Keane - Deal delay not an issue

Black Cats boss won't use contract talks as an excuse

Last updated: 1st December 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Keane - Deal delay not an issue

Keane: Club that's most important

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Roy Keane insists his delay in agreeing a new contract should not be affecting his Sunderland players.

Sunderland have plummeted down the table to 18th in recent weeks after losing five of their last six Premier League games.

The uncertainty surrounding Keane's future at the Stadium of Light has led to suggestions it has had an unsettling effect on his squad.

But Keane, whose current deal expires at the end of the season, is adamant it should not impact upon his team, citing his own experience at Manchester United as a reason for getting on with the job.

Managers come and go

"That could be a very easy excuse I could give to defend the players with what is going on regarding my contract situation," said Keane in The Sun.

"But that shouldn't be an issue if you're a top-class professional footballer.

"(Sir Alex) Ferguson said he was retiring. I didn't think too much of it. He spoke to me about it and it was, 'What do you want me to do, cry over it?'

"Managers come and go. Managers aren't that important. It's the football club that's most important."

Meanwhile, Black Cats defender Phil Bardsley has urged the fans to be patient following Saturday's 4-1 defeat at home by Bolton Wanderers.

Bardsley said: "The fans are disappointed, but we need them to be behind us.

"I know we've lost games at home, but we need them to be behind us and not to boo us.

"We need everyone. When the going gets tough you need everybody, not just the players."