RK Watch: Still Learning …
Telegraph: Roy Keane learned much about the art of management as a player under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest and Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and is now acquiring some of the science.
The Irishman’s determination to repeat his playing success as a manager has led to him enrolling at the FA’s year-long course at Warwick University that leads to the Uefa Pro Licence, the highest coaching qualification.
Keane completed the opening residential section at Warwick on Saturday and will continue class-work online or via conference calls with tutors. The Irishman’s studies will run alongside the practical business of keeping Sunderland in the Premiership.
Armed with his A and B licences, Keane has already made a huge impression with his revival of Sunderland’s fortunes. His ability to galvanise a group of players has come as little surprise. What has caught the eye is his shrewdness in the transfer market, his adept handling of the media and his immense attention to detail.
After scarcely nine months in the job, Keane already appears a mixture of the modern, in his willingness to use everyone from dieticians to statisticians, and the old-school. When three Sunderland players were five minutes late for the bus, Keane left them behind.
The coming Premiership season will give a more realistic indication of Keane’s managerial potential, although the signs are clearly promising. He believes the Pro Licence course will accelerate his managerial education.
“I started my badges maybe four or five years ago, but it’s maybe something I wish I’d started before then,” Keane said yesterday. “I think the knowledge would definitely have helped me as a player. What I enjoy most about these courses is working with other people, mixing with other coaches and getting new ideas, picking each other’s brains.
“My mentality since I have come on these courses, and from my experiences under managers like Sir Alex and Cloughie, is that it’s a simple game. I come on these courses with an open mind, and to be fair to the FA they are not saying: ‘This is the set way you do things’. They are just showing different ways of dealing with all sorts of situations.”
Joining Keane on this year’s course are, among others, Gary Ablett, Dave Parnaby, Kevin Ball, Martin Gray and Paul Brush. Last week’s graduation included Tony Adams, Gary Johnson, Mick McCarthy, Keith Alexander, Warren Barton, Chris Hutchings, Leroy Rosenior and Glenn Roeder.
Roeder yesterday hailed as “absolutely terrific” a course that involves preparing training plans for specific matches, psychology, understanding contract negotiations and dealing with the media.
Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA’s director of football development, said yesterday: “Everyone who experiences the course says it’s high quality and that it should give them the basis to handle the widening demands of the role.
“You used to have a head coach that was very much on the pitch dealing with tactical stuff. Now there are wider aspects - medical and sports science, fitness, psychological stuff, man-management.” Sunderland hope Keane graduates with honours at the Stadium of Light as well as at Warwick University.
