Ex-Sunderland & Celtic star Ross Wallace delivers Roy Keane management verdict amid bizarre 'highchair' story

Former Sunderland winger Ross Wallace has delivered his verdict on what it was like to play under ex-Black Cats boss Roy Keane, as well as sharing a bizarre anecdote in which the Irishman’s first team coach tried to put him in a highchair.

Wallace signed for Sunderland from Celtic in 2006, having previously played alongside Keane during a shared stint at Scottish giants Celtic. The wide man would help the Black Cats to promotion during his first season on Wearside, before spending an injury-hit year in the Premier League and leaving to link up with Preston North End, initially on loan, and then on a permanent basis.

But despite enjoying a decent amount of success during his relatively short stay in the North East, Wallace has admitted that he and his teammates sometimes found it difficult to meet the exacting standards that ex-Manchester United legend Keane set for them.

What did Ross Wallace say about Roy Keane’s time at Sunderland?

Speaking during an appearance on the Undr the Cosh podcast, the Scot said: “When he [Keane] was at Sunderland, I think because he came straight out of playing, you've still got that personality of a player, you know what I mean? I think he just never overcame that.

“All the lads would [say] just relax a little bit. The standards that he was expecting, we weren't in Man United, were we? We had good players for the Championship, and when we went to Premier League, we had decent players, but we weren't in Man United. I just think his expectation of the players, I just thought, just give the players just a little bit of leeway.”

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Reflecting on the process of signing for the Black Cats, Wallace then went on to tell a story about one of his first meetings with Keane, during which the Irishman’s first team coach, Tony Loughlan, jokingly tried to put him in a child’s highchair.

He continued: “I'd already signed, so it was me and Stan Varga, we went and met [him]. Roy was staying in the Ramside [Hotel in Durham], but I think he had, like, a farmhouse right at the back of it. We're up the country roads trying to find it, my friend finally found it, and obviously, this was like Roy's manor.

“So he's got me and my agent - and obviously Roy and Tony Loughlan - and Lougho, the first team coach, he's got three chairs. My agent sat down, there’s Roy, and Tony's like, ‘Sorry Ross, I'll get you a chair’. [He] goes through to the kitchen and brings through a highchair. Just pure straight face, carries it through, [and] he just lifts me in it. He picks me up and puts me in it! But just to break the ice, you know what I mean? That was quite funny. I was like, ‘You've done me there’.”

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