Irish investors wanted their man to stay

DRUMAVILLE CONSORTIUM member Charlie Chawke insisted last night that Roy Keane's departure from Sunderland had not been prompted in any way by the club's Irish owners. The Dublin publican observed that the manager had retained their full support and expressed the hope the 37-year-old might some day take charge of the club again.

"We're absolutely gutted at the moment," he said on RTÉ radio. "We were delighted when he joined the club and it (his resignation) was absolutely his decision, one hundred per cent.

"None of our consortium members wanted him gone. We wanted him to stay and finish his three-year contract, which would have expired at the end of the year. We had no doubt that he would have kept us in the Premiership and in the top half."

There had been recent speculation that the dilution of the interest in the club held by the consortium's original members, almost all Irish businessmen, which followed the acquisition by Irish American investor Ellis Short of a substantial stake, had made Keane's position less secure.

The €36 million Short spent expanding his stake in the club during the summer made him Drumaville and Sunderland's biggest shareholder and provided what was hoped to be a critically important boost to Keane's transfer kitty prior to the start of this season.

A similar figure had already been spent by the mostly Irish owners since they assumed control of the club for around €12 million from Bob Murray two-and-a- half years ago. But with many of the businesses owned by the original Drumaville members - mainly pub chains and property development firms - hit by the economic downturn, Keane's attempt to add the quality he felt was required if real progress were to be made required fresh investment.

It had been suggested, however, that with Short came a more critical evaluation of Keane, his spending and, in particular, the soaring wage bill that came with paying players well to lure them to the English northeast and then being unable to off-load them because of those wages when, sometimes almost as soon as they arrived, they were deemed surplus to requirements.

And having agreed to underwrite the club's budget of nearly €75 million for the next two seasons as part of an agreement that is likely to put him in pretty much total control of the club, Short's influence looks set to grow substantially.

For the moment, though, the likes of Chawke, Pat Beirne and Paul Keogh (both involved in the property business) hold considerable influence both as shareholders and non-executive directors, while Niall Quinn, who is close to both parties, remains a pivotal figure at the club.

There was no obvious sign yesterday of any waning in his regard for the departing Corkman.

"There was no unease (on the part of Drumaville members) at all," insisted Chawke. "He was possibly a bit upset about the booing that himself and the team got after the game against Bolton and I'd say it was all too much for him to take. Roy isn't the kind of guy who likes that kind of treatment. I don't think he deserved it and I think he feels that himself as well.

"We would love to see him change his mind in the future," he continued, "and come back to us. He's loved by the people in Sunderland. Let's hope that this is just a little hitch in his career and that in the future he'll be back to lead us to the very top where I know that's what he wanted.

"He wanted the best for Sunderland and to go all the way to Europe and I know he believed he could do that."