Love him or loathe him, you just cannot ignore Roy Keane at the moment. Whether he is leaving his country in the lurch, bringing his rivals to book or scuffling on the pitch, he spends as much time on the news pages as the sports pages.

He is a great footballer but has developed a crucial weakness - predictability.

Clips of him will never be shown on the "What happened next?" section of sports quizzes because the answer is so obvious to everyone.

No one will really have been surprised by what Keane did to Jason McAteer at Sunderland; you could see it coming a mile off.

Keane needs to realise that being a star footballer is the same as being at the top of any profession. You are there to be shot at by those with less ability and if you let them know what you are thinking it gives them an advantage.

He also needs to understand the impact he has on young people. Hours of good work by teachers, parents and others in positions of responsibility will have been undone by his recklessness. When the schools returned this week, I wonder how many elbows were flying in playground kickabouts.

I don't think much of this Jason character as a footballer or a person. He was as much to blame for what went on as Keane and he should have been sent off for two dreadful fouls - one on Keane - long before the elbow incident.

In ten years' time it will be a case of Jason who? But the next two or three years will determine how the public remembers Roy Keane.

To one generation, George Best remains the best footballer ever to play the game - to another he is a shambling drunk. In 1990, Gazza had the world at his feet - but how will you remember him?

Keane needs to take a leaf out of Eric Cantona's book. The Frenchman sat out a lengthy ban after his kung fu attack on a supporter but restored his reputation with consistently magnificent performances on his return.

Average players like McAteer are not fit to lace Keane's boots and will always use unscrupulous tactics to try to get an edge.

Upon his return to the game, Roy Keane needs to heed the words of Kipling and keep his head while all about are losing theirs. Then he'll be a man remembered for the right reasons.

The only thing giving Roy Keane a run for his money in the papers at the moment is the latest reality TV show.

This time we have a motley crew of decidedly B-list celebrities and has-beens battling it out in the Australian jungle with the public deciding who goes home first.

Regular readers will know I never watched Big Brother and I am similarly disinterested in the antipodean adventures of Tara Raving- Bonkerson.

But I cannot help thinking the makers have got it the wrong way round. Instead of letting the public vote on who comes home early, we should be asked who should remain down under for good. I would regard it as suitable revenge for Dame Edna Everage, Shane Warne and Neighbours.

Published: 06/09/2002