Last updated: 4th December 2008
Keane: Taken club as far as he could
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn believes accepting Roy Keane's resignation was 'the best thing to do' after admitting the Irishman felt he had taken the club as far as he could.
Keane left the Stadium of Light on Thursday following talks with the club's board regarding his future on Wearside.
The former Manchester United captain had been questioning his position as Black Cats boss following the club's slide down the Premier League table in recent weeks.
He had hinted last week that he may not sign an extension to his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season, and was also downbeat after a 4-1 home defeat by Bolton Wanderers.
Quinn 'reluctantly' accepted Keane's decision to call time on his first managerial job which had seen him lead Sunderland into the Premier League in his debut season.
Keane's contribution to the club's progress was praised by Quinn, who admits he did his utmost to ease any pressure on the shoulders of his former Republic of Ireland team-mate.
"He had put a lot of effort in here, brought more than just his presence here - he brought a way of thinking into this place," said Quinn.
"He was instrumental in developing a winning mentality - that was the toughest thing of all for him to come and do when we were at the foot of the Championship.
"He brought standards to this club which are amazing. But to do that, it's intense.
"He is such a respected figure around the world that the media is intense, the fan pressure is intense.
"I tried for two years to keep as much pressure off him as possible, but obviously the Premier League is the Premier League and I guess it came to the point where Roy thought he had reached the end of that journey.
"Reluctantly, I accepted that. It was not the easiest thing to do, but I think it was the best thing to do in the circumstances at that point."
Quinn added: "Roy, as he says himself, is his harshest critic. He just felt he had completed his journey here, and he just felt he didn't want to get it unstuck any further and find ourselves in deeper, darker territory.
"That's the measure of the guy. It's funny, in situations like this, I am sure nine times out of 10, the chairman is saying how the manager was trying to keep his job. It was the other way round.
"It's a disappointing day in many respects but, of course, we fully respect his decision.
"And of course, once he made his decision, I said to him, 'I know you too well, Roy, to try to overturn it now' once he went over that line."
Sky Sports News chief news reporter Bryan Swanson has been told that Keane's resignation came as no surprise to some of the Sunderland players.
Swanson says some players felt Keane showed them a lack of respect during a ferocious half-time team talk when they were losing against League One Northampton in the Carling Cup in September.
Sunderland went on to win the game on penalties.
Swanson has also been told the players respected Keane as a player but some of them believe he was too distant from them as a manager.
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 15th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Birmingham |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Burnley |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Liverpool |
| 15:00 | Wolverhampton vs West Ham |
| Tuesday 18th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Portsmouth |
| 19:45 | Burnley vs Man Utd |
| 19:45 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Tottenham |
| 19:45 | Sunderland vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Wigan vs Wolverhampton |
| Wednesday 19th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Liverpool vs Stoke |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Everton |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 24th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle | |
| Blackburn 0 - 0 West Brom | |
| Hull 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Bolton | |
| Sunderland 2 - 3 Chelsea | |
| Fulham 0 - 2 Everton | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 Stoke | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Wigan 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Liverpool 3 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Monday 18th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 3 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Sunday 17th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| West Brom 0 - 2 Liverpool | |
| Saturday 16th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 0 - 1 Fulham | |
| Bolton 1 - 1 Hull | |
| Stoke 2 - 0 Wigan | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Tottenham 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Everton 3 - 1 West Ham | |
| Man Utd 0 - 0 Arsenal | |
Skysports.com takes a look at striker Michael Owen's career to date following his Man United switch.
Skysports.com assesses Michael Owen's possible free transfer to Manchester United.
Ian Rush told Sky Sports News that Sir Alex Ferguson's move for Michael Owen could prove a masterstroke.
Michael Owen is eager to put his "poor spell" at Newcastle behind him by scoring goals and lifting silverware at his new club Man United.
Manchester United have confirmed the shock capture of Michael Owen, with the striker signing a two-year contract at Old Trafford.
Michael Owen has signed for Man Utd, Chelsea have landed Daniel Sturridge, while Florentino Perez wants "two more signings".
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Daniel Sturridge on a four-year contract from Manchester City.
Joe Kinnear has backed Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to get the best out of Michael Owen.