One former Sunderland player once told a Roy Keane anecdote that proved he could have been a ‘top-class manager’.
In the 2006/07 season, Sunderland found themselves in turmoil until Roy Keane’s appointment early on in the campaign steadied the ship.
The Irishman helped the Black Cats towards survival that campaign, despite Sunderland ‘being in trouble’ according to Niall Quinn in the early knockings of the 2006/07 season.
During his 100 games at the club, former Sunderland boss Keane had an everlasting impact on several players, from his conversation with then-academy prodigy Jordan Henderson, to his words of praise for former striker Martyn Waghorn.
Aligning with former England captain and Champions League winner Henderson’s verdict on the former Sunderland man, another former Black Cats player has hailed the ‘amazing’ Kene but gave a story of when he had a ‘massive bee in his bonnet’.
Former Sunderland captain Gary Caldwell once told an anecdote on ‘top-class’ Roy Keane
When it comes to football personalities over the years, not many come close to Keane and the stories that several players have of him.
One admirer that Keane attracted during his stint at Sunderland was former captain Steven Caldwell, who was once full of praise for the Irishman.
Per The Athletic, who sought the opinions of former players that had played under Keane, Caldwell said: “He could still play like you cannot believe. He would say things that were amazing. The guy has an amazing football brain. Some of his team talks were genuinely amazing.
“He would be very coherent on what he wanted or what was happening. He completely knew the game. He was not always ranting and raving. He had the potential to be a top-class manager.”
“But then, it is like you see on TV, something snaps inside his brain, he cannot forgive what has happened or what was said. It becomes tunnel vision on that one point. There was one cold day where he got this massive bee in his bonnet.
“Graham Kavanagh and I were wearing recovery leggings, which were just coming in back then. It was partly for warmth and partly for your muscles. He was furious about it. ‘Why are you guys wearing them? You’re Scottish and Irish, for goodness sake! Yorkie can wear them, he’s from Trinidad and Tobago!’ It was just mumbling stuff. It was just very confrontational.”
Roy Keane ‘furious’ approach got the best out of his Black Cats side
Keane took over Sunderland in August 2006 after Quinn’s managerial attempts saw the Black Cats with four successive defeats. The squad was underperforming, and Keane had quite the task to turn the side’s fortunes, but did so successfully, focusing on the commitment and energy levels of his squad.
It is clear that Keane not only prioritises, but demands his players to show 100% levels of energy, and whilst Sunderland did not have the most technical squad in the 2006/07 season, they saw sides off due to their sheer determination on occasions.
Unfortunately for Keane and Sunderland, a run of poor results brought his tenure to a conclusion, but his appointment in 2006 certainly helped the club after what was a difficult start.