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What's that saying about stopped clocks?

We regret to inform you that Richard Keys has absolutely nailed where Man Utd are going wrong

Nestor Watach •

You know the stage we’re at in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson managerial cycle at Manchester United.

After trying something different with a fashionable European manager, we’re back at the point where the former United voices in the punditsphere are talking about “DNA”.

Direct football. Wingers. A back four. You know it. The schtick is very well-worn by now.

The next time we’re here (see you again in November 2027?) Sky Sports can probably wheel out the Gary Neville AI Bot programmed entirely from the last seven hundred times we’ve had this debate.

Turns out we’ve had to go to the lads out in Doha for the correct take. We regret to inform you that Richard Keys is actually right for once.

“My advice, for what it’s worth, would be to cut ties, all of the ties, with everybody and anything associated with Alex Ferguson. I’m serious,” Keys began.

“Why? Because they’re living…”

“You can’t destroy history, Richard,” interjected an incredulous Andy Gray.

“You’re not destroying it, but that’s what it is. It’s history,” Keys snapped back.

“They are living in the past. Liverpool eventually had to break free of the boot room. Graeme Souness tried. I got it wrong at the time. I didn’t think he was right. He was.

“Jurgen Klopp walked in and said: ‘Enough of that nonsense. Now we go again. We create our own…'”

“Yeah, you can do that, but you can’t forget history. You can’t forget what Manchester United did under Alex Ferguson,” argued Gray.

“You misunderstand it. I’m not saying you either forget it or you don’t acknowledge it. But all of the people and everything that was associated with that era now – move on,” Keys responded.

“I mean, I’ve messaged Darren today, and I wish him all the best. He’s a lovely, lovely guy. Good luck. But we’re still… Ole comes back. Come on.”


Liquid Keys.

Mentioning that he has Darren Fletcher’s number and that he sent him a message ahead of the caretaker coach’s trip to Burnley was just the cherry on the icing. Of course, he had to get the namecheck in there.

The disconcerting thing, though, is obfuscated by all the smarmy bluster obfuscates the fact that Keys is actually bang on. Feels weird, doesn’t it?

It feels especially weird that Keys even discussed the issue with more tact than one of his contemporaries.

Richard Keys? Tact? This is a bloke who spent the majority of the following day embroiled in a social media storm after making his tribute to Welsh football legend Terry Yorath about himself.

Turns out he was responsible for landing his daughter, Gabby Logan, a job back in the day. Very touching. A perfect reading of the room.

The following night, Roy Keane went on Sky Sports and said, “You’ve still got Sir Alex Ferguson hanging around like a bad smell”.

Oof. Again. Not wrong. Maybe one to be filed under ‘right for the wrong reason’; said reason being a long-held personal grudge.

But it’s still something that the small army of ex-Fergie disciples working in the media wouldn’t dare come out with.

Uncomfortable truths sometimes require a no-holds-barred voice like Keysey’s to be heard.

Did we really just say that? Excuse us while we go take a shower.

READ NEXT: The very best of Richard Keys’ horrific Twitter musings: Socks, Big Sam, British Airways…

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Manchester United Richard Keys