Roy Keane....!

[redrus]

No link as yet, just heard it on the Sky game half time coverage. News as it comes.....

redrus

[redrus]

I have a Link....!

Keane to Sunderland?

According to several sources Roy Keane is in the frame to become the new manager at Sunderland, working under fellow-Irishman Niall Quinn who is now going to remain as only Chairman.

Keane retired this summer after constant niggling injuries preventing his return and now could well be the main to step in at the Stadium of Light.

With the takeover "honeymoon period" over after abysmal start to the season by Sunderland (losing every league game and being knocked out of the Carling Cup at the first hurdle to Bury) a man like Roy Keane stepping in could excited the Black Cat fans once again.

Whilst the claims of "no experience" will likely be pounded around the press in the following days, it would have to be said that Keane does have the credentials to become a manager and many young managers are proving their worth in the Championship.

Aidy Boothroyd guided Watford to promotion after limited resources and many our tipping the young manager to keep up the Hornets.

redrus

[redrus]

Sunderland quiet over Keane claim

Roy Keane

Keane played for Nottm Forest, Man Utd and Celtic in a glittering career; from the BBC

Sunderland are staying tight-lipped over a claim that Roy Keane will be the Championship club's new manager.

Sky Sports reported on Wednesday that Keane, 35, will be appointed the new boss, taking over from chairman Niall Quinn who has been in temporary charge.

Keane played with Quinn during their international careers with the Republic of Ireland, and the pair share a lawyer and agent in Michael Kennedy.

But neither Keane nor the club issued any statements on Wednesday.

And when BBC Sport contacted a Black Cats spokesperson, there was no comment made.

BBC Radio Five Live also reported that there were "strong rumours" in the north-east that Keane was going to be the new Sunderland boss.

*Sky did lead me to believe this was just about a done deal.

redrus

[taxexile]

Keane's massive challenge

By Phil McNulty

Chief football writer

BBC

Roy Keane is poised to take the massive step that has proved too much for so many great players before him - the move from the pitch to the dug-out.

The most committed winner in Premiership history is on the brink of being appointed boss at Sunderland, a Championship team and a club that has forgotten how to win.

Chairman, and current manager, Niall Quinn reacted to the Carling Cup defeat at Bury by announcing he was close to appointing "a world-class manager" - and it appears that man is actually someone who has never managed at any level.

Throw in Keane's confrontational and combustible personality, and you have a strategy from Quinn and his former Republic of Ireland team-mate that is high-risk in the extreme.

Just take his departure from the World Cup in 2002 after an infamous ruck with Mick McCarthy.

He may have to bite his tongue and count to 10 now he is a manager. He will have to demonstrate sympathy and understanding.

Can he achieve it? Will he be able to oversee a group of players who cannot dream of having a talent and drive to match his?

Keane is hardly renowned for his patience with under-achievers, and he will find plenty of them waiting to greet him if he finally settles behind a desk at the Stadium of Light.

And a career liberally sprinkled with honours is no guarantee of managerial success. Keane's attempt to make the transition will be intriguing - and potentially hazardous in a lower division enviroment that is alien to everything he has experienced in his previous life at Manchester United and Celtic.

This is the downside and will not figure in the considerations of Sunderland chief Quinn and a hugely loyal fan base that have gone from craving succes to craving for a single win.

Quinn appears to have pulled off a massive coup, and make no mistake Keane has had the best managerial education available under his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.

He has long been regarded as the on-field embodiment of the fire, desire, and will-to-win of his brilliantly successful and single-minded manager at Old Trafford. His master's voice on the field.

If he can inject a fraction of that into Sunderland, he will prove an inspired appointment, but expect a rocky ride.

His former Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr has no doubts.

He told BBC Sport in 2006: "I could certainly see him as a coach and as a manager - he is very intense about the game and thinks a lot about it.

"He loves the competitive nature of the game and he likes the idea of winning matches.

"He understands the key to winning matches is in the preparation. He has talked about how important it is in the way you prepare for games - that gives him a great start.

"To be a manager you have to give time, energy and dedication to the job. He has the strength of personality, communication and intelligence to go into it if he wants to do it."

Keane will have no trouble keeping his distance and establishing respect from Sunderland's players. He was not even regarded as close to many of his team-mates at Manchester United.

He once famously said: "I'm not at Manchester United to be liked" - just as well given his capacity to deliver the harshest of messages to colleagues he felt dropped below the standards he did not simply expect, but demand.

Keane will have to quickly learn that all players are not as outstanding or as driven as himself, especially those who have struggled so desperately for the last 12 months.

Even so, expect fireworks and quickly.

If anyone has been enjoying an easy life at Sunderland, the party is over. If anyone wants a quiet life, they are in the wrong place.

But, more importantly, if Sunderland's fans were looking for a saviour they may just have found one.

Quinn suggested he would appoint a manager who would prove his new Sunderland regime meant business.

Keane is certainly that man - but the outcome of this bold appointment is no foregone conclusion.

If he can light a spark under a huge club, he will achieve legendary status. If the job does not match Keane's expectations, or if he sees something that does not meet his standards, will the toys fly out of the pram?

This is why the predicted appointment of the hugely-respected and shrewd Brian Kidd as his right-hand man will be a wise move.

One thing is for sure, once Keane walks into the Stadium of Light, life will never be the same again for Sunderland.

he's a horrid bastard , but will probably make a good manager. it will be interesting to see what he can do with sunderland.

actually , its a pity leeds didnt grab him as a new manager. my faith in blackwell is lower than a pensioners tits.

[feasantplukka]

think an experienced manager is needed not a novice Keane no expeience and no patience, it was rumoured earlier this week that Curbishley would be appointed, much better choice in my opinion,

UP THE TYKES!

[Sunderland]

This is just what Sunderland need! Haha ... a chairman and a manager with a long history of mutual understanding and friendship.

Will wait and see if

( a ) it really happens and Keane signs on the dotted line

( b ) he does enough to help Sunderland stay up

He is a great leader - albeit a nasty piece of work at times - so might be just what Sunderland need to kick start their season. Or it could all go tits up.

Great players don't always make great managers - Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore ... etc.

[Mossfinn]

Throw in Keane's confrontational and combustible personality, and you have a strategy from Quinn and his former Republic of Ireland team-mate that is high-risk in the extreme.

Just take his departure from the World Cup in 2002 after an infamous ruck with Mick McCarthy.

This also included a shooting war between Quinn and Keane when Quinn backed McCarthy and Keane called him a stooge, only he didn't use those words.

Moss

[Spit the Dog]

I think it's ironic that Sunderland's last full time manager was Mick McCarthy. If you remember Keane and McCarthy had a major bust up during the 2002 World Cup and the end result was Keane being sent home.

During McCarthy's time at The Stadium of Light, he must have told all the Sunderland players that Keane is a total c*nt. I even remeber when Sunderland played Man Utd last season they booed Roy Keane. Now, it looks like this same guy that the ex-manager no doubt descibed as a c*nt is going to manage the same group of players.

What next? Alfe Inge Haarland as assisstant manager?

[mrbojangles]

What next? Alfe Inge Haarland as assisstant manager?

Now that would be interesting

BTW, does this now mean that Keane will have to suck up to the "prawn sandwich brigade" he despises so much

[ThaiPauly]

If he takes over he had better get his boots polished up..he's sure gonna need 'em

[redrus]

KEANE TO RETURN TO FOOTBALL

redissue

Thursday 24th August 2006

With Kidd by his side

Roy Keane is expected to be named as Sunderland's manager within the next 48 hours, an appointment that will stun football fans on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Niall Quinn, Sunderland's chairman-manager, has been in regular contact with Keane for some time and they have a verbal agreement that the former Manchester United player will move to Wearside. But no contract has been signed and there is concern the deal could collapse. Last night's premature publicity is unlikely to have helped Quinn complete his task.

Quinn was in Dublin yesterday meeting the group of businessmen who backed his recent takeover of Sunderland. Those men, the Drumaville consortium, always had Keane in mind as their manager alongside alternatives such as Martin O'Neill and Sam Allardyce. Keane is believed to have been on holiday in Portugal and is due to travel to Ireland sometime in the next 24 hours. A clandestine meeting will be hard to arrange now.

Keane and Quinn, thought to have had a reunion brokered by their mutual agent, Michael Kennedy, earlier this year, following their spectacular and highly acrimonious fall-out at the 2002 World Cup, are understood to have spoken again at the beginning of this week.

After that 2-0 defeat an emotional Quinn said that was his immediate intention and that he was "70%" of the way to installing a "world-class manager". Quinn's phrase sparked debate in every football fan's head as to who the candidate could be. If Keane is appointed - and that cannot be taken for granted - the debate over Quinn's description will continue.

No one will contest Quinn's clarified words yesterday that the new man "is a leading figure in world football who will bring steel and a winning mentality to Sunderland". It is the word "manager" that will be contested. Keane has taken coaching badges and, having retired as a player in May following one abbreviated season with Celtic, wants to become a manager.

But he has not managed before and it was thought that he wanted to take his time before re-entering the professional game in England. Before last night's developments Quinn had defended his "world-class" description saying: "To me he is world-class, I stand by that - we, Sunderland, are close to getting a leading figure in world football and we will support him 100%."

Given Sunderland's plight, Keane will need that support and now has less than a week before the transfer window closes. Brian Kidd, Keane's coach at Manchester United, is rumoured to be part of Keane's backroom staff. Notoriously guarded - except in his scalding autobiography - Keane may not reveal his incentive but his mended relationship with Quinn is obviously a massive factor.

However, something has changed and with Quinn watching from the directors' box, Keane looks set to lead Sunderland in their next game - at home to West Bromwich Albion on Monday afternoon. West Brom, of course, are managed by Keane's former United colleague Bryan Robson.

redrus

[redrus]

Keane lines up Kiddo as his assistant.

From the Guardian:

Roy Keane remains on course to become the next manager of Sunderland and is fully expected to sign a contract for at least three years in the coming days, but there may be no formal announcement of his appointment until next week.

Reports that Brian Kidd is to be installed as Keane's assistant are premature, with Kidd believed to be discussing the logistics of working in Sunderland with his family.

Negotiations between Keane and the Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn are ongoing and sources close to the deal said yesterday that there is nothing sinister in the apparent delay. But as of last night a contract had not been signed and until it is Sunderland and Quinn cannot rest easy.

Also from the Guardian, by Rob Smyth:

Keane's dealings with his new chairman Niall Quinn will certainly be interesting if he takes the Sunderland job, but it is his relationship with his new players that really makes this one of the most fascinating appointments in modern football history.

The prevailing wisdom is that Keane's sole tactic will be to hit underperforming players with a blast so vicious as to make Sir Alex Ferguson's hairdryer feel like a gentle breeze in the desert. It is a horrible oversimplification.

While Keane's attacks of rage are likely to be random and brutal, there is so much more to this incredibly complex man, a compelling fusion of forensic intelligence and pathological yearning. Quinn knows this. He could become the most intriguing manager in English football since Brian Clough.

Or he could be a total disaster. Clough was at Leeds for 44 days and Nottingham Forest for 18 years, and you suspect that Keane may similarly be all or nothing. Having spent much of his career in extremely exalted company, he may find it difficult to work with players who struggle to get the ball from A to B at the best of times, never mind with a 90% success rate.

His pursuit of excellence will be maniacal, unflinching, more mentally gruelling than anything any of these players will have ever experienced; they are standards that would challenge the Brazil 1970 side, never mind a team that has just lost to Bury.

It will take a strong character to want to work for Keane, never mind succeed, but to turn down the chance would be like walking away at the end of Lost In Translation. You would forever wonder what might have been.

There is something of Martin O'Neill about Keane - a simmering, forensic, Clough-taught Irishman whose disciples would go to the ends of the earth for their man. It is entirely conceivable that he could imbue his Sunderland team with an irresistible force. The Black Cats may be about to morph into cornered tigers.

One thing they won't be is headless chickens. Forget the sporadic rage blackouts; Keane likes his footballers cool and clinical. "They say God is in the detail; in football that's true," he wrote in his autobiography. "Sometimes games are won by a magical goal - that's what people remember. But the essence of the game is more mundane. Detail. Wearing down the opposition. Winning the psychological battles - man on man - from the moment the ref blows the whistle for the first time."

To many Keane is a law unto himself, but to him all that matters is what he calls the Law Of Cumulation. "First tackle, first pass, first touch, everything counts. A lot of little things add up to the thing that matters: breaking the opposition's hearts - but first their minds, their collective mind."

It was Clough who taught Keane these principles. "Every football match consists of a thousand little things which, added together, amount the final score. The game is full of bluffers, banging on about 'rolling your sleeves up', 'having the right attitude' and 'taking some pride in the shirt'. Brian Clough dealt in facts, specific incidents, and invariably he got it right."

In many ways, Clough is a more relevant reference point for Keane's managerial career than Sir Alex Ferguson. There is the inscrutability, the wild and random mood changes - and the unconditional love for the only tool of the trade that matters, the football.

For all Keane's obvious qualities, his appointment remains an almighty gamble - particularly given that, last season, Quinn said he thought Keane would not make a good manager. Nobody has a clue how it's going to turn out. But it's going to be fun watching.

redrus

*there is no mention of Keane on the Sunderland website. Link.!

Edited August 26, 2006 by redrus

[redrus]

Black Cats agree terms with Keane

By James Pearson - Created on 27 Aug 2006

Roy Keane is poised to become Sunderland's new manager after agreeing terms with The Black Cats.

The former Manchester United midfielder had been tipped to link up with the North East outfit after it was leaked that he was top of the club's wanted list.

Keane attended the club's Academy of Light on Sunday and now it has emerged that the Irishman is happy with chairman Niall Quinn's offer.

Sunderland tackle West Brom, live on Sky Sports 1, on Monday and The Black Cats hope Keane will put pen-to-paper after the Championship clash.

With Quinn losing all five of the club's matches this season, the stand-in manager will be hoping to reverse the trend against The Baggies ahead of unveiling Keane.

redrus

[muckypups]

Entertaining assessment from the BBC:

The odd couple

By Andrew McKenzie

Quinn and Keane have had their differences

As players or personalities, Niall Quinn and Roy Keane share few similarities.

But the former Republic of Ireland team-mates, who had a spectacular falling out before the 2002 World Cup finals, have become unlikely bed-fellows at the Stadium of Light.

With Sunderland chairman Quinn has appointed Keane as the manager to turn his struggling club around, BBC Sport takes a look at the history of the Black Cats' proposed pairing.

PERSONALITY CLASH

Quinn is the genial giant who has laughed and joked his way through life. Keane is the angry ant who even when things were going well was never far away from a scowl.

Keane preferred walking the dog to spending time with his team-mates

During his spell as a Sunderland player, Quinn could often be found in a pub chatting to the locals about everything from horse racing to politics.

In contrast, Keane wanted nothing more than to be left alone to walk his dogs.

As a player, Quinn gained success through a deft touch and a fine reading of the game, happy to admit that he was never one of the most dedicated when it came to cross-country runs.

Keane was the fierce competitor, not content unless his team-mates were also squeezing out every last drop of effort.

Off the field, Quinn, seen as one of the brightest and most articulate of footballers, rarely had a bad word for anyone or anything, and few have had a bad word about him.

Keane is a man of few kind words, from managers to the media, from team-mates to opponents.

Even his own fans did not escape his wrath, with his famous "prawn sandwich" tirade about Manchester United's supporters.

WORLD CUP FINALS FALL-OUT

In the summer of 2002, Keane attracted criticism for skipping Quinn's testimonial in Sunderland.

The midfielder, who had refused to contribute to the programme notes for the game over a spat with a journalist, was injured but still expected to show his face.

In turn, Quinn was one of the senior players that Keane felt had refused to back him in his quest to improve Ireland's facilities.

But all that was just the eye of the storm that was to follow when Keane and Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy fell out ahead of the World Cup finals in Japan.

Quinn found himself stuck in the middle of the Saipan controversy.

Quinn and Keane share an agent in Michael Kennedy and the big striker became a mediator in trying to broker a peace deal.

And when Quinn was ultimately forced to take sides he threw his backing behind manager McCarthy.

In Keane's eyes you are either with him or against him - and Quinn was very much against him.

THE AFTERMATH

Both Quinn and Keane aired their views through the media over the saga that split a nation.

Here's what they had to say about each other:

Keane on Quinn:

"Niall Quinn going on TV and saying that he was shattered from it, saying he hadn't slept. Did he think it was a walk in the park for me coming back to Ireland, what my family and kids had to go through?

"He's sitting on TV pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. He deserves an Oscar that fella, making out to be Mother Teresa. People don't know half of it."

Quinn on Keane:

"How do you measure professionalism? By how much pasta you eat? Bleep tests? Abstinence? The ability to get on with it no matter what the circumstances?

"Walking out on your team before the greatest games of their lives?

"We all take responsibility for ourselves. Roy left us in Saipan, not the other way round. And he punished himself more than any of us by not coming back."

But in his autobiography, Quinn's admiration for Keane shone through, even for the way he dismantled McCarthy in front of the Irish squad.

"People talk about Irish patriot Robert Emmet's speech from the dock. They talk about the oratory of Brendan Behan, Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins.

"But Roy Keane's 10-minute oration can be mentioned in the same breath. It was clinical, fierce, earth-shattering to the person on the end of it and it ultimately caused a huge controversy in Irish society."

In August 2002, Keane and Quinn had agreed to shake hands in front of the world when Manchester United visited Sunderland.

But their attempt to make a public reconciliation fell flat when Keane was sent off after being wound-up by Jason McAteer.

Quinn attempted to speak to Keane only to receive the hairdryer treatment from United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who had misread the situation.

UPSTAIRS-DOWNSTAIRS

Quinn once said of Keane: "His weakness is his unforgiving attitude to his team-mates. That's where Roy and I will always differ."

Quinn hopes Keane can help him turnaround the club

But with the hatchet now seemingly buried, the two opposites appear to be an attractive proposition for a club who have suffered a dramatic demise.

Keane and Quinn will either prove to be the ideal good cop-bad cop partnership that Sunderland need or a high-stakes gamble with the potential to go spectacularly wrong.

McAteer once admitted that players raise their game for fear of upsetting Keane.

It will certainly offer something for Sunderland's under-performing players to think about in the coming weeks.

If anything, it promises to be an interesting period for all concerned, in particular when Sunderland make the trip to face Mick McCarthy's Wolves side on 25 November.

[redrus]

The Guardian;

Roy Keane will take over as the new manager of troubled Sunderland tomorrow. Keane agreed terms with the Wearside club yesterday but will not be putting pen to paper until after this afternoon's Championship match against West Bromwich Albion.

Keane met the club's players yesterday morning at the training ground and will be at the Stadium of Light this afternoon. However, the 35-year-old Irishman will not take charge for the game against West Bromwich and will instead begin his first day as a manager tomorrow, although it is is expected that he will be introduced to the fans before today's kick-off.

Sunderland's chairman Niall Quinn and the men from the Drumaville consortium who backed Quinn's summer takeover of the club will be delighted that they have persuaded Keane to move to the club at bottom of the Championship. Today there will be a hope that Sunderland's players respond with an improved performance.

Confirmation from Sunderland came via the club's website yesterday after Keane's visit, accompanied by his lawyer Michael Kennedy, who had discussed the details of the contractual offer with legal representatives from Drumaville.

But it remains unconfirmed whether Brian Kidd will be Keane's assistant. It is understood that Kidd has been approached but the former Manchester United coach is deliberating over a move.

Keane is said to have addressed the Sunderland players yesterday and will have to make swift decisions about the strength of his squad. Money is available and it is expected Keane will make at least one signing before the closure of the transfer window on Thursday.

Per Nilsson, a Sweden defender who plays for Odd Grenland in Norway, said last week that a fee had been agreed with Sunderland and that he wanted to move to England. That transfer could be top of Keane's in-tray tomorrow.

The Super Soaraway Sun:

Roy Keane will get a £15million war chest to fire Sunderland back to the Premiership when he is named as their new boss today.

The former Manchester United skipper makes a sensational return to football after agreeing a £2m-a-year deal. Keano met the squad to outline his plans and got a guided tour around the club’s training HQ off chairman and old pal Niall Quinn.

A club statement said: "Roy Keane visited Sunderland where he met with players and officials.

"Keane and the club have agreed terms for him to be appointed manager and it’s envisaged he will sign a formal contract immediately after the game against West Brom."

The Republic of Ireland legend will sign a two-year rolling contract and over 40,000 fans are expected to pack into the Stadium of Light to welcome the new man in charge.

Keane, 35, is also due to name former Old Trafford No 2 Brian Kidd as his right-hand man as he takes his first steps in management.

redrus

*Sunderland are currently 1 nil up and, fairing better than of late. Wonder why.....!

**Make that 2 nil....

Edited August 28, 2006 by redrus

[Sunderland]

At long last a win and a good performance to cheer ... and Keane hasn't even taken over yet ...

Hope the luck of the Irish continues to shine when he takes over from tomorrow.

Watch this space ....

[redrus]

He was there though fella and, I reckon was pulling the strings today. He addressed the team yesterday, if Quinn was fully in charge for this game, Keane would not have done that.

Its gonna be another ride for you fella but, we're all going to be watching this time.

Good luck to ya mate, you've got United on your side now, weather you want it or not....

redrus

[Sunderland]

He was there though fella and, I reckon was pulling the strings today. He addressed the team yesterday, if Quinn was fully in charge for this game, Keane would not have done that.

Its gonna be another ride for you fella but, we're all going to be watching this time.

Good luck to ya mate, you've got United on your side now, weather you want it or not....

redrus

No, we don't need the weather of Manchester thanks!

Oh ... I remember Roy Keane. The ex-Nottingham Forest and Celtic player.

Confused young 'un: "Manchester United ... who the hel_l are they???"

Confident young 'un: "Exactly!!"

[redrus]

He was there though fella and, I reckon was pulling the strings today. He addressed the team yesterday, if Quinn was fully in charge for this game, Keane would not have done that.

Its gonna be another ride for you fella but, we're all going to be watching this time.

Good luck to ya mate, you've got United on your side now, weather you want it or not....

redrus

No, we don't need the weather of Manchester thanks!

Oh ... I remember Roy Keane. The ex-Nottingham Forest and Celtic player.

Confused young 'un: "Manchester United ... who the hel_l are they???"

Confident young 'un: "Exactly!!"

Your wether's are worse than ours....!

We're not Accrington bloody Stanley tha knows.....

redrus

*just heard the tail end of a Sky report, it seems Brian Kidd will not be joining Roy at Sunderland.

Edited August 28, 2006 by redrus

[taxexile]

some interesting and well observed comment on the bastard.

Human tidal wave is about to engulf Stadium of BlightBy Sue Mott

(Filed: 29/08/2006)

There is exquisite joy in the knowledge that Roy Keane has been installed as the new manager of Sunderland. To think of a tribe of modern, inharmonious, overpaid slouchers coming up against the human tidal wave that is the Irishman in a temper is just too wonderful. It is a poetic revenge distilled into one dressing room.

Roy Keane: world-class manager?

We will hang on events unfolding at the Stadium of Blight as never before. It cannot possibly work in the long term, but in the immediate days to follow it will be a scene of effervescent and controversial fascination.

Every handshake with every manager (especially Mick McCarthy of Wolves, and formerly Ireland), every touchline appearance, every press conference, every team talk, will be watched, breath bated for the explosion. It will come. Keane is a world-class player, but when his new chairman, Niall Quinn, called him a world-class manager it was a case of desperately wishful thinking.

Quinn was thinking of the man who hauled Manchester United to victories by the sweat of his brow, the indomitable force of his will and the adamant drive in his soul. Not of the man who called him "a muppet", fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson and huffed off from the 2002 World Cup after a tirade against McCarthy and the entire Irish football hierarchy.

Despite the fact that Keane has been managed himself by two of the finest examples of the art, Sir Alex and Brian Clough, his own management skills are unknown and untried. It is a desperate business. Even a man as finely tuned, urbane, prepared and professorial as Arsene Wenger admits it can drive you into the arms of insanity. It is the devil of a job, best described in all its demanding glory by another Arsenal manager, George Allison, who found himself thrust into the role in 1934 upon the death of Herbert Chapman.

"He must be an impresario, possess financial ability, be a planner with foresight, an accomplished organiser, have some knowledge of psychology, a touch of the stage manager, and the tact of a diplomat. He buys, he sells, he bargains. He judges, acts and comforts. He keeps a finger on football's pulse 12 months in the year, even between seasons - when he takes stock, replenishes and releases."

The identikit of Roy Keane? No, I don't think so, especially the "tact" part.

Not just Keane, actually. Any world-class footballer in today's super-pampered climate is ill adjusted to perform the function of a manager. What? Get up early in the morning? Go to work all day? Show patience unto others? Subsume yourself to the betterment of others? Not eat chips? Not crack the lazy midfield maestro round the chops when he spends the afternoon in a betting shop? Attend matches in godforsaken climes on the lookout for rare talent which will be automatically overpriced at the mention of your name? Nurse players with the brains of babies? None of these dizzy talents come easily to individuals who have been taught to consult their own whims and possess a cohort of legal backers to enforce them. Footballers are little short of emperors, in behaviour and the indulgence by others. It is nigh on impossible for them to step down from the throne. As Wenger the football man's sage, has described: "A footballer thinks 'Me! Me! Me!' A manager has to think 'You! You! You!"

Therein lies the heart of the problem. World class players do not, cannot, make great managers. It is practically a law of nature, from Billy Wright, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton to Liam Brady, John Barnes, Glen Hoddle and Paul Gasoigne, the ranks of the great England footballer has rarely, if ever, produced the great English club manager. The differentiation is not quite so keen abroad. While it is laughable to imagine Maradona managing anything, least of all his own tormented life, Johan Cruyff did not do badly, Franz Beckenbauer won the World Cup and Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona are European champions. Perhaps a greater emphasis on education at a younger age has something to do with it in the case of European managers. Perhaps some British managers were only to diverted by booze and bungs.

If Keane is a budding Beckenbauer, he has very much kept that information to himself. In the Irishman's hands "the tact of a diplomat" may very well be refashioned as a petrifying bawl. Nothing wrong with that in itself. Sir Alex is a 'foot-bawler' of some renown. But the fact remains that he was an average player. So was Wenger. "I was the best player," he is fond of saying, before adding "...in my village." Clough was driven by a career fractured by injury.

Keane has no ordinariness to fall back on. Patience may not be his virtue. He would love to stay in football. You can see he is steeped in the game up to his dangerously narrowing eyes. He cannot possible go into the media, we can all see that. He is casting around for another route back. The appeal of management is understandable. But in practice it surely can't work. He will get cross. Storm out, go home to his dog. I for one wouldn't blame him either. If there is a fate in life worse than working with children and animals, it must be working with that (sometimes) combination of the two - footballers.

telegraph online

Edited August 29, 2006 by taxexile

[Mossfinn]

Hope the luck of the Irish continues to shine when he takes over from tomorrow.

Watch this space ....

I think you will need more than the 'Luck of the Irish' now Sunderland, but I wish you and the club well, it will be a cold day in h_ll before I say the same about Keane, but then again it really isn't that important, so I'll wish him well too.

Good luck

Moss

[ThaiPauly]

Great result a 2-1 win at Derby.

Sunderland could go up this year .

From what I read the whole of Derby was quaking at the thought of Keeno coming to town.

Great appointment....would you DARE to loose if he was YOUR boss?

[Mossfinn]

, so I'll wish him well too.

Good luck

Moss

It would appear it was lucky I did, apparently he only received one good luck message before his first game in charge and that was from his wife!!!

Even his dogs didn't give him a good luck woof.

Moss

[redrus]

I too wished him luck, he was over the moon....

redrus

[ThaiPauly]

Well waht can you say?

Four straight defeats in the Championship, then as soon as RK in appointed as manager 3 straight wins.

Obviously he is making a MASSIVE difference already

I'm gonna put money on them going up!!!

[redrus]

Oh, Keano's <deleted>*kin magic he wears a magic hat.........................

Come on Sunderland, will Leeds do it........55555

redrus

[feasantplukka]

think an experienced manager is needed not a novice Keane no expeience and no patience, it was rumoured earlier this week that Curbishley would be appointed, much better choice in my opinion,

UP THE TYKES!

Told you so? looks like the honeymoon is over there on the way down

[redrus]

think an experienced manager is needed not a novice Keane no expeience and no patience, it was rumoured earlier this week that Curbishley would be appointed, much better choice in my opinion,

UP THE TYKES!

Told you so? looks like the honeymoon is over there on the way down

October....!

redrus

[ThaiPauly]

Reality check at Sunderland now.

I think the players dare not have lost when he first arrived, but now he is seeing just how really bad they are.

Best of luck to him

[feasantplukka]

Reality check at Sunderland now.

I think the players dare not have lost when he first arrived, but now he is seeing just how really bad they are.

Best of luck to him

He's going to need it, think he'll have to get his boots back out and kick some ass