Quinny, Stan, Mick n’ me

THERE is a poster on display in Sunderland’s ground advertising ‘A Spectacular Wedding Fayre At The Stadium Of Light’. The event doesn’t take place until October but anybody wandering into the Directors’ Suite yesterday could have been forgiven for thinking that they had stumbled upon a preview, as celebratory speeches were made and cameras snapped the happy couple at the top table.

It was a sight we thought we’d never see but, no matter how hard you rubbed your eyes, there it was: Niall Quinn and Roy Keane, side by side, smiling broadly and shaking hands for posterity.

Ireland may still have been in of a state of shock, but Keane, by turns funny and forthright yesterday, claimed the call from Quinn had not taken him by surprise.

“Nothing surprises me in football, I’m very open-minded. Nothing shocks me. So when Niall got in touch, I didn’t blink an eyelid, I wasn’t in shock. I just thought, he must be desperate (laughter).”

The new manager of Sunderland, and indeed the new chairman too, may have been anxious to put the past to bed but it was inevitable that Keane would again be obliged to resurrect Saipan and its aftermath.

Asked if he had apologised to Quinn, he replied: “Yes, without a doubt. That was in discussion when we first met up.

“If you are going to beat around the bush and say did I apologise for stuff like that, of course I did.

“But that was irrelevant to what was going to happen here in terms of whether I was going to get the job or not.

“I have apologised to lots of people and I am sure I will have to a few more times.”

Now he’s broken bread with Quinny, the question was delicately phrased, would be interested in resolving differences with other Saipan protagonists?

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” said Keane. “Listen, I’m not this mean, nasty machine people might think I am. Sometimes when I was a player I felt I had to have that in the middle of the park. But if I made a mistake and I feel I owe someone an apology then I will apologise.”

The next question was more direct: would be happy to shake Mick McCarthy’s hand at Molineux on November 25?

“We’ll see. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But if I feel I’ve done something wrong then, of course.”

Keane may be prepared to move forward but it’s also clear that he is not about to compromise on an issue of principle.

“I think the Saipan thing — if you want to keep going back over it — that was a completely different issue in terms of disagreement with managers. The bottom line is — and to this day people still miss the point — if a manager accuses me of faking injury then I will not accept it.

“People can get bogged down by other stuff, and yes there were other issues, but the final straw really was for someone to accuse me of faking injury. For anyone who plays for Ireland — look at the game last week — if players have got niggles they will pull out of friendly matches. Ye all know that. It’s a given fact. But in terms of faking injury and that? Nonsense. And I’ll take that to my grave. But that is a few years ago, I have to say. And I’ve never lost any sleep over the World Cup, never.”

Keane had said that he’d crossed a line in relation to Saipan and again in his final days at United but, when talking to the Irish press later, he refined his position.

“To be honest, I meant more so probably with United, I have to say.”

He earlier said he apologised to Alex Ferguson before his United exit: “What probably got me into the hassle at United, I was probably getting a coach’s or a manager’s head on me when I should not have been.”

But he stands by the principle he adopted in Saipan — yet does he think he could have handled the situation differently?

“That’s the situation I dealt with at the time. That was the position I was in. But if it happened today, would I do something different? I probably would. But as you get older and wiser you probably do handle situations differently. It’s just life, isn’t it? When I used to argue with my wife we wouldn’t speak for days. Now when we argue, honestly, I’ll think ‘I don’t want this dragging on for too long’. That’s just from experience. Not talking for two or three days is no good for nobody.

“I’m not saying I have a halo over my head, far from it, but if I’ve done wrong, I’ll be the first to apologise. I’ve always been like that to be honest.”

He is asked if managing Ireland is an ambition? As Keane smiles, a Sunderland press officer interjects to say: “You’re not having him for a few years yet.”

“Nah, listen,” Keane resumes, “I think there’s a good manager there and I’m sure Steve will do very well.”

Staunton, of course, is another of those Irish football personalities who was ensnared by Saipan. But dealing with him, as Keane will have to do, poses no problems. All’s well there too. “Of course it is,” says Keane. “Listen. You’re going to be a football manager, those are the things you have to deal with. And hopefully the more the better. Because if he’s ringing me more about some of the Irish lads then obviously the Irish lads are doing well and they’re in the team and everyone’s happy.”