Roy Keane banishes downward dog urban legend

There is the legend that is Roy Keane and there are the urban legends about Roy Keane.

For once and for all, he has banished a few of the famous ones from the latter category.

Sitting in the familiar surroundings of the Irish Guide Dog’s headquarters, he revealed that some popular beliefs about him are simply not true.

1. Visits to the local yoga class did not help prolong his career. In fact he thinks the stretching contributed to his injuries.

2. He accepts that there are some topical issues which are actually none of his business.

3. He was never too pushed about his teammates splashing their cash on luxuries once they put the effort in on the pitch.

Firstly, the yoga. Since he first revealed a fondness for the yoga mat in 2005, he has been a constant reference point for men who practice the downward dog.

His then Manchester United teammate, Ryan Giggs, has been a poster boy for the discipline and at the time Keane said he had taken it up to prepare his body for the final few years of his career.

But he has spiked that suggestion. “I done yoga when I was a player and strangely enough I don’t think it helped me that much. I think it probably led to some of my injuries,” he said.

“The yoga I done was very much stretching, I know there is different types of yoga, and I think me being tight, and tight with my hamstrings, probably helped me.

“I think I overstretched with that yoga stuff. I think it led to one or two of my injuries.”

Even more surprisingly, for the man whose Friday morning press conferences at Sunderland became a rival of Mock the Week in terms of comic commentary, Keane accepts his view on some issues is not needed.

He said he is often asked questions by the public and the press and he has to realise he just does not know enough to give an answer.

“People are asking you every week if you’ve an opinion on something and sometimes I don’t have an opinion on a certain situation,” he said.

“Part of me has to step back, and I know the media is going to ask me these questions, but there is also part of me thinking that whatever is going on at certain clubs it really is none of my business.”

Keane was in Ballincollig, Co Cork, for a one-to-one interview with The Ray D’Arcy Show on Today FM to help promote the annual Shades fundraising drive for the Irish Guide Dogs association.

During the chat, he ruled out taking up a number two position at Manchester United and said he could not see himself building bridges with Alex Ferguson.

He also busted the myth that he was angered when his colleagues in the dressing room would throw their money at sports cars and mansions.

“I wouldn’t begrudge them that as long at they are giving it their all,” he said. “Good luck to them. You have to spend it and we all have different things we like to spend it on. That wasn’t a problem for me.

“Don’t forget what got you the houses, the Bentleys and the blondes or brunettes, whatever you fancy.

“Don’t forget what got you there. That is the hunger the desire, training well, and when you get the big contracts and the medals at the end of the season, that is just a reward for hard work.”