‘I will say it again’ – Ex-Sunderland player sends Roy Keane message after latest disappointment

Former Sunderland defender Micky Gray has called for Roy Keane to “help” the North East club after they were beaten 2-1 by Cheltenham Town last night. 

The Black Cats have now lost back-to-back games against teams in the bottom half of League One since Lee Johnson’s sacking, having thrown away a one-goal lead at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium yesterday.

Johnson was relieved of his duties last Sunday and Keane quickly emerged as a frontrunner but a permanent appointment is yet to be made.

On the back of last night’s defeat, Gray – who started his career at Sunderland and made more than 300 appearances for the club – took to Twitter to call for the Irishman to step in.

I will say it again… Roy Keane… HELP #safc

— michael gray (@mickygray33) February 8, 2022

Football League World understands that Keane, who led the Black Cats to Premier League promotion during his first spell in charge more than a decade ago, and former Hull City boss Grant McCann are the two leading candidates.

An appointment is widely expected to be made ahead of Saturday’s game against Wimbledon but the decision could hinge on wage demands, with the former Manchester United captain’s said to be “pretty substantial”.

The Verdict

You can understand the desperation that led Gray to send this message and it’s likely echoed by the majority of Sunderland fans.

The way the club has dealt with this whole situation has been really poor and has put their promotion hopes in 2021/22 in jeopardy.

Sacking Johnson was a surprise but to do so without a proper plan in place is dreadful from the club chiefs and they’ve been the architects of the club’s downward spiral over the past 10 days or so.

Six points have been dropped since the 40-year-old’s departure and an appointment