Sunderland need to find the ‘old’ Roy Keane

Roy Keane is a winner. As a player he could transform a match with his determination, drive, ability and passion. As a manager, he started really well and looked as though he had formed a Sunderland team in his own image. Now, however, Keano is seeing the horrible side of management. He is experiencing the fact that once the players go out on to the pitch, the manager is completely helpless.

Capitulated

Sunderland now lie 18th having lost five of their last six Premier League matches and yesterday capitulated in a demoralising 4-1 defeat at home to Bolton. The few fans that stayed in their seats until the end of the game let their feelings be known at the final whistle and Roy Keane will have been seriously hurt by that.

After the game Keane hinted that his future as Sunderland boss may not be certain as the defeat saw his side enter the relegation zone.

“I ask myself every day if I’m the right man for Sunderland. I asked myself this morning, and I said I was. Sunday morning, if the answer’s no, we’ll have to look at it.”

The game itself turned out to be a comedy of errors by the Sunderland side. Keane had left Anton Ferdinand out of his starting line-up to try to change their fortunes at the back, but horror shows from keeper Craig Gordon, skipper Dean Whitehead and centre-half Danny Collins gifted the win to Bolton after Djibril Cisse had given them the boost of an early lead.
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It is quite clear that Roy Keane is seriously considering his future. He went on to say,

“I have to be honest in my assessment. It’s not about what’s best for Roy Keane. It’s Sunderland football club. I might wake up on Monday morning and think I’m the right man. On Tuesday it might be different. I’m the manager of this football club and ultimately I’m responsible and I’ve never shied away from that. That’s part of being a manager and that’s why I take full responsibility for today and the run we’re on and everything else.”

Keane refused to blame his players publicly although we can only imagine what he might have said behind the closed dressing room doors!

“I look at what these lads have done over the last two and a bit years and they’ve been absolutely brilliant. I can’t legislate for individual mistakes so stuff like that doesn’t make me angry. We play with such innocence we make it hard for ourselves and we seem to get punished for every mistake we make. It’s such a harsh world. When you get in front you’ve certainly got to make sure you don’t lose the game.”

It is tempting to feel sorry for Roy Keane who up until now has hardly put a foot wrong in his managerial career. He did a great job getting the club promoted and keeping them up relatively comfortably last season. He seems to have a great working relationship with Chairman Niall Quinn despite their differences during their playing careers. Up until recently, he also seems to have had a great relationship with the Sunderland faithful.

Seventy million pounds

Maybe now the Sunderland faithful are looking at the fact that Keane spent seventy million pounds in the Summer and yet the team can’t now buy a win and look like facing a relegation battle. Maybe the Sunderland faithful didn’t expect to have a relegation battle this season. It could be said that fans of a club who have had a manager in place for three years and who has been financially backed by a supportive chairman and board have a right to expect more coherent performances than what was served up by the team yesterday.

I always admired Roy Keane the player. He did many things that it was difficult to condone but his passion and drive and ability were second to none. I have, up until now, admired Roy Keane the manager as well. I just think that he needs to roll his sleeves up and show the same sort of passion he showed as a player and instil some of that passion in his players, rather than constantly speculating on his own future as he has done over the past week.

Passion

Don’t talk about leaving Keano, talk about how you are going to demand better and how you are going to turn things around. That is what the old Roy Keane that we all know and love (or hate) would do. Stop moping about and show that old passion!