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Roy Keane quits Aston Villa: Keane leaves role as Paul Lambert's assistant after just four months

Keane says that he can't commit to both jobs as much as he'd like and has chosen to relinquish his role as assistant manager at Villa

Jack de Menezes

Friday 28 November 2014 10:47 GMT

Paul Lambert watches on alongside Roy Keane (Getty Images)

Roy Keane has quit his role as assistant manager to Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert due to his inability to commit to the job as well as his position with the Republic of Ireland as much as he'd like.

Keane took up the job with Villa on 1 July this year ahead of the new season, but chose to continue in his position of assistant manager to Martin O'Neill with the Irish national team.

Villa confirmed the news on their official Twitter account, posting a tweet that read: "Roy Keane has relinquished his role as #AVFC assistant manager with immediate effect. Full details to follow on our website."

Keane said: "Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland and combining my commitment to these have become too much."

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Show all 10

1/10The most controversial sports autobiographies

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Tyler Hamilton – The Secret Race

Hamilton, one of Lance Armstrong’s key lieutenants during his Tour de France victories, made headlines around the world when ‘The Secret Race’ finally exposed the doping culture that defined Armstrong’s success and cycling in general. The book helped to turn public perception against his former team leader for good, and contained the most graphic and detailed depictions of sustained drug-taking in sport ever published. Key Quotes: ‘It took the drug-testing authorities several years and millions of dollars to develop a test to detect EPO in urine and blood. It took Ferrari about five minutes to figure out how to evade it.’ ‘I didn't say anything. Lance was on a roll now. ‘I'm going to make your life a living ... ******* ... hell.’’

Getty Images

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Len Shackleton – Clown Prince of Soccer

The original controversial football autobiography was penned by Sunderland legend Len Shackleton in 1956. The book is littered with criticism targeted at the FA and former clubs but became infamous for a chapter titled ‘The average director’s knowledge of football’. The page beneath was left blank. Key Quote: 'Chapter 9 – The average director’s knowledge of football…'

GETTY IMAGES

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – I am Zlatan

The Swedish superstar has never struggled for self-confidence, and Zlatan channelled his absolute self-assurance to produce one of the most brilliant, bonkers footballer’s autobiographies of all time. ‘I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ intersperses sections sticking the boot into Pep Guardiola with gleeful anecdotes of his utterly bizarre extra-curricular exploits. Key Quotes: ‘Whenever life’s at a standstill I need some action. I always drive like a maniac. I’ve done 325 kilometres an hour in my Porsche Turbo and left the cops eating my dust.’ ‘One time I got dressed in all black, Rambo-style, and took a massive pair of bolt-cutters and nicked a military bike.’

Getty Images

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Herschelle Gibbs – To the Point

The South African batsman’s career was littered with incidents of drug-taking, womanising and racism, so his book was always going to arouse controversy. ‘To the Point’ vividly depicted his drink and drug abuse and orgies involving Gibbs and his international team-mates, as well as some customary mud-slinging over cliques of senior players (sound familiar, KP?). Key Quote: (subtly depicting a night on a tour of Australia in 1997/98) ‘It was one fat party. From mid-evening to the next afternoon. I enjoyed the company of … let’s say, more than one woman.’

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The most controversial sports autobiographies

Sean Long – Longy: Booze, Brawls, Sex and Scandal

Long, a mainstay of the all-conquering St Helens team of the late 90s and early 2000s, had his career tainted by a three-month ban for betting on his team to lose to Bradford Bulls in 2004. His book lived up to its straightforward title: beyond lifting the lid on a betting culture that pervaded rugby league, the book is awash with anecdotes of extraordinary drinking and seedy sexual encounters. Key Quote: ‘Me and Glees [Martin Gleeson] got our heads together and decided to bet on Bradford to win.’

PA

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Andre Agassi – Open

Agassi’s revealing memoir lifted the lid on his uncompromising upbringing and a career spent riddled with insecurities. Perhaps most notoriously, ‘Open’ included the revelation that Agassi used crystal meth throughout 1997 when his career was in a lull, leading to the star lying to avoid a drugs ban. Key Quotes: ‘I play tennis for a living even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion and always have.’ ‘As if they're coming out of someone else's mouth, I hear these words: You know what? **** it. Yeah. Let's get high.’

AFP PHOTO/Glyn Kirk

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Paolo Di Canio – Paolo Di Canio: The Autobiography

Di Canio has always been, to put it mildly, a tad eccentric. Fortunately, he refused to hold back in his book, written in 2000, which contains everything from barmy tales of stabbing his brother in the back (literally, with a fork) to an impassioned defence of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, which later caused him trouble as manager of Swindon and Sunderland. Key Quote: ‘I am fascinated by Mussolini. I think he was a deeply misunderstood individual. He deceived people. His actions were often vile. But all this was motivated by a higher purpose.’

PA

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Paul McGrath – Back from the Brink

McGrath’s book, which unflinchingly confronts his difficult childhood, alcoholism and multiple suicide attempts, is one of the most troubling sporting autobiographies ever written. The tales of McGrath’s epic binges – he once woke up in a caravan 15 miles from the team hotel, and would frequently play when drunk – are made all the more shocking by his total lack of glorification. Key Quote: ‘I vividly remember the Stanley knife and the blood pouring on to the floor. Come to think of it, I remember the au pair's screams too.’

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The most controversial sports autobiographies

Paul Kimmage – Rough Ride

A journeyman pro cyclist, Kimmage won the William Hill Sports Book award in 1990 for going against the sport’s ‘omerta’ and revealing for the first time the extent of drug-taking in the peloton. The book ostracized the Irishman from former friends and teammates but forced cycling to finally confront itself –Kimmage would later become one of Lance Armstrong’s fiercest critics. Key Quote: 'It was doping, no mistake about it, but it was only pigeon **** compared to what some of the others were doing. It bothered me, but this was my last Tour and I didn’t want to go out of it after two days.’

GETTY IMAGES

The most controversial sports autobiographies

Roy Keane – Keane: The Autobiography

Keane has previous on the controversial autobiography front, after his first book landed him in front of an FA tribunal for bringing the sport into disrepute. Mick McCarthy was one of many targeted in Keane’s relentlessly angry tome, but ultimately it was his expletive-ridden admission of deliberate retribution on Alf Inge Haalaand that landed the Irishman in hot water. Key Quote: (On Alf Inge Haaland) ‘I'd waited long enough. I ******* hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you ****. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.’

Keane still managed to hit the headlines despite no longer featuring on the pitch. Both he and Lambert had a run-in with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese attempted to shake their hands before the final whistle had blown during the Blues' 3-0 victory earlier this season.

He also hit out at Everton manager Roberto Martinez for making the most of injuries to Ireland internationals Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy in order to prevent them playing for the national side. Martinez furiously rejected the claims, while Everton chairman Bill Kenwright dismissed Keane's comments as "stupid things".

Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane (Getty Images)

Keane also released his latest autobiography in October 2014 that caused a stir across the football world, which criticised the likes of his former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Earlier this month - ahead of the Republic of Ireland's 2016 European Championship qualifier against Scotland - Keane was involved in an altercation with a fan, who was believed to have asked for an autograph. It later emerged that Keane rang the Guardai himself.

On his resignation, Keane said in a statement: "Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland and combining my commitment to these have become too much. It isn't fair to either Villa or Ireland, so I've made this decision.

"I'd like to thank Paul for giving me a great opportunity to come to a brilliant football club, I've really enjoyed my experiences at Villa and I wish the management team, the players, the supporters and the club nothing but the best going forward."

Lambert added: "Roy came to me this morning and he informed me that, ultimately, the difficulty of combining both roles has prompted his decision, which I respect totally.

"In the brief period we have worked together he has been great in the role and I understand his reasons for leaving."

Villa, who are winless in their last eight league games and just two points above the relegation zone, will look to replace Keane as soon as possible.

Chief executive Tom Fox said: "We thank Roy for his time at the club and we wish him the best with Ireland.

"Our focus now will be on working with Paul to identify the right person to work alongside him and to help us continue on our journey to return the club to its rightful place in the Premier League."

Additional reporting from PA

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