Keane welcomes 'reality check'
Roy Keane admitted his Sunderland players had been given a reality check today after Leicester ended the perfect start to his management career.
The Black Cats had to come from behind in front of a bumper crowd of 35,104 to extend their unbeaten run to four games, and the 1-1 draw followed victories for the new manager at Derby and Leeds.
Keane said: “There were a lot of positives, but it is a good reality check for everybody at the football club, especially the players.
“Any football club or any team, you have got to work your socks off, tackle people and close them down.
“We did not do that in the first half, but credit to the players, after going a goal down, they responded well and again showed the character I have spoken about for the last week or two.
“Those are the positives we got out of today’s game.”
Keane admitted he blamed himself for not making changes to the side which won at Elland Road on Wednesday evening.
He said: “It was a tired performance and I take responsibility for that. I was tempted to freshen things up, and I should have done.
“Three games in a week is hard for any player, especially the position we were in for the first game.
“That is my job and I did not do that really well today. But give credit to the lads, they kept going and I felt if any team was going to win it, it was going to be us.”
Sunderland started brightly, but they faltered before the break and then fell behind when Matty Fryatt took full advantage of Liam Miller’s slip to fire the visitors into a 48th-minute lead.
However, Tobias Hysen came off the bench on 65 minutes to level within seconds and deny Leicester victory.
Keane said of the substitution: “It was a bit of luck, and you need a bit of luck along the way.
“When I came to the club, I left Tobias out after the West Brom game even though he played very well.
“But in that reaction, I am learning about players every single day. In the last couple of weeks, Tobias has been a true professional.
“He has not come knocking on my door like one or two others. He has been fantastic and I had a feeling he could play a part today, and I am delighted he came on and got a great goal.
“He staked a claim for his place.”
Leicester boss Rob Kelly believed his side should have left Wearside with all three points.
Kelly said: “I am pleased with the performance, but we are actually a bit disappointed that we are going back with just a point.
“We have got a very young team, an emerging team and for us to come and play in front of over 35,000 supporters in a high profile game, this is why you come into football, isn’t it?
“What do you want to do, play in half-empty stadiums in games that no-one is interested in?
“It was terrific for all our players, not just our young players.”
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