After a decent debate this turns up so make of it what you will, if we survive should be an interesting summer.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/news/display.var.2173965.0.keanes_eyes_focused_on_european_talent.php
Keane's eyes focused on European Talent
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HIS side might be 14th in the Premier League table, but Sunderland boss Roy Keane last night claimed he would be targeting Europe in the final five weeks of the season.
If that sounds like an incongruous remark, the club's supporters will be pleased to know the Irishman has not lost his head.
A UEFA Cup campaign might not be in the offing, but after two years of exploiting the domestic transfer market, Keane is hoping to attract some of Europe's leading lights when he splashes the cash in the summer.
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Earlier this week, the Black Cats boss claimed he would need "£40m or £50m" to take Sunderland to the "next level" provided they secure their Premier League status in the final six matches of the current campaign.
In the past, the majority of that money would have been invested in British-based players, but having created a new scouting network under the control of former Manchester United scout Mick Brown last March, Keane is hoping to look further afield this summer.
His two previous forays into the foreign market brought Rade Prica and Jean-Yves M'Voto to the Stadium of Light, and with Brown having already recommended a number of potential new recruits, the Sunderland manager is ready to add to his club's overseas ranks once the Black Cats' top-flight future is secured.
"Our scouting network is a lot better than it was last summer, particularly in Europe, and hopefully we'll be able to take advantage of that," said Keane, who will take his side to Fulham this afternoon looking to increase the seven-point gap that currently separates them from the bottom three. "There have been a lot of quotes about money this week, but we need to get over the finishing line and then I'll sit down with Niall (Quinn) and the board to see where we can go. I've had great support in the past and I wouldn't expect that to change.
"It's got to be all or nothing, and provided we stay in the Premier League, I think we'll be in a good position to kick on. Our scouting network has improved massively and I can't over-emphasise how important that is. It will put us in a stronger position to attract a certain type of player.
"Mick's getting people around him and he's out there in Europe watching a number of different players. I might only speak to him a couple of times a week, but I get the feedback I need and we're already identifying potential targets."
Keane identified Sunderland's limited scouting network as a major weakness during his early months at the club, and Brown's appointment was the catalyst in a radical overhaul that has seen more than half-a-dozen full-time and part-time representatives stationed throughout Europe and Ireland. A tie-up with John Barnes' Digicel Kick-Start Clinics has also guaranteed the Black Cats a useful foothold in the Caribbean.
Brown, a former scout at both Blackburn and Manchester United, was integral in Keane's move to Old Trafford and Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to England, and is likely to have a major say in Sunderland's dealings this summer.
Keane insists he will personally watch any European players the Black Cats attempt to purchase, but the composition of his initial shortlist will be heavily influenced by Brown's instruction.
"Mick's role is vital," said the Irishman. "We've appointed a few people under him and we're making progress, but trust me, some of the big clubs have 50 or 60 scouting staff all over the world.
"I don't want to be critical of the people here before me because the scouting network is down to finances and the money probably wasn't in place before the new owners came in. But you're not going to get experienced men travelling around Europe for peanuts. You have to look after your scouts and then they'll look after you.
"Mick's got great experience in all of that. He's working with one or two other people now, and I spoke to him last week and he's already done the homework on some of our possible targets. He's got vast knowledge and that's important to us."
Brown is booked in to watch a European fixture this weekend, but Keane's attention will be exclusively focused on Sunderland's fixture at Craven Cottage.
Last weekend's last-gasp win over West Ham provided some valuable breathing space at the foot of the table, but with Newcastle and Arsenal still to play this season, the Black Cats can ill afford to slip up against one of their leading relegation rivals on the banks of the Thames.
"There's a hell of a long way to go yet," said Keane, who took his squad on a warm-weather training trip to Spain at the start of the week.
"At four o'clock last weekend, with the way things were going, it was starting to look a bit bleak for us.
"The fact that it altered so quickly just proves how things can change in football.
"There'll be plenty more twists and turns before the end of the season. Ups and downs are all part of the game and it would be stupid to think they're finished yet."
Keane experienced the fickle hand of fate on Thursday, when Dwight Yorke joined Dickson Etuhu and Darren Ward on the injury list.
The Trinidad & Tobago international twisted his knee in training and has been ruled out of today's game.
"He was trying a flick and that doesn't suit him," said Keane.
Ross Wallace will also play no part at Fulham, but after missing more than three months with a serious knee problem, the transfer-listed midfielder is close to a return.
"I'm training, feeling good and looking forward to playing a game," said Wallace. "We don't have a reserve (league) game until the week after next and I hope to play in that one, if not before."
2:03am today
