The Ballad of Robbie Keane

By: Rob | February 2nd, 2009

Remember when you were a kid, and you always dreamed of playing for that one club. The biggest, the best, the team you loved whatever, but there was always a side you dreamed of moving to. You imagined yourself scoring in cup finals, in the last minute, with a diving header.

Well for alot of kids of a certain generation, there was only one team worth playing for – Liverpool. The dominent side in the 70s and 80s, both in England and in Europe, alot of kids dreamed of scoring in front of the kop and becoming a Liverpool hero.

Robbie Keane, growing up in Ireland, was of course, one of those kids. Gotta feel sorry for him then that his dream move to his dream club has ended so soon, after he became little more than a pawn in the battle to be in control at Liverpool football club.

if the hearsay is to be believed, signing Robbie Keane was Rick Parry’s idea, and Rafa Benitez had eyes for no-one but Gareth Barry, who Hicks and Parry refused to stump up £18m for. Benitez seems to have been so annoyed at this, that Keane became a bit player, played out of position, dropped, not given a run in the team, slagged off by his manager in the press – basically having his confidence stripped from him. Last season he was one of the best strikers in the Prem. This season, he’s been out of the side, unable to get any confidence or form.

Its eerily similar to what happened at Chelsea for Andriy Shevchenko. The best striker in Europe while he was at AC Milan, joined the blues for £30m as he was good friends with Chelsea owner Red Roman, while Jose Mourinho sulked. Shevchenko never got a fair crack of the whip at Chelsea either, and by the time Avram Grant stepped in to replace Mourinho, Sheva had lost all confidence. He’s struggling now he’s returned back to Milan too.

So Keane shouldn’t expect it easy when he arrives back at White Hart Lane. But while his confidence is probably a little shot, he probably got out soon enough to get it back. He will be gutted if Liverpool take the title this season though.

Just another random thought – Juande Ramos struggled at Spurs this season, primarilly because he strike force was shipped up north. Had Liverpool not been so crazy, would Ramos had been able to use Keane’s goals to cling onto his job? Guess we’ll never know.