Cole: Keane can succeed if he ends zero tolerance approach
Writing in Abu Dhabi newspaper The National, Cole argued that Keane’s attempts to take his no-nonsense playing style into management cannot work with modern players.
Cole played briefly for Keane at Sunderland and witnessed first hand his abrupt approach.
“Roy ruled with a rod of iron and the players were petrified of him at Sunderland. They didn’t dare answer back. I told Roy one day and he stared at me and asked: ‘Why are they scared of me?’ You only had to see how he looked when he questioned me to see why they were scared of him.”
And there was no old pals act from Keane as Cole himself fell victim to a zero tolerance approach to discipline.
“Roy could be very tough, probably too tough. If a player was late for a bus then he was banished to the reserve team for weeks. I was late for one training session. I was coming up from Manchester every morning, over a two-hour drive. I used to allow plenty of time and would leave my home at 5.30am. There was a big crash on the motorway one day and I was late. There was nothing that I could do about it.
“I received a letter in the post a few days later where I was informed that I’d been fined a full week’s wages. It was signed by Roy. I thought that was too harsh, the rules too rigid.”
The former England striker insists some players will perform better for a more understanding manager.
“Every player has a different personality and reacts differently to praise and criticism. Managers should take that into account. There also has to be a balance. Players have a lot of power these days. A good manager must make good players want to play well for him.”
Cole believes Keane’s uncompromising style is a natural extension of his playing days and reveals even Alex Ferguson couldn’t curb his abrasive approach at Old Trafford.
“He was a hard man and ultra-competitive. He always ended up taking Quinton Fortune, the South African midfielder, out with ferocious tackles. The gaffer saw one on a pre-season training camp and came over, telling Roy to calm down. Roy told him to keep his oar out. The manager abandoned training. The lads couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“Of course he was doing it because he was brilliant; that is why he was captain of Manchester United. Winning was everything.”
Despite the reservations about his hard-line approach, Cole is confident Keane will eventually succeed.
“Roy got Sunderland promoted to the Premier League. That made him a good manager and he showed an excellent knowledge of football, plus good coaching skills.
“I think Roy will get another job in football. It’s his life. People are slating him and writing him off, but if he makes a few tweaks to his style, I think he could make it to the top.”
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