Aiden McGeady reckons Roy Keane’s return to Sunderland would give fans “a big boost” — as the Black Cats push for promotion to the Championship.
The 35-year-old Ireland winger played with Keane at Celtic and later lined out under the legendary former Manchester United captain at international level.
McGeady could find himself working once again with the Corkman, who was last night on the verge of a return to the Stadium of Light.
Yesterday the 93-times capped star spoke warmly about the possibility of Keane’s Black Cats comeback.
“I’ve played with Roy. I’ve known him for a long time,” said the Glasgow-born ace.
“I played with him at Celtic and he was obviously my coach for the last five or six years when I was away with Ireland under Martin O’Neill.
“So I know him well. He’s got a lot of fans and he’s still held in high regard by the fans here.
“It’s not my job to comment on speculation and whether he’s the man for the job or not. I think that will be down to the board and the hierarchy at the club.
“But I think if he was to get the job, it gives the fans a big boost.”
McGeady might be happy to see Keane back in the dugout, but the 50-year-old ex-Sunderland and Ipswich Town boss divides opinion like few others in the game.
Some found that his style of management got the best out of them, while for others his approach crossed a line.
He managed plenty of Irish players during his spells at Sunderland and Ipswich - and here are some of their reflections on their time under Keane.
Anthony Stokes may seem like an unlikely ally, given that he landed in trouble with Keane on more than one occasion.
But in a 2009 interview, the former Ireland striker insisted that he knew what he was getting himself into.
“The way I look at it, you’re signing for Roy Keane, you have to know what you’re expecting as a player… You know he’s the way he is,” said Stokes.
“For the players to come out and say those things (criticism of Keane’s time as Sunderland boss), I don’t think it was as bad as was made out.
“Anyone knows that if you’re signing for Roy Keane, he’s liable to go off on one. It’s in his nature.
“I had big arguments with him, don’t get me wrong. He had plenty of pops at me where he’d let loose but he never held it against me.
“He’d punish you, he’d fine you, he’d drop you out of games but then everybody moves on.”
David Meyler was signed by Keane, but had to wait until almost a year after his fellow Corkman’s departure before making his first-team debut.
However, he did play under Keane — who was assistant to Martin O’Neill — at international level.
“Maybe I was slightly biased because I was from Cork and he was someone I admired and wanted to replicate and be like,” said Meyler.
“He was always very honest. Some people could take that. We have seen a lot of stuff that has come out of people in different scenarios, but I had no problem with it.
“I knew he wanted the best for me and he wanted me to get better. I really enjoyed it.”
Shane Supple was Keane’s goalkeeper at Ipswich Town when he made the shock decision that he wanted to walk away from football.
Supple was ready for a heated exchange when he approached the then-Tractor Boys boss.
“I came back for the new season and he offered me a new deal… I only signed it to get my stuff in order, though, to be honest. I knew I was going to pack it in,” he said.
“In August I decided to go in and speak to him. I had a chat with him and to be fair to the man he was very good in the way he dealt with it. He let me go straight away.”
There are plenty of negative views on Keane’s management style from former players.
After Keane made some cruel jibes about Clive Clarke's cardiac arrest while on-loan at Leicester, the former full-back refused to get caught up in a war of words.
But when it came to the Corkman’s management style in general, he didn’t hold back.
“I don’t agree when people talk down to me and that’s what I felt at the time there,” said Clarke of his spell under Keane at Sunderland.
“I was injured when Roy came in, I had a recurring groin injury from West Ham, I got back fit and he put me into the team for a few games, but we had words.
“We were both at fault, he had a go at me and I bit back, which I shouldn’t have done. Sometimes biting back at Roy is the worst thing you can do.”
Liam Lawrence reckons a row with Keane on the training ground led to his departure from Sunderland.
“We had a training ground bust-up on the Thursday, and by the Friday I was on my way down to Stoke,” said the 15-times capped winger.
“I know what it’s like to be on the back of his tongue. But yeah, I literally left the next day and was never seen there again.”
Keane’s take on the bust-up was: “Liam just lost his rag on the day; there was no bad blood between us. And I kind of admired him for
standing up for himself.
“But, ironically — or maybe not so ironically — we got a call from Stoke the next morning; they wanted to know if Liam was available. I said, ‘Yeah’. But not because of the bust-up.”
Probably the most famous rivalry between Keane and one of his Irish players emerged as a result of his hotel bust-up with Jonathan Walters while on international duty.
The pair had a history from their time together at Ipswich — and the row simmered long after Keane hit out at Harry Arter and Walters
during an Ireland camp in 2018.
One of Walters’ most memorable comments on Keane was: “He was a good player — an unbelievable player — known as a hard man on the pitch.
“But there’s a difference between being a hard man on the pitch and being a tough guy. Just because someone has a sharp tongue or a stare, doesn’t make them a tough guy.
“My brother-in-law was a Marine commando, went to war, he’s a tough guy. They’re the people you say are tough guys, not Roy. So that’s why I was never scared as a player.
“You have bullies who try and bully you. I always do the right thing, and stick up to it.”
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