Richard Keys claims he played a pivotal role in Kelly Cates' ascent in the world of sports presenting, amidst her imminent move to the BBC and from Sky Sports. Cates, who is the daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, is reportedly poised to leave her longstanding position at Sky for a shared presenting role alongside Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan on Match of the Day following Gary Lineker's departure at the end of the current season.
In a strange turn, while lauding Cates for her prowess as a presenter, Keys expressed his doubts about her latest career move. Taking to his personal blog, the former Sky Sports anchor implied he was instrumental during Cates' formative professional years and even suggested that the BBC might be axing Match of the Day soon.
"Congrats to Kelly Cates on her new job. I'm proud of her but not surprised," Keys wrote. "Success has many fathers and I'm sure there'll be a few people lining up to take credit for her career, but Kelly, Kenny and me know the truth."
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Continuing, he said: "Kenny and I once fell out about her getting a job at Sky. 'It meant she didn't finish Uni' he said to me. 'No' I replied. 'But you asked me to get her a job'. Her dad is a man of many contradictions but that one was a belter. I'm not holding my breath expecting he'll call now to apologise.
"Kelly is good. Very good. But I'm still surprised she's making the move. There's nothing like presenting live football. I would never have made that decision. Highlights shows are deadly dull.
"MotD desperately needs fresh blood, but I'm not sure it will survive for very much longer. Eventually Grandstand died for similar reasons the march of time."
Cates' exit from Sky is still yet to be officially announced, and the same can be said for Logan's imminent Match of the Day move. Just as he's done with Cates, Keys has also taken credit for Logan's progression in the industry.
He said: "Gabby Logan is someone else I opened the door for. I did that because her dad (Terry Yorath) had played for Coventry and I was a big fan! She's good but a handful."
Keys left Sky under a dark cloud in 2011 after making derogatory comments about female assistant referee Sian Massey alongside long-time colleague Andy Gray.
