Rob Parrish explains why Roy Keane is the man to firmly establish the Black Cats in the Premier League.
Keane can establish Black Cats in Premier League
Roy Keane is a natural-born winner.
The Sunderland manager spent his entire career as a player producing, expecting, demanding and, more often than not, achieving the best.
His 12-and-a-half-year stint at Manchester United saw the club dominate the domestic scene, while also reaching the pinnacle of Europe with UEFA Champions League glory in 1999.
Keane may have been suspended for that memorable match against Bayern Munich, but it was his sheer determination which drove United to victory against Juventus in their epic semi-final, even after receiving the booking he knew would keep him out of the Camp Nou showpiece.
And it is that drive, that unstinting desire for success, that refusal to accept anything less than 100 per cent which will serve Sunderland so well as they look to further establish themselves in the Premier League.
Keane's two years at the helm in his first managerial job have been impressive to say the least.
Transformed
In his first, he took charge of a Black Cats side who had lost their first four games of the Championship season, having slipped out of the Premier League in the previous campaign with a paltry 15 points to their name.
New chairman Niall Quinn, figurehead for the Drumaville consortium who had taken charge of the North East club, needed to bring in a manager who could turn around their flagging fortunes, and he found just that in his former Republic of Ireland international team-mate.
Sunderland were transformed, going on to claim the Championship title and a place in the Premier League, before achieving what has been beyond numerous other sides and avoiding an immediate return to the Football League.
Now Keane faces his next challenge, as both he and the club's hierarchy expect more than fighting against the drop on a regular basis. But it will be no easy task given the riches and ambition of their Premier League rivals.
The club's transfer market moves so far show promise, with Steed Malbranque and El-Hadji Diouf bringing much-needed creativity and unpredictability which was lacking last season.
Central defence remains an area of concern, with Jonny Evans having returned to Manchester United after another successful loan spell and Tottenham's Younes Kaboul unwilling to head for the North East.
Void
Evans is believed to still be on Keane's radar, and his arrival would be warmly welcomed by the supporters who were hugely impressed by the young centre-back's individual displays and calm organisation of his team-mates.
There are matters to be resolved up front, too, with Kenwyne Jones already certain to miss two months of the season, and fears that his knee injury suffered on international duty for Trinidad and Tobago against England could keep him out for the rest of the year.
Jones excelled when leading the line last season, with his seven goals and all-round contribution crucial to Sunderland's survival, and he will leave a major void in the club's attacking options.
Keane has admitted that a new striker now tops his summer shopping list, but do not expect any panic-buys or desperate negotiations from the Stadium of Light boss, who has learned from his previous haste and now refuses to be kept waiting by potential targets.
The opportunity to play under one of the modern game's greats has clearly helped persuade a number of this summer's arrivals to pledge their future to the North East side.
But should any of his Sunderland team fail to deliver, then they can expect to feel the full force of Keane's acidic verbal attacks, yet another trait he has brought from his days as a player into his new role as a manager.
