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How mentally monster Roy Keane’s Manchester United dealt with losing a key Centre Back mid-season.
A thread:
A thread:
In December 2003, reigning champions Manchester United are sitting at the top of the table when news breaks out that Centre Back Rio Ferdinand will be serving an 8-month ban for failure or refusal to take a drug test.
Manchester United go in to their 22nd league game, vs a Wolves side in 19th, 1 point ahead of title challengers Arsenal and 5 clear of Chelsea. United average 2.38 points a game collecting 50 points from 21 games - much improved from the previous year where they were champions.
In the game vs Wolves, Rio Ferdinand gets a knee injury and is replaced in the 50th minute in what is his last game before starting his lengthy suspension. Champions Manchester United concede 16 minutes later and lose the game 1-0.
Champions Manchester United managed to edge a win in their next couple games before going on a run of 4 wins in 13 games. This included a humiliating 1-4 loss against local rivals Manchester City - who finished 16th.
Champions Manchester United finished the season 15 points behind the eventual champions Arsenal after averaging 1.47 points per game in their final 17 games of the league season.
Manchester United were also knocked out in the round of 16 in the Champions league after club captain Roy Keane was sent off in the 1-2 first leg loss to Porto. Keane subsequently missed the second leg as his team exited the competition.
In Roy Keane’s own words, as stated in his autobiography in regards to Rio Ferdinands’ absence: ‘We missed him, especially in the second half of the season when the crunch games were coming up’ and ‘ultimately, the team suffered’.
O’Shea: ‘It would probably have been the most points we’d ever have got in the Premiership’ [had Rio Ferdinand played]
G Neville referred to the moment Rio goes off vs Wolves as the turning point in their season as ‘it was a big loss and from thereon-in the confidence dropped.’
![O’Shea: ‘It would probably have been the most points we’d ever have got in the Premiership’ [had Rio Ferdinand played]G Neville referred to the moment Rio goes off vs Wolves as the turning point in their season as ‘it was a big loss and from thereon-in the confidence dropped.’](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ety0OrwXIAAlnrQ.jpg "O’Shea: ‘It would probably have been the most points we’d ever have got in the Premiership’ [had Rio Ferdinand played]G Neville referred to the moment Rio goes off vs Wolves as the turning point in their season as ‘it was a big loss and from thereon-in the confidence dropped.’")
G Neville referred to the moment Rio goes off vs Wolves as the turning point in their season as ‘it was a big loss and from thereon-in the confidence dropped.’
It appears to me that either missing important players in key positions does affect a teams performance/results and not everything is about ‘poor mentality’ or Roy Keane is an expert with first hand experience of being a ‘bad champion’.
End of thread.
End of thread.
