Magilton v. Keane

Having finally been rewarded with the new manager many craved, Town fans will be watching expectantly to see if Roy Keane can deliver the required improvement in the side. But in what areas is Roy Keane better equipped than Jim Magilton?

A young, inexperienced manager, highly respected as a player and with enormous desire to be a winner.

A sentence that befits Roy Keane entirely. But it is also a sentence that befitted Jim Magilton when he became Ipswich manager.

Whilst Keane has been welcomed as a potential saviour of the club, the bold facts suggest that there is not so much to choose between either manager.

Although Keane boasts an enormously succesful career at the top level, commanding the respect which his achievements deserved, it cannot be argued that Jim Magilton did not equally earn the respect of many in the game after a long and distinguished career for both club and country. As an enormously succesful former Ipswich player, and captain, he was able to draw upon a particularly high level of support from those in and around the football club.

Both players have had relatively short managerial careers. In Keanes case, he is several months behind Magilton in terms of managerial experience, despite having managed in the Premiership. Keane has clearly achieved more in his brief reign at Sunderland, having steered the club to promotion, but significant investment helped in this process. This is particularly relative when you consider the extent of improvement Jim Magilton brought about in his first 18 months in charge on a significantly reduced budget.

Both players are clearly winners. Keanes press interview when being announced as manager was laden with statements of intent, of expectations of desire and commitment from the playing squad, of the need to achieve. It bore strikingly resemblances to the statements made by Jim Magilton when appointed manager and reiterated on almost a weekly basis. Both managers have historically demonstrated a short fuse which can be exposed when those standards are not being met, both on and off the pitch.

So what is likely to stand them apart?

Keanes aura. He has built such a fearsome reputation as a leader, that the respect and attention he requires is felt by all. It was evident in the huge press reaction to his appointment. It was evident in the reaction of the fans to his presence on the touchline at Cardiff.

And it will be evident to every one of the players. There is very little chance that any of Keanes squad will not feel that desire to achieve. Early player interviews have already demonstrated an understanding and respect for the new leadership they find themselves under.

Whatever Jim Magilton has to offer as a player, a manager, or an individual, that is something which he, and many others in the game, are unlikely to be able to match. It could provide the vital confidence that all succesful sides need. Heres hoping.