Pressures of Management Prove too much for Keane

It is clear that only subject has dominated the headlines across the English footballing press this week: Roy Keane's abrupt departure from Sunderland. Last night, the Irishman walked out on his 2 year tenure at The Stadium of Light under a cloud of uncertainty on his future in football management. Keane was unquestionably an unwavering, defiant and bullish character as a player. Both on and off the field his aggressive and often controversial leadership qualities have never been in doubt and these have to the outside world at least, been personality traits that he has transferred directly into his management style. However, it is clear that all is not right with the great Irishman's mental state at this moment in time. Keane is and always has been a winner and is therefore used to winning, but the current run of successive defeats suffered by the Black Cats has clearly put Keane in an unfamiliar and discomforting mental position. Even his former mentor Sir Alex Ferguson has come forward this week to question whether his former captain at Manchester United will ever return to the day-to-day pressures associated with top flight football management. However, if anyone can recover from such a setback and come back stronger than ever - it is surely Roy Keane.