How Robbie Keane could end up as Scotland's Player of the Year

[ian1964 10,431]

Robbie Keane has bagged 11 goals from 11 games since joining Celtic at the end of the January transfer window and Ronnie Esplin argues that his short time in the SPL should not hinder his chances of picking up the top award.

 

Voting for the Scottish Football Writers' Association's player of the year will commence next month ahead of the May 9 awards dinner in Glasgow and if Robbie Keane continues with his scoring form over the next few weeks then he will mostly likely get my nomination. So what if he only arrived at the end of January?

 

I offered that thought to some colleagues on Saturday after the Irishman scored a well-taken double against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park to take his tally to 11 in 11 since he signed on loan from Tottenham and received some puzzled looks.

 

How can a player who has only played for six weeks so far be the best player in Scotland this season, was the general feeling.

 

Quite easy. Keane is streets ahead of anyone we are watching at the moment. Most games have appeared little more than a training ground exercise for the Republic of Ireland skipper while he awaits his return to England and indeed, if there is any criticism that can be levelled at him is that he has not yet reached 20 goals.

 

Having seen most of his games since he arrived north of the border, I believe that to be a conservative figure given the chances he has passed up or had saved.

 

He may still reach that figure, certainly if a Celtic side free from the pretence of chasing Rangers and with Neil Lennon in charge, dominate games in the way they did against Killie.

Would it be an indictment of the SPL? Probably. But, again, so what?

 

Have we forgotten our club's European results earlier in the season? Our champions are strolling to their second successive title having shrugged off their worst-ever result in Europe against a hitherto unknown Romanian outfit whose name most people could still not spell.

 

I am aware of the arguments against Keane's nomination other than the brevity of his stay. He didn't play well against Rangers at Ibrox. Agreed, but he was given no service. He is Robbie Keane, not Diego Maradona.

 

He played in the Celtic team which cost Mowbray his job when they lost 4-0 at St Mirren. Yes he did and indeed played poorly that night. But you can't blame Keane for Mowbray's desperate tactics which left the Parkhead side with six strikers on the pitch fighting for space found only in abundance in the Hoops' defence.

 

He was brought to help Celtic win the league and that won't happen. Agreed again but if it weren't for his goals against Dundee United and Falkirk in particular, the Parkhead side might be contemplating the disastrous possibility of finishing third.

 

They might not be looking forward to an Active Nation Scottish Cup semi-final against Ross County either.

 

The football writers, by common consent, are not spoiled for choice this season. Motherwell keeper John Ruddy has impressed and once again Rangers striker Kris Boyd has come up with the goods although he is going through a barren spell at the moment by his high standards.

 

Although we tend to go overboard in this country when we see a midfielder who can control the ball with ease and pass it to a team mate, Steve Davis has risen above the rest in prompting the Ibrox side towards the SPL title.

 

However, Keane is simply a class above. There is no one better in Scottish football than the Irishman.

 

He is mobile, intelligent, mentally sharp and can make and score goals. Is he to be penalised because he has not played as many matches as others? Do we overlook his contribution in order to mask the inadequacies of our game?

 

In microcosm, if an interval substitute scored a second-half hat-trick to win a game would we refrain from naming him man-of-the-match because he had only played 45 minutes?

 

Keane hasn't got my support just yet. I'm siding with Davis at the moment and Boyd is also in the frame. However, if I don't vote for the Celtic striker it won't be due to length of service.

 

http://sport.stv.tv/football/166447-playing-half-a-season-shouldnt-stop-keane-picking-up-player-of-the-year/

[Frankie 8,179]

More nonsense from Esplin....

 

Weir, Davis, Miller and Boyd should be the only players in contention this year; even if Keane has scored a few decent goals.

[ian1964 10,431]

It's amazing how Boyd gets slated for only scoring against the diddy teams yet here we have Keane getting praise for it!!!!

Miller is scoring a few goals this season as well, how many did Keane score in the OF game?

Edited March 29, 2010 by ian1964

[stewarty 1,877]

What a load of pyscophantic narrow minded drivel.

[Dr Preston Burke 0]

I remember an almost identical article about Craig Bellamy in 2005

[Bluedell 5,351]

He failed in the big game against us, and has failed to perform in other games where Celtic have struggled (Killie, St Mirren).

 

The lack of service excuse is laughable.

 

Esplin's credibility disappeared after the whole Spiers issue, and he seems keen (no pun intended) to cement that position.

[calscot 0]

Don't they always try to justify some Celtic player getting it when it's obvious it must be a Rangers player?

[ian1964 10,431]

Has the points gap not increased since Keane arrived ?.

[Super_Ally 0]

Don't they always try to justify some Celtic player getting it when it's obvious it must be a Rangers player?

 

Maloney wasn't getting a regular game til about half way through the season, nor was McGeady performing til about the half way point when he won it.

 

As a Celtic player you have to only show a brief period of quality or a fancy trick here to sweep the board of this pointless awards.

 

If we're going to pick players who haven't played enough then he's not streets ahead of Bougherra is he?

 

McGregor

Weir

Davis

McCulloch

Miller

Boyd

 

And possibly more (e.g. Stokes) would be more deserving.

 

Esplin is a Rangers fan my arse.

[metlika 0]

Keane has played against Kilmarnock 3 times and almost half his goals are against them, for me that says it all. I half jokingly said he would be up for the award seeing as he joined them but if hes up for the award people need shooting for allowing him to be there. Caldwell won the award ffs, so I suppose it can happen.