Sunderland could be about to take a monumental risk if they are to appoint Roy Keane to the role of manager in the coming days.
Following the dismissal of Lee Johnson at the end of January, the Black Cats are on the lookout for a new man in the dugout, and it appears as if Keane could very well be the man to take on the role, with reports suggesting that he is ‘closing in’ on the role at the Stadium of Light.
It’s a role that Keane is familiar with, having taken charge of the side between 2006 and 2008, during which time he led them to promotion from the Championship into the Premier League, before ultimately resigning due to a falling-out with chairman Niall Quinn.
But just because he’s familiar, doesn’t mean he’s the perfect candidate. Here are two potential consequences of Sunderland welcoming him back…
Look out, Louis-Dreyfus
Part of the reason Keane left in 2008 was due to the pressure involved in keeping a club the size of Sunderland in the top flight, with Quinn being quoted as saying: “I tried for two years to keep as much pressure off him as possible, but obviously the Premier League is the Premier League and I guess it came to the point where Roy thought he had reached the end of that journey.”
And if pressure is something that Keane isn’t up to handling, then it will be interesting to see how he deals with the pressure of getting them out of League One. Having been there for so long and coming close a few times, the pressure to get a club out of a division that they ought to be out of given their years in the top flight might prove to be too much this time around.
Is Keane going to be up to the job this time knowing how much is at stake? It’s something that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will have to factor in before appointing him.
Too much fire and fury in the dressing room?
Would Roy Keane get Sunderland promoted?
Yes!
No!
Another reason this comes across as a major risk is because of Keane’s personality when it comes to players.
Keane has made it very clear during his days as a pundit that he isn’t the type to suffer fools gladly, and certainly doesn’t come across as scared to tell players what he thinks of them if they are having a bad performance, even following through and doing it one time to Chris Eagles whilst at Manchester United.
This could be the ultimate motivator, or it could put a lot of players on edge knowing the kind of wrath that could come their way if they perform badly. It’s hard to tell exactly how things would play out at the Stadium of Light with this current group of players.
Given how delicately poised things are in the battle for promotion in League One, it could spark the team into life, or it could backfire spectacularly. Are the Black Cats willing to take that risk, or would they be better off going with someone more calm and steady?
In other news: Promotion hopes boosted, 41y/o on revenge mission: Sky drops Sunderland manager report – opinion