2017/18 Michael Keane

[eurosrees]

http://www.football365.com/news/f365s-early-loser-michael-keane-the-confused-student

This is about right, he's a young kid being destroyed by one crap manager after another.

 

[Papa Shango]

http://www.football365.com/news/f365s-early-loser-michael-keane-the-confused-student

This is about right, he's a young kid being destroyed by one crap manager after another.

He would get destroyed less if he wasn't such a massive fanny.

 

[Lanolin]

http://www.football365.com/news/f365s-early-loser-michael-keane-the-confused-student

This is about right, he's a young kid being destroyed by one crap manager after another.

He's 25! This is his 6th season of regular senior football, he's no kid.

 

[Nymzee]

Going out on a limb here, but could it be that people are willing to praise good performances but don't like bad ones? I know it's out there mate but I reckon it might be what's happening.

Sure, but it isn't praising good and complaining about bad is it?

It's praising good performances and selling the worst defender in history after a bad performance.

 

[Nymzee]

He's 25! This is his 6th season of regular senior football, he's no kid.

*4th

 

[Big Fat Sam]

Plays football like his legs are stuck inside buckets of cement.

 

[Lanolin]

Sure, but it isn't praising good and complaining about bad is it?

It's praising good performances and selling the worst defender in history after a bad performance.

Well clearly he's not the worst defender in history, but it's a lot more than one bad performance. I reckon he's had about three or four good games all season, and i'm being serious there. Surely you can't be surprised that football fans are complaining about a £25m defender who has been so bad that he's getting hooked after 45 minutes while you leave on a loanee and an aging journeyman - who himself has been a byword for shambolic defending for the last 18 months - as the defence he's anchoring completely crumbles for the 7th or 8th time this season?

 

[BernieH]

Mentally weak, Barkley got pelters for it, it's something you have either got or you haven't, if you haven't you will never reach the top of your game.

 

[Lanolin]

*4th

No, 6th like I said. If you're going to try to correct people it might be worth taking a cursory glance at whether they need correcting. I don't. He played 27 games for Leicester in 2012-13, and has played regularly in every season since.

 

[kenada_blue]

He would get destroyed less if he wasn't such a massive fanny.

Bahahah yes.

 

[Nymzee]

Well clearly he's not the worst defender in history, but it's a lot more than one bad performance. I reckon he's had about three or four good games all season, and i'm being serious there. Surely you can't be surprised that football fans are complaining about a £25m defender who has been so bad that he's getting hooked after 45 minutes while you leave on a loanee and an aging journeyman - who himself has been a byword for shambolic defending for the last 18 months - as the defence he's anchoring completely crumbles for the 7th or 8th time this season?

It's just a strange bipolar we seem to have for players. I agree he's not been outstanding but I can't think of any defender that could be when we change things as often. It's the most important place on the pitch in terms of consistent selection as well as consistent performances.

 

[BlueToff]

He had a brilliant game against Leicester, in a back four with Jagielka next to him.

On Saturday, in a back three, he was abysmal.

He can't play in a back three if he's on the right side of the defence. That's clear. If we play a back three then Holgate has to be in there as we've only got him who can fill that role.

Ultimately Keane shouldn't be in the side, but Williams should be punted far quicker.

 

[Deulofeumygod]

our only defender who dribbles with the ball and tries to play forwards. Surrounded by dross and under an awful manager for building confidence.

 

[Lanolin]

It's just a strange bipolar we seem to have for players. I agree he's not been outstanding but I can't think of any defender that could be when we change things as often. It's the most important place on the pitch in terms of consistent selection as well as consistent performances.

I agree to a point, but you've got to at least do the basics and he hasn't.

I've made the point before that the chopping and changing might mean you occasionally look a fool because you thought your partner was going to do something that they don't do, or you don't trust your full back so you go haring out to do something you'd never normally do, that's fine. What chopping and changing doesn't do though, is make you lose the ability to mark your man, or mean that your legs go to jelly every time a player runs at you, or prevent you from having the bravery to put your body in where it hurts, or from passing the ball to your team mates. Keane has struggled with each and every one of those things this season though. I thought he'd be a good signing, and for the first few months of the season I was saying the same thing - that he'd come good and be fine in the right unit - but the more I've seen of him, the less I believe that to be the case. I'm not totally writing him off, but I honestly think he's got a long way to go to even suggest that he's a decent squad player nevermind that we should be relying on him as a mainstay for the next 5 years.

You're right about the bipolar thing, but the issue is actually the praise not the criticism. The truth is, on Wednesday he was only about a 7/10, maybe an 8 at a push, but because it was the best he'd played for ages we all came out and said how well he'd done and it was great that he was finally getting there. 3 days later he's back to the 4 or 5 out of 10 that we're used to and people will obviously comment on that.

 

[Nymzee]

I agree to a point, but you've got to at least do the basics and he hasn't.

I've made the point before that the chopping and changing might mean you occasionally look a fool because you thought your partner was going to do something that they don't do, or you don't trust your full back so you go haring out to do something you'd never normally do, that's fine. What chopping and changing doesn't do though, is make you lose the ability to mark your man, or mean that your legs go to jelly every time a player runs at you, or prevent you from having the bravery to put your body in where it hurts, or from passing the ball to your team mates. Keane has struggled with each and every one of those things this season though. I thought he'd be a good signing, and for the first few months of the season I was saying the same thing - that he'd come good and be fine in the right unit - but the more I've seen of him, the less I believe that to be the case. I'm not totally writing him off, but I honestly think he's got a long way to go to even suggest that he's a decent squad player nevermind that we should be relying on him as a mainstay for the next 5 years.

You're right about the bipolar thing, but the issue is actually the praise not the criticism. The truth is, on Wednesday he was only about a 7/10, maybe an 8 at a push, but because it was the best he'd played for ages we all came out and said how well he'd done and it was great that he was finally getting there. 3 days later he's back to the 4 or 5 out of 10 that we're used to and people will obviously comment on that.

I think it was always going to be tough mind because of the profile of player he was. He looked brilliant last season in a settled back 4 (never 3 from memory) but Burnley always defend uniquely in how deep they stay. He was maybe never the right profile of defender to go for in the first place with the fans wanting us to play out from the back.