Roy Keane is a very charming and intelligent man who has, perhaps to our surprise, been very honest and articulate in his press duties during his time at Sunderland.
But he’s not really one for what might be called small talk. With the Ashes about to start in Australia and because of a vague memory I had of seeing Keane at the Old Trafford Test match with Gary Neville last year, I thought it would be nice to have a bit of a chat about England’s chances Down Under.
I was further convinced when one of my colleagues, former Journal cricket correspondent Jason Mellor, now of the Wardle Agency, threw into the pre-press conference conversation that Keane was good friends with England and Lancashire all rounder Andrew Flintoff.
An opportunity for a bit of light-hearted banter to welcome me back on to the press circuit beckoned and, although Roy did not seem to be in the best of moods, criticising the delay in Ireland’s move from Lansdowne Road while slamming the behaviour of Ipswich Town manager Jim Magilton following the cancellation of Tommy Miller’s move to Portman Road, I pressed ahead.
“Roy, this may seem a little abstract but are you a cricket fan?� I enquired.
“It’s ok� responded Keane with a shrug of the shoulders and a puzzled expression on his face.
“Well, I was just wondering, with the Ashes coming up and because I’ve been told that you are friends with Andrew Flintoff, would you like to talk about England’s chances in Australia?
“I’m not friends with Freddie Flintoff. I’m not friends with anybody� came the curt reply, while a look down at his desk suggested the conversation was over.
So much for our lighthearted chat!
It was probably a stupid idea in the first place, but there is part of me that wants to continue with this because is he serious, does Roy Keane really not have any friends other than his dog Triggs.
I wonder if Roy laughs at jokes, goes down the pub with mates, sings karaoke, dances at weddings, listens to music, plays computer games or takes an interest in any other sports than football?
The problem with living in the public eye is that everyone thinks they know you and believes they have the information to form an opinion about you. This is certainly true when you have been as famous as Keane has over the last decade or so.
The fact is, very few people, other than his family, know what Roy is like away from his job. The same is true of virtually every other “celebrity� who does not expose themselves to the desperation of reality television, opening their personalities up in a desperate attempt to stay “famous.�
I doubt very much whether I’ll ever get to know Roy the man rather than Roy the footballer and manager, in fact it’s about as likely as seeing him on the next series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, but if he wants to go for a pint and watch the cricket he’s more than welcome.
Next week, I’ll ask Roy if he has any thoughts on the forthcoming ban in England on smoking in public places!
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