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  • Masterstroke Or Disaster? Is Reappointing Roy Keane The Right Move For Sunderland?

Masterstroke or disaster? Is reappointing Roy Keane the right move for Sunderland?

Black Cats fan Michael Graham looks at the arguments for and against a return to management for Keane on Wearside.

If reports are to be believed then Roy Keane could be set for a sensational return to Sunderland.

While it would without doubt be a blockbuster appointment and has the potential to prove an absolute masterstroke, it could equally be a complete disaster.

Planet Sport writer Michael Graham engages his heart and his head to put forward both sides of the debate.

Why Sunderland SHOULDN'T appoint Roy Keane

The arguments on why Sunderland shouldn't appoint Roy Keane are quite obvious really. He was a big failure, by his own admission, at Ipswich and he hasn't had a job since.

That was 11 years ago now, and that is a long time to be away from football given how quickly it tends to move in terms of tactical development and player culture.

Keane has kept himself involved in the game, in fairness, taking assistant manager roles at Aston Villa, Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest.

However, some players he has worked with in those roles have questioned his man-management skills.

"The problem with Roy Keane when he came to Aston Villa was he couldn't understand we weren't as good with the players he played with," former Villa captain Gabriel Agbonlahor told Talksport.
"He couldn't accept that we weren't as good as Giggs, Scholes, Beckham and them players and just his way of coaching wasn't the right method for players nowadays and players when he was at Aston Villa.
"And just the way he spoke to players. There were times where there were experienced players like Joe Cole and he just didn't speak to them right.
"He spoke to them in a way that was disrespectful. His man-management I'd say was a zero out of 100 it was that bad."
It is possible, of course, that there was just a personal clash between Keane and Agbonlahor, and Villa were not the most professional squad back then, but it's still a damning indictment.

There is the added issue that, while for players back at the start of the Irishman's managerial career, he was a Manchester United icon and Premier League legend, for the current generation of players he is more an opinionated TV personality. That may drastically reduce the gravitas which bought him so much instant respect with players previously.

Sunderland's current level is another worry. Keane has never dropped to League One level and, if Agbonlahor's comments are accurate, he may find the limited talent he has to work with in that division too frustrating.

Why Sunderland SHOULD appoint Roy Keane

In a word: magic.
It's quite easy for fans of other clubs to look at the pundit, look at his record, and look at his 11 years out of management and conclude that Keane is just isn't suited to the job.
For Sunderland fans it is a little bit different, though, particularly for those who were around during the time he was manager at the club.
There is a perception that Roy Keane is a failed manager, but that's not how Sunderland fans remember it at all.
When Keane breezed into Sunderland in 2006, the club had just been relegated from the Premier League with a then record low points tally and sat second bottom of the Championship. It was a club in absolute turmoil, and Keane dragged it up by its bootstraps.
By the end of the season they were champions and it was down to Roy Keane. It wasn't just what they did that season either, but how they did it. There was forward thinking, aggressive football and countless late goals.
The following season was another good one, with Keane keeping the club in the Premier League and proving he could manage at the top tier of English football.

He obviously didn't do well at Ipswich, but taking a crisis-hit club from second-bottom in the Championship and leaving them in the Premier League shows he was far from a failure.

Keane did fall out with a few players here and there, but there have also been glowing references from others who played for him, including Anton Ferdinand who has credited Keane with some "top management" skills.
Sunderland have a fine squad for League One level, arguably the best in the division. It doesn't need someone to come in and make sweeping changes and the transfer window is closed anyway.

What it needs is a big character to come in, get a reaction, and get them playing. Characters don't come much bigger than Roy Keane. He also has a genuine love and affection for Sunderland, which he has publicly stated on more than one occasion. 

Ultimately, football clubs have personalities, and history is absolutely riddled with stories of managers who fit and click with a specific club. Roy Keane is one of those.
You can't get a sense of what he achieved at Sunderland by looking at it on paper. You probably had to have lived it to understand it, and for many of the Sunderland supporters who did it was one of their happiest times as a fan.
That may be difficult to replicate again, but Keane appears to be more motivated than ever to prove he can be a successful manager, so they'd be mad not to try.

ALSO READ: Antonio Conte favourite to be the next Premier League manager to go - if anyone leaves at all

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