Roy Keane has admitted that even he doesn't know if he's the right man for the Sunderland job after a disastrous 4-1 home defeat to Bolton on Saturday plunged the club into the relegation zone.
Keane's team were subjected to another chorus of boos at the Stadium of Light as they slipped into the bottom three of the Premier League.The pressure is mounting on Keane at a club now controlled by American and not Irish investment.
And Keane admitted afterwards, "I ask myself every single day if I am the right man for Sunderland. I asked myself this morning and I said that I was. Tomorrow morning if the answer's no we will have to look at it. "I have to be honest in my assessment. It's not about what's best for Roy Keane. It's Sunderland Football Club. "I might wake up on Monday morning and think I'm the right man. On Tuesday it might be different. I'm the manager of this football club and ultimately I'm responsible, and I've never shied away from that. "That's part of being a manager and that's why I take full responsibility for today and the run we're on and everything else." Sunderland had taken the lead against Bolton, but a series of individual errors contributed to their fifth home defeat of the season. Keane added, "We play with such innocence we make it hard for ourselves and we seem to get punished for every mistake we make. "It's such a harsh world. When you get in front you've certainly got to make sure you don't lose the game." By Monday Keane had admitted to local media in Sunderland that he is not ready to quit the Stadium of Light hotseat. "People keep asking me about being a quitter and I don't think I am a quitter," Keane said. "Anyone who's played with me or worked with me would know I'm not. If you lose 4-1 at home, it's obvious I haven't done my job well enough. "We certainly can't go down the road of thinking we're too good to go down. It doesn't get any easier for us as our next game is Manchester United on Saturday. So that's a nice easy one." Celtic Hopes CELTIC'S Scottish League title hopes received a major fillip at the weekend after their European exit when they beat Inverness and Rangers lost to Hearts. The Bhoys are now seven points clear of their Glasgow rivals at the top of the table, but captain Stephen McManus refuses to read too much into their big advantage. McManus said, "It was good to come back after the Champions League disappointment and get a win against Inverness. We didn't play tremendously well but the most important thing was to get the three points. "We will take it every week as it comes and we can only look after ourselves. We weren't boosted by the result at Tynecastle. "We knew there was a chance to go further clear but the motivation was already there." Celtic manager Gordon Strachan praised midfield duo Shunsuke Nakamura and Shaun Maloney after they combined for Maloney to score the only goal against Inverness. "For Nakamura to get the ball up and down with not too much pace in it, was the best part," said Strachan. "It was a clever run by Shaun, he knew that probably the only person on the pitch who could play that pass was Nakamura. "If the ball had gone to a lot of other people, I don't think Shaun would have made that run. But that was two good players combining." Celtic are now seriously worried about the knee injury that has kept Aiden McGeady out of action for six weeks now. Strachan said, "We will monitor him. Aiden gets about 20 minutes pain-free before he starts to feel pain. The doctor and the rest of the guys will look into that and see what the best way is to get Aiden back to full fitness." McGinn Wants First DERRY City midfielder Niall McGinn isn't keen on a move to Glasgow Celtic - unless the club can guarantee him first team football. McGinn said, "Celtic are obviously a big club and it is a great honor to discover that they are looking at me. It would be a great move. It's obviously something I would consider. "There are a few clubs in for me, so I will have a look at my options, but I don't want to play in the reserves. I want to play first team football and I need to be playing regularly to keep my place in the Northern Ireland squad." Derry are to cut their costs for next season, with the club prepared to listen to offers for Darren Quigley, Pat Jennings and Billy Dennehy, but manager Stephen Kenny is adamant he is staying put. Drogs Broke DROGHEDA United's very future hangs in the balance with the club looking for a cash injection in the region of €1 million to secure an FAI license for next season. An emergency meeting with all supporters was called by the United Park board for Wednesday night, with chairman Vincent Hoey confident that the fans will save the day for the club, currently in receivership. Hoey said, "This club has faced some tough times over the years, but this is by far the worst situation we have found ourselves in. "We're in discussions with a number of investors, but negotiations are slow. I dread to think what may happen should we fail to secure any further investment." Fahey Moves ST. Patrick's Athletic midfielder Keith Fahey has finalized a move to Championship side Birmingham City that could eventually be worth €700,000 to the Dublin club. Birmingham manager Alex McLeish said, "Keith will be hungry. I feel that he will have the bit between his teeth to show that he can cut it in English football. "He's a central midfielder and from what I've seen of him he's got vision, passes a ball accurately, seems to have a good engine and I look forward to working with him." Soccer Shorts NEWLY promoted Dundalk expect to name their new manager this weekend, with Stephen Henderson, Roddy Collins, Sean Connor and Pat Scully all in the frame to succeed John Gill . . . ST. Patrick's Athletic have fined midfielder Gary Dempsey two weeks' wages after he admitted to betting against his club in a recent eircom League defeat to Galway United . . . IRELAND'S World Cup qualifier away to Italy next April looks more likely to be played in Florence, Genoa or Milan than Rome according to reports in The Irish Times . . . FORMER Irish defender Stephen Carr has announced his retirement from professional football after failing to find a new club following his release by Newcastle United . . . CARETAKER boss Joe Kinnear has agreed an extended contract with Newcastle United that will see him remain in charge of the club until the end of the season . . . SCOTTISH side Hamilton has dismissed stories linking young Irish winger James McCarthy with moves to Liverpool, Chelsea or Barcelona in the transfer window . . . READING are unlikely to offer a contract to Drogheda midfielder Shane Robinson after a recent trial with the Champion-ship club . . . TROUBLED eircom League champions Bohemians have appointed Greg Molloy as the club's new business manager . . . GALWAY United boss Jeff Kenna has again been linked with the vacant manager's position at Shamrock Rovers . . . DROGHEDA defender Brian Shelley has been linked with Derry City, Bohs and Scottish side Hamilton . . . STRIKER Denis Behan and midfielder Joe Gamble have signed new contracts with Cork City . . . GOALKEEPER Alan Gough has been named as the Bray Wanderers Player of the Year.
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