Roy Keane and his tiresome rants

Last night’s meeting between Tottenham and Manchester United served up some good footballing entertainment. A reasonable intensity at various points, some flashes of individual brilliance and the odd gaffe courtesy of rusty post-lockdown touches.

But what was probably the most talked event of the match wasn’t one on the pitch. It was one from the socially distanced Sky Sports studio, as Roy Keane exploded with a particularly aggressive half time rant - most notably expressing his desire to swing a few right hooks at David De Gea.

It was another example of Keane’s overblown and dramatic bursts of anger that seem to have become so marketable.

Keane as himself is becoming increasingly hard to distinguish. In every public appearance he continues to devolve into a weird exaggeration of all his most angry parts.

Sitting in the studio at half time yesterday evening, it even looked like he had ruffled his hair a little just to heighten that deranged look. This particular episode was arguably the most extreme in what is starting to feel like an increasingly fake and more ridiculous display of showmanship.

He is an actor performing the most ridiculous caricature of himself. Spitting and boiling with rage. Sharpening his tongue, ready to hammer into players like they’re all Alf Inge Haaland.

Isn’t it just a bit boring now? The red faced rants, another withering put down, the steely glare as another pundit (Patrice Evra last night) dares to try and offer another point. The same routine again and again, except every time just a little more ludicrously exaggerated.

There’s never any real analysis or point of interest in what Keane is rambling on about. Yes, Harry Maguire was beaten too easily by Steven Bergwijn. And yes, De Gea’s attempt to save the Dutchman’s shot was poor.

But that’s all stuff that was obvious from watching it. Why did Maguire get sprinted past so comfortably? Should he have altered his body shape in order to block off the inside route for Bergwijn? Was De Gea’s stance a factor in why he struggled to make a save?

Pundits are there to provide analysis and insight. Keane is just a man being angry. He brings virtually nothing to the table.

And that begs the question, why is he so bitter and angry?

Keane has won the Premier League seven times. He has a Champions League medal and four FA Cups, as well as being featured in the PFA team of the year on five occasions.

Yet despite all his successes, whatever satisfaction they should presumably bring seem lost on a man who is in a permanent state of constantly trying to fight a battle.

Perhaps the few lows in his career - missing the 1999 Champions League final, being sent home from the 2002 World Cup and his acrimonious departure from United - eat at him more than would be expected, despite his successes.

Or perhaps he can’t help but rue the pesky League Cup - the one that got away.

Or maybe it’s just an act? The Sky Sports makeup artists hurriedly applying red blusher to his cheeks as the clock ticks past 40 minutes.

And that’s kind of the point - it’s hard to be sure how genuine these rants are. Is Keane really this angry and bitter, making him spit with anger over pretty much every footballing mishap that he comes across?

Or is he just playing up, a showman playing the exaggerated character of Roy Keane.

What we can be sure of, though, is that his ravings are rapidly becoming ever more repetitive and cringeworthy, while becoming ever less informative and interesting.