MX23RW : Tuesday, April 30 00:02:40| >> :120:26524:26524:

Roy Keane: 'I had no choice but to leave Aston Villa'

Roy Keane describes former club Aston Villa as a "tired brand", which he believes is plagued by players with the "wrong attitude".

Roy Keane has taken a swipe at former club Aston Villa, claiming that the Premier League side lacked ambition during his short time as assistant manager.

The 43-year-old worked alongside Paul Lambert at Villa Park for four months earlier this season, before departing to concentrate on his Republic of Ireland duties.

Keane has now revealed his frustration at the "wrong attitude" which has crept in at the Midlands outfit, insisting that he had no choice but to step down from his position last November.

"My role with Aston Villa was certainly affecting my work with Ireland," he wrote in the updated version of his autobiography, The Second Half.

"I felt it wasn't fair. There seems to be the wrong attitude, 'We're not going to be challenging but we're probably good enough to stay up'. It's like drifting. It's a tired club, a tired brand.

"I think some of the players, even subconsciously, thought, 'We've a nice life here, we don't want you rocking the boat'. You'd be patting them on the back for putting their boots on and being on time - and half the time they weren't on time."

Keane made the headlines earlier this week for criticising the underwhelming performance of Real Madrid star Gareth Bale in Los Blancos' defeat at Juventus.

ID:221419: cacheID:221419:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2562:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Gareth Bale for Real Madrid on January 31, 2015
Read Next:
Bale agent: Keane comments "irrelevant"
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!