The inside track on how day’s drama unfolded

ONLY 48 hours ago, I wrote in this paper’s Arena magazine that Roy Keane was in a win-win situation at United and that it seemed he was simply waiting for Alex Ferguson to shove him in one direction or the other. Little did I imagine, of course, that the push would happen quite so rapidly and in such dramatic circumstances.

Roy was looking at two possible scenarios down the line. One - always the unlikelier - was to be offered a new playing contract at United, together with some assurances about a role in the coaching set-up down the line. The other was to move on and play for at least another year elsewhere, with a cast-iron guarantee of a management role to come, perhaps even to start immediately. The bottom line is, however, that he wants to play until 2007. And once United decided they do not want him to do that at Old Trafford - a decision confirmed by the directors on Fergie’s advice in the last few days, it is now clear - then it was clear Keane might be forced to cut and run now rather than wait until June.

Such is the background that explains his reaction yesterday morning when Fergie confronted him. It is generally accepted that Fergie had called Keano and Kennedy in for the meeting, clearly to discuss both recent events and the player’s future. When Roy entered Carrington at 9am, a source of mine who works there happened to cross his path as Roy strode towards Fergie’s bunker. “There are mornings when you look at Roy’s eyes and you know not to say a word, not even ‘good morning’,” the source explained: “this was one of those mornings. Face like thunder.”

Twenty minutes later, Roy stormed out of the gates, a bundle under his arm constituted of belongings from his locker.

Another employee caught sight of Fergie moments afterwards: “He looked like he’d just witnessed a train crash.”

Yet at 11am, as Fergie summoned the daily paper reporters for a routine press conference, none of these whispers had reached the hack pack. Fergie was in a jovial mood, bantering, on the edge of breaking into song. A reporter directly asked about the Keane contract situation: Fergie blithely replied that there was ‘nothing going on, nothing to report’.

At 11.25am, the Sunday paper hacks moved in for their turn but after about ten minutes the mood dramatically changed. Diana Law, the Old Trafford press officer, rushed in and after whispering to Fergie, shot off, presumably to meet Michael Kennedy and other United officials, as Fergie hurriedly brought the conference to a premature end. He dashed off to the side room too and at 11.45am Phil Townsend, United director of communications, was called in to supervise proceedings and finalise the crack-covering final communiqué.

Was Keano sacked? Or ‘constructively dismissed?’ Or did he simply resign? Look above again: why the three-hour gap between Roy storming out of Carrington and the official news breaking out? Why was Fergie so gobsmacked at 9.20am, so jovial at 11.00, then so deathly pallored at 11.40? Until one of the principals speaks properly - you can ignore the absurd fantasyland statement put out by Michael Kennedy and MUFC yesterday - we will not know for sure. Most sources suggest the subject of the captaincy came up in those fateful 20 minutes, as well as Roy’s contract and the recent outbursts on MUTV et al. but no one knows the sequence of events for sure.

As they strode into the room at 9am, Ferguson would certainly have had two goals: one to emphasise that Roy would not be getting another contract and secondly to lay down the law regarding who does and says what at United. Did part two of that mission go awry? Did an attempt to rein Keano in a touch instead become a hamfisted over-the-top attempt at silencing, perhaps with a threat that Keane would lose his armband? In other words - did a simple clear-the-air discussion get out of control?

So far so plausible. But the other version, with Alex as the cold-hearted killer, is this. It was emotional, a bit heated - but the decision was already taken. Fergie has, in essence, sacked him: and the reason is simple. He could no longer face having such a negative presence in the dressing room. Whilst he’s been injured, it’s been out of sight, out of mind. But now that he’s suddenly seeing Roy’s ready to pull the shirt back on, it’s brought the issue to a head. Fergie has asked himself - ‘can I ask the rest of the players to cope with Roy any longer? This captain who has slaughtered so many of them and who keeps moaning all the time? Or would a fresh start be better for us all - Roy included?’.”

Certainly the Keane Camp were putting it about the Manchester hack pack last night that their man had been forced out: what is often called ‘constructive dismissal’ in the employment tribunals. Me? I can’t quite believe Fergie said ‘you are fired’ to Keane. But I can see how a conversation could become a confrontation.

I know Bryan Robson was talking to Keane yesterday afternoon and that a meeting for Roy at The Hawthorns has been brought forward from Monday to Sunday. West Brom executives say Bolton and Wigan are preparing offers too, hence the need to move quickly, and it is being suggested that Roy himself wants to get an outline deal sorted this weekend.

The Baggies are offering a contract until the end of the season, with a decent signing-on fee, which would certainly do Roy for now whilst he considers summer offers. Robson, the old warrior colleague who was once forced out of the United team by Roy, now becomes his saviour: what irony.

He wouldn’t have to leave his house or move his kids from school. Plus West Brom have a very nice Carling Cup tie up soon. The opponents? Manchester United.

* Richard Kurt, contributing editor at www.redissue.co.uk