Roy O'Donovan has revealed how his old boss Roy Keane shed his Grinch-style persona one Christmas Day and allowed his Sunderland players a pint - the night before a St Stephen’s Day clash with his old club Manchester United.
Irish striker O’Donovan had just signed for the Black Cats that year and was about to make his fifth Premier League appearance for the side.
Keane allowed his players to spend Christmas morning at home with their families, before gathering his squad in a local hotel that night.
READ MORE: Roy Keane left with egg on face after Angel Di Maria comments come back to haunt him
O’Donovan expected it to be all business and early to bed, but Keane joined his players in the hotel bar that evening.
“It might have been December 25th,” former Cork City striker O’Donovan wrote in his column for Australian publication keepup.org.au.
“But it was only in the evening when Roy Keane lent over the bar and offered me a pint of Guinness that I began to feel even a little bit Christmassy.
He continued: “My first year in England, having signed for Sunderland in 2007, Roy Keane called us to stay in a hotel on Christmas night, even though we were at home the next day, taking on Manchester United in the sort of Boxing Day fixture the fans love.
“I think Roy was trying to strike a balance between giving us Christmas morning and afternoon at home with family – especially important for team-mates with kids – and making sure we still stayed focused, despite all the festivities around us.
“This might surprise you given Roy’s reputation for straight talking and demanding standards but he got a couple of rounds in at the hotel bar that night; Guinness, naturally enough, for Irishmen like him and me.
“Throughout my career I found that coaches who treated us as adults were rare, but usually were rewarded with grown-up behaviour.”
That game was the fifth of O’Donovan’s 17 Premier League appearances for Sunderland. He came off the bench late in a 4-0 defeat, with Louis Saha scoring twice, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo also hitting the net.
The result might have changed Keane’s view on Christmas day pints.
As for O’Donovan, during his time at the Stadium of Light he went on loan to Dundee United, Blackpool, Southend and Hartlepool.
He also played for Coventry, Hibernian and Northampton, before jetting across the globe to Brunei side DPMM and Indonesian outfit Mitra Kukar.
He settled in Australia in 2015 and became an A-League star with Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar.
O’Donovan, who secured his Australian citizenship in 2020, still plays at the age of 37 with Sydney Olympic in the National Premier League in New South Wales.
He admitted that he loved the hectic nature of the festive period.
“From the Premier League to the A-Leagues, the Christmas and New Year period turns into a blizzard of football for the vast majority of players – basically your heaviest workload just at the point most people are kicking back and enjoying a holiday with seasonal celebrations,” he wrote.
“Ever since I was an apprentice back in Ireland, the Christmas period has been a bit special but not because of the mince pies and presents under the tree.
“In many leagues it’s the time that sorts the challengers from the rest, thanks to the intensity of games; Sir Alex Ferguson used to say that if you came through the end of December and start of January in the title race, then you knew you were serious.
“I know there is often a debate about the wisdom of the workload for players over this period, and how much of a role it has played in England’s struggles at major tournaments with players who are often exhausted.
“In Germany, Spain and Italy, by contrast, they have a winter break.
“But speaking personally, I loved it – if I was actually playing.
“Just before Christmas, your coach would inevitably give a speech about the role the whole squad had to play as the games came thick and fast – yet invariably the team would be left unchanged if it was winning.
“In those periods you’re hardly training, just playing, recovering and repeating the cycle.”
READ NEXT:
George Cohen dead: Legendary England 1966 World Cup winner dies aged 83
Meet the Irishman who designed Argentina's World Cup-winning jersey in role with Adidas
Matt Doherty backs Harry Kane to bounce back from World Cup penalty miss
Johnny Giles praises Angel Di Maria after Argentina star's role in World Cup win
FIFA investigating Salt Bae's 'undue access' to pitch after World Cup final
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
