Roy Keane resigned from Sunderland today. Chairman Nial Quinn said he had tried talking Keane out of leaving for the past three days, but today he finally accepted Keane's decision and they parted with a handshake. In a time of acrimonious exits, this seems a case of a manager feeling like he failed the club and the Chairman wanting to give him more time. It's not a total surprise, with Sunderland in the drop zone and Keane's earlier comments about leaving the club after his contract was up.Sunderland have not had the best luck in the Premiership. They set the record for fewest points in their 2002-03 campaign with nineteen. After two years in the Championship, they then broke their own record with 16 points in the 2005-06 campaign. After that disastrous season the club was taken over by the Irish Drumaville Consortium. Quinn started off as manager, but after a poor start he convinced Keane to take over. Keane led the club to first place in the Championship and they were promoted. Keane used his United connections to sign, on loan and permanently, a number of Man U players. Quinn started spending ambitiously, with around £70 million in new signings. Last season the club finished with 39 points, and most importantly their 15th place finish meant they would spend a second season in the Premiership. However the start of this season has not been kind. They have only three points from their last six matches, and are currently in the drop zone on goal differential.
Roy Keane has never been shy with his emotions. His career at Manchester United came to a screeching halt when he criticized the club in a MUTV interview that never saw the light of day. He has gone after some of the biggest managers in the game while at Sunderland with the same intensity he had on the pitch. Things changed this season, and as his beard grew in(first sign of trouble) he often seemed dazed on the sidelines. His post-match interviews lacked their earlier fire, and he shouldered much of the blame. The players he brought in to Sunderland is perplexing and might explain why he used 27 players this season. Dwight Yorke, Kenwyne Jones, Djibril Cisse, Pascal Chimbonda, Anton Ferdinand, Steed Malbranque, George McCartney, David Healy, El-Hadji Diouf and Kieran Richardson are just some of the names now on the roster. Keane seemed caught in two minds, trying to play an attractive fluid style while still being a tough Northern team. He was never a gracious loser, and it must have hurt him greatly to have seen the club so low in the standings. In the end he decided that he couldn't lead this team to the high standards he held himself to, and left. I think he'll be back soon.
