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Celtic signed Robbie Keane on loan in January 2010 during a frantic winter transfer window for manager Tony Mowbray, as he aimed to put together a team that would win the league.
Eight players joined the Hoops and 13 departed. Keane was the highest profile signing of the eight, as he had scored on a regular basis for the likes of Leeds, Coventry, Tottenham and the Ireland international side before joining the Bhoys.
The move was a bit of a gamble, but it was one that the club must have thought was worth taking to try and win back the title, and Keane certainly had the goal scoring pedigree to hit the back of the net on a regular basis.
Keane made his debut at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock, as Celtic fans travelled in their thousands to see the player make his debut.
Incredibly enough, Keane lost in his first match, as Celtic slumped to a 1-0 defeat. That defeat was a real blow to Mowbray and Celtic’s chances of winning the league, as the Bhoys fell 10 points behind Rangers at the top of the league.
Thankfully Keane managed to find the back of the net for the Hoops soon after the defeat to Kilmarnock, opening his account for the Bhoys from the penalty spot in a 4-2 win over Dunfermline.
Indeed, Keane was excellent for the Hoops in the Scottish Cup, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock.
YouTube: All Robbie Keane Celtic Goals
Unfortunately, despite Keane’s good form Celtic weren’t playing well under Tony Mowbray. Celtic lost 1-0 to Rangers at Ibrox in a loss which all but ended the Hoops’ title ambitions.
Worse was to follow when the team lost 4-0 to St Mirren, in a performance so poor that Mowbray was sacked the day after the defeat.
Neil Lennon took over as interim manager, and the Hoops and Keane performed well, but Celtic lost 2-0 to Ross County in the Scottish Cup semi-final in a very poor display.
Keane sadly didn’t win a trophy in his time with the Bhoys, but he did score on a regular basis for Celtic, ending his time at the club with 16 goals in 19 games, which is an excellent record.
There was no real chance of Keane staying with Celtic on a permanent basis, and the player returned to Tottenham, before joining West Ham on loan. He has now retired, and was recently the assistant manager to Jonathan Woodgate at Middlesbrough.
It has to be said that Keane’s time at Celtic has to be considered a disappointment. Even though he scored plenty of goals for the side, the Hoops didn’t do well in either of the domestic competitions that Keane played in.
The team really should have reached the Scottish Cup Final at the very least, the defeat to Championship side Ross County was a very poor one.
Still, at least for a short period Celtic fans did get to see Robbie Keane live out his dream and play for the Hoops, it is just a shame that it didn’t really work out.
