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.

The choice of Doyle marks an acceleration in the ghostwriting arms race (next week: Sam Allardyce and George R R Martin) and ensures Keane's humanity – rather than the belligerence captured by Eamon Dunphy in Keane's 2002 book – is to the fore. JK Rowling has described Doyle's The Woman Who Walked into Doors as her favourite book for his skill in inhabiting the life of abused wife Paula Spencer, a more than adequate preparation for the relatively straightforward contradictions of Ireland's most complex – and we use the term loosely – sports star. 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 * I've just got my copy of The Second Half and although I'm only a couple of chapters into it, it has not disappointed. People have their own opinions of Roy and some would be fearful of him, given how outspoken he can be. I have always judged people how I find them and I can honestly say I have never found a fault in him ... He had a fabulous career and I know I'm going to enjoy reading about it -- Jamie Carragher * DAILY MAIL * 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. 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.Roddy Doyle's works, mostly set in a fictional Dublin suburb, often star quietly frustrated everymen, and it's this book's achievement to make you see its mighty subject in that light -- Anthony Cummins * DAILY TELEGRAPH * Here are some of the best quotes from those who knew him best. It’s always entertaining when Roy is around… Sir Alex Ferguson I decided to read this book because on the bingo board I needed to read a dairy, autobiography or biography because of this I wanted to read this book because Roy played soccer and I really enjoy this sport. Aswell as he played for Manchester United which is the team I support in the English Premier Leauge.

The hearing started at 12.15pm. The prosecution case, featuring video evidence and extracts from the book, was conducted by Jim Sturman QC and lasted an hour and a quarter before Keane gave evidence and was cross-examined for two and a half hours. Dunphy followed, claiming, it is understood, that Keane's comments in the book were unfaithfully reported, before closing statements and deliberation. Soon attention focused heavily on a passage about Keane seeking revenge on Alfie Inge Haaland which ultimately got Keane a suspension – reading the offending passage now it would be fairly easy to overlook it, had Haaland’s career not been cut short due to the injury he suffered. By the time the second edition was published in 2003, Keane had agreed to rewrite the passage in later editions as part of his punishment from the FA. Keane's book - ghosted by Roddy Doyle - is brutal, amusing and self-deprecating, often at the same time -- Des Kelly * EVENING STANDARD * I now much prefer the second book. Less distance from the subject, a much smoother read, and, as you say, a wiser, more reflective and more welcoming self-critical angle. Or maybe it’s because I’m a thirtysomething now and not an early twentysomething.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. 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. The personality required to be an elite athlete is not always the same that is needed to qualify as a “good person.” Ruthlessness, stubbornness, ignoring pain, ignoring limits, intentionally breaking rules of decency——these traits are sometimes needed for tremendously successful athletes to become Legends. Thank Goodness we have the metaphorical realms of Sport and Art so that the most talented among us can work out these contradictions in a safe space, rather than have no other outlet and have to take out their aggression—and transgressions—elsewhere. 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. With that, Ferguson and Keane were spirited through a side entrance at the stadium, the end of an extraordinary and gruelling day of evidence and deliberation.

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. The trouble with the first autobiography, perhaps, is that it’s a little *too* Dunphy. The sections on Keane’s upbringing in Cork and his time at Forest, especially with Clough, still read beautifully, as do his reflections on the Class Of ’92, Eric Cantona, Gary Pallister and the Man U v Liverpool Cup Final in 1996.

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Roy Keane head-butted Peter Schmeichel on a 1998 pre-season tour in Asia. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images

I'm surprised how much Roy Keane's second autobiography made me laugh ... More importantly the book told me that Keane should be the next Manchester United manager. The more I read what he had to say, and his reflections on his two jobs as boss, the more I realised how perfect he would be at Old Trafford -- Adrian Durham * MAIL ONLINE *In a thoughtful piece as long ago as 2005, the year of the great Manchester United bust-up, British sportswriter Simon Barnes wrote about how Keane had "mellowed". Like global warming, Keane's mellowing has always been difficult to detect with the naked eye, and is absolutely denied by some. The process appears to have been going on for as long as anyone can remember, to the point where it has become – all credit to the lad – one of football's great cliches. You never felt you were beaten when Keaney was in your team. He never threw in the towel. I don’t think any of the rest of us were less determined to win than Keaney, but what makes him different is the way he gets it across, his anger if you like. 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 *