**Roy Keane Slams Excessive Praise for Players, Recalls Sir Alex Ferguson’s Unsentimental Approach**
Renowned football pundit and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has expressed his disapproval of the lavish praise players receive from their coaches in today’s game. Keane, known for his brutal assessments of players, believes that excessive adoration can have a negative impact on their performance.
Speaking on the latest episode of Stick to Football: The Overlap Special, brought to you by Sky Bet, Keane reflected on his playing days under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and compared the Scot’s methods to those of modern-day coaches. Keane suggested that players receive too much positive feedback, which needs to be toned down.
“I think players are getting praised too much,” Keane said. “Back in the day, Forest players who won big trophies before I went to Forest, they said all they ever wanted from Brian Clough was praise. John Robertson would say once he got the thumbs up, he felt 10-foot tall. But now it’s gone the other way – players are getting praised for controlling the ball.”
Keane, alongside Gary Neville, discussed Ferguson’s approach to feedback, which led United to 13 Premier League titles and a Champions League among other trophies. Neville revealed that Ferguson’s words of encouragement were sparse, but meaningful, saying, “The boss’s words were, ‘Well done, son’ at the end of a game if you won. That was it.”
Keane added that Ferguson’s praise was never cheap, saying, “Sir Alex Ferguson would always say, two important words you should say to players on the training pitch is, ‘Well done’, but not where it doesn’t mean anything at the end of it.”
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Roy Keane had claimed that players are ‘getting praised too much’ by coaches in the modern game

Keane played under Sir Alex Ferguson (right) for over a decade at Manchester United, enjoying widespread success
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He compared the Scot’s methods to the modern day, criticising the praise that players receive
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Neville (left), meanwhile, revealed the three-word method that Ferguson used for feedback
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