Yet Keane, who fell out with Quinn for siding with Mick McCarthy amid the recriminations of Saipan in the leadup to Ireland's 2002 World Cup campaign, now can't say enough good things about his former teammate.

Sunderland manager Keane has admitted that he is "lucky'' to have a chairman like Quinn.

When John Hall was slow to back Kevin Keegan with funds at Newcastle United back in 1992, the phrase "it's not like the brochure'' entered soccer's lexicon.

But Keane said: "That's not been the case here. I was lucky I had the support of Niall and the board to bring in the people I wanted because I speak to other managers and I hear horror stories about interference.

"I wouldn't tolerate that for one minute. I think we have the balance right. The board let me get on with it, so I'm very lucky in that sense.

"He probably doesn't know me, but he knows my form. I said I wanted to be left alone to get on with the job and under no circumstances would there be any interference.

"Fortunately, it's panned out that way because I know before you take a job you can get your promises and people don't follow through with them. But I've had support and I've been given a few bob to spend.'' Keane even says he won't blame Quinn if Sunderland miss out on promotion because of their disastrous start to the season. Before Keane's arrival late last August, Quinn lost four out of five League games as acting manager.

But Keane said: "What has helped me is that, if I lose four or five games, Niall can say, 'I struggled at the start of the season.' He'll realise, so I might get a bit of breathing space and I won't be sacked straight away!

"Seriously, though, people shouldn't underestimate the difficulty at the start of the season. It was on the back of a disappointing season, there was the uncertainty of the takeover at the club and Niall came in as manager at the last minute.

"It would have been difficult for anybody. You could have been the best manager in the world and you would have found it difficult in the first few games.'' Keane has revealed that Birmingham's Steve Bruce, his former Manchester United teammate, is the one manager he is close to, even though they are promotion rivals.

Alex Ferguson may have been a mentor at United, but Keane said: "I have a bit of banter with Brucie, but I don't really talk to Sir Alex that much. You have to be your own man and make your own decisions.

"It's all right speaking to some managers like the manager at United and other top managers, the likes of Arsene Wenger and Martin O'Neill, and you hope you learn from them.

"But you can't keep picking the phone up to them, you have to make your own decisions. You look at them and, ultimately, they are all winners and that's what I want to be as a manager. I want to be the best I can.

"Picking up the phone to one of them is not necessarily going to help you. You have to make your own mistakes and learn from them quickly.'' Meanwhile, Keane has lined up more daring pursuits for his players. They have already been on an army assault course and gone paint-balling, white-water rafting and go-karting.

Keane said: "I think we've just about organised something for a few weeks' time. I can't really say what it is. It might be sprung on the players.

"I don't think this will be too dangerous . . . that would be too risky at this stage of the season.

"We could lose one or two in pre-season but I don't think we can do that with just a few games to go.'' The players might say there's little as strenuous as being berated by Keane but rewards are clearly being reaped.