Heads Up Or Go To Conference

Roy Keane has warned his under-performing ‘stars’ that they must fight for promotion or join the non-league.

Sunderland sit 3 points above the relegation places in the Coca-Cola Championship but Roy Keane still believes his squad are very much in the running for promotion. However he has told his players that they must rise to the challenge of playing under him, or play in the non-league.

Keane: ‘You can’t sway too much because of what supporters or the media think of the squad, but I think we need to be higher up the table with the players we have

‘I hope the players believe that. We are the big scalp in the division and because I’m the manager here, people perhaps want to beat us more than they want to beat other teams in the division. The players have to be up for that challenge because I am. The disappointment of last year can run through the team because of a losing mentality or fear, but we need to stick our chests out and enjoy the challenge of being at a top club. Top players keep asking for the ball in tough situations and that is what I want to see from my players against Barnsley.’