Source: FOOTYMAD
Keogh says goodbye to his old club
He thanks them in emotional farewell Richard Keogh has said an emotional farewell to Carlisle United and its fans, The right back has left the club to join Championship club Coventry City after he rejected the offer of a new contract at Brunton Park. Keogh has signed a three year deal with the Sky Blues. Keogh scooped four end of season awards at Carlisle including players player of the year. He spoke to the official Carlisle United web site this afternoon to bid a fond farewell to the club. He said, "It's a move that is a step up for me into the Championship and I think it's an opportunity that I had to take." "I was very committed to Carlisle, and I loved my time there, and I think that the fans will have seen that from the way that I played my football. I've got nothing but respect for Carlisle United because it has been a great club for me." "I was on a real high when I got the Player's Player of the Year Award and the other awards at the end of last season, because that was a real honour. It had been a superb season anyway, with the run that we had in the FA Cup and getting to Wembley in the JPT, so it's a spell in my career that I will never forget. There have been a lot of good times for me and I hope that it continues that way for everyone connected with the club because it is a fantastic place to be." "I think the amount of time that I took to make the decision shows how difficult it was to actually leave. I spoke with the manager at length a number of times and we had some really good conversations about the direction he wants the club to take. I don't mind admitting that I got fairly emotional on one of those occasions, and I think that was because of the impact that this club has had on me." "It's a wrench to leave this place because it has been fantastic for me, but I now have to look forward and I am excited about what lies ahead for me. I've come to a stage of my career where another opportunity has come up and I want to give it my best shot." "I would like to think that I gave something back to the club because everyone was so good to me. The relationship with the fans was amazing, and I'll always be pleased about that, but I have been given the chance to play at a higher level and I think that it would be stupid of me not to take it." "As a player you always want to play at a higher level and you have to seriously think about it if an offer does come along. That is what has happened for me so even though Carlisle is a place that I have loved, I feel that I have to go and test myself again with the challenge of playing for a club like Coventry. " "I'm confident in my own ability, especially off the back of the way that last season went for me and it's a challenge that I'm looking forward to. I'd like to thank the manager and staff at the club for making me feel so welcome from the moment I arrived. I'd also like to say a huge thanks to the fans for the way that they have treated me. There were times last season when their reaction gave me that little bit extra lift that is sometimes needed and they helped me through. I'll always be very grateful for that." "I just want to wish everyone all the very best now and to say a final thanks for helping to make the last few seasons so good for me. Hopefully if I do ever get back to the club I'll get a decent reception and I'll be able to say thanks in person, because that's something that I'd particularly like to do."
