WITH Newcastle, it has been a case of too many cooks spoiling the managerial broth.

At Sunderland, though, the problem has been somewhat different.

With the Black Cats, it has been more a case of appointing a newly-qualified chef to take charge of one of the biggest restaurants in the land, and then handing him sole control of writing the menu, buying each and every ingredient, and transforming said ingredients into successful dishes with little or no assistance.

Increasingly, the policy resembles a recipe for disaster.

If Kevin Keegan suffered from a lack of power, then the opposite is true of Roy Keane. Sunderland’s novice manager has been given a free rein for far too long, and many of the problems that are currently apparent at the Stadium of Light are a direct consequence of more than two years of cow-towing to a figure who, for all of his success as a player, had no managerial experience at all when he was appointed in the summer of 2006.

Keane has run Sunderland as if it was his personal fiefdom, and no one has been brave enough to say “no” to him.

Niall Quinn certainly hasn’t, and there have been times when the rest of the Drumaville consortium have resembled star-struck supporters still pinching themselves that they secured the services of an Irish footballing legend.

As a result, no questions were asked when Keane kept coming with a list of transfer demands. £2m for Rade Prica? Not a problem.

£2.5m for Greg Halford?

Fine. And don’t worry if you feel like loaning him to Charlton within a matter of months.

Nobody has questioned the wisdom of Keane’s purchases, or challenged the Black Cats boss to produce an over-arching plan that provides evidence of strategic squad building.

Instead, Drumaville have blown £80m and Sunderland have ended up with a bloated, mish-mash of a squad that looks increasingly ill equipped to survive in the Premier League.

If ever there was an argument for appointing a director of football, this was surely it. Keane would not have liked it, of course, and given his propensity for walking away from things, his unease could have had dramatic consequences.

But having been too busy playing to watch much football in the 12 months before his appointment, it was folly to expect Keane to become a world-class scout overnight.

Were he working alongside an experienced footballing figure with longstanding contacts in all corners of the world, he might be in a position to unearth a few hidden gems. As it is, he has spent his reign buying Irishmen or former Manchester United players, some of the few people he has watched at first hand.

That his purchasing policy has not been a success should therefore not be a major surprise.

Similarly, Keane’s inexperience means he has been in desperate need of an experienced number two. Still wet behind the ears in terms of man management, the Sunderland boss would benefit from the presence of an older head, someone to rein in his excesses and stand up to him when he embarks on an ill-advised course of action.

Instead, he continues to work alongside Tony Loughlan, a long-time friend, but hardly someone with either the experience or emotional detachment to deliver some harsh home truths.

Prior to linking up with Keane two years ago, Loughlan’s only coaching experience was as an Academy assistant at Leicester, in charge of the club’s eight to 13-year-olds. Hardly the best preparation for the pressure and demands of a head coach role in the Premier League.

With the tone having been set by the people at the top, the rest of Sunderland’s organisation have proved similarly acquiescent.

The players are terrified of speaking their mind for fear of being shunted elsewhere.

The rest of the coaching staff are reluctant to rock the boat. Everyone seems to defer when Keane walks by.

The only exception seems to be Ellis Short. While other foreign owners have been criticised for interfering in football matters, the American’s refusal to accept the status quo appears to be the best thing that could happen to Sunderland.

As a self-made businessman with a range of sporting interests, Ellis is not in awe of Keane. He sees his manager as another employee, no more, no less. He will challenge his financial expenditure, assess his managerial performance and impose restrictions on him if he feels they are in the best interests of the club.

It might not be to Keane’s liking but, for once, decisions will be taken above his head. And if he doesn’t like the heat it causes for him, he can always get out of the kitchen.