Happiness key to Black Cats' success: Keane

Roy Keane is convinced happiness is behind Sunderland's promotion push.

The former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United midfielder heads into the last two games of the season knowing victory in both will see the Black Cats return to the Barclays Premiership at the first attempt.

That would be a remarkable achievement, both for a rookie manager and a club which plummeted from the top flight 12 months ago with a record low points total and little hope for the future.

However, the takeover launched by Niall Quinn and his Drumaville consortium has sparked an unlikely fightback which has left Sunderland in second place in the Coca-Cola Championship table and tantalisingly close to the Premiership.

Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Colchester ended a 17-game unbeaten run, but there is no sense of panic on Wearside ahead of Burnley’s visit to the Stadium of Light on Friday night.

Keane may be in the early days of his management career, but he knew instinctively that keeping his players happy would give him a better chance of succeeding, and he has been proved correct.

He said: “The players are well-disciplined, they are focussed on the job at hand, and my job is to make sure the players are happy, and I think all of our players are happy.

“If the players are not happy with anything we do our best to make sure they are happy. If they are not happy with the pillows at the hotel, we make sure they are soft enough for them.

“We are doing everything we can to make it a happy dressing room and I have to say, we have got a very good dressing room. And when you have that, you have a good chance.

“There has only been one example this season when I have been disappointed when we played as individuals and not a team and we were nearly caught out, but we reminded the players we need to be a team and since that performance they have been different class.”

Keane has been fortunate in that he has been allowed to recruit heavily, bringing in six new signings on the final day of the summer transfer window and adding another half-dozen in January.

However, once again, his philosophy was straightforward.

He said: “The priority for me when I took the job was to get a good team spirit, a good togetherness amongst the players, good characters in the dressing room – that is why I brought in the players I did, players I had played with.

“I knew a few lads who were here anyway, so I just felt if we got good characters and a good spirit amongst the players, we could go anywhere. Fortunately for us, the players have all settled in really well. The new signings have all done well, as have the lads who were here.

“It was important the likes of Dean Whitehead and Grant Leadbitter, Darren Ward and Danny Collins, players like that, played their part, and they certainly have. I think I have been very lucky.”