Sbragia makes compelling case for Quinn

ROY KEANE is not an easy spirit to exorcise, but less than a month after the Corkman stalked out of Sunderland for the last time, Ricky Sbragia has already banished much of the gloom which had threatened to envelope Wearside.

The caretaker manager’s formula is simple: adopt a more subtle and loving approach with players whose confidence had been drained under Keane. The result could just be Premier League salvation.

For all Keane’s undoubted qualities, man-management was not one of his strongest suits as he battled to hold together a fractured dressing room in the months and weeks leading up to his departure.