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Roy Keane slams weak players dominated by wives, girlfriends
Sunderland's manager Roy Keane ... if a player doesn't want to come to Sunderland because their wife wants to go shopping in London, then it is a sad state of affairs.
london (ap)
The WAGS - those big-spending, party-loving, shopaholic wives and girlfriends of English football players - have come in for a verbal blast from one of the game's most outspoken personalities.
Roy Keane, the former Manchester United and Ireland captain who is now manager of Sunderland, slammed the "weak" and "soft" players who refuse to play for clubs outside of London to satisfy their female partners' shopping habits.
"Greed will always be a part of the game. But this side of it, with the women running the show, concerns me and worries me," Keane said in remarks splashed across Wednesday's British newspapers. "What is your priority? Your wife and her shopping, money or your football?"
What she wants
Keane, the former tough-tackling and fiery leader of Manchester United's midfield, said he tried to sign players for Sunderland only to discover their wives or girlfriends insisted they only move to teams based in London.
"If someone doesn't want to come to Sunderland then all well and good," Keane said. "But if they don't want to come to Sunderland because their wife wants to go shopping in London, then it is a sad state of affairs.
"Unfortunately, that is what is influencing a lot of footballers decisions. Priorities have changed for footballers and they are being dictated to by their wives and girlfriends."
Keane, who once ripped corporate Manchester United fans as the "prawn sandwich brigade", said henpecked players had no future at his club.
"To me that player is weak because his wife runs his life," Keane said. "I could name three or four big players now and clearly their wives and girlfriends are running their lives, doing photo shoots, that kind of stuff.
"They say they're not comfortable doing it, well don't. Obviously it is their partners' doing and they are just being dragged along. These so-called stars are people we're supposed to look up to. Well, they're weak. They're soft."
Publicity
When England went to Germany for last year's World Cup, the WAGS got as much publicity as the players for their shopping sprees and partying in the up-market spa town of Baden Baden. Keane believes the same phenomenon is happening in domestic football, even though he has persuaded eight players to move to less fashionable Sunderland in northeast England.
"If a player wants to come here to play for Sunderland because we think we are a top football club, then fantastic," he said. "And we'd do our best for their families.
"But we have had a player this summer who didn't even ring us back because his wife wanted to move to London. He didn't even have the courtesy to pick up the phone to us. And shopping was mentioned. It might astonish many people but it's true.
"I think it's weak."
Keane is married with five children.
Sunderland's manager Roy Keane ... if a player doesn't want to come to Sunderland because their wife wants to go shopping in London, then it is a sad state of affairs.
london (ap)
The WAGS - those big-spending, party-loving, shopaholic wives and girlfriends of English football players - have come in for a verbal blast from one of the game's most outspoken personalities.
Roy Keane, the former Manchester United and Ireland captain who is now manager of Sunderland, slammed the "weak" and "soft" players who refuse to play for clubs outside of London to satisfy their female partners' shopping habits.
"Greed will always be a part of the game. But this side of it, with the women running the show, concerns me and worries me," Keane said in remarks splashed across Wednesday's British newspapers. "What is your priority? Your wife and her shopping, money or your football?"
What she wants
Keane, the former tough-tackling and fiery leader of Manchester United's midfield, said he tried to sign players for Sunderland only to discover their wives or girlfriends insisted they only move to teams based in London.
"If someone doesn't want to come to Sunderland then all well and good," Keane said. "But if they don't want to come to Sunderland because their wife wants to go shopping in London, then it is a sad state of affairs.
"Unfortunately, that is what is influencing a lot of footballers decisions. Priorities have changed for footballers and they are being dictated to by their wives and girlfriends."
Keane, who once ripped corporate Manchester United fans as the "prawn sandwich brigade", said henpecked players had no future at his club.
"To me that player is weak because his wife runs his life," Keane said. "I could name three or four big players now and clearly their wives and girlfriends are running their lives, doing photo shoots, that kind of stuff.
"They say they're not comfortable doing it, well don't. Obviously it is their partners' doing and they are just being dragged along. These so-called stars are people we're supposed to look up to. Well, they're weak. They're soft."
Publicity
When England went to Germany for last year's World Cup, the WAGS got as much publicity as the players for their shopping sprees and partying in the up-market spa town of Baden Baden. Keane believes the same phenomenon is happening in domestic football, even though he has persuaded eight players to move to less fashionable Sunderland in northeast England.
"If a player wants to come here to play for Sunderland because we think we are a top football club, then fantastic," he said. "And we'd do our best for their families.
"But we have had a player this summer who didn't even ring us back because his wife wanted to move to London. He didn't even have the courtesy to pick up the phone to us. And shopping was mentioned. It might astonish many people but it's true.
"I think it's weak."
Keane is married with five children.