Roy Keane and Sunderland were a match made in heaven. On multiple occasions the two were tipped to reunite, though it wasn’t meant to be, in the former Black Cats boss’ own words.
Sunderland have had their share of managerial mishaps and casualties over the last few years. Already, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is on his fifth permanent manager in Regis Le Bris, who seems like the pick of the bunch so far.
Right now, the Black Cats sit in 1st place of the Championship table following their hard-fought 2-1 win against Cardiff City last time out. And Leeds United’s defeat at Portsmouth means the Black Cats are now just 10 points off the top spot.
A return to the Premier League this summer would end what would be an eight-year hiatus from the top flight. But it’s coming up to 20 years since Roy Keane was manager – he was the last manager to earn Championship promotion with the Black Cats.
The real reason why Roy Keane didn’t return to Sunderland in 2022
In 2022, Sunderland were on the lookout for a new manager after the sacking of Lee Johnson, in what was the first appointment of Louis-Dreyfus’ reign at the Stadium of Light. And Keane was widely linked with a sensational return to the club.
But speaking later in the Sunderland Til’ I Die series, Louis-Dreyfus played down the rumours of Keane returning, saying: “The Roy Keane potential with Sunderland played out much more in the media than it really did in conversations that we had in the club.”
Then speaking in 2022 on The Overlap Live, Keane broke his silence on the matter, simply revealing that the move wasn’t right at the time, and that he’d only ever come back into the management if everything was exactly right for him and the club too.
He said: “I’ve said it before. The deal has to be right for everyone. It didn’t fall into place last week. It wasn’t meant to be. Everything has to be right. The right challenge. The right contract. You have to fancy it.
“I’ve not had that opportunity the last few years. There has not been a club where I think, ‘I’m the right fit for that club’.”
Roy Keane’s Sunderland record vs Regis Le Bris’ so far
Keane has promotion from the Championship in 2007 on his Sunderland CV. He then stabilised the Black Cats in the top flight with the club finishing in 15th in the 2007/08 season, before he was relegated in December 2008.
The Irishman oversaw 100 games in charge of Sunderland and won 42 of them. That’s a 42% win rate compared to Le Bris’ 50%, with 19 wins from his 38 games in charge so far.
But if Le Bris can emulate Keane’s 2007 success and guide Sunderland to promotion then it might well trump Keane’s promotion, given the fact that the Championship is so strong this season and that Sunderland were in League One just a few years ago.
Nonetheless, Keane was a great manager for Sunderland and he may yet make his return to the dugout somewhere.