Roy Keane - resigns!

[Royal Rother]

It's completely irrelevant whether anyone will recall the detail in 3 or 4 years time... If Sunderland get relegated with 20, 30 or 40 points this season it would be hugely embarrassing for Roy Keane. That's it.

[Alan Partridge]

Sunderland > Blackburn.

Soon as Blackburn signed the atrocious Robinson I had some of the 33/1 Ladbrokes were offering for them going down. A host of similar uninspiring signings (Robbie Fowler and Keith Andrews to name 2) and a rookie manager meant they were a great candidate. From one of the most rugged and robust teams to the 'worst defense in the division' over the course of the summer is a fine effort, just goes to show how awful Paul Robinson really is. Wherever he has been in whatever team he has always let in a lot of goals.

[Deathy]

Sunderland > Blackburn.

Soon as Blackburn signed the atrocious Robinson...

He's actually been doing very well since signing for them. Hasn't put a foot wrong and well on his way back to full confidence and the keeper that earned no.1 status.

Shame he's got so much to do for that mess of a team though.

[papereyes]

It's completely irrelevant whether anyone will recall the detail in 3 or 4 years time... If Sunderland get relegated with 20, 30 or 40 points this season it would be hugely embarrassing for Roy Keane. That's it.

It was pretty embarassing for McCarthy the previous time around and he had tuppence and a shertbert dib-dab to invest in the side.

Not saying it won't be for Keane, just agreeing with Ian on the idea that most people will only really see the fact that the team has gone down.

[Archie's penalty]

Would love to see Sunderland go down. My least favourite team in the premiership. Full of shoite players last year. Shouldn't have stayed up imho.

Reading 0 Bolton 2 (with no money spent on players) >>>>>Sunderland 1 Bolton 4 (with loads of money spent on players).

HA!

[Geekins]

Cisse on loan there? That was a excellent signing for them.

[Alan Partridge]

Would love to see Sunderland go down. My least favourite team in the premiership. Full of shoite players last year. Shouldn't have stayed up imho.

Reading 0 Bolton 2 (with no money spent on players) >>>>>Sunderland 1 Bolton 4 (with loads of money spent on players).

HA!

Sunderland 1 Bolton 4 in the Premiership>>>> Reading 1 Southampton 2 in the Championship.

'Full of shoite players' Lots of them were squad players and they finished comfortbaly in mid table in the end so they couldn't have been THAT bad to be fair.

[Archie's penalty]

Would love to see Sunderland go down. My least favourite team in the premiership. Full of shoite players last year. Shouldn't have stayed up imho.

Reading 0 Bolton 2 (with no money spent on players) >>>>>Sunderland 1 Bolton 4 (with loads of money spent on players).

HA!

Sunderland 1 Bolton 4 in the Premiership>>>> Reading 1 Southampton 2 in the Championship.

'Full of shoite players' Lots of them were squad players and they finished comfortbaly in mid table in the end so they couldn't have been THAT bad to be fair.

Ok I get your point.

And comfortably mid-table - right. Three points ahead of us in the end. And we were equal with them over the two games we played.

They weren't that good last year, have been crap this year and Keane has in no way deserved the praise heaped on him from some quarters.

To quote the great King Kev 'I would love it, just love it' if they went down...

[Alan Partridge]

Would love to see Sunderland go down. My least favourite team in the premiership. Full of shoite players last year. Shouldn't have stayed up imho.

Reading 0 Bolton 2 (with no money spent on players) >>>>>Sunderland 1 Bolton 4 (with loads of money spent on players).

HA!

Sunderland 1 Bolton 4 in the Premiership>>>> Reading 1 Southampton 2 in the Championship.

'Full of shoite players' Lots of them were squad players and they finished comfortbaly in mid table in the end so they couldn't have been THAT bad to be fair.

Ok I get your point.

And comfortably mid-table - right. Three points ahead of us in the end. And we were equal with them over the two games we played.

They weren't that good last year, have been crap this year and Keane has in no way deserved the praise heaped on him from some quarters.

To quote the great King Kev 'I would love it, just love it' if they went down...

Don't think in any way Keane is all that good a manager and his eye for a player is questionable and that of a young manager with too much cash burning in his pocket, but they stayed up and we didn't. That's the ultimate answer. They may have 'wasted' £30million this year but the ultimate reward is at least another year of Premiership football. Their defense at the weekend was absolutely woeful ,you'd like to think it' sa bit of a lack of confidence and that individual errors can be cut out. We can pat our own back for saving our money as we play Barnsley next week!

[Archie's penalty]

Don't think in any way Keane is all that good a manager and his eye for a player is questionable and that of a young manager with too much cash burning in his pocket, but they stayed up and we didn't. That's the ultimate answer. They may have 'wasted' £30million this year but the ultimate reward is at least another year of Premiership football. Their defense at the weekend was absolutely woeful ,you'd like to think it' sa bit of a lack of confidence and that individual errors can be cut out. We can pat our own back for saving our money as we play Barnsley next week!

I agree with most of that. It's definitely better to be in the prem than the championship but if you look at it objectively we spent nothing and came 8th in our first season up and then just went down. They finished three points ahead of the drop zone and may well go down this year. We also could be returning this year to the prem. If all that happens who had the best club strategy, them or us?

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Don't think in any way Keane is all that good a manager and his eye for a player is questionable and that of a young manager with too much cash burning in his pocket, but they stayed up and we didn't. That's the ultimate answer. They may have 'wasted' £30million this year but the ultimate reward is at least another year of Premiership football. Their defense at the weekend was absolutely woeful ,you'd like to think it' sa bit of a lack of confidence and that individual errors can be cut out. We can pat our own back for saving our money as we play Barnsley next week!

I agree with most of that. It's definitely better to be in the prem than the championship but if you look at it objectively we spent nothing and came 8th in our first season up and then just went down. They finished three points ahead of the drop zone and may well go down this year. We also could be returning this year to the prem. If all that happens who had the best club strategy, them or us?

Them if they stay up. (In the short term)

There are some pretty poor teams in the Prem this season, any from 10 could go down imo. Sunderland's strikers should be enough to keep them.

LOng term is another question.

[Alan Partridge]

Don't think in any way Keane is all that good a manager and his eye for a player is questionable and that of a young manager with too much cash burning in his pocket, but they stayed up and we didn't. That's the ultimate answer. They may have 'wasted' £30million this year but the ultimate reward is at least another year of Premiership football. Their defense at the weekend was absolutely woeful ,you'd like to think it' sa bit of a lack of confidence and that individual errors can be cut out. We can pat our own back for saving our money as we play Barnsley next week!

I agree with most of that. It's definitely better to be in the prem than the championship but if you look at it objectively we spent nothing and came 8th in our first season up and then just went down. They finished three points ahead of the drop zone and may well go down this year. We also could be returning this year to the prem. If all that happens who had the best club strategy, them or us?

Them if they stay up. (In the short term)

There are some pretty poor teams in the Prem this season, any from 10 could go down imo. Sunderland's strikers should be enough to keep them.

LOng term is another question.

If they stay up long term then they are financially fine, it's if they come down. It's a gamble, if you've got the money to do it then fair play! But it's a very fine line between success and failure in that league. Sunderland had to spend that £30million to get them to finish about 14th, that's how far they were behind the oher teams at the time of promotion. Reading got 106 points so they must have done something right, it was the second season and the loss of key players that were never replaced that cost Reading. I wasn't one saying we need to spend £30million but we certainly didn't spend or get enough quality players in that 2nd year.

[Archie's penalty]

If they stay up long term then they are financially fine, it's if they come down. It's a gamble, if you've got the money to do it then fair play! But it's a very fine line between success and failure in that league. Sunderland had to spend that £30million to get them to finish about 14th, that's how far they were behind the oher teams at the time of promotion. Reading got 106 points so they must have done something right, it was the second season and the loss of key players that were never replaced that cost Reading. I wasn't one saying we need to spend £30million but we certainly didn't spend or get enough quality players in that 2nd year.

In hindsight we did not spend the right money on the right players. There were loads of people saying that on here. They were right in the end but it could easily have not been the case.

The club really isn't doing that badly. I'm surprisingly positive again after a very long season last year.

[Alan Partridge]

If they stay up long term then they are financially fine, it's if they come down. It's a gamble, if you've got the money to do it then fair play! But it's a very fine line between success and failure in that league. Sunderland had to spend that £30million to get them to finish about 14th, that's how far they were behind the oher teams at the time of promotion. Reading got 106 points so they must have done something right, it was the second season and the loss of key players that were never replaced that cost Reading. I wasn't one saying we need to spend £30million but we certainly didn't spend or get enough quality players in that 2nd year.

In hindsight we did not spend the right money on the right players. There were loads of people saying that on here. They were right in the end but it could easily have not been the case.

The club really isn't doing that badly. I'm surprisingly positive again after a very long season last year.

But for the sake of an extra few players here and there Reading would have stayed up, probably comfortably in a poor league last season. As for this season yeah they are doing the bare minimum in all honesty. Reading's squad should get the playoffs at worst, tonight is a big game as failure to win would leave them a mountain to climb to catch the top two. I agree with Coppell there is definitely a 'soft under belly' with the current squad and we've lost games we shouldn't have done but overall it's been about 7/10 so far.

[Archie's penalty]

If they stay up long term then they are financially fine, it's if they come down. It's a gamble, if you've got the money to do it then fair play! But it's a very fine line between success and failure in that league. Sunderland had to spend that £30million to get them to finish about 14th, that's how far they were behind the oher teams at the time of promotion. Reading got 106 points so they must have done something right, it was the second season and the loss of key players that were never replaced that cost Reading. I wasn't one saying we need to spend £30million but we certainly didn't spend or get enough quality players in that 2nd year.

In hindsight we did not spend the right money on the right players. There were loads of people saying that on here. They were right in the end but it could easily have not been the case.

The club really isn't doing that badly. I'm surprisingly positive again after a very long season last year.

But for the sake of an extra few players here and there Reading would have stayed up, probably comfortably in a poor league last season. As for this season yeah they are doing the bare minimum in all honesty. Reading's squad should get the playoffs at worst, tonight is a big game as failure to win would leave them a mountain to climb to catch the top two. I agree with Coppell there is definitely a 'soft under belly' with the current squad and we've lost games we shouldn't have done but overall it's been about 7/10 so far.

I agree a win is a must tonight. I'm hopeful rather than over-confident. I think the Southampton game showed the players they need to concentrate properly. I was very pleased with the response against Cardiff, especially in the second half. To be fair I would take a scrappy 1-0 win tonight against a team with a very decent away record.

It's a shame we are not in the Prem but we have the players to get back there. I hoped for the best this season and feared the worst. It's been pretty good.

[readingbedding]

RFC has done very well to recover from relegation, again not too many people have given them credit for that.

[Alan Partridge]

RFC has done very well to recover from relegation, again not too many people have given them credit for that.

Well them, Birmingham and Derby have a big luxury of parachute payments, and although Reading lost a couple of players I reckon the only 1 they have missed or been dissappointed that went was Kitson. Derby were so awful last year that this year was always going to be a case of more rebuilding, and Birmingham just have good players for this league. Reading have done fairly well, probably as well as realistically expected in all honesty. A win tonight would put them right back in the mix for the top 2. They can't keep falling behind though, both the top two look good currently.

[readingbedding]

Still believe we're going up, nothing has changed my view.
I think Coventry are going to get murdered tonight.

[papereyes]

Roy Keane has "lost the plot" and is making "some really silly decisions" according to the man who ghost-wrote his autobiography.

Eamonn Dunphy - formerly a very close friend of the Sunderland manager - has laid into Keane with both barrels on Radio Five Live.

Keane's side have lost six of their last seven games and are in the relegation zone despite him spending around £40m this summer.

He has repeatedly suggested that he could walk away from the club and has recently looked like a man who has lost his way.

"He is rambling about all sorts of things and it's really ridiculous," said Dunphy. "He is in serious danger of getting relegated but I think that Roy Keane is beginning to believe the Roy Keane mythology.

"He is pontificating on everything. He's lost the plot. I have the highest regard for him, he's a remarkable, intelligent, family man, but he's lost the plot big time.

"He hasn't had a settled side and I think he is in a fog at the moment. Everyone gets there at some point in your life, when things get too much for you. You don't know where the levers for control are and he's making some really silly decisions. He paid all that money for Anton Ferdinand and dropped him. Then there is Diouf on the bench and out of favour.

"It has been apparent to me for the last 18 months that Roy Keane isn't going to be a serious manager. Like a lot of great players he doesn't appear cut out for management. It's becoming increasingly apparent. I just don't think he has the qualities."

[Archie's penalty]

Roy Keane has "lost the plot" and is making "some really silly decisions" according to the man who ghost-wrote his autobiography.

Eamonn Dunphy - formerly a very close friend of the Sunderland manager - has laid into Keane with both barrels on Radio Five Live.

Keane's side have lost six of their last seven games and are in the relegation zone despite him spending around £40m this summer.

He has repeatedly suggested that he could walk away from the club and has recently looked like a man who has lost his way.

"He is rambling about all sorts of things and it's really ridiculous," said Dunphy. "He is in serious danger of getting relegated but I think that Roy Keane is beginning to believe the Roy Keane mythology.

"He is pontificating on everything. He's lost the plot. I have the highest regard for him, he's a remarkable, intelligent, family man, but he's lost the plot big time.

"He hasn't had a settled side and I think he is in a fog at the moment. Everyone gets there at some point in your life, when things get too much for you. You don't know where the levers for control are and he's making some really silly decisions. He paid all that money for Anton Ferdinand and dropped him. Then there is Diouf on the bench and out of favour.

"It has been apparent to me for the last 18 months that Roy Keane isn't going to be a serious manager. Like a lot of great players he doesn't appear cut out for management. It's becoming increasingly apparent. I just don't think he has the qualities."

That's quite a denouncement from Dunphy. Very interesting.