick. But its not ok for a player to leave for the 2nd biggest club in England.

Keane was here for 6 years, and how anyone can complain about him leaving, especially when there have been so many players come and go in that time, is quiete sad really. Oh Keane left us, he's a disgrace. Get over it. Spurs aren't the greatest club on earth you know. Keane was a great servant for us and in those 6 years he won 1 trophey (not including the pre-season ones.) Not even the biggest trophey, but the Carling Cup. We had plenty of time to qualify for the Champions League, but we failed. Keane left for a club that always qualify for the Champions League and i dont blame him.

And thats before mentioning the fact that Keane was subbed on a number of occassions last season.

In fact, the more i think about it, the more pathetic these Keane haters are.

TOP POST MATE.....SPOT ON!:bowdown:

 

[Rackybear]

TOP POST MATE.....SPOT ON!:bowdown:

Ditto. Good post mate.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

People are so short sighted. They actually think every player that plays for Spurs should naturally fall in love with the club and never leave. Sure, it ok for Spurs to get rid of players. Its ok for our fans to boo our own player for a small incident that happened 2 years ago. Its ok for Spurs fans to chant the name of a striker who plays for someone else, while a striker who actually plays us is scoring a hat-trick. But its not ok for a player to leave for the 2nd biggest club in England.

Keane was here for 6 years, and how anyone can complain about him leaving, especially when there have been so many players come and go in that time, is quiete sad really. Oh Keane left us, he's a disgrace. Get over it. Spurs aren't the greatest club on earth you know. Keane was a great servant for us and in those 6 years he won 1 trophey (not including the pre-season ones.) Not even the biggest trophey, but the Carling Cup. We had plenty of time to qualify for the Champions League, but we failed. Keane left for a club that always qualify for the Champions League and i dont blame him.

And thats before mentioning the fact that Keane was subbed on a number of occassions last season.

In fact, the more i think about it, the more pathetic these Keane haters are.

While I am no Keane hater, I certainly do not think he would be right for us. Perhaps if Defoe had not returned, but as I keep insisting, i would far prefer a target man who could play with either one of Pav and Defoe.

That said, I am sorry to say that I disagree with the sentiment of your post in it's entirity.

First things first... the fans do not expect the players to be loyal to them, they expect the players to be loyal to the club, because the fans are loyal to the club. For instance, the fans loved Ginola. Yes, he was brilliant, but he was loyal to Spurs, just like the fans. Hoddle, Perryman, loyal to Spurs. The fan's love the players who are loyal to Spurs, they don't care about loyal to themselves. At least that is how I view it.

As for the Ghaly booers, they are wankers, I've made my feelings on that one very clear. The singing Defoe's name while Bent scored a hatrick, childish perhaps but Bent is a big enough boy with a big enough pay cheque not to concern himself with such things, I assure you that.

While my reason for not wanting Keane is purely based on football and not the whole "he betrayed us" thing, the fact of the matter is that if a player is idolised by the fan's, and he says things like "I will spend the rest of my career here and only leave when the club don't want me anymore", the fan's are likely to be pretty hurt when that player leaves. Ok, he's not Judas Campbell, but he is a player who, make no mistake about him, was a failed journeyman till we signed him, who made a lot of money out of us, who had a lot of fans hopes pinned on him (especially in light of the Berbatov situation), and as soon as a better club came sniffing and we told them to F off, he threw his toys out of the pram and disrupted our training camp etc etc.

He deserves only contempt from Spurs, because that is how he treated us.

As for your assertion that Spurs are not the greatest club on earth, in the eyes of Spurs fans, they are. They are the club they love and would support above no other, and any slight against that club is taken personally. Support isn't about objectivity, it is about unconditional love, which is something Keane had and tossed aside without a second thought.

So, while I do not do the whole booing thing, and I do not base my reasons for rejecting the Keane return on the hurt of a jilted lover (I never liked him much anyway and was delighted to get 20m), to call those who do feel that hurt 'pathetic' is the most pathetic thing I see in this thread.

 

[ParkySpur]

I've always been a fan of Keane. He can make things happen, and his leadership qualities shouldnt be underestimated. I dont have any bad feelings towards him. So he left, eh? If he wants to come back I would welcome him. But does he fit? i actually think that he COULD play with Defoe. Yes, its yet to be proved, but it doesnt mean it cant. Like Dan alluded to previously Beardsley and Lineker worked and I would put there types in the same bracket. It just takes the right manager.

My problem is that there are early signs that Pav and Defoe could be an excellent partnership. Looking at Defoes goal against Stoke, Pav knew exactly where Defoe was going to run and knew just where he would like the ball played to get the best strike away. That understanding mixed with Modric pulling strings just behind could be dynamite. the problem is that I cant see Keane as back up. I know Pav needs a rest, but would any three of them be happy to be bench warm? I they are, then bring him in. If not, then therre must be other more suitable options.

 

[Bonjour]

Do you think the robbing of his house within the first month of arriving endeared Liverpool to him? :think:

 

[mil1lion]

While I am no Keane hater, I certainly do not think he would be right for us. Perhaps if Defoe had not returned, but as I keep insisting, i would far prefer a target man who could play with either one of Pav and Defoe.

That said, I am sorry to say that I disagree with the sentiment of your post in it's entirity.

First things first... the fans do not expect the players to be loyal to them, they expect the players to be loyal to the club, because the fans are loyal to the club. For instance, the fans loved Ginola. Yes, he was brilliant, but he was loyal to Spurs, just like the fans. Hoddle, Perryman, loyal to Spurs. The fan's love the players who are loyal to Spurs, they don't care about loyal to themselves. At least that is how I view it.

As for the Ghaly booers, they are wankers, I've made my feelings on that one very clear. The singing Defoe's name while Bent scored a hatrick, childish perhaps but Bent is a big enough boy with a big enough pay cheque not to concern himself with such things, I assure you that.

While my reason for not wanting Keane is purely based on football and not the whole "he betrayed us" thing, the fact of the matter is that if a player is idolised by the fan's, and he says things like "I will spend the rest of my career here and only leave when the club don't want me anymore", the fan's are likely to be pretty hurt when that player leaves. Ok, he's not Judas Campbell, but he is a player who, make no mistake about him, was a failed journeyman till we signed him, who made a lot of money out of us, who had a lot of fans hopes pinned on him (especially in light of the Berbatov situation), and as soon as a better club came sniffing and we told them to F off, he threw his toys out of the pram and disrupted our training camp etc etc.

He deserves only contempt from Spurs, because that is how he treated us.

As for your assertion that Spurs are not the greatest club on earth, in the eyes of Spurs fans, they are. They are the club they love and would support above no other, and any slight against that club is taken personally. Support isn't about objectivity, it is about unconditional love, which is something Keane had and tossed aside without a second thought.

So, while I do not do the whole booing thing, and I do not base my reasons for rejecting the Keane return on the hurt of a jilted lover (I never liked him much anyway and was delighted to get 20m), to call those who do feel that hurt 'pathetic' is the most pathetic thing I see in this thread.

But Keane was loyal to Spurs. What, just because he left for a bigger and more successful club, all that loyalty was lost? He spent 6 years at the club. He always gave 100% when he played for us. He showed more passion and commitment than most of our players over the years. He stepped up as captain while our injured captain could only manage a handful of games. He stayed at the club through several managers. Several systems and formations. He never complained when played out of position. And was so passionate about playing for us, whenever he was subbed, he got very upset about it.

Yes, he did say he could see himself playing out his days at Spurs. He didn't say he would see out his days at Spurs. It wasn't a promise, but an expectation. He is a modest player. He never expected Liverpool to come in for him. The top clubs in England were never linked with moves for Keane. It was always teams like Everton and Villa. Keane turned down those teams because they are in a similar position to us. So in his mind he was playing at the highest level possible. And if you think that most, if not all, of our current players wouldn't jump at the chance to join one of the biggest and best clubs in Europe then you're kidding yourself. So what makes Keane different?

As for the rumours about how he behaved in pre-season, well we dont know the facts. But if Keane did throw a fit about moving then so what? If Keane is told he cant make a move to a dream club then how is he supposed to respond? Its not like he's 21 and has plenty more years to move. He's in his late 20s and he has 1 Carling Cup to his name. He'd just finished a season in 11th place for god sake. I could understand the problem if we were competing with Liverpool in the League, but we're not. So now he has his move and he finds himself in a title race, in the Champions League and not looking over his shoulder at the bottom 3. He should fight for what he wants. We should all fight for what we want in life.

As for team selection goes i understand your concern. But i always look at it like this. We should always, and i mean always, be looking to buy the best players possible. And i know you've said the same yourself about trying to sign world class players, even if its unlikely we'll sign them. Well Keane might not be quiete in the world class bracket, but i have no doubt that he's better than any attacking player we have. We should always look to improve the squad or first team wherever possible. Keane would improve the squad and the first team.

And you never know, we could make Defoe and Keane work. We have different players now, and players who are capable of passing the ball. Compare the passing of Zokora and Jenas vs Palacios and Modric for example. Add to that the addition of David Bentley. Even in defence we have players who can pass from the back. Ekotto is good at it, and he was mostly injured before this season. Corluka is very good at it. and even Woodgate, who arrived when Defoe was leaving, is very good at passing from the back. Its a different looking Spurs team now, and there is a good chance we could make it work. And with Palacios and Zokora in the team, we could even play 4-3-3 at times.

And back to loyalty for moment. How loyal are our players now? I'm talking about a number of players who do still play for this club. Who dont give 100% and dont show half the passion or commitment of Robbie Keane. The number of players who are dragging this team closer to the relegation zone. The number of players who almost put us through the most embarrasing cup exit against a Championship side. Are those guys loyal? Do those guys love our club? I'm afraid there are a number of players who dont.

 

[SpurSince57]

'As long as I'm happy and feel wanted.'

Perhaps he no longer felt either.

 

[mil1lion]

Well it was interesting timing between our persuit of Arshavin and the sale of Keane. And subbing a player on numerous occassions isn't the best way to show how important they are. Maybe Ramos wanted a 4-2-3-1 formation and Arshavin was better suited to it than Keane :shrug:

 

[ParkySpur]

Mil1lion, I agree we should always bring quality to the club. But its important that it is the right quality. Humour me with my food analogy: A duck breast tastes wonderful with a nice plum and red wine jus. But would it takes so good with a strawberry and port reduction? All are quality ingredients but some match better together than others.

You are right, Keane and Defoe could work well together. It just hasnt been tried properly enough times. Exactly the same way the strawberry sauce could be good with the duck, I just have experimented in the right way just yet!

 

[BringBack_leGin]

But Keane was loyal to Spurs. What, just because he left for a bigger and more successful club, all that loyalty was lost? He spent 6 years at the club. He always gave 100% when he played for us. He showed more passion and commitment than most of our players over the years. He stepped up as captain while our injured captain could only manage a handful of games. He stayed at the club through several managers. Several systems and formations. He never complained when played out of position. And was so passionate about playing for us, whenever he was subbed, he got very upset about it.



And back to loyalty for moment. How loyal are our players now? I'm talking about a number of players who do still play for this club. Who dont give 100% and dont show half the passion or commitment of Robbie Keane. The number of players who are dragging this team closer to the relegation zone. The number of players who almost put us through the most embarrasing cup exit against a Championship side. Are those guys loyal? Do those guys love our club? I'm afraid there are a number of players who dont.

In reference to the first paragraph, yes all the loyalty was lost. In this time with us, Ginola, a far better player than keane with far fewer years left in his career, at a time when Spurs were far worse than they were last summer, accepted it and merely continued to play beautifully and love us after we turned down a bid for him from Manchester Utd, a far better team than Liverpool, and that was after 1 year with us.

That is loyalty.

Keane was loyal while it suited him, i.e while there was no better offer. And, by the way, I didn't see him dismissing it too heavily when his contract was soon to run out and he was strongly linked to Everton, at a time when Defoe was ahead of him in the pecking order. In fact, he didn't even resign, to keep him we invoked our option of a further two years. Yes, loyal indeed.

Loyalty? Hoddle met Ron Atkinson just off the M25 and told him in no uncertain terms that he was staying with Spurs. Lennon signed a 5 year deal a week after we rebuffed a Chelsea approach when Chelsea were far and away the best team in England. Barry was told that he was staying with Villa despite wanting to leave, and he responded by accepting it and playing better than ever.

Keane was about as loyal to us as Mick Jagger was to women... in love while it suited him, and onto the next piece of tail when he got tempted. Difference being, Mick Jagger really is one of the best at what he does.

 

[mil1lion]

Mil1lion, I agree we should always bring quality to the club. But its important that it is the right quality. Humour me with my food analogy: A duck breast tastes wonderful with a nice plum and red wine jus. But would it takes so good with a strawberry and port reduction? All are quality ingredients but some match better together than others.

You are right, Keane and Defoe could work well together. It just hasnt been tried properly enough times. Exactly the same way the strawberry sauce could be good with the duck, I just have experimented in the right way just yet!

Well i'm definitely not going to be eating at your house anytime soon

I understand that we need the right players. The right players also come in form of character aswell as position. Keane is a leader. He is a support striker to Defoe being more of an out and out striker. And he links up play and makes us tick. He's exactly the type of player we've been lacking this season. When the chips are down, you need players like Keane to drive you on. Keane is no more of a disadvantage in terms of compatibility with Defoe, as Campbell and Bent.