At the end of Roy Keane's last Sunderland press conference (by 'last' I mean most recent rather than final - but you never know) he was asked about his beard.

Once as neatly trimmed as a stately home hedge, the growth on Keane's chin has been allowed to run wild of late. Leading some observers to draw parallels between the condition of the manager's facial hair and Sunderland's increasingly ragged performances.

With one win in the last seven games he can hardly be sporting it for good luck.

But in typically counter-intuitive fashion, the Black Cats' boss confirmed that the more people urged him to shave it off, the more determined he was to let it grow. The Corkman is such a singular character it seems he'd rather end up resembling Brian Blessed than bow to the pressure of fashionistas.

But after some cryptic comments regarding his future at the club, the question remains - what will go first - the beard, or Keane himself?