David Prentice: Everton and Liverpool's message to Roy Keane
Roy Keane on the touchline
It ain't what you sing, it's the way that you sing it says Prenno
Like all managers, Roy Keane is an amateur psychologist.
But evidence from his latest autobiography suggests he’s not as good as he thinks.
Keane was worried during his time as Sunderland boss by his players’ choice of pre-match music.
According to Keano – Dancing Queen didn’t cut it.
“It might strange but you find out about characters when you look to see who’s in charge of the music,” he wrote.
“A young lad might want to put on the latest sound; an older player might say ‘I’m the senior player’ and put himself in charge.
“But I noticed none of the players at Sunderland were in charge of the music and this was a concern for me. A member of the staff was in charge. I was looking at him thinking ‘I hope someone nails him here.’
“The last song before the players went on to the pitch was Dancing Queen by Abba. What really worried me was that none of the players – not one – said: ‘Get that s*** off’.
“They were going out to play a match, men versus men, testosterone levels were high. You’ve got to hit people at pace. F***ing Dancing Queen. It worried me. I didn’t have as many leaders as I thought.”
So what would Keane have made of his players running out to Build Me Up Buttercup?
Because Everton did, in the run-in to the 2002/03 season, and they narrowly missed out on a place in Europe for the first time in 20 years.
They were denied, coincidentally, on the last day of the season by a combination of a Manchester United team containing Roy Keane - and referee Mike Riley who awarded the softest of 78th minute penalties.
But why Build Me Up Buttercup? It’s hardly the theme tune to Rocky, it’s doesn’t have the lyrical content of “Once more unto the breach” and it doesn’t raise the hairs on the back of the neck.
Apparently it goes back to an Everton Christmas party, when the youngsters in the Blues Academy would have to sing in front of the senior players as part of an initiation ceremony.
One teenager blew the senior stars away when he stepped up, unfazed, and boldly belted out The Foundations’ classic.
Some of the first team squad were so taken that they adopted it themselves, and Kevin Campbell would lead ‘rousing’ renditions in the dressing room before the players ran out.
The song was still popular amongst the Blues a decade later.
There is video evidence on the internet of Keane’s compatriot, Shane Duffy, not exactly belting it out, in a Republic of Ireland initiation in 2012:
Build Me Up Buttercup worked for the Blues.
Sometimes it’s not what you say, but the way that you say it.
And another one Keano...
Led by a nervous David Hodgson, the Liverpool players walked down the tunnel in Rome prior to the 1984 European Cup Final belting out Chris Rea’s “I Don’t Know What It Is (But I Love it)!”
Liverpool’s tense players relaxed, Roma were bemused - and the Reds went on to win the trophy.
Sometimes it ain't what you sing ...
