Roy Keane says he is not frightened of his former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and that he has no immediate intention of forgiving the Scot following their high-profile fallout.
Keane's infamous bust-up with Ferguson, which came after the midfielder criticised his United teammates in an interview with the club's television channel, ultimately led to his Old Trafford exit in 2005.
The Irishman has not seen eye-to-eye with Ferguson since and, following the release of his new autobiography "The Second Half" on Thursday, Keane is still exercised by his former manager's reputation.
"A lot of people are frightened of him [Ferguson]," Keane said. "You can't go against him because you'll never be allowed speak to him again but, thank God, I don't have those problems. Why do people let him get away with that?
"People sit back and are frightened to death of him. I think a lot of managers would probably be intimidated by him, probably bow to him. I think [Roberto] Martinez reckons he was misquoted a few years ago that Ferguson had his disciples but he obviously does.
"The position I was playing in for United in the middle of the park, you have to express strength all the time and you had no weaknesses. This is a chance for me to look back. There was fear, there is fear.
"But don't get the impression that I was going into work every day shaking in my boots."
The relationship between the pair remains sour; Ferguson said in his autobiography that the hardest part of Keane's body was his tongue.
The Irishman insisted he has not read the book, but responded on Thursday: "I kick pretty hard. It was a cheap dig. He was never critical when we were winning trophies and he was getting his new contracts, getting this and that named after him -- Sir this, and whatever else.
"He was not pulling me or other players, saying: 'Listen, you need to relax a bit.' That was the game and I appreciate the game. The game finished, and we finished, but it was all the carry-on afterwards."
Keane was also invited to attend the unveiling of a Ferguson statue outside Old Trafford two years ago but concluded it had come from organisers rather than the Scot and didn't go because he felt it would all be about "power and control."
Another former player Ferguson infamously fell out with, Ruud van Nistelrooy, was welcomed. The Dutch striker was sold by Ferguson after a dugout bust-up and his departure was considered one of the most explosive of the manager's United tenure, but Keane said the pair's fallout was nothing compared to his with the former United manager.
And the Cork man was not sure he would ever be willing to forget what happened between him and Ferguson.
"For Ferguson, not just to criticise myself, but other players who were part of a team that brought some good days to lots of supporters, for him to criticise that when you think of what he made out of it -- he made millions of pounds out of it, he got his statues, he's got his stand named after him. Then he comes back and criticises.
"I said at the time, I wasn't too bothered about myself, but to criticise people who brought him success was just ridiculous.
"Will I ever forgive him? I don't know. Listen, I don't know. We'll see if we ever cross paths again. I'm sure we will."
For Keane, it was all about the timing of telling his side of the story, but he was determined to defend himself.
He said: "The stuff that has been said to me over the years, even from ex-teammates, is a pack of lies. It's just lies and lies and lies and sometimes you just say: 'Listen, I have got to get up and say something myself and defend myself a little bit.'
"Obviously Ferguson had friends in the media. I can spot them a mile away. He was pals with them and he put little snippets about me out there. It was lies, basic lies.
"So I had to come out and say 'listen' and now is the time. I had to bide my time and I've waited long enough, so there you go.
"A lot of stuff I let go, lots of stuff I let go, but eventually you have to go: 'Enough's enough.'"