KeaneSpeak: A year in quotes

May 7, 2000 - United send fans a letter blaming a hike in season ticket prices on Keane's wage rise: "I'm not one for holding…

May 7, 2000 - United send fans a letter blaming a hike in season ticket prices on Keane's wage rise: "I'm not one for holding grudges but this was a stupid mistake, a bad public relations exercise. I'm still waiting for my apology but I could be waiting for a long time." May 19, 2000 - Keane bemoans United's withdrawal from the FA Cup: "Come this Saturday afternoon, it will hit home when the FA Cup final actually starts.

"It's the same as not qualifying for Euro 2000 with Ireland. With the build-up happening, you think it would have been nice to have been given the opportunity to defend the Cup." May 20, 2000 - On other teams' success:

"It makes me feel physically sick to see other teams parading the trophies. It was horrible to see Arsenal lift the double a couple of years back and seeing Chelsea with the FA Cup this year." August 4, 2000 - On his future: "I have said I wouldn't mind finishing my career at Celtic but as long as United want me, I am happy." November 9, 2000 - Keane's infamous attack on sections of the Old Trafford crowd:

"Away from home our fans are fantastic, I'd call them the hardcore fans.

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"But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch.

"Some of the people who come to Old Trafford can't spell football, never mind understand it." March 26, 2001 - Keane fumes at the FAI: "If there was anything to make me say `I am going to spend the week with my wife and kids at home' that would be it. Where we trained in Clonshaugh was abysmal and it has been for as long as I've known it.

"I was critical of the seating arrangements for the flight over here when the officials were at the front and the players behind." April 11, 2001 - After United lose the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at home to Bayern Munich: "If we do go out to Munich, heads will roll. There's no doubt about that, no doubt at all.

"When I say heads will roll, I mean players' futures, mine included. Hopefully we'll remember that when we're standing in Munich's stadium.

"There have been other players at United who had big reputations and they were sold nonetheless, so we should all be worried." April 12, 2001 - On the difference between the current United crop and the `great teams': "We need to keep up with the Madrids of this world as they seem to be improving all the time.

"You've really got to do well in Europe if you want to be regarded as one of the so-called great teams and we are nowhere near being called a great team yet." April 18, 2001 - After Bayern finish the job and United bow out: "We are just not good enough. Maybe it's time to move on. Maybe it's the end of the road for this team. It's no good winning the Premier League, we need to step up a level in Europe." April 19, 2001 - Why Keane thinks United are not a `great team':

"We're just an average team in a lot of areas, but it's up to the manager and the rest of the staff to look at that.

April 27, 2001 - Some words of warning for Keane's team-mates: "I have seen United players getting complacent, thinking they've done it all and getting carried away by success. You can see it in training; some just go through the motions.

"If you go to any office, not everyone is going to like each other. It is the same at United. Not everyone is pals. I've had clashes with others, so I'm not one to talk. Anyway, I don't think I've ever given any of them my phone number."