Gary and Robbie

"However, it comes to us all and it's knowing when that time is and for me that time is now"

These words yesterday signalled the end of the playing career of Gary Neville. It seems almost a bit premature really at the age of 35, when there have been quite a few players more recently that have played on past this age, Teddy Sheringham and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank to name but two. But, the last few years of Neville's career have been blighted by long lay offs due to injury, so maybe it was a need to bow out at the top rather than move down through the leagues.
He did undoubtedly have a very successful career winning every thing possible at Manchester United as well as being the most capped right back for England, managing to find, unlike his brother Phil a permanent role in both teams.

However, before you hear all the stories of the dedicated model professional etc etc. Let’s not forget what the majority of us all really thought of Gary Neville. That he was boring. He was David Beckham's mate, the kind of geeky friend that you have around because hey you like them, they make you laugh and you've known them a while. But still the kind of mate that you don't always invite along to parties where your other cooler friends are. The type of mate that if you go to a nightclub with them they are usually the one who goes to sort out a cab home, that is if they are not driving.
The type of mate you would always stick up for when girls make fun of him, after all he may make a pratt of himself but he's still your friend all the same.

I couldn’t and wouldn’t ever try to take anything away from Gary Neville the player. His contribution to both Manchester United and England were immense and would always stand up to any scrutiny.
But using the title of this blog as a comparison, Neville fits very much into the Gary Barlow Take That role. Talented but not quite as cool as his mates.

I don’t know quite what it is but I think I will always have a soft spot for Robbie Keane. Obviously it’s largely because of his Spurs connection but even when he went briefly to Liverpool last season and his loan spell last season at Celtic I couldn’t quite bring myself to dislike him.

You would think that it would be easier to now considering that he’s on loan at West(S)ham but even that doesn’t seem to have made any difference. I still couldn’t stop myself smiling when I watched him scoring for them on match of the day last night.
I think it’s largely because he arrived at Spurs when we most needed a new striker and he has always been a committed, dedicated player for Spurs and always seemed like one of our own. He’s never been an out and out front man and you wouldn’t really want him playing upfront on his own but he will as the saying goes ‘always get you goals’.