ROY KEANE: A PREMIERSHIP MANAGER

For those of you that have been keeping an eye on the race to the Premiership or been reading any well written newspapers recently, you too will no doubt be thinking about...

ROY KEANE: A PREMIERSHIP MANAGER

When any new manager enters the Premiership, you can’t help but rank them against those there already. When Watford went up Boothroyd was billed as one England’s most promising young managers. In truth, he ultimately proved to be entertaining but limited. Yes he didn’t have the resources available to him in comparison to others but you only have to look at Reading to question whether that is really a mitigating factor or not. He has some promise but he is more of a character than a serious candidate for a bigger job in the future. He certainly provided good copy but now faces a real test next season, when he will be expected to repeat the success of before.
With Watford came Sheffield United and Reading. Both managers have a great deal of experience and have tasted the ‘big time’ before. Neil Warnock ensures his team give as good as they get and are always a difficult team to beat, particularly at Bramall Lane. Steve Coppell is an experienced manager who has already made Reading look at home in the Premiership, rather like Curbishley did with Charlton for so many seasons. However, neither Coppell nor Warnock have the aura of Keane. So where will Keane rank?

You have to say that Fergie, Mourinho, Benitez and Wenger are at the top of the order. Then I would argue you have Mark Hughes, David Moyes, Martin O’Neil and Sam Allardyce. Moyes doesn’t enjoy the best of win averages at Everton (38.6%) but like Hughes has lifted Everton from being relegation contenders to European challengers, which when you consider the finances at their disposal is very impressive. Particularly Mark Hughes, when you think he got McCarthy for £2m and Ryan Nelson for free, showing a cuteness in the transfer market and perhaps demonstrating what such players think of him by signing. Both Hughes and Moyes have the gravitas that makes you wonder what they will go on to achieve later on in their careers.

Spurs fans will no doubt be crying out that Martin Jol should be further up my list than now but I have to say, he hasn’t progressed Spurs as much as he should and at times seems a little out of his depth tactically. Under Jol, Spurs have finished 9th, 5th and are currently 9th again this season. And despite being a big spender in the transfer windows over the last few seasons they have failed to sort out their defence and currently have a goal difference of minus 1, which is ridiculous when you consider they have the talent of Berbatov, Keane, Defoe and Lennon. Yes Jol has taken Spurs to the semi final of the Carling Cup and the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup but these flirtations with success have really been just that. For me, Spurs all to often give the impression of a pig in make-up, flattering to deceive.

It is worth noting that Allardyce, Hughes and Jol all have a win average of just over 40%, Moyes just under and O’Neil’s at Villa is 28% (although at Celtic it was at an impressive 75%). You can read what you like in to such statistics and we can’t ignore the context, such as how long they have been at the club, how much money they have had to spend, the players they inherited etc. However, the bottom line is always about whether you win, lose or draw. Roy Keane’s win average is currently a very impressive 61.53%.

Worth noting that Benitez’s win average at Liverpool is 57.47%, Ferguson’s 57.63, Mourinho’s 69.59% and Wenger’s 52.2%

Okay Fergie has been at Old Trafford for 20 years now, Wenger 10 years at Arsenal, Benitez 3 years at Liverpool and Mourinho nearly 3 years at Chelsea. But do you really doubt Keane’s will ever be anything else than impressive? I don’t. And when you compare him to Roeder, Sanchez, Pardew, Curbishley, Southgate, Jewell and Pearce well as the character English Bob once said, it is a bit like comparing a King to a President…
“If you were to try to assassinate a king, sir, the…how shall I say it? The aura of royalty would cause you to miss. But the president…I mean, why not shoot the president?”

Why the quote. Well if you haven’t worked it out for yourselves, consider this. Roy Keane – the manager of Sunderland further enhances his reputation and CV with a decent opening season in the Premiership and you are the owners of a Premiership club such as Man City, Middlesbrough or Newcastle etc and were to compare Roy Keane to your manager, well I think you may view your incumbent manager rather like a President…