Published: Wednesday, 27th August, 2008 12:00pm

Soccer with Cathal Dervan

Cathal Dervan assesses the signings Roy Keane has made and says that this time around Sunderland will be a formidable force in the Premier League.

The morning after the night before and the consortium were at Newcastle airport on their way home to Dublin, cock-a-hoop at Sunderland"s victory over Leicester City the night before. That win sealed a return to the top flight of English football for a sleeping giant of the north-east and the men who had put their money where their mouths are were still giddy about it all.

Their joy was understandable. Less than a year after Niall Quinn had persuaded them to dig deep in their various pockets, Charlie Chawke, Louis Fitzgerald and Co were already in the money.

The Premiership at the first attempt was a testament to Roy Keane"s ability to take to management. The return on their investment was a just reward for the Dromaville group who put the money up to get them there.

As they waited for their Ryanair flight home from Newcastle that morning the Consorts, our little name for them, were happy to talk to the many Irish media in the same departure lounge.

'What Roy wants, Roy will get,' said the Limerick born Chawke, a gregarious man in the flesh despite all the arrows life has slung his way. We took Charlie at his word. There was no reason not to. But those of us who"ve been around the football block more than once wondered aloud if the Consorts could afford everything Roy would want in the Premiership.

They did stump up and straight away, but at first it wasn"t enough as Sunderland"s flirtation with relegation until the last month of the campaign last season served to testify.

Spend, Spend, Spend

Keane did spend, spend and spend last season but all the time he struggled to attract the quality that Sunderland needed to move up in the Premiership world. He knew as much when safety was assured back in April and he began to talk of rebuilding his team all over again, spending even more of Chawke"s money on the way. It was a risky move for the Irish consortium. They had already speculated to accumulate when Keane went pulling at their purse strings in the summer. His frustration when Sunderland toured Portugal in July was not with the finances available to him, but his struggles to spend it on the sort of quality that he knew would turn his team into mid-table contenders at worst. The manager knew better than anyone that chasing big name players was one thing - getting them to move to Sunderland and play for one of the biggest names in the game was always going to be another thing altogether. Slowly but surely the magic has started to work for Keane. His raid on Spurs resulted in the arrival of Malbranque, Tainio and Chimbonda.

Next up was the gamble that landed El Hadji Diouf from Bolton for a mere £2.5million, a risk only because of the potential clash of character between a temperamental striker and his equally temperamental new boss. Keane clearly believes he is a strong enough character to deal with pouting Premier League stars and history would suggest his reputation is bigger than anyone coming through the inbound door at the Stadium of Light. That"s why the arrival of Djibril Cisse from Marseilles on a season-long loan last week is a masterstroke from Keane.

Many managers in England will have known that Cisse was on the market ahead of the close of transfer business next weekend but few, if any, other than Keane, were prepared to take a punt on the moody Frenchman.

Cisse did remark that the Keane-appeal was huge factor in accepting the loan move. The chance to prove himself in England again after his Liverpool failings may have been another big factor.

Whatever the challenge for Cisse he made an immediate impact for Keane with the winner at Spurs last Saturday, the single most impressive result of a strange weekend on the pools coupon. Sunderland won"t win the league, not even with Cisse or El Hadji Diouf on board, but that was never going to be the issue for Keane when it came to spending Chawke"s money this month. After a season in the Premier League, survival is no longer enough for a club or a manager with big ambitions.

Cup Run

A cup run would be nice, but the top half of the table is a necessity for Keane and Co in the coming months.

Their start to the season and the imminent arrival of Anton Ferdinand will surely facilitate a top 10 finish for the Black Cats.

It may even get them a spot in Europe, but that is not the best news on the table for Chawke and his fellow Consorts right now, not even after that great win at White Hart Lane. Last Friday Keane was asked about his own future at his weekly press conference with the Sunday papers. He said:

'I have a year left, but I have been delighted with the backing I have received in the transfer market. Niall and the board have supported me and that has made a difference.'

Chawke has been true to his word in that Newcastle departure lounge and the payback is gathering pace. Where it brings Keane and Sunderland in the coming months will be fascinating.

Cathal Dervan is the chief sportswriter with the Irish Daily Star Sunday newspaper.

Return to: Homepage | Sport Index | This article