Roy Keane

At 53 years old, Roy Keane has this physical status:

Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, boss, and former professional footballer.

He is the joint-most profitable Irish footballer of all time, winning 19 major championships, 17 of which were at Manchester United, 17 of which came at Manchester United in his club career.

From 2013 to 2018, he was assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team.

In 2004, Keane was named as one of the world's best midfielders of his time by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's top living players.

Keane played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United before he ended his career at Celtic in 2007.

Keane was a dominating box-to-box midfielder best known for his vivacious and highly competitive style of play, which enabled him to play as captain of Manchester United from 1997 to 2005.

During his 12 years at the club, Keane helped the club achieve a string of victories.

He then signed for Celtic, where he won a domestic double before retiring as a player in 2006. Keane served for the Republic of Ireland on international level for the first 14 years, the bulk of which he served as captain.

He appeared in every Republic of Ireland game at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

After a controversies with national coach Mick McCarthy over the team's training facilities, he was suspended from the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Keane was appointed manager of Sunderland shortly after his retirement as a player and took the club from 23rd place in the Football League Championship to win the division title and promotion to the Premier League in late August.

He resigned in December 2008 and spent time as the manager of Ipswich Town in Championship mode from April 2009 to January 2011.

By manager Martin O'Neill, he was named assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team in November 2013.

Keane has also worked as a studio analyst for ITV's football coverage.

Early life

Roy Maurice Keane was born in Cork's Ballinderry Park suburb of 1971. Maurice's father used to work where he could find; among other things, he worked at a local knitwear store and at Murphy's Irish Stout brewery. His family was keen on sports, particularly football, and several of his relatives had played for junior Cork clubs, including Rockmount. Keane began boxing at the age of nine and competed for many years, winning all of his four championships in the novice league. He was developing as a much more versatile footballer at Rockmount in his first season, and his potential was highlighted when he was named "Player of the Year" in his first season. Many of his teammates were given trials with English football teams, but Keane was not. As a youth, he adored Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur, quoting Liam Brady and Glenn Hoddle as his favorite players, but Manchester United's Bryan Robson later became the footballer he adored.

Source

Club career

Following a hearing in Dublin, Keane was dismissed from the Ireland schoolboys squad; one explanation from former Ireland coach and scout Ronan Scally was that the 14-year-old Keane was "just too small" to make it perform at the required standard. Undeterred, he started applying for trials with English clubs, but each one refused him. As his youth years came, he took up part-time manual jobs while waiting for a breakthrough in his football prospects. After being persuaded by Ramblers' youth team boss Eddie O'Rourke's resignation in 1989, he signed for the semi-professional Irish club Cobh Ramblers. Keane was one of two Ramblers representatives in Dublin's inaugural FAI/FAS program, and it was through this initiative that he got his first taste of full-time training. His rapid development as a promising footballer was shown by the fact that he would regularly miss out for Ramblers' youth team as well as the first team's, as a result, often competing twice in the same weekend.

Keane's performance in an FAI Youth Cup match against Belvedere attracted the attention of Nottingham Forest scout Noel McCabe, who asked him to come over to England for a hearing. Keith Wilson was impressed by Forest manager Brian Clough, and later, a Cobh Ramblers contract worth £47,000 was reached in the summer of 1990.

Keane's first time back from his family was difficult, and he would often ask the club for a few days' home leave to return to Cork. When considering his requests, Keane expressed gratitude to Clough because it had aided him in navigating his early days at the club. During a pre-season tournament in the Netherlands, Keane's first games at Forest came as part of the Under-21s team. He scored the winning penalty in a shootout to determine the tournament, and he was playing regularly for the reserve team in the final against Haarlem. Clough's first appearance in professional league came against Liverpool in the 1990-1991 season, and the resulting success encouraged him to use him more often as the season progressed.

Keane scored his first professional goal against Sheffield United in 1991, and by 1991, he was a regular starter in the team, defeating England international Steve Hodge. Keane scored three goals in a run to the 1991 FA Cup Final, but Forest eventually lost to Tottenham Hotspur. He made a costly mistake against Crystal Palace in the third round, giving the opposition a victory and encouraging them to watch the match. Clough punched Keane in the chest after the game, dragging him to the ground. Despite this incident, Keane had no bad feelings against his boss, later saying that he sympathized with Clough due to the pressures of leadership and that he was too grateful to him for giving him his chance in English football. Keane returned to Wembley for the Football League Cup final a year ago, but Manchester United lost by 1–0 as Manchester United's defeat ended on the losing side.

Keane was starting to attract interest from the top clubs in the Premier League, and in 1992, Blackburn Rovers boss Kenny Dalglish visited Keane about the possibility of a transfer to the Lancashire club at the end of the season. Keane negotiated a new deal with a relegation exception clause for Forest, which was previously unenforceable and likely to be relegated. The lengthy talks had been much discussed in public, not least by Brian Clough, who characterized Keane as a "greedy baby" due to the Irishman's high wages. "Keane is the best hope in football right now," Clough said, "but this club is not going to bankrupt this club." Despite the lengthy contract talks, Forest fans voted him the team's Player of the Season. Despite his best attempts, Keane was unable to save Forest from relegation, and the term in his deal was not activated. Keane's fee was agreed on by Blackburn, who then agreed to a new player.

However, a mistake that prevented the transfer: Dalglish's move to the club: after the agreement had been reached, the club learned that they did not have the correct paperwork required to complete the transfer. This was on Friday afternoon, and the office had been closed for the weekend. With a verbal deal in place, they decided to meet on Monday morning to complete the transfer officially. Alex Ferguson, Manchester United's manager, contacted Keane and asked if he'd prefer to join them rather than Blackburn. Ferguson made sure they had the paperwork on hand and that they had arranged a meeting with Keane on Saturday and signed him for Manchester United for £3.75 million, a British transfer record at the time.

Despite the then-record transfer fee, Keane would not be drafted directly into the first team. Paul Ince and Bryan Robson had a fruitful partnership in the middle of midfield, winning Manchester United's first league title since 1967. Robson, 36 years old and in the final stages of his playing career, was ruled out of action for the most part of the 1992–93 season and the 1993–94 season. As a result, Keane had an extended stay in the team, scoring twice on his home debut against Sheffield United and grabbing the grand prize in the Manchester derby three months later when United overturned a 2–0 deficit to beat Manchester City 3–2.

Keane had quickly established himself as a first-choice pick and by the time of the season, he had won his first trophy as a professional, as United retained their Premier League crown. Keane ended his Wembley losing streak by assisting United in a 4–0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final, securing the club's first-ever "double."

United's following season was less fruitful, with Blackburn Rovers defeated to the league crown and Everton defeated 11-0 in the FA Cup final. After stamping on Gareth Southgate, Keane received his first red card as a Manchester United player in a 2–0 FA Cup semi-final replay win over Crystal Palace, he was banned for three matches and fined £5,000. This was the first of 11 red cards Keane would accumulate in his career, as well as one of the first signs of his indiscipline on the track.

United's summer of 1995 brought a change, with Ince leaving Internazionale, Mark Hughes moving to Chelsea, and Andrei Kanchelskis being sold to Everton. David Beckham, Nicky Butt, and Paul Scholes were among the new players to join the squad, which left Keane as the most experienced player in midfield. Despite a slow start to the 1995–96 season, United Pegged back title rivals Newcastle United, who had built a commanding 12-point championship lead by Christmas, had a landslided Newcastle United, who had a landslided Newcastle United, gaining their second Premier League crown by Christmas. Keane's second double in three years was confirmed after a 1–0 victory over Liverpool to win the FA Cup for the second time.

Keane was in and out of the side due to a series of knee injuries and frequent suspensions this season. In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund, he picked up a costly yellow card, effectively ruled out of the return leg at Old Trafford. United lost both legs 1–0, but the team was compensated for winning another league title a few days later.

After Eric Cantona's unexpected departure, Keane took over as club captain for the 1997–98 season, but he missed most of the 1999–98 season due to a horrific ligament injury sustained by an attempt to face Leeds United player Alfie Haaland in the ninth Premier League game of the season. Haaland stood over Keane, accusing the injured United captain of trying to hurt him and also of feigning injury to escape punishment, an allegation that may result in a notorious match between the two players four years later.

Keane did not return to competitive football in this season and could only watch from the sidelines as United squandered an 11-point lead over Arsenal and then miss out on the Premier League title. Many pundits cited Keane's absence as a key factor in the team's loss of the league trophy.

Keane returned to captain the team the following season and led them to a treble of the FA Premier League, FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. He led his team back from two goals down to win 3–2 in an amazing display against Juventus in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, winning the first United goal. His appearance in this game has been described as his best hour as a footballer. After a trip on Zinedine Zidane that had previously barred him from the final, Keane, however, received a yellow card. United defeated Bayern Munich 2–1 in the final, but Keane had mixed emotions about his victory due to his suspension. "Of course I was putting a brave face on it, this was just about the worst experience I'd had in football," Keane said before the game. Keane sustained an ankle injury during the 1999 FA Cup Final, four days before the Champions League Final, which barred him from participating in the following season. United defeated Palmeiras in Tokyo later this year, Keane's only goal in the final of the Intercontinental Cup was scored.

Keane and Manchester United's labour talks lasted into the following season, with Keane turning down a new £2 million-per-year bid amid rumors of a transfer to Italy. His aspirations were finally fulfilled midway through the 2000-2000 season, committing him to United until 2004. When club officials announced an increase in season ticket prices as a result of his new deal, Keane was furious and demanded an apology from the club. Days after the signing of a deal, Keane celebrated by scoring the winning goal against Valencia in the Champions League, but United's Champions League campaign was interrupted by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, due in part to a missed Keane own goal in the second leg. After leading United to their sixth Premier League title in eight years, he was named PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year at the end of the year.

After the Champions League victory over Dynamo Kyiv at Old Trafford in November 2000, Keane caused controversies in November 2000, where he attacked portions of United supporters. "Away from home, our supporters are fantastic, but I'd call them the hardcore fans," he complained about the lack of vocal assistance shown by some fans. However, they do have a few drinks and perhaps the prawn sandwiches at home, but they don't know what's going on on the pitch. I'm not sure any of the people who visit Old Trafford can spell "football," but I have no idea what it is." Keane's words sparked a discussion in England about the changing atmosphere in football grounds, and the expression "prawn sandwich brigade" has become part of English football jargon, referring to people who attend football games or claim to be supporters of football because it is trend rather than out of any genuine interest in the sport.

In the 2001 Manchester derby, Keane made news again, when five minutes before the final whistle, he was dismissed for a knee-high foul on Alfie Haaland, which was seen by some as an act of revenge. He received a three-match suspension and a £5,000 fine from The Football Association (FA), but a new fine was likely to follow following Keane's autobiography, in which he said he meant to hurt" Haaland. Keane's account of the incident was as follows: "The event was described as follows:

The FA charged the tackle with a pre-determined assault, throwing the game into disrepute. In the ensuing probe, he was banned for a further five matches and fined £150,000. Despite widespread outrage, he later revealed that he had no regrets about the incident: "My attitude was, fuck him." What comes around comes back. He got his just rewards. "My attitude is an eye for an eye," he said, and he'll probably do the same thing again.

Haaland never played a full game after. However, Haaland did complete the match and played 68 minutes in the following game. In addition, he played a friendly for Norway in both matches. In fact, it was a long-standing injury to his left knee rather than his right, which ended his career.

For the first time in four years, United lost the 2001–02 season trophyless. They were kicked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough in the fourth round and finished third in the Premier League, their lowest final position since 1991. However, progress was made in Europe, as United reached the Champions League's semi-finals, their first move since 1999's triumphant campaign. Despite Keane's 3–2 lead, they were eventually knocked out on away goals after a 3–3 aggregate draw with Bayer Leverkusen.

Following United's loss, Keane blamed United's form on several of his teammates' obsession with wealth, saying they had "forgot about the game, lost the hunger that brought you the Rolex, the cars, the mansion." Keane had publicly argued against the dissolution of the treble-winning team earlier this season because he felt the teammates who had participated in United's twinning 1999 Champions League final no longer had the energy to work as hard.

Keane was fined £150,000 by Sir Alex Ferguson and banned for three matches for elbowing Sunderland's Jason McAteer, who was suspended for three matches, which was compounded by an additional five-match suspension for her tense remarks regarding Haaland. Keane used the break to have an operation on his hip, which had caused him to take painkillers for a year before. Despite early concerns that the injury was career-threatening and with forecasts of a future hip replacement from his surgeon, he was back in the United team by December.

Keane reflected on the underlying causes of his frequent injuries and suspensions during his period of repose after the surgery. He found that the root of his difficulties were his irresponsible challenges and outbursts that had progressively harmed his career. As a result, he became more focused on the field and tried to avoid the conflicts and confrontations with other players. Some observers felt that the "new" Keane had become less influential in midfield as a result of the change in his style of play, perhaps due to reduced mobility after his hip surgery. On his return, Keane displayed the same tenacity of old, winning the team's second league title in May 2003.

Keane and Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira fought fiercely over the 2000s. The most notable incident between the two teams took place in 2005 at a time of extreme blood loss between United and Arsenal. In the previous match between the two teams, Vieira was seen confronting United defender Gary Neville in the tunnel ahead of the game over his fouling of José Antonio Reyes, prompting Keane to verbally confront the Arsenal captain.

"Tell him [Vieira] to shut his fucking mouth," Keane told match referee Graham Poll on Sky Sports, "Tell him [Vieira] to shut his fucking mouth." Following the game, in which United Kingdom defeated 42-02, Keane blasted Vieira's decision to play for France rather than Senegal, his country of birth. Vieira, on the other hand, said later that Keane was not in a position to comment on such subjects because he had walked out on his national team in the FIFA World Cup finals. Referee Poll later revealed that he should have suspended both players before the game had started, but that he was under pressure not to do so.

Keane earned nine major awards, making him the club's most successful captain in history. In a league match against Birmingham City on February 5, 2005, Keane scored his 50th goal for Manchester United. He played in the 2005 FA Cup final, which United lost in a penalty shoot-out to Arsenal, in his seventh game at the time, a record in English football.

Keane has also set the most red cards received in English football, having been banned a total of 13 times in his career. In 2004, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame for his contribution to the English game and became the only Irish player to be chosen into the FIFA 100, a list of the top living footballers chosen by Pelé.

Keane unexpectedly departed Manchester United by mutual consent on November 18, 2005, following a lengthy absence from the club due to an injury suffered in his last competitive game for the club, despite a strong challenge from Luis Garca against Liverpool. His departure brought the climax of rising tensions between Keane and the club's pre-season training camp in Portugal, when he argued with Ferguson over the resort's quality. Ferguson was still angered by Keane's admission during a MUTV phone call that he will be "ready to play elsewhere" after his current deal with United came to an end.

After a 4–1 loss at Middlesbrough in early November, Keane's appearance on MUTV sparked more controversy, as he sluggishly sluggish. "You know you are a superstar" because you are paid £120,000-per-week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham. Rio Ferdinand, the club's most recent signing, said. The outburst was deemed too derogatory by the United management and was immediately barred from broadcasting by the club's television station. Many present at the interview characterized Keane's comments as "explosive even by his standards."

In all competitions, Keane scored 33 goals for Manchester United and a total of 51. The first two of his goals for the club were defeated in the 3–0 home win over Sheffield United in the Premier League on August 18, 1993, the first in a 4–0 away victory over Southampton in the FA Cup on March 12th.

Two weeks after another row with Ferguson, Keane signed an agreement with Manchester United that allows him to leave the club immediately and sign a long-term contract with another club. He was given a letter of appreciation for his 12-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, with Ferguson and United chief executive David Gill wishing him well for the future.

In an interview with Off the Ball, Keane said that Manchester United were pushing him out of the club due to his age, his estranged relationship with then assistant manager Carlos Queiroz, and later on with Sir Alex Ferguson rather than the typical MUTV incident.

Keane's testimonial took place at Old Trafford on May 9, 2006, between United and Celtic. Keane played the first half for Celtic and the second half in his former role as Manchester United captain John Keane. The capacity crowd of 69,591 was the largest crowd for a testimonial match in England ever. All of the funds earned from the match were donated to Keane's favorite charity, Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Keane was announced as a Celtic player on December 15, 2005, the team he had admired as a youth. Keane was expected to get a £40,000 per week contract, but the player himself said he was refused in his second autobiography, in which he said he was only paid £15,000 per week while a Celtic player. Keane's Celtic career began in January 2006 when the Glasgow giants defeated Scottish First Division side Clyde 2–1. He had not slowed down, as he was seen chastising some of his new coworkers during the game. In a 2–1 Scottish Premier League victory over Falkirk, Keane scored what turned out to be his only Celtic goal a month later, a shot from 20 yards. In his first Old Firm derby against Rangers on Sunday, he held his position, leading Celtic to victory. Celtic completed a double of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish League Cup, his last game as a player.

Keane resigned from professional football on medical advice on June 12, only six months after joining Celtic. Many of his former colleagues and managers praised him after he announced that "they start selecting the best teams of all time," not least Sir Alex Ferguson, who opined.

International career

Keane was one of the 1988 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship squad, but he did not play. When the Republic of Ireland's national under-19 team defeated Hungary in the 1990 European Under-18 Football Championship to qualify for the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, he was man of the match.

Keane was immediately disinterested in his first game at the international level, an under-21s match against Turkey in 1991, and later described the entire affair as "a bit of a joke." He will keep this attitude throughout the remainder of his time with the national team, which resulted in numerous clashes with the Irish leadership. Keane announced his inability to travel with the Irish squad to Algeria, but was stunned when boss Jack Charlton told him that if he didn't sign up with his compatriots, he would never play for Ireland again. Despite this danger, Keane decided to stay at home on the insistence of Nottingham Forest boss Brian Clough, and was delighted when he was called up to the Irish squad for a friendly at Lansdowne Road a year later. He grew to dislike Charlton's style of football, which was less based on the players' abilities and more on continuous pressing and direct play. During a pre-season tournament in the United States, tensions between the two guys reached their high point, when Charlton chastised Keane for returning home late after a booze session with Steve Staunton.

Keane was selected in the Republic of Ireland's senior squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and appeared in every game, including a dramatic 1–0 victory over tournament favorites and eventual runners-up Italy. Despite the fact that the Irish team suffered in the second round, Keane was named the best player of Ireland's campaign. However, Keane was reluctant to attend the post-tournament festivities, later claiming that, although he was worried, Ireland's World Cup was a disgrace: "There was nothing to celebrate." We did not get much."

Due to a severe knee injury, Keane missed key games during the 1998 World Cup qualification tournaments, but the team came back to captain the team, losing to Turkey in a play-off. Ireland has qualified for the 2002 World Cup under new manager Mick McCarthy, and several match-winning performances from Keane have greatly contributed. Ireland remained undefeated, both home and abroad, against Portuguese and the Netherlands, winning the latter 1–0 at Lansdowne Road.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) selected the training base that was supposed to be used during Ireland's World Cup campaign. Keane expressed serious reservations about the adequacy of the training facilities and the Irish team's readiness during the first training session. He had been furious by the late arrival of the squad's training equipment, which had disrupted the first training session on a pitch that had been described as "like a parking lot."

Keane resigned from the squad and said he did not return to Manchester after a spat with goalkeeper Packie Bonner and Alan Kelly Jr. on the second day of preparation. At such short notice, the FAI was unable to get Keane home, which meant he remained in Saipan for another night, but they did make a replacement for him. McCarthy did not tell Keane to return to the training camp the next day, but Keane was eventually refused to remain, but Keane was finally convinced to stay.

Following Keane's change of heart, despite temporary calm in the Irish camp, events quickly took a turn for the worst. Keane immediately spoke to leading sports journalist Tom Humphries of the Irish Times newspaper, where he expressed his dissatisfaction with the Saipan's headquarters and detailed the incidents and fears that caused him to leave the team temporarily. McCarthy took offense at Keane's interview and decided to sue Keane over the paper in front of the entire squad and coaching staff. Keane refused to relent, saying that he told the newspaper what he believed to be the truth and that the Irish supporters wanted to know what was going on inside the camp. McCarthy burstled into a sting verbal attack against McCarthy: "You're a liar," McCarthy yelled at McCarthy, "you're a liar." he began his insulting spiel against McCarthy: "You're a fucking wanker." I didn't rate you as a player, I don't think you as a coach, and I don't think you as a person. You're a wanker, and the World Cup is yourse. Honestly, I have no reason to communicate with you because you are the head of my nation! Your bollocks will stick it up. "Roy Keane's 10-minute oration [against Mick McCarthy, above] was "unethical, shattering to the individual at the end of it, and it created a lot of controversy in Irish society," Niall Quinn wrote in his autobiography. However, Keane's stance was also critical of his stance, saying, "He] left us in Saipan, not the other way round." And he punished himself more than anyone of us by not returning.

During the meeting, no one of Keane's teammates voiced support for him, although some did support him in private afterwards. In a press conference after the shooting, veterans Niall Quinn and Steve Staunton backed McCarthy. McCarthy revealed that he had dropped Keane from the squad and sent him home. Colin Healy had been unable to be named as Keane's replacement and could not participate in the tournament by this time, meaning that he could not be named as Keane's replacement and could not participate in the tournament.

In November 2002, Mick McCarthy resigned as Ireland's boss after losing to Russia and Switzerland in qualifying for Euro 2004. Keane's return to the squad for future qualifiers had been speculated as Keane had not fully recovered from international football, and McCarthy's presence was the primary reason for leaving away from the Irish squad. Brian Kerr, McCarthy's replacement, consulted with Keane about a recall, and he was brought back to the Irish team against Romania on May 27th. Keane was not reinstated as captain, but Kerr retained the armband with Kenny Cunningham. Following the team's inability to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, he resigned from international football to help prolong his club career.

Keane has reiterated his dissatisfaction with the FAI's selection policy. Many Republic of Ireland players were chosen solely based on their media exposure and that the group was biased against players from Dublin or other regions of Leinster, according to Keane in March 2007. There's a fine line between loyalty and stupidity." Sunderland player Liam Miller was not chosen because he was from Cork, and because players with high risk were unable to be selected for the national team, Keane said he was not chosen. He also said that the FAI was incompetent in the handling of their affairs.

In the aftermath of Ireland's humiliatal by France in the qualification 2010 World Cup play-off, Keane was embroiled in more controversy. Keane was critical of Ireland's reaction to the Thierry Henry handball incident during an Ipswich Town press conference on November 20, 2009. His reaction included criticism of the Irish team's conduct and the FAI authorities.

Coaching career

Sir Alex Ferguson, Keane's former boss, had previously stated that after he resigned, he wanted Keane to take over as Manchester United coach. Ferguson became evasive about Keane's future as a manager after his traumatic departure from the club, but two years later, they are not there. I wouldn't expect anything in a relaxed environment.

Keane was suggested as a potential managerial replacement to Gordon Strachan by former Celtic player Charlie Nicholas during his time at Celtic. However, Keane decided to begin his managerial career with Sunderland's chairman and outgoing boss Niall Quinn. During the fallout from the Saipan tragedy, the two men were on opposing sides, but they were on good terms at the time of their appointment, with Quinn encouraging Sunderland fans to "support and enjoy one of football's greatest greats."

Keane signed a three-year contract immediately after Sunderland's victory over West Bromwich Albion on August 28th, the Mackems' first victory of the 2006–07 season since Quinn's temporary administration. Keane's new club being in the relegation zone and second second lowest table position in the Championship table, and wanted to enforce change quickly. Bobby Saxton, the current assistant boss, was voted out of office by the manager, and Tony Loughlan was named as head coach. With a total of six players signing on the final day of the August transfer window, he wasted no time in bringing in new additions to the squad. Former Manchester United teammates Dwight Yorke and Liam Miller, as well as Wigan Athletic pair Graham Kavanagh and David Connolly, were among the most notable signings for Keane.

Keane's first two games as boss could not have been any better; first coming from behind to defeat Derby County 2–1, and then a landslide victory over Leeds United. Sunderland began to climb into the top league standings under Keane's leadership, and by the end of the year, they had risen to the top half of the league table. During the January 2007 transfer window, five more players were signed (Anthony Stokes, Carlos Edwards, and Stern John) on permanent contracts, three (Jonny Evans and Danny Simpson) on loan from Manchester United, Keane's old club. Results continued to rise, and Keane was rewarded with the Manager of the Month and March awards in February and March, as his team began to qualify for the automatic promotion positions. Keane, on the other hand, tackled his players' non-professionalism with a strong hand. In March 2007, three players were late for the team coach's trip to Barnsley, and the team coach simply left them behind.

Sunderland and Birmingham City gained promotion to the Premier League on April 29th, when Derby opponents Derby were defeated by Crystal Palace. The Championship title was sealed a week later, and Sunderland's under Keane's leadership was unbeaten. In addition, his achievements have earned him the Championship Manager of the Year Award.

Goodison Park, where they were defeated 7–1 by Everton, one of Keane's career's lowest points, was the lowest point of his season. The team's form was much improved (especially at home), and remained in the division was assured with two games against Middlesbrough in the second half of the season. Meanwhile, Keane continued to buy ex-Manchester United players with the addition of Kieran Richardson, Paul McShane, Danny Higginbotham, and Phil Bardsley. He has also strengthened his tough disciplining policies by including Liam Miller (one of Sunderland's most consistent players) on the transfer list for being consistently late for training and other team meetings.

The 2008-2009 season will be tumultuous. Keane became embroiled in a controversy with FIFA Vice President Jack Warner over the expulsion of Dwight Yorke from the Trinidad and Tobago national team in September 2008. Warner accused Keane of disrespecting small countries. Keane responded by calling Warner "a clown" and insisting that Yorke had been barred from international football. In a League Cup tie against Northampton Town, Keane was able to play "one of his worst and longest nights" of his career. The game came to an end on 2–2, with Sunderland only succeeding marginally on penalties.

Despite some promising results, including the historic 2–1 home win over Newcastle United on October 25 (the first time the club had achieved this in 28 years), as well as good shows by recent signings such as Djibril Cissé and Anton Ferdinand, the team's general form remained uneventful. Sunderland had finished 18th in the Premier League by the end of November, having lost five of their six previous games. On December 4, Keane resigned as manager after making remarks in the aftermath of Bolton Wanderers' 4–1 home loss. Keane's brutal leadership style was not acknowledged by the Sunderland players, who were reported to have resigned in jubilation when they learned he had been sacked.

In an interview with The Irish Times on February 21, 2009, Keane cited differences with Sunderland 30% shareholder Ellis Short and strains with club chairman Niall Quinn as the reasons in his decision to resign as Sunderland boss.

Keane was appointed as the new manager of Ipswich Town on a two-year deal on April 23, 2009, the day after the club had fired Jim Magilton. His first game as manager was defeated 3–0 away over Cardiff City on Saturday, the final league match to be played at Ninian Park. Ipswich beat Coventry City 2–1 the following week, bringing the season to an end. Keane began to sign some players in the 2009–10 season, some of whom were from his former club Sunderland. He signed goalkeeper Márton Fülöp, midfielders Carlos Edwards, and Grant Leadbitter, as well as bringing in Jack Colback, David Healy, and Daryl Murphy on loan to the club. Ipswich began losing in their first 14 matches, making them the last team to win in the whole league, before triumphing over Cardiff City on October 29 for their first away victory of the season. Their form gradually improved throughout the season, but Ipswich drew far too many games to make it to the promotion race, and they ended the season in 15th place. Many inconsistencies in the 2009–10 and the 2010–11 seasons meant that Keane's Ipswich side never really competed for jobs, but the team was also ineffects, with his team falling to as low as 21st in the Championship, owing to a lack of interest. On January 7, 2011, Keane was fired as the head of Ipswich.

The FAI announced on November 5 that Martin O'Neill had been appointed the Republic of Ireland boss and that Keane had been appointed the assistant manager. In a 3–0 win over Latvia in their first match at the Aviva Stadium on November 15, 2013. Keane appeared to be the Hoops' new manager after Neil Lennon left Celtic at the end of the 2013–14 season. Martin O'Neill has confirmed that he will not be interested in taking over the reins at Celtic Park. However, Keane stayed as Ireland's assistant manager and refused to be considered for the position. Keane later confirmed that he was on the verge of joining the Celtic company and had spoken with Celtic owner Dermot Desmond, but that "they didn't make him feel valued enough" and turned down the bid. Keane became Aston Villa's new assistant manager after combining his work with Villa and Ireland.

Keane caused controversies in October 2014 after his book was published in October 2014, ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Germany. Martin O'Neill, on the other hand, denied the allegations that it was a distraction.

Keane was involved in an incident with a fan in the team hotel a month later, just before Ireland's crucial qualifier against Scotland. An ambulance for the fan was dispatched as well as the Garda Sochána, but no arrests or complaints were made. Following the incident, the FAI and Martin O'Neill came out in favor of Keane. Later, it was discovered that CCTV footage had cleared Keane of any wrongdoing. Frank Gillespie, Brendan Grace's son-in-law, is suspected of requesting Keane to sign a copy of Keane's autobiography The Second Half. Keane refused to do so, and Gillespie confronted Keane but the hotel was summoned to the hospital but the ambulance arrived but they did not arrive. Grace said that Gillespie and Keane were "old friends."

Keane said Everton was pressuring Ireland players like Séamus Coleman and James McCarthy (who missed the Scotland match due to injury) to withdraw from international squads; Everton chairman Bill Kenwright denied this assertion, saying Keane says "stupid stuff." Roberto Martez, then-Everton manager, has also dismissed Keane's remarks.

After a tense press conference with journalists prior to the match, Keane was in the news once more. Keane got into a squabble with a journalist after being asked if he was going to be a deterrent from the Republic of Ireland cause. Eamon Dunphy has called on the FAI and Martin O'Neill to prohibit Keane from giving interviews to put an end to the general news circus surrounding him.

Keane and O'Neill resigned from their positions in November 2018 after a "mutual deal."

Keane was named as Aston Villa's new assistant manager on July 1, 2014, alongside manager Paul Lambert. He combined his work with his assistant manager's work with the Republic of Ireland. However, Keane resigned as assistant manager at Aston Villa on November 28, 2014, to concentrate on his assistant manager position in Ireland.

He took over Nottingham Forest as assistant manager in January 2019, but resigned in June 2019.

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