Roy Keane has a ‘DINOSAUR mentality’, blasts West Ham striker Michail Antonio – after Man United legend made thinly-veiled dig at him for podcasting and ‘having a laugh’ after defeats
- Keane said, without naming names, that hosting podcasts can be a distraction
- Antonio is the co-host of the BBC Sounds Footballer’s Football podcast
- Can Arsenal win a trophy for progress? The Gunners have recovered, but there is the final hurdle: Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Michail Antonio has criticized Roy Keane’s ‘dinosaur mentality’ after the Manchester United legend criticized players for hosting podcasts.
The West Ham striker has co-hosted the BBC Sounds Footballer’s Football podcast since 2021, alongside Callum Wilson and more recently Fulham captain Tom Cairney.
Keane, without naming names, told the Stick to Football podcast: “I think that [podcasts] can be a distraction for a player, especially when you’re coming off a defeat, and you’re in the next day and everyone’s laughing a bit.
“I don’t think you have to laugh for a week or two when you’ve been beaten.”
Speaking on his latest podcastIn response, Antonio has criticized the Sky Sports pundit’s “dinosaur mentality” and insisted that current footballers focus on more than just the game itself, compared to Keane’s playing days.
Michail Antonio has hit back at Roy Keane’s ‘dinosaur mentality’ after the Manchester United legend criticized footballers who host podcasts
The Man United legend highlighted that hosting podcasts can be a ‘distraction’ for a footballer
He said: ‘It’s a dinosaur mentality because if he [Keane] played, every manager, every fan, everyone kept saying, ‘Concentrate on your football. Go to sleep with a football in your arms. All you can think about is football. Your wife takes care of your children, don’t play with your children – football.’
“It was when he was playing. Obviously, players who played with him went bankrupt over time because all they thought about was football and that was all.
‘Now obviously footballers concentrate on their football, they can do their football, but they can also concentrate on other things: business, fashion, some are rappers now. People concentrate on other things.
“If I have time to do this, why wouldn’t I? With the podcast, I understand that if you’re battered on the weekend – which I did – it’s not something to be sad for two weeks because there’s another game next week. The idea is to forget what happened last weekend and make it better the following week.
“That’s why a lot of players are struggling with mental health issues, because people tell them they’re meant to struggle for two whole weeks because they were abused over the weekend. No, you take care of it. You’re sad when you leave and for that night.’
His comments come amid a tough run of form for the Hammers, who suffered a 5-2 thrashing by Crystal Palace on Sunday.
West Ham lost 2-0 to Fulham a week earlier, while they were also recently knocked out of the Europa League by newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
His podcast offers insight into the world of football from the perspective of a Premier League player.
Antonio already faced the wrath of Liverpool fans earlier this season after confidently predicting that West Ham would finish ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side in the standings.
He made the bold statement ahead of a Premier League match between the sides in September, which the Reds won 3-1.
