He's Not Just Trinidad and Tobago's Playboy Prince

By Luke Edwards on Feb 5, 07 11:02 AM

Go on, admit it, when Dwight Yorke signed for Sunderland you thought heâ€™d spend all his time in the clubs and bars of Newcastle Quayside, pick up a few groin strains while he saw out his playing days in the North-East with the minimum amount of effort and fuss.

After all, this was the playboy prince of the Premiership who hadnâ€™t managed a decent run of form in English football for three years and who had spent the previous season playing glorified beach football in Australia while â€œgetting to knowâ€? some of his female fans Down Under.

If Roy Keane was interested in signing him it was because he mistakenly thought he was still the same player who helped inspire Manchester United to that unique League, European and FA Cup treble in 1999. Not an ageing player living off former glories whose legs and motivation had gone!

Wrong - Keane doesnâ€™t make mistakes. Well, he probably does, what I mean is, signing Yorke doesnâ€™t look like a mistake when you consider the gradually increasing influence he has had on things at the Stadium of Light this season.

The fact Keane and Yorke were - look I know he says he doesnâ€™t have them, but he did, once upon time - friends at Old Trafford may seem like an odd couple but opposites - so they say in dating literature at least - attract.

If Keane is the moody, brooding, sometimes unfathomable presence on the touchline, Yorke is the smiling, chirping bouncing ray of sunshine which makes him look even more like the moody, broody..... you get the picture.

Not only did Keane persuade Yorke to give up the good life in Oz, he also persuaded him that he can be a motivational figure for those around him, even if he doesnâ€™t have a menacing glare and prominent veins on the side of his forehead like Keane does.

Alright, there have been times when Yorke has not played well, his passing has been poor, the pace of the game has been too quick and he has struggled to make an impact. There have been times when he has annoyed supporters as a result, but Iâ€™d argue that, when Yorke plays well, Sunderland play well.

Fortunately for the Black Cats, recent evidence suggests the Trinidad and Tobago star has rediscovered his form and fitness. He looks sharp and focused in a new midfield position, he is scoring goals and, as he did against Coventry City, linking and dictating the pace of the teamâ€™s displays with guile and intelligence.

So much for the playboy prince who only wanted to be the disco king...