Keane fast changing the Sunderland mentality (From The Northern Echo)

Keane fast changing the Sunderland mentality

9:56am Monday 25th August 2008 in

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Tottenham Hotspur 1 Sunderland 2

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WHEN Djibril Cisse joined El- Hadji Diouf, Pascal Chimbonda and Steed Malbranque at the Stadium of Light last week, the question which sprung to many people’s minds was why.

Why would players of undoubted ability and Premier League experience sign up to a club which Roy Keane admitted has suffered from ‘small ambitions and small ideas’ in the past?

Sunderland are not fashionable.

Managers past – Peter Reid in particular – have regaled tales of how they were unable to attract big names to the club.

Some of the reasons why Keane made his summer acquisitions were clear to see in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Tottenham, with Diouf, Malbranque and Cisse all playing their part.

But, as Keane explained, telling players the truth about Sunderland was the key to his big sell.

“People talk about the attraction.

Maybe because I’m the manager,” said Keane before adding “I was joking when I said because I was the manager.

“I know football clubs and Sunderland is a top, top football club.

“I’m not lying to the players.

I think the lads who come on board have been pleasantly surprised.

When we scored today, you know not many clubs sell out away from home every game – every away game in the Premier League last season we sold out, every away game.

“Our fans came out today and when you travel from Sunderland we know it’s expensive.

These players will hopefully plug into that and again I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised by the size of the club.

“As I said I’m just trying to change the mentality. I think Sunderland was a big club before but maybe with small ideas and small ambitions and I’m just trying to change that with everybody I work with.

“Thank God everyone’s really plugged into it. It helped we got promoted so quickly otherwise people might have started doubting me.”

Promotion came a year ahead of schedule, it was survival last season and now Keane is pushing on.

Players of Premier League calibre have come in with Anton Ferdinand expected on Wearside tomorrow for a medical before joining for a fee of £8m.

Speaking after yesterday’s 3- 0 defeat at Manchester City, West Ham manager Alan Curbishley said: “The board have accepted the bid (Sunderland’s) – he’s not renegotiated his contract – and the decision has been taken out of my ands.

“I don't know where Anton is in terms of signing for Sunderland but once the club accept the bid it moves on.”

Keane is looking to bring in one more proven signing after Ferdinand before September 1 – Everton’s Leighton Baines and Manchester City’s Michael Ball among those linked with moves to Wearside.

After that it’s back to a tried and tested formula of bringing young talent to Sunderland and unearthing gems in the lower leagues.

“I’ve got two players in mind,” said Keane. “We’re hopeful with one in particular and we’ll be working hard next week to get the other player I’m interested in.

“But if we don’t get him – I’ve said I’ve been very lucky I’ve had great backing – I’m not here stamping my feet thinking if I don’t get these two players it’s the end of the world, it’s not.

“But it’s only been this summer (bringing in experienced players). Last summer we weren’t able to attract them.

“We weren’t able to afford their wages first of all and one or two players didn’t fancy coming to us.

“I felt after last season we certainly needed one or two players who were streetwise.

There’s players I’m still hoping to bring in and then I will refocus on bring players to the club of a certain age.

“I have to look at that side of it but I just thought at this time the club needed players who knew the Premier League.

“We saw that today with Diouf. At certain situations in the game when it was tight he’d hold people off take the ball and win a free-kick.

“We didn’t have players like that last year – we were so naive. I remember Everton (7-1 defeat) it seems like yesterday, Luton (3-0 defeat) seems like yesterday. We were just so raw.

“Now were a bit more streetwise.

Malbranque showed it – when to go in when to stay on your feet.”

On Saturday when Sunderland were pegged back to 1-1 it seemed the game would possibly slip away.

Kieran Richardson had put them in front with an instinctive finish from 20 yards in the 55th minute, but Jermaine Jenas equalised after Luka Modric’s effort had been saved.

That’s when the Dioufs and Malbranques showed their worth and Keane also had the luxury of Cisse on the pitch for the last 25 minutes.

After a spell of pressure before and after the equaliser with Gordon saving well at the feet of Jenas and also from David Bentley and Darren Bent, Sunderland pressed again and Cisse delivered the winner with eight minutes left.

The ball was switched quickly from right to left and when Daryl Murphy crossed Cisse met the ball perfectly with his head to give Sunderland the win.

“You keep telling strikers they’ll get most of their goals in the six yard box,” said Keane.

“We have plenty of videos to show our players where all the strikers get their goals – six yards out. The Michael Owens, the Ruud van Nistelrooys.

“They (strikers) don’t get many from outside the box so it was good to see him (Cisse) in the six-yard box.

“He’s settled in okay and if he keeps scoring goals then hopefully I’ll be turning down £30m offers for him.

“But we won’t be dancing in the streets of Sunderland – trust me.

“We’re happy with the progress we’re making. I’ve been in the job two minutes but it was a good step for us today.

“They’re so much more streetwise. Some of our lads have only been with us two or three weeks so they’ll be getting to know us.

“They’ve all plugged in to what we’re about and what we have in abundance is character and desire but we won’t be dancing in the streets for beating Tottenham away from home.

“I know it’s the first time for 30 years but we have to get the balance right. We’ll celebrate with a cup of tea and a nice sandwich.

“We’ve won one away from home – it took us until April last year – so it’s a decent start for us. We’ve now got a decent game against Forest and then Manchester City.

“Not that we’re getting blasé about it - we’re delighted for our supporters.”

■ Both Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday are keen to take striker Anthony Stokes on loan.