Thursday, August 24, 2006

KEANE SET FOR SUNDERLAND

Keane - expected to be appointed at Sunderland

Sunderland are expected to confirm Roy Keane as their new manager in time for Monday's home match against West Brom.

Chairman Niall Quinn last night declared himself determined that the club should appoint "a winner", although he stopped short of naming Keane as the manager-in-waiting.

However it is understood talks have taken place between Sunderland and Quinn's former Republic of Ireland team-mate, with a view to a swift appointment.

Sunderland confirmed talks with "a high-profile figure" were ongoing, with Quinn eager to relinquish the coaching responsibilities he reluctantly took on after failing to lure a top-class manager during the summer.

The Black Cats slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Bury on Tuesday in the first round of the Carling Cup, after four straight league losses which have left them bottom of the Coca-Cola Championship.

Quinn spoke on Tuesday night of appointing a "world-class" manager, however Manchester United legend Keane would be raw to the role rather than of established pedigree.

The chairman was asked what kind of manager Sunderland, relegated from the Barclays Premiership last season, needed to end their dismal recent form.

"A winner," said Quinn. "You have to bring that winning mentality into the dressing room.

"If you look at the games Sunderland have lost in the last few years, it's horrendous, it makes awful reading. Psychologically there is no way the players couldn't be scarred.

"We have to bring somebody in who can lift all that and bring a winning mentality into that dressing room and then to let it flow into the stadium itself.

"The fans have to see evidence of a winning mentality returning. When the fans start to believe, the whole thing lifts.

"The Sunderland fans have been great to me, they've been very fair, very loyal but they want a manager and I know that."

Sunderland said in a statement: "The club is in discussions with a high-profile figure and is hopeful an announcement will be made in the near future."

Keane, 35, retired as a player in June.

He ended a 12-year association with United in November 2005 and fulfilled a lifetime ambition by joining Celtic on an 18-month deal.

He managed only 13 appearances for the Hoops before quitting on medical advice.

After cruciate ligament and hip operations, Keane had no choice other than to follow doctor's orders.

Should he be confirmed as Sunderland's new boss, there seems no prospect of him combining management with playing at the Stadium of Light.

Keane helped United win seven Premiership titles during his Old Trafford career, plus the FA Cup on four occasions.

However he left United under a cloud barely a fortnight after his blunt assessment of the 4-1 Premiership humiliation at Middlesbrough was pulled from the MUTV schedules.

Should he be installed at Sunderland, his likely managerial debut will be against West Brom's Bryan Robson, the man he once succeeded as the dominant personality in the United midfield.

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