Fans held Keane in highest regard

Aston Villa fans saw Roy Keane as their saviour. The decision to make him assistant manager came at a time when all the fans I knew were baying for blood.

They wanted manager Paul Lambert out and new owners who could spend money to compete with the top six — not a miserly few signings that lacked Premier League quality.

Pundits and fans alike were convinced Keane would soon be Villa’s next manager.

But the day the former Manchester United midfielder joined, he said three times he would not take the top job — and I believed him.

I also believed the job would always be secondary to his role as Martin O’Neill’s assistant, and sooner or later he would find a better position.

Keane turned up at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training facility with a determination to succeed. He kept himself to himself but was never rude or aggressive, and ate with the team.

Whether he was in the canteen or walking through corridors, Keane was always polite and civil, but I have spoke to countless members of the Villa staff and they all say the same: “We’ve hardly seen him”.

He took his training session and lunched with the lads, but for the rest of the time he might as well have been a ghost.

The volatile Roy Keane that conducted the recent pre-USA press conference after the incident at the Portmarnock Hotel, did not appear during his time in Birmingham.

Keano’s hatred of the media did show up though at Villa. He answered questions with short and sharp replies and the wrong query would be greeted with ‘the stare’.

The continental approach to coaching with a director of football would suit the Ireland assistant. He demanded a full 90 minutes session on the training ground. Slacking was not tolerated when Roy was around. The players I spoke to dismissed claims that he did not give his all and was only really interested in the Ireland job. Arguments that the publicity Roy attracted from his book and his antics in Ireland were affecting Villa players and staff is unfounded. If anything, publicity shy Lambert would have loved to see the spotlight veer away from him as Villa’s early season success turned into misery.

The excellent run at the start of the campaign was accredited to the assistant as fans chanted Keano’s name instead of Lambert’s. As things turned sour and Villa were without a win in seven games Keane was still untouchable, but the chants of Lambert out returned.

I am told that Keane’s work on the training ground made a big difference and am convinced he was behind the move to return out of favour players to the main group.

This has resulted in internationals like Alan Hutton returning from a two-year wilderness to become one of the club’s best players.

- Midlands-based Phil Campion covers Aston Villa games.