So Roy Keane has taken Sunderland's player's mountain biking as part of a team building exercise. Team building? Sounds more like team injuring to me!
I wonder what's next for the Black Cats' apparently fearless squad? How about base jumping off the tallest buildings - and there aren't many - in the North-East? Home-made bungee jumping? Or how about boring old shark diving?
Keane, of course, is not the first manager to adopt such techniques. Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock once dumped his entire first team squad in the middle of the Peak District with a map and a compass and went back to Bramall Lane to wait for them with a cup of tea. He thought it was great, unlike his players, who got lost and and had to be rescued!
Mick McCarthy was partial to a bit of paint-balling during his time at the Stadium of Light but then again, he was a bit of an Army sergeant type wasn't he? I bet if he wasn't in football he'd have a moustache, be in the Territorial Army and have a collection of replica fire arms in his garage.
But surely the most ridiculous idea to create team spirit must go to former Sunderland manager Howard Wilkinso who reportedly encouraged his players to read old copies of Roy of the Rovers comics to inspire them to "schoolboy fantasy" achievements. Perhaps the Beano would have served him better!
Rocky used to chase chickens and chop wood in the middle of Siberia before his world title fights, although, as far as I know, none of the world's leading boxers have ever followed his training regime and I'm not entirely sure what use it would have for a professional football team either. Movies eh!?
As for Keane, the guy hasn't done anything wrong since he arrived at the Stadium of Light, but I'd still be a little concerned about sending my players down a rocky mountain in the name of team building. I'm sure it's great fun and helps the players bond, but just imagine what Sir Alex Ferguson would have said if Jonny Evans had gone over the handlebars as he raced Anthony Stokes!
This is a good time to be a Sunderland supporter and it will be even better if the Black Cats can beat Colchester on Saturday and Derby lose at home to Luton Town, which would secure promotion back to the Premiership. Unlikely given the fact Luton are awful and already relegated, but you never know.
Then again, while everyone would love to see the club promoted, I'm sure there is also a feeling that it would be better if it came in front of a packed Stadium of Light against Burnley next Friday night.
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