At a time where Leeds United find themselves going head-to-head with Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Scott Parker and Michael Carrick for Championship points, an Elland Road icon of yesteryear is using his own foray into management as a means of broadening his footballing horizons.
Robbie Keane’s three coaching roles since retirement have led him not into England’s lower leagues but instead to India, Israel and now the furthest reaches of European football.
After guiding Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Israeli Premier League title in 2023 – Keane worked with the Leeds-linked Dor Turgeman at the Bloomfield Stadium – the Republic of Ireland’s all-time record goalscorer was headhunted as the man to drag Ferencvaros back to the summit of the Hungarian scene.
Ferencvaros have become the dominant force of the Hungarian game in recent times, claiming the league title in each of the last six seasons.
However, after slipping behind Puskas Acamedia in top spot, the underwhelming reign of former AZ Alkmaar boss Pascal Jansen opened the door for the one-time Leeds United frontman to take his place in the dugout of the Budapest-based club.
Whether that proves to be the right move for either party, only time will tell. The early signs don’t look particularly great, though.
If Ferencvaros were hoping for a proverbial ‘new manager bounce’, then Keane’s return of one win from his first five matches provided a dose of the harshest reality.
Leeds United hero Robbie Keane struggling in Hungary
Sunday’s damaging defeat away to the league leaders means that Keane has now endured the worst start of any Ferencvaros coach since the German Thomas Doll eleven years ago.
And the sight of former Fradi coach Stanislaw Czerczeszow smiling together with president with Gabor Kubatov – while potentially merely coincidental – has certainly got tongues-wagging over in Hungary.
Keane, meanwhile, is already pleading patience while attempting to bat away early scrutiny which is the inevitable by-product of a paltry 20 per cent win rate.
“No, I don’t feel pressure,” the former Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Inter Milan striker said ahead of Thursday’s Europa League play-off tie with Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen.
“We know where the team can go but, I think, when a new coach comes in with new ideas, he might need some time.”
Keane looks to silence doubters in Europa League clash
Keane feels that Ferencvaros were unfortunate to take nine points from their three clashes with Puskas Academia, Zalaegerszegi and MTK Budapest. As it is, they accumulated only two.
“We analysed the last three league games,” adds the 44-year-old. “I think we should have won all three. If we hadn’t had a chance to score, we would have been in trouble.
“But the game against AZ Alkmaar [a dramatic 4-3 win in the Europa League] was something you can draw energy from.”
Robbie Keane held talks with Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey before instead putting pen to paper with Ferencvaros.
After starting out as a player-coach in India with ATK, after Keane jumped at the chance to end Maccabi Tel Aviv’s four-year title drought before taking it upon himself to save Hungary’s reigning champions out of their recent slump, whether he proves to be as talented a manager as he was a player only time will tell.
One thing you cannot accuse Robbie Keane of, however, is shirking a challenge.
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