Keane still on course to seal deal

SOCCER: Roy Keane was still on course to become Sunderland manager last night although the time frame for the appointment appeared to have shifted somewhat and while it is generally expected he will be introduced to the Stadium of Light crowd at Monday's game against West Brom he may not have taken charge by then.

The 35-year-old Corkman has not signed a contract yet and so the entire venture could collapse over the weekend but his adviser, Michael Kennedy, suggested yesterday the talks were still progressing well and no major problems are anticipated.

The details of the proposed deal are far from clear at this point but a contract of at least three years duration looks certain while the new manager would have at least £10 million with which to begin a comprehensive team rebuilding programme.

The exact figure is unknown but Quinn has previously stated, when other prospective managers were asked how much they felt would be required to turn the club around, the amounts were always lower than what the new owners are prepared to make available.

Former Manchester United assistant manager Brian Kidd was widely linked with the same job in the new Sunderland set-up yesterday but the 57-year-old has apparently not decided whether he wants to work in the area.

All the indications are, however, that Keane is prepared to take on what would be a massive challenge even if, it seems, he initially took some persuading. The new owners are said to have initially sounded the Irishman out while talks regarding their takeover of the club were still ongoing but the response was not entirely positive.

Attempts were then made to recruit Martin O'Neill and Sam Allardyce and it is only in the last few weeks that serious progress started to be made with Keane. Members of the Drumaville consortium behind the takeover are said to have been particularly keen on his recruitment and Quinn may have found the prospect more attractive as his attempt to manage the first team while also fulfilling an important administrative role left him under mounting pressure.

Quinn is scheduled to hold one of his regular press conferences at the stadium this morning but no significant announcement regarding Keane or the manager's position is expected to be made. The Dubliner was at home last night while Kennedy remained in London and Keane was on holidays with his family in Portugal.

With the former Manchester United and Celtic player not expected to return to Britain until Sunday it seems Monday is the earliest any confirmation of his appointment will come.

Supporters of the club were divided by the news of his imminent arrival yesterday with a majority expressing support for someone they feel has the stature to turn the ailing club around while a very sizeable minority expressed serious concern regarding his complete lack of managerial experience.

Keane himself once said "to be a great manager you need great players, or at least great pros". But there is little to suggest from Sunderland's performances so far this season he would have many of either to rely upon in the event he does take over.

Rather he has a group of players a good many of whom Quinn himself admitted last weekend were "simply not good enough to play for the club".

The Dubliner has spent the last few weeks frantically trying to address the situation and has made several signings but, even with money to spend, has found it extremely difficult to persuade Premiership quality players to drop down a division.

With the transfer deadline rapidly approaching he had turned his attention to the continent in the hope of addressing the situation. During the past few days William Mocquet and Tobias Hysen have been recruited from Le Harve and Djugardens respectively while he continues to pursue Swiss international Ricardo Cabanas, Borussia Mönchengladbach centre half Jeff Strasser and under-21 Swedish international defender Per Nilsson.

It is unclear, however, whether Keane had been involved in selecting the players to be signed.

However, one recent arrival at the Stadium of Light, Ireland international Clive Clarke, insists he is enthusiastic about the idea of working with the former Manchester United skipper.

"He is a legend in the game and has an almighty presence about him," says the former Stoke City and West Ham defender. "He's a born leader and has always inspired people around him and while coming to Sunderland as a manager is obviously a different situation because he doesn't have any experience of this situation he was undoubtedly a world-class player and will command huge respect at Sunderland because of what he achieved in the game."