Robbie keane hinted in a press release that some players are favoured and protected while others are not at Anfield. It’s a safe bet to suggest that Keane was not in favor. Rafa Benitez claims that Keane was not up to their standard at Anfield. Please Benitez, the less you say the better. You are skating on very thin ice my friend and if the cabinet is not filled with at least the Premiership or the Champions League your time at Anfield is up.

Rumours circulating Anfield suggest that Keane was used as a pawn in the power struggle between Benitez and the owners of Liverpool. Benitez has insisted he wants full control over transfers and has continually declined suggestions that their is a problem between himself and the owners. How many players did you buy in the January transfer window Mr Benitez? How much money did you have allocated for transfers Mr Benitez?

Personally I think Benitez coaching journey at Liverpool has run its course. If he doesn’t produce silverware this year at least his succeeded at running the club at a loss in the tune of 8 million pounds. If Torres gets injured, who are you going to replace him with Mr Benitez? Steven Gerrard? Steven will be missing up to 8 weeks with a torn hamstring. Surely Robbie could’ve added depth to a squad that looks quite thin and lacking depth.

For me it’s sad to see Keane go. Robbie grew up supporting Liverpool and it was very clear that he loved the club and it’s supporters. How can Benitez justify benching him when he scored 3 goals in 2 games, one of them a cracker against Arsenal to salvage a point? Was there a hidden agenda? Benitez are you trying to prove a point? Let me remind you that the Liverpool club is bigger than any one individual. Robbie is captain of Ireland, scored more goals than you’ve had hamburgers with the lot. Never forget that.

Robbie played his first game for Tottenham on the weekend and was immediately given the captains arm band. Gee I wonder why! Could it be that he’s actually a great player.

What can we learn from this scenario? Have you as a player been treated unfairly by a coach? How would you deal with this type of scenario?

All coaches will deny this, but it’s a fact that they have their favourite players. What happens when you are not in your coaches plans? Do you pack your bags and leave for another club? Or do you stay and fight for your position?

If the coach picks the team based on performance and training, then by all means stay and fight. If you believe in your own ability and if the coach is any good, you will be given opportunities to establish yourself.

Let’s be honest for a minute here, when you play in a team sport like soccer, every player knows the pecking order. If the players in your team suggest you should be playing and you’re not, then maybe the problem can be attributed to something else other than your playing abilities. If this is the case, you may need to confront the coach about his selection criteria of the team. How would you approach the coach?

Ask direct questions

Question the coach about his selection of the team and the reason why you have been omitted from the team. When discussing this with the coach try and remain calm and be very cautious with your questions. Never compare yourself to any other player in your team. At the end of the day, the conversation is about you. Don’t turn it into an argument, but a discussion about you, as a player. If the reasons are not valid, then maybe it’s the coach that’s not good enough.

Ask for Constructive Criticism

The coach should be able to express his concerns about your playing ability. Whether it’s your lack of fitness or your lack of form, he needs to give you a specific criticism. Don’t hesitate to ask. If you feel like you should be playing and you’re completely honest with yourself, then guess what, you should be playing. Never lose faith in your own ability and never let anyone dictate your own immediate playing future.

Train Harder

Treat every training session as a show case with you being the star. Show the coach and your fellow team mates that you should be playing. Always remember, Head Up, Shoulders Back and Chest Out. If anybody stands in your way or tries to deceive or manipulate you, put them in the stand. The next fifty-fifty ball you compete for go in hard and make them feel your presence. Do this fairly, but do it with strength and vigor. Your physical presence at training will guarantee you the respect you deserve and will also keep you in the coach’s radar. Think about it, you have 2 choices.

1. Drop the head and remain on the bench or in the stands for the rest of the season or
2. Pick up yor balls with one hand and pull out the sword with the other and defend your position.

Decision Time

• IF you honestly believe you are good enough.
• IF your team mates assure you that you should be playing.
• If you have trained your arse off to get back in the team.

But the coach still doesn’t play you, then you might be a victim of soccer politics. In this case, your best option is not to quit, but to leave. There is a big difference. Quitting would be to bend over and be subjected to the coach’s abuse while simultaneously losing your confidence and self-esteem. Leaving would raise the eyebrows of your team mates and confirm that the coach has hidden agendas. Leaving in this situation is not considered quiting or failing, lets make that very clear.

Keane leaving Liverpool reminds me of a time when I was literally forced to leave a club that I loved and played over 20 years for because of a coach. The only positive that came out of that transfer is that I won my first premiership with my new club. My old club got relegated, the coach got sacked and fast forward 2 years later I returned back to the club I loved and was given the captains arm band.

One last thought before I go,

Coaches these days seem to have a false sense of worth. They believe the tag “coach” gives them some sort of magic power or authority. Let me assure you of one thing, all coaches are human beings. They make errors, bad judgements and tend to be blinded by their own ego. Never let a coach dictate your soccer future. Always remember that your soccer future is always in your hands.

Name: Robbie David Keane

Age: 28

Club: Liverpool

Position: Striker

Squad No: 7

Born: Dublin, Republic Of Ireland

Height: 1.73m

Robbie David Keane was born in Dublin on the 8th of July 1980. Robbie made his senior debut at age 17 for Wolverhampton Wanderers and scored a double on debut. Coventry City bought the striker for a club record £6,000,000. His time at Coventry was indeed successful with the striker scoring 12 times in just 34 games. With his great form, the big clubs came knocking and Inter Milan bought his services for £13,000,000. Marcello Lippi who had purchased the striker was given the flick and Robbie’s time in Italy was spent predominantly on the bench. Enter Leeds boss David O’Leary who after a successful loan period, purchased the striker for £12,000,000. Although many consider his time at Elland Road to be his less successful period of his career, he was then sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a bargain price of £7,000,000.

Robbie Keane had his most successful period at Tottenham dominating for 6 seasons scoring 107 goals in 254 appearances. He instantly became the fans favourite and introduced his trademark gunfire goal celebration. In 2006/07 season he destroyed defences scoring 31 goals in only 40 appearances. The end of 2007 made him the 13th player to score 100 Premiership goals and the 15th Spur player to score a 100 goals for the club.

Robbie Keane has represented his country on 81 occasions and scored 33 goals. Currently he is the captain of Ireland and the record goal scorer for his country. The question left to ask is, can Robbie Keane produce the same magic for the Anfield faithful?

Transfer History

Tottenham Hotspur to Liverpool (28 July 2008) £19,000,000

Leeds United to Tottenham Hotspur (31 Aug 2002) £7,000,000

Inter Milan to Leeds United (25 April 2001) £12,000,000

Coventry City to Inter Milan (31 July) £13,000,000

Robbie Keane’s Stats.

97-98 Wolverhampton 11 Goals 38 Games

98-99 Wolverhampton 11 Goals 36 Games

99-00 Coventry City 12 Goals 31 Games

00-01 Inter Milan 6 Games

00-01 Leeds United 9 Goals 18 Games

01-02 Leeds United 3 Goals 25 Games

02-03 Tottenham 13 Goals 29 Games

03-04 Tottenham 14 Goals 34 Games

04-05 Tottenham 11 Goals 35 Games

05-06 Tottenham 16 Goals 36 Games

06-07 Tottenham 11 Goals 27 Games

07-08 Tottenham 15 Goals 36 Games

08-09 Liverpool FC 1 Goal 6 Games