Why Keane needs help, the Gerrard-knockers are wrong and England's striking options are awful

3. Sunderland's official website lists 49 members in the first-team squad. Throw in Anton Ferdinand, whose move from West Ham is all but sealed, and you've got 50 players. OK, so some of those are youngsters. Take out the 19 players aged 21 or less (even though that includes the likes of Anthony Stokes, who cost around £2 million) and you've stil got a whopping 31 senior professionals on Sunderland's books. Let me say that again: THIRTY ONE. Manchester United, a club who - I think we can all agree - probably needs a somewhat larger squad given their European commitments and their tendency to go far in domestic cup competitions, by contrast has just 21 players who are 22 or older (and that includes the likes of Dong Fangzhuo and Manucho, both of whom probably have to buy a ticket if they want to get into Old Trafford on matchdays).

Now, I'm a huge fan of Roy Keane. I loved him as a player and I think that, when it comes to teaching a team how to play football and actually coaching, he is doing things the right way. But the fact is that part of a manager's job in England is managing a payroll and a squad. And the fact of the matter is that, when it comes to identifying talent, buying players at the right price and handing out contracts, Keane evidently still has a lot to learn. The club's wealthy backers may not care (heck, they're rich), Niall Quinn, the chief executive may not care (heck, it ain't his money) but simply buying oodles of players and then deciding you don't like them but finding yourself nonetheless stuck with them because, at those wages, they don't want to leave, is not the way to build a side which can perform consistently in the top flight. Until Keane acquires that skill, he might want to consider hiring somebody to do that part of the job on his behalf.

2. I was a bit nonplussed last week. After the friendly against the Czech Republic, I found out that Fabio Capello was apparently "killing" Steven Gerrard's career by playing him "on the left wing". The next morning, I open up The Times and check out the nifty computerized graphic which shows you where players spend most of the game. There was Gerrard, lined up alongside Wayne Rooney, behind the lone striker Jermain Defoe. Which is where Capello said he played in his 4-3-2-1 system. Then I read Tom Dart's player ratings for the game. Tom gave Gerrard a "7", which placed the Liverpool skipper joint-top among England players. Which was rather weird for a guy who had supposedly been "killed' by being relegated to the left wing. Computer tracking programs don't lie, do they? And, for that matter, Tom Dart doesn't lie either, does he?

1. Michael Owen has scored 19 goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances (no, it's not an arbitrary number, it's the number of Premiership games Owen has played since returning to England). Emile Heskey has scored 16 goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Gabriel Agbnolahor has scored 15 goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Dean Ashton has scored 15 goals in his last 44 Premier League  appearances.  Jermain Defoe has scored 15 goals in his last  44 Premier League appearances. Darren Bent has scored 13 goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Peter Crouch has scored 12 goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Dave Kitson has scored 11 goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Andy Johnson has scored ten goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Kevin Davies has scored eight goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Bobby Zamora has scored eight goals in his last 44 Premier League appearances. Michael Chopra has scored seven goals in his last 44 appearances. Maybe Owen deserves to start for England (heck, in his last 44
Premier League appearances, he has more goals than Wayne Rooney!). Maybe those of us who have doubted his powers are wrong. Whatever the case may be, I think it's pretty clear that the state of English goalscoring strikers is, frankly, atrocious.

Comments

[Paul Newby]

Disappointing to hear criticism of Roy Keane for his transfer policy. Most Sunderland fans around me looked at the squad we now have available and are impressed with the strength. We were woefully understaffed last year, and without an impressive home record would have been relegated. Roy has addressed that by buying players that have improved the squad.

He was recently critical of a number of players who have been told they have no future with the club for not taking up offers from other clubs to ply their trade, instead prefering to collect their wages for nothing. RK cannot be blamed for their unprofessional attitude.

[Brendan]

Spot on as usual, Mr M. Is Michael Owen the new David Beckham (i.e. spurned for poitical rather than footballing reasons)? I feel that if he is fit, he should play. His goals to games ratio, club and country, over a number of years is better than pretty much anyone else available. Why not, at least he might win us a penalty.....

[Mike]

I've gotta agree with some of the previous posters.

This summer Keane has been able to bring genuine quality players to Sunderland for the first time in I'm not sure how long. If that has resulted in a bloated squad list, it has also pretty much ended any discussion of Sunderland being relegated this season and has optimistic fans hoping for a top 10 finish or even reaching to believe a UEFA cup spot might be possible (if not this year then at least in the coming years). Many of these players seem to be coming based in part on their respect for Keane as a player and as an extremely promising young manager.

He (along with superb support from the board) has take an infamously poor premiership side and turned them into a respected side. It's hard to find much fault with that.

[Stephen McGurk]

Interesting comments about Keane, 2 points; first although Keane was ruthless on the pitch i believe he struggles when its time to tell a player he is no longer wanted, hence the massive squad, after the Bolton game at the Reebok, he said many would be asked to leave, little did, i was looking for a retained list at the end of the season but none appeared.
How many Managers have any sort of transfer plan? apart from a few; Ferguson, Arsene, Hughes, they are simply alerted to whats available and buy, with little idea of how they will fit in to the team, they just throw them into the melting pot and see what happens!

[Steven]

Keane has barely been in the job two years and has both brought up and kept up a team that was going nowhere fast. If he is not quite the finished article yet, does anyone doubt that he will drive himself to learn from any mistakes he makes faster than almost all his peers ?

[Gabriele Marcotti]

1. Yep, the Heskey stats are wrong. The total is actually eight goals. Which rather reinforces my point. Rooney has eighteen goals in his last forty-four, which is one less than Owen. The issue here is who should partner Rooney who hasn't been playing as a genuine striker anyway, not whether Rooney is any good or not. Obviously Rooney is special, the issue is why they others are so poor.
2. Mike - Please don't misread what I said. I think Keane is a very good manager except for that one area, transfer policy. And I think he's getting some bad advice in that department.

[chris brandon]

hi agree gab about your keano comments i think he is a fantastic man manager but someone as strong minded as keano would have to go solo he couldnt live with a dennis wise type telling him who to buy. Sunderland are so scared of a repeat of their last visit to the big league the happy go lucky irish are overspending big time

[Peter Schofield]

I disagree with the comments about Keane's management style.
With Sunderland's yo-yo club track record, I don't think many players would have signed for them last season - this season, the standard of player he has selected is consistently better than the existing ones and it is all part of a programme.
I doubt if there will be any problem over ego with this guy too - he seems to be managing ok. A number of the squad members seem less overweight than this time last year!
I think his squad compares favourably with that of under-achievers such as Spurs, Man City, Portsmouth etc who all seem to be awash with expensive strikers and living on unsustainable business models.
Leave him alone and let him get on with the job - you lot would have had Ferguson sacked in his second year at Man U based on these criteria

[Ian]

Does Defoe's goals total include those he scored in the warm-up ?

Those stats posted are wrong. Heskey has scored 11 goals in 58 games for Wigan, so he does not have 16 in his last 44 premier league games. Also Rooney is missing from that list and since he scored 12 in 27 games last season i am sure he is close to Owen if not above him. Do your research before you write an article.

[Mike]

Criticism of Roy Keane is unfounded.I saw Sunderland beat a Spurs side that cost a fortune.Despite all the millions spent by Spurs, Sunderland outplayed and outfought them for 90 mins.Keane knows what he's doing and if only he were Spurs manager,we'd have a tough midfield for starters, instead of the lightweight quartet that can't tackle.

[David]

Keep it going Gab, keep exposing the media myths and half truths. I have had enough of the medias constant talk about Keane being a great manager when the evidence points to the contrary. Any fool with a half reasonable knowledge of football could have done the same transfer dealings as Keane. He has shown no adventure in the transfer market whats so ever and seems to only sign players that he has played or managed against. The amount of money that he has spent he should have got Sunderland in to the top half of table with ease. If Mark Hughes who I rate as one of the best managers in the transfer market, had spent that amount of money at any club in the league I reckon he would get them in to contention for a eufa cup spot.

[collinspeter]

Couldn't agree more with the comments regarding Keane's transfer policy. Strikers alone must be costing a fortune in wages. How on earth is he going to keep so many ego's happy?

[Frederick Mathews]

England Managers are to blame for the state of the game nowadayz.Soaring wages for football players has engraved a danger to the beautiful game.Wayne rooney?? surely, am an arsenal fan but a bitter one when rooney is mentioned because his talent is not being natured properly by both england and Manchester united coach.Given too much money to him and enhanced his inability to want more..he has no quench for success anymore, bloody hell he earns as much as the top football professionals.Pass him to wenger to resurrect his career am sure he'll do rooney proud and the country.