"I can't get my head round why they give our awards during the season. The time to reflect on any season is at the end of it and if you feel a team deserves something you give the team that award, not individuals and certainly not the manager."

Keane's having a good season - his team are slowly but surely climbing the table. By discarding the award he's sending a strong message to the players - keep your heads down, it's too early to be patting ourselves on the back. Keane's eye is on a much bigger prize. That makes him a good manager.

But his words to his team show why Roy Keane is destined to be a great manger: "The players have made it easy for me, " he told the media. "They've been determined, they haven't got carried away and they've trained and prepared extremely well. Even after the disappointment of conceding a late goal in Birmingham I looked at their body language and thought, 'Come on, this is a nice challenge for you.'" These are the words of a man who inherently values and respects his players. He believes in them.

He is bringing out the best in them and they are responding. This is how magic happens. And if this is an indication of his potential, Keane could become a manager of such stature that he will put his own fantastic football exploits in the shade.