The love supreme burning brightly

Apr 29 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

While others may be worrying about whether Roy Keane will sign a new contract at Sunderland, his chairman Niall Quinn is not one of them. Chief sports writer Luke Edwards finds out why.

IF it is true that trusting someone is a far greater compliment than loving them, Roy Keane could not be in a stronger position at the Stadium of Light.

Adored and revered by the club’s supporters, Keane is equally admired in the boardroom, not only for guiding the Wearsiders back into the Premier League but also for keeping them there.

With that in mind, it would be reasonable to assume chairman Niall Quinn and the other members of the Drumaville Consortium would be frantically trying to tie the Irishman down to a long-term contract.

Quinn, though, is as calm and relaxed about the situation as Keane is determined to ensure the extent of the club’s ambition is not merely to stay in the top flight.

It seems, at Sunderland, manager’s contracts really aren’t worth the paper they are written on.

“We have great trust in each other, great trust, and we have from the start and I take at face value the way Roy feels,” said Quinn, when asked whether he was going to offer his manager an extension to a deal which only has 13 months left to run. “A contract is only a piece of paper. What’s most important to both of us is the direction in which we’re headed.

“I wouldn’t dream of going in front of Roy and asking him to sign something if I wasn’t sure about that. People may think I’m naive and that I should be worried about him getting poached, but they have to remember the trust that’s between us.”

In truth, manager’s contracts are rather less important than those of the players. If a manager wants to leave to take on a new job, he will go; if a club want to get rid of a manager, they will do so. The contract simply determines how much compensation is due to the offended party.

In many respects, it is in Keane’s interest to ensure he has a long-term deal as it would mean he would be financially rewarded for failure. That, though, is not Keane’s style – it is not in the fabric of the man to receive anything other than his own personal criticism for failure.

He will only sign a new three-year contract when he has been convinced the club not only share his sense of ambition, but are willing to give him the tools needed to realise it.

“Both he and I are here for the same thing and we know the potential that there is at Sunderland,” said Quinn, who is set to meet Keane to discuss the size of the club’s transfer budget in the next few days.

“If I’d had to build a new stadium and find another 30,000 fans to fill it I would have run a mile, but we know we have a terrific fan base that can only get bigger and stronger. We have a stadium which is the envy of many in this country, and a great training ground and good facilities. Roy and I are in this for the same reasons, the club is on a lovely and exciting upward path and we’re on the same road together.

“We’ll get around to Roy’s contract, of course we will, but it’s not the typical contract situation that you might find goes on with players sometimes.

“In the modern world, that's refreshing. There will be nobody playing games, no problems with agents. Once we’ve had a larger discussion about the direction of the club and where we can take it, I’m sure it’ll be a 15 or 20-minute meeting to sort it out. There’s great faith between us.”

Given Keane’s combustible past, it is difficult to know which is more surprising – that he has not fallen out with any of those who run the club, or that they have not fallen out with him. But Quinn is adamant the relationship between manager and board has always been a cordial one. They have not turned down one of his requests and it does not seem likely they are going to start now.

“The great thing about the relationship with Roy, myself and the investors is that there has never been any friction between us,” said Quinn. “There has only been one message, one simple path and we have to keep believing we can keep doing it.

“Everybody has a bounce in their step today, but it’s important we keep looking forward, keeping looking six months and 12 months down the line. I’m delighted we’ve taken this step, but we all know too well that the day you start getting plaudits should be a warning to you. I’m not going to sit back and let this club get pats on the back.”

Although Keane has led the side on the pitch, it has been Quinn who has done the work behind the scenes to ensure his former Republic of Ireland team-mate has not wanted for anything. In that respect, it was his as well as Keane’s reputation that has been on the line. He explained: “I'm pleased for the people who have backed me, both financially and emotionally. We've put the Drumaville people through the mill a bit.

“I had to turn my mobile phone off when we lost at Everton (7-1), but it was switched on on Saturday night and I was taking calls from all over the world. They’re all self-made men and they brought some unnecessary risk into their lives with what we’re doing here, but they can see we’re all going the right way at the club and that their faith and investment has been justified.”

As ever with Quinn, it is the supporters who should have the most to celebrate as they can finally start to dream of bigger and better things for a club which has had more than its fair of share of problems – and false dawns.

He said: “I'm thrilled most of all for the town and for what it means to the region. For all the people with the emotion of following this club in their hearts, it’s just great.

“Maybe they can start to feel like they’re supporting a top club again. No one should get carried away because there’s a long way to go, but another step on the journey has been taken.”