The transition from playing to coaching is always a challenge, even for a player as accomplished as Robbie Keane.
Currently in his first season managing Hungarian top-flight side Ferencváros, life on the sidelines is an adjustment for the LA Galaxy and Ireland international legend, who spent the previous two years managing Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League.
"That competitive fire\] never leaves you, as a player, I don't think," Keane said on the latest episode of [This is MLS. "Of course, it's difficult, because I always felt as a player I was always in control. I always knew I could do something, make something happen. I could score a goal at any second. But then, as a coach, you're relying on the players to do it. So you give them instruction, give them as much as possible to do, but yeah, you're relying on them.
"So I think as a manager, that's probably the hardest thing, to be honest."
Honing the craft
While he might have to stave off the urge to lace up his boots, Keane's first season with Ferencváros is off to a positive start, as he has his new club sitting near the top of Hungary's NB I table through eight matches.
"The biggest thing I think you have to understand is that people are not you," Keane told hosts Kevin Egan and Bradley-Wright Phillips. "I think that's the big thing. I can't tell a striker to do what I used to do and other players, so you have to be careful of that.
"And I know a lot of ex-players fall into that, because they get angry and get annoyed. I didn't, to be honest with you, I haven't got into that. I kind of spoke to a few ex-players and managers, and that was one of the big things that they said to me. You have to treat everybody differently, everybody individually. And you have to try and help them to their strengths as much as possible.
"They're not going to have movement like me, but they're probably better in other areas than me. So how can I help them improve that?"
Aside from the on-field tactics and execution, Keane said he believes the man-management aspect of coaching is even more important.
"Being a manager, tactically is 20-30 percent [of it], I'd say," he said. "The 70 percent is how you manage a group, how you manage the players, how you keep 25 players happy."
MLS comeback?
As his coaching career progresses, could a return to MLS one day be in the cards for Keane?
The 45-year-old could be uniquely prepared for the challenge, given his status as a league icon following his wildly successful Galaxy tenure. After making the move stateside following his distinguished career in Europe (mostly in the English Premier League), Keane helped steer the Galaxy to three MLS Cups and a Supporters' Shield, and claimed 2013-14 MVP honors, all while performing as one of the league's top goal-scorers.
"I don't know, to be honest with you," Keane said of a prospective MLS return. "You know how much I admire MLS, I had a great time there, great affiliation, of course, to LA Galaxy. I never say never. You never know until the opportunity comes your way and it's in front of you. But if you're asking me to say that right now, I'd have to say probably not, because what I'm doing here, I'm enjoying it.
"I'm in Europe and doing things the way I want to do them," he added. "So it'd have to be, if it was away from here for example, and it was a really good offer that had the really good backing of the owners, then why not?
"Because MLS is definitely in a good place."
