Robbie Keane lined up for shock first management job in English football with return to club he was with six years ago
ROBBIE KEANE has emerged as an early contender for the vacant manager's job at Middlesbrough.
The
Championship
side brutally
Advertisement
3
Robbie Keane is a contender to replace Michael Carrick as Middlesbrough manager
Credit: Getty
3
Michael Carrick was sacked by Boro this week
Keane knows Boro well after spending two years as assistant manager to
Despite his role as a No 2 after hanging up his playing
boots
, Keane has never managed in
Keane, 44, impressed owner Steve Gibson during his short stint at the Riverside Stadium six years ago.
The Republic of Ireland and Tottenham legend is coming off a title-winning season with Hungarian side Ferencvaros.
Advertisement
READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
The season before he also lifted a title, taking the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he won the double.
That was Keane's second job as a head coach, having started out at Indian side ATK upon his retirement in 2018.
From there, he went on to learn his trade as an assistant with Ireland,
Leeds
, and crucially Boro.
Former Championship-winning
Advertisement
Most read in Football
Exclusive
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Carrick and his assistants Woodgate and Graeme Carrick - his younger brother -
The 43-year-old, who was the division's longest-serving manager, led Boro from the 21st in the table in October 2022 to the play-offs.
Middlesbrough fans will agree with Carrick sacking and there's a perfect man ready to replace him
That was followed by an eighth-placed finish and a run to the
League Cup
semi-finals but, despite a positive first half of this season, they eventually ended a disappointing 10th.
Advertisement
Keane was a Premier League great with Spurs, scoring 126 goals in 349 appearances, also playing for
Liverpool
,
Leeds
and Coventry.
Rob Edwards
and
Sheffield
Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who has a hefty release clause, are also options.
Middlesbrough have spent 15 of the last 16 seasons in the Championship.
3
Steve Cooper has been linked with a shock return to management with Boro
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
5 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
McAteer strikes as Hallgrimsson belatedly introduced to Ireland's 1-1 trademark
International Friendly: Rep of Ireland 1 (McAteer 21') Senegal 1 (Sarr 82') A first draw of the Heimir Hallgrímsson era is one he will extrapolate multiple minor victories from. The manager with a symmetrical record of wins and defeats from his opening eight games at the helm got the performance he demanded against a side of similar standing to the top seeds Portugal in their upcoming World Cup qualifying group. What he didn't get in his first friendly was the morale of beating the aristocrats, as eight minutes from the end, Ismaila Sarr ghosted in to cancel out a 21st-minute opener by Kasey McAteer. He'd been belatedly introduced to Ireland's trademark 1-1 habit. Teams don't rise to 19th in the world without possessing quality in abundance and proof the Senegalese were treating this trip to Europe as a 180-minute exercise was evidenced by them leaving a string of talent such as Nicolas Jackson and the pair of Sarrs, Pape Matar and Ismaila on the bench. England on Tuesday constitutes their priority. The Premier League was among six top leagues across Europe where the Senegalese play, with the vast majority based in France. Both Racing Strasbourg and Stade Reims had representatives but their Irish players, Andrew Omobamidele and John Patrick Finn, had to make do with places on the bench. Hallgrímsson's idyllic plan to reach consistency of selection diminished once the World Cup draw predicated two friendlies instead of qualifiers in this summer window. Granting Josh Cullen, Mikey Johnston and Finn Azaz an extended break after their Championship exertions robbed him of three starters but offered others scope to impress. Hallgrímsson could still select what seems to be his preferred back five for this friendly, backboned by goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher who for the first time in his international career didn't have Liverpool attached to his name. That the new Brentford capture didn't have a save to make until the 52nd minute said much for how Ireland had contained their illustrious opponents who'd won the African Cup of Nations in 2021. They'd also amassed a sequence of seven clean sheets dating back 630 minutes to last September but it would last only another 20 minutes on their trip to Dublin. McAteer was the scorer and it was a dividend of his explosive start on his first start. Operating on the right, he struck that balance of drifting wide and cutting in, epitomised by the 14th minute chance he created by chopping from his right to his left for a cross that Jack Taylor arrived fractionally late to connect with. Taylor was also sampling for the first time the joys of getting the nod, seamlessly slotting into that conduit between midfield and attack occupied of late under this regime by Azaz. Ireland won the corner count by five to two in the first half and from the second – conceded by Antoine Mendy – they forged into the lead. Jason Knight and Matt Doherty were still arguing from colliding trying at the back post from Will Smallbone's corner when Ryan Manning scooped the ball back into the centre. When towering Nathan Collins flicked the delivery onto McAteer, his header was arcing towards the top corner until Yevhann Diouf pawed the effort away. First to react to the loose ball, however, was the Leicester City winger who showed brilliant control before swivelling to sweep a shot under the scrambling 'keeper. A goal to the good, Ireland maintained their stride by retaining possession rather than aimlessly clear to opponents capable of inflicting punishment. Doherty's sublime feign to release Manning down the left had the crowd of 32,478 baying for more goals but the Southampton man's cutback was blocked for a corner. McAteer proved he could mix up his game too, scampering back to the other side to tackle Habib Diarra just as he looked to pick out a killer pass. As the interval loomed, Diarra did succeed in giving Doherty the slip inside the box, only to slip himself, much to the amusement of the crowd. Senegal trudged to the dressing-room frustrated by their sole chance coming inside the opening two minutes through an Irish player. Dara O'Shea unwittingly deflected a corner marginally wide of his own post. The same Irish player gifted Abdallah Sima a sight on goal within 10 seconds of the restart and he was relieved to watch his effort skew well wide. Inevitably, the side of superior prowess would respond in the second half but only after they survived a clearcut chance for Ireland to extend their lead. A trademark interception by Knight two minutes into the second half allowed Smallbone to advance on goal. Rather than lay off for the unmarked Manning, he stung the palms of the goalkeeper with a left-footed effort. Manning did get a stab to the rebound, yet a touch took it around the near post. Adam Idah has chased a lone furrow up top but an injury sustained by Taylor when making a tackle eventually led him to be replaced by Evan Ferguson. Neither got much traction in the attacking third as the flamboyance of the guests increased with every substitute they unlocked. With a better centre from Manning, Idah might have pounced while there was a penalty claim on the hour when a cross from McAteer struck the arm of Ismail Jakobs. Otherwise, the Senegalese were the ones carrying the cutting edge. Sarr was only on as a sub when he followed in a deflected shot to spin his effort onto the post. That was with 22 minutes remaining and a signal of what was coming. Kelleher's resistance was finally breached with seven minutes left. Despite stooping low to repel Cherif Ndiaye's shot with his legs, fellow sub Sarr was on hand to tuck the ball inside the post. Cheikh Sabaly then sent his diving header off-target and Lamine Camara's stoppage-time free-kick was blocked by the wall. Calmness came after the chaos and satisfaction will linger while the countdown to Hungary on September 6 continues. IRELAND: C Kelleher; M Doherty (J O'Brien 67), N Collins, D O'Shea, R Brady (L Scales 85); J Knight, W Smallbone (A Moran 81); K McAteer (F Ebosele 81), J Taylor (E Ferguson 58), R Manning (K Phillips 67); A Idah. SENEGAL: Y Diouf; A Mendy, L Camara Mamadou (C Sabaly 77), A Seck, I Jakobs (E Diouf 85); H Diarra, I Ndiaye, K Diattta (L Camara 63); A Sima (I Sarr 63), A Diallo, B Dia (C Ndiaye 77). Referee: A Ladeback (SWE) Attendance: 32,478
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside story of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham sacking with Daniel Levy rift that worsened during Europa League run
SO, Daniel Levy did kill off his main character in the second season finale of the Ange Postecoglou show. Postecoglou himself warned that could be the case just a day after teasing fans at Spurs' Europa League-winning parade that he could stay on for a third campaign with a prestige-telly analogy. Advertisement 6 Ange Postecoglou has left Spurs Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 It comes despite him ending the club's 17 year trophy drought Credit: PA 6 Postecoglou does not get the chance to deliver on his third season promise Credit: Reuters The 59-year-old had told hundreds of thousands of delirious supporters lining the streets outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that in 'all the best television series, It went down a storm, with many of those who had wanted the Aussie out for the woeful league form now fully behind him after he had ended the club's 17-year trophy drought. Their hope had been that Levy would perform a similarly emotional U-turn, and NOT go through with his pre-final plan of wielding the axe whatever the How can he possibly ditch the guy who has delivered our first piece of silverware since the League Cup in 2008, and the first European trophy in 41 years, they asked themselves. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL In fairness, Levy did pause for thought, albeit briefly. But Postecoglou always knew the chances of the long-serving Spurs supremo doing an about-face were slim, given how their So it will have come as no surprise to the former Celtic treble-winner - even if it did to millions of Tottenham fans across the globe. Levy turned to Postecoglou in the summer of 2023, after being snubbed by Arne Slot who had decided to stay at Feyenoord for one more season ahead of his switch to Liverpool. Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Postecoglou even described himself as 'the last man standing' in the race to succeed Antonio Conte. But the Athens-born Aussie, who had never previously managed in Europe's top five major leagues before, got off to a stunning start by taking 26 points from his first 30 available. That was despite the club selling their record goal-scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich on the eve of the season. Advertisement After an unbeaten first ten Prem games, Fans took to singing a version of Robbie Williams' Angels regularly after matches, with the key lyrics altered to 'I'm loving Big Ange instead'. Levy seemed giddy with excitement too, proudly declaring at a fans' forum in September 2023 that 'we've got our Tottenham back' in reference to Postecoglou's thrilling style of play. 6 Daniel Levy has wielded his axe again Credit: GETTY Advertisement 6 Fans and players appeared with him after the Europa League success Credit: Getty But then came THAT Having had two men sent off and having lost James Maddison and Micky van de Ven to serious injuries, Spurs, amazingly, continued to attack and almost nicked a 2-2 draw. But then Nicolas Jackson completed what was dubbed the worst hat-trick ever in injury-time - before Spurs were treated to a standing ovation by their fans as they left the pitch. Advertisement It was unprecedented - yet after that game, things were never the same. Teams started to wise up to Spurs' style of inverted full-backs and clever cut-backs - as well as exposing the gaps they left at the back. Eric Dier, who left to join Kane at Bayern Munich in January, later claimed that Postecoglou 'really doesn't do barely any tactical work, what he does is every single training drill from Monday to Friday is drawn up to represent the way he wants to play.' Van de Ven and Maddison being sidelined disrupted the team's rhythm and they ended up being pipped by Aston Villa to fourth spot and Champions League qualification. Advertisement Injuries decimated Postecoglou's squad in his second season - with the Aussie's intense pressing style accused of being a contributing factor - and the league campaign began to unravel. Raw teenage talent had mainly been added in the summer - although £65million was spent on striker Dominic Solanke - and it told. Postecoglou hoped for more experience to be added in January but out of the three arrivals, only Kevin Danso fitted that description. Spurs went on to finish 17th after losing 22 league games - the most a Prem team has ever managed and NOT been relegated - including Advertisement The AngeOut army grew among the fanbase, who had been irked by his misreading the previous season of their desire to lose against Manchester City to deny rivals Arsenal the title. In another clash, Postecoglou mockingly 6 Postecoglou appeared to cup his ears at fans against Chelsea Credit: Getty But all was forgiven when he ended the trophy curse in Bilbao. Advertisement Ironically, it was done in a defensive style akin to predecessor Jose Mourinho, with the team having just 27 per cent possession and completing just 184 passes. It was That feat was not enough though to convince the higher-ups, who had not agreed with Postecoglou's decision to prioritise the Europa League from February onwards. It is understood the club began talking to representatives of other managers from the start of the year, underlining the shaky ground Postecoglou has been on for some time. Advertisement Now it has collapsed from underneath him, to his disappointment as he felt the job in N17 was not done. But at least he walks away a hero, having finally changed the narrative to one of rare trophy success during the silverware-starved Levy story of the last 25 years.
RTÉ News
14 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Robbie Brady buoyed by Irish growth amid World Cup dreams
The renaissance of Robbie Brady's career has even taken the Dubliner a little by surprise. In 2021, his time at Burnley came to an end and there were fears that the trajectory would be only downward. The FAI provided a fitness plan before a season with Bournemouth in the Championship was hampered by injury. Preston North End took a fancy to Brady in the summer of 2022 and while the first season saw regular first-team football, he began to fade from the international picture, Stephen Kenny looking elsewhere despite Ireland's struggles. Brady could only control his own form at Deepdale, but admits it was a challenging time as he was outside the tent for the entire Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. "You have to keep a level head and keep that belief in yourself," he told RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue. "It was all about getting myself back in good shape and contention. I never stopped believing I could do that." Did he think he may have played his last game in green? "At one point I did. I think a lot of people had written me off and thought they might never see me again, and maybe a couple of times I thought that myself." With Kenny exiting the Irish hotseat, Brady's former team-mate John O'Shea was brought in to steady the ship before a permanent appointment. Brady's previous contributions in an Ireland shirt, plus his consistent form at wing-back for Preston saw his re-introduction to the international arena. A little over 12 months later and the 33-year-old has penned a new deal with Preston – a 12-month deal signed last month – and was crowned the men's senior player of the year earlier this week. Heimir Hallgrimsson has liked what he has seen, with Brady's value clear for all to see with his goal and assist in a vital 2-1 defeat of Finland last year. "I felt I had a good time last year with Ireland. I didn't expect to win it (the award), but I'm delighted I did." Brady doesn't gloss over the "sticky period" Ireland endured over the past few years, suggesting the game-management and the know-how in getting over the line was lacking. Momentum has been building following back-to-back Bulgaria wins in March, and Hallgrimsson's side have now won four of their last six matches, with a chastening night at Wembley also in the mix. Brady says the mood music in the camp – a point also made by striker Adam Idah this week – is changing. "It's the confidence each one of them has in themselves is a little different to previous years. They have a lot of belief in themselves and a lot of them are playing fantastic football at club level. "Putting a few results together and getting a bit of momentum is so important, especially at international level. "It's difficult when you're not picking up results, it's dampening for the supporters. What it means to people when we are winning, you can sense it, you can feel it. The whole mood changes, not only in the camp, but outside it." Tonight's friendly against Senegal follow by a meeting with Luxembourg are the latest games allowing Hallgrimsson find out a little more about his squad, and in particular those on the periphery of the team looking to stake claims for starting berths with September's World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia on the horizon. The Icelander is bidding to lead the Boys in Green to a first World Cup since 2002. Should he manage to achieve that, a huge travelling support would be expected to flock to North America. Brady – the match-winner against Italy in Lille and an early goalscorer in the 2-1 defeat to hosts France – has happy memories of Ireland's last appearance at a major tournament at Euro 2016, and has allowed himself to think of what next summer could look like. "It's exciting thinking about it," he said. "What a lift it would give everyone, to be part of a tournament like that. We have seen in previous tournaments, the fans have travelled in mad numbers. If we could manage to quality, it would be absolutely incredible."
