"Martin Newland resigns as Daily Telegraph editor" screamed the Sky News "Breaking News" banner across the screen. Minutes later the headline was replaced with "Roy Keane leaves Manchester United".
Were the two related? Would Paddy Power now report a rush of bets on Keane taking over at the Telegraph, Newland being head-hunted by John Delaney and Terry Venables going back to the job centre?
We wish Martin well, but his "Breaking News" hadn't quite the same impact. Certainly not on Redcafe.net.
"I feel tears welling up when I read the soccernet.com headline this morning I felt my heart stop and tears welling up in my eyes . . . this is the saddest day in United history . . . I feel like crying . . . I will never step foot in that football ground again . . . Christ I miss him, I feel like crying . . . there is a dead-set hole in my heart . . . this ****ing hurts", said one fan.
The mood wasn't much better over on the United We Stand website, prompting "The Doveman" to step in. "FLETCHER AND O'SHEA LEAVE TOO!!!", he wrote, adding: "...well I had to post summat to try and cheer everyone up".
But, as we know, one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity. "Roy Keane was a magnificent player and servant for Manchester United, but he also knows all about Celtic. If, at any time, Roy would like to speak to us about his future and Celtic's, we would be only too happy to speak to him, but as yet there have been no discussions," a Celtic spokesperson told the club's official website, stopping just short of providing Keane with the chairman's mobile number.
Back south a Madrid-based United fan was paying tribute to Keane. "He's been one of the best servants for United, won everything in his career on the club side and it is a big shock because I thought he'd stay there for a few more years, go in to coaching maybe," said David Beckham (pictured left with Keane).
"I know the fans will be upset because they loved him down there. So did I, when I played there. He was a great leader. The best thing about Roy Keane was you knew where you stood with him. If you did something wrong, he'd tell you, but if you played well, he'd also tell you in his own way."
"When you've got a captain like that, leading the team and the players, of course every player looks up to him for leadership. What he did for me and the rest of the team is one of the reasons why we won so many trophies at that club because of the inspiration he gave to the team."
Over in London, Arsene Wenger, who evidently hasn't studied the league table in a while, was bidding Keane adieu. "He was certainly their most influential player in the last 10 years," he said, "it's a complete surprise that he's gone in the middle of the season. It looked like he was a bit upset recently. Why, I don't know."
Keane Rages
"The great teams get back to finals and win it, and this just shows we are not a great team. We're just an average team in a lot of areas, but it's up to the manager and the rest of the staff to look at that. We seem to be falling further behind these teams like Real Madrid."
- On his team-mates in 2001
"Contracts mean nothing. He [ Jaap Stam] has discovered that, to football clubs, players are just expensive pieces of meat. When a club decide they want to sell there is little you can do once the wheels are in motion."
- Troubled by Stam's exit in 2001
"I hit him hard. Take that, you cunt. And don't ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries."
- In his autobiography Keane recounts his revenge on Alf Inge Haaland (above) in April 2001
"We blew it. This club deserves to win European Cup finals and we blew it. It's as simple as that. We had a great opportunity and these sort of chances don't come along very often."
- After the 2002 Champions League semi-final exit to Bayer Leverkusen
"Results don't lie and the table doesn't lie. Our performance levels have not been good enough. Everyone at this club needs to look at themselves and ask whether they are giving 100%."
- United finish 2004-05 without a trophy
