Keane ready for battle of the bosses

ROY KEANE says that he is relishing pitting his wits against other managers in the Premiership but expects that the rivalry in the top-flight will be more lethal than it was in the Championship.

“I enjoyed my relationship with the managers in the Championship, meeting them after the match for a drink when you’d often see a different manager to what you see on the sideline,” says the Sunderland boss. “But I think the Premiership is going to be a bit more lethal. I don’t think it will be that friendly.”

Asked if he thinks that some of the game’s established managers will fear being upstaged by the rookie Premiership gaffer, Keane is emphatic: “That’s what I want to do: upstage all of them, by us winning matches. And hopefully we will upset one or two of them, just like I get upset when we get beaten. You need an edge.”