The second book also shows that Keane now questions some of the belief’s he had throughout his earlier career and that jump out in the first book. In particular, he seems to have realised that playing through injuries was more stupid than heroic. While the second book is less effusive in its praise for Sir Alex Ferguson, Keane never lets any animosity he may feel about his exit from Man Utd impact his earlier assessment of Fergie’s greatness as a manager.

He was a great influence, really. If Roy had a go at you, he did it because he cared. He was the best captain you could wish for. I'd waited long enough. I f****** hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c***. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries. This was my favourite quote because this cheating player deserved it and the irish man got him. He would tear you to shreds on the pitch if you gave away the ball, ‘Get your effing touch right, effing this, effing that,’ but as soon as you got into the dressing room, it was over. Something new I learned from this book, or something I thought about more deeply about this book is: Here are some of the best quotes from those who knew him best. It’s always entertaining when Roy is around… Sir Alex FergusonIt is the dearth of integrity that makes Pietersen such a peevish, trifling character, and the surfeit that makes Keane so entrancingly epic ... the personification of honest to a fault ... he is as close as sport can offer to an Old Testament prophet. Heroically unconcerned with being loved, almost insanely devoted to telling what he regards as the plain truth, he may not always be engaging. But ... he stands out as utterly and irreducibly true to himself -- Matthew Norman * THE INDEPENDENT * The other main contradiction that an Arsenal fan such as myself may be tempted to call a double-standard is Keane’s supposed unflinching attitude toward the truth. He exemplified a very important aspect of Man United’s greatness, which was a hatred of complacency, a refusal to be satisfied that more often than not spoiled any sense of accomplishment. This ultimately led to his downfall, tragic hero that he is (although the Autobiography was written prior to the event) when he unduly criticized his teammates’ performance on Man U’s own TV program. The contradiction lies not in his ability to be mercilessly critical of himself and his own team, but in the absolute denial of the existence of quality elsewhere. He has some words for Real Madrid and Juventus, and he admits begrudgingly throughout when another team played better than his; but for the most part the successes of anyone else mean nothing to him. As a fan of a major rival of his, it’s easy to see why I would notice such a contradiction; but Keane is not concerned with being a well-rounded individual. He is not concerned with following the Socratic method of argument. The inability to give the slightest shit about competitors doing well, to nonsensically (in logical terms) attribute zero value to the success of rivals, is a major advantage for a competitive athlete. At the office it makes you a cunt, but in the vicious world of professional football it is a valuable—if unconscious—attribute. He is one of the best players I have ever seen. Not only that, but he could motivate players too. He was the boss too. He is also a good man.” Darren Fletcher

Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971 in Mayfield, Cork) is a retired Irish footballer and the manager of English Championship club Ipswich Town. Roy Keane is honest about the nature of most soccer players. He’s frank about the nature of the news media, team managers and fans. He’s explicit about what it takes to win. And, most stirringly, Roy Keane is honest about the price one pays for not compromising on the things one believes in. I've always been a fan of Keane. His intensity and desire to 'win' is evident throughout the book - something I've always admired. Roy was unbelievable to play alongside and someone you could always trust. I soon learned that if you weren’t on your game he would be on top of you to make sure you were playing your part for the team. The best things are the small things: regretting joining Ipswich when he discovered the training kit was blue; refusing to sign Robbie Savage because his answerphone message was rubbish; being appalled that his side had listened to an Abba song before playing football. The irrational, blistering intolerance is delicious. Keane famously detested yes-men; he created himself as the ultimate no-man. And he's still here -- Dan Jones * EVENING STANDARD *

The insights into how he left United are interesting – it was such big news at the time. Similarly, as someone who attended a few Sunderland games during its “Irish” era, I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at his incredibly succesful first year in management. A genuine pleasure; it is a masterpiece of the genre and one that paints, in an entirely unintentional way, an extremely flattering portrait of the man ... Keane is not afraid to laugh at himself by telling stories against himself ... His thoughts on his players are humane, interesting, candid and never less than believable ... Keane's story is of a man, too, one who has had to look at football and life anew as a manager, and it is this added perspective that gives richness and humanity to the tale -- Mike Atherton * THE TIMES * Roddy Doyle is a great writer and, like Dunphy he also captures Keane’s voice well. It takes a few chapters to adjust to the subtly different style compared to the first book, but both feel like authentic Keane. A few anecdotes are repeated but mostly its fresh material. Keane, who is close to resuming training, will also be absent for league matches against Manchester City, West Ham, Newcastle and Liverpool before a possible return against Arsenal on December 7. But the fact that the FA penalty does not cover European games means the 31-year-old Irish midfielder could play against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on November 13.

Undoubtedly one of the best midfielders of his generation, Keane is just as well known for his antics off the pitch as he is his brilliant performances on it. He's scarily extreme, dangerously provocative, oxy-acetylene forthright ... and hugely entertaining' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAYAfter leaving Manchester United in 2005, Roy began playing for Celtic, before announcing his retirement from professional football six months later. Since retirement, Roy has continued his heavy involvement in the sport, managing Sunderland for three years and Ipswich Town for two. Roy also had the role of assistant manager for Aston Villa, Republic of Ireland and most recently, Nottingham Forest. Aside from his involvement in team management, Roy has had a successful media career. After covering the action of a few games for Sky, he was selected as a pundit for the ITV coverage of the Champions League final in 2012, alongside Harry Redknapp and Gareth Southgate. Proving popular with the fans, ITV kept Roy on as the chief football analyst and he commentated on nearly every match that was streamed live. The rhythm of it compels attention - it's like someone talking directly to you in a pub ... It's a thoughtful book, for a footballer. But while it's taken a novelist to write his life, it may take a psychoanalyst to understand it -- Anthony Quinn * THE MAIL ON SUNDAY * On Keane’s display in the Champions League semi-final against Juventus in 1999: “It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Roy Keane had an exceptional playing career which combined huge achievement with equal amounts of controversy. It’s impossible to have followed English football in the 90’s and naughties and not have a strong opinion either way. For an Irish fan, it’s even harder to not to love or loathe him.

Opinions about Brian Clough were mixed in the dressing room. Some players were afraid of him. Others disliked him. Few grumbled that we didn’t see enough of the manager. My own view of Clough was coloured by the fact which remained foremost in my mind: he’d given me my chance, and I owed everything I now had to him. How many managers would risk their reputation by throwing a nineteen-year-old into the first team, at Anfield? A kid with no professional experience? More than that, his generous response to my requests for trips home to Cork had helped me through the difficult early days at Forest. Sure, he had his own way of doing things, but it worked for Forest. And for me.” Roy Keane won seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League trophy with Manchester United – not to mention the respect of virtually everyone he faced. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing as if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose, he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player.”This autobiography tells the story of how Roy Keane relentlessly drove himself towards a simple goal (to be a professional soccer player) and how his uncompromising single mindedness propelled him to the pinnacle of his objective -- captaincy of Manchester United, the 1999 treble season capturing the FA Cup, Premiership and Champions League and countless other team and individual trophies. The thing I love about this man is there is nothing he writes down that he would not say to someone's face -- Stan Collymore * THE PEOPLE * Whenever I read a sportsman’s second autobiography (usually published a bit after they have retired), I always like to reread their first one (usually published at peak of their carer). It can be fascinating to see how the same events or relationships are told differently with the benefit of more experience or changed dynamics. I hope to reread and write about some of my favourite double autobiographies. First up, the Manchester United and Ireland legend, Roy Keane! The belligerence, dry humour and short fuse still exist but it has now been accompanied by introspection, harsh self-criticism and no little humility -- James Olley * EVENING STANDARD * Each man trails numbers, stats that speak for themselves. The Man United captain played 600 times and won seven Premier League titles and a European Champions League; Pietersen, double Ashes winner, is England’s most prolific run-scorer of all time in all forms of the game. In both cases, however, it is not the decade of triumph that they dwell on, but the manner of its ending. For all the sweat and glory that preceded it, their lasting focus is, sadly, on the monosyllabic exchanges in an office, each lasting “less than five minutes”, that marked the final act. As Oedipus or Othello might have explained in a post-match interview, at the end of the day, Brian, life just isn’t fair.