Keane V Shearer - Get Them In The Boxing Ring

Last updated : 13 October 2017 By Footy Mad - Editor

Despite appearing chummy together on Match Of The Day on a number of occasions, during the nineties and early noughties, the relationship between former Newcastle United captain Alan Shearer and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was always rocky.

Image result for Alan Shearer Roy KeaneIt famously came to a head during the final minutes of a match at St James' Park in 2001 when Shearer conceded a throw-in while trying to run down the clock. With Newcastle 4-3 up, Keane wasn't best pleased. He picked up the ball at threw it at Shearer.

Words were exchanged, and in typically calm fashion, Keane swung a punch at Shearer, earning himself a red card.

Speaking to the True Geordie podcast (where else?) Shearer revealed that the bust-up didn't end there, with the fracas almost spilling over into the tunnel post-match.

"He punched me in the face once, at St James' Park, didn't he?" Shearer said. "He got that red card, he walked off the pitch, it was the last minute of the game and he'd been given the red card, and he was waiting for me at the top of the tunnel. Of course, we tried to get each other and we couldn't, it was like hold me back, don't hold me back, but we couldn't get to each other, it would have been interesting."

The story echoes another Shearer interview, this time with FourFourTwo in 2015.

"He got the hump at that and threw the ball at my head," Shearer said. "I can't remember what I said, but he tried to throw a punch at me and got a red card. Minutes later, I'm walking down the tunnel and there he is, waiting for me. Our teammates wouldn't let us get together to settle things."

But not everyone remembers it that way. Craig Bellamy, who played alongside Shearer that match reflected on the incident in his autobiography.

"[The ball] hit him on the back of the head and Alan complained to the referee. The referee sent Keane off and Keane went absolutely nuts. He looked like he wanted to rip Alan's head off. It took about five of the United players to restrain him. I adored Keane. He was one of the best players I ever played against. I idolised him in fact, but I wouldn't have wanted to go up against him in those circumstances. I saw him waiting for Alan in the tunnel at the end of the game and Alan didn't seem to be hurrying off the pitch! He was one of the last to come off actually, which we all made sure we remarked on when he finally made it back to the dressing room. Keane had to be dragged into the United dressing room by then."

The plot thickens.