Roy Keane isn't exactly short of a few bob, but Sunderland's manager still turned into debt collector at the team's hotel in Portugal today after hustling some of his players out of their hard earned wedge.
Having sat on the sidelines as his players sweated in the sunshine during their morning training session on Tuesday, Keane challenged his players to a little bet.
Score past him with a shot from the edge of the area and he would pay them, miss the target, or he saved, they lose and cough up to him over lunch.
Perhaps the brave and ambitious among them should have taken note of Dwight Yorke's reluctance to take part in the game. The striker has spent more time with Keane than anyone else in the Black Cats squad and he quickly walked away from his manager's challenge to tuck into some fruit on the sidelines, where he was joined by other sensible lads like Michael Chopra and Nyron Nosworthy.
The rest, though, couldn't wait to take some of Keane's cash and boldly stepped up to the plate. Sadly for them, while Keane may have been a rampaging midfielder at Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, it seems he is also pretty handy between the sticks.
Despite his size, Keane made one magnificent save to keep out Anthony Stokes' top-corner bound drive, while he also made a decent low stop to deny Dean Whitehead, much to his delight.
However, Keane's biggest - and perhaps only cheer of this pre-season tour - was saved for the hapless Phil Bardsley, whose fizzing shot hit the inside the of post, rolled across the line, hit the outside of the opposite post and bounced out. Keane celebrated with a leap and a whoop of the kind I've not seen from him before, even when Sunderland score in the Premier League.
"They were full of talk, but they'll all be silent over lunch," said Keane, after chastising his crestfallen troops on his way over to talk to the press. "They will go on about hitting the post, but hitting the post doesn't count does it. Don't you worry I'll be collecting the money of them, everyone will pay."
I can't imagine anyone will attempt to escape their debt either, not with the transfer window still open!
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