ROY KEANE insisted it was a Â’disgraceÂ’ his Sunderland kings were not handed the Championship trophy at Kenilworth Road yesterday.
The Irishman celebrated his first title as a manager in style as the Black Cats clinched top spot after BirminghamÂ’s defeat at Preston.
Sunderland will receive the trophy today but Keane blasted: “For us not to receive it today is a PR disaster. For the Football League and Coca-Cola.
“It is a disgrace, even if Birmingham had won it. The supporters have travelled down and paid a lot of money so should have seen the trophy.
“They mentioned the word safety. That would not have been a problem.
“I have been lucky enough to receive trophies at a lot of grounds. I cannot get my head around this.”
Blues boss Steve Bruce had already slammed the League’s decision not to hand over the trophy, saying it would be “delivered by Parcelforce”.
But Keane paid tribute to his side as a double from Daryl Murphy and strikes from Anthony Stokes, Ross Wallace and David Connolly buried the Hatters.
He said: “It is nice to have something to show for our efforts. The players were fantastic.
“I was aware of what was happening at Preston towards the end. But if I was a betting man, I’d have had Preston to beat Birmingham.
“We scored five cracking goals and played with great freedom. We would have beaten a lot of teams today.
“It is nice to go up as champions but there is a massive challenge ahead. I will talk to Niall Quinn next week and see what amount of money is made ready.
“I think if your mind-set is survival, that is a problem. You have to set your standards and raise the bar. It will be very hard. I am sure we will add something to the Premiership.”
Hatters chief Kevin Blackwell said: “Everyone is rightly giving Roy Keane a lot of praise but you must not forget the chairman.
“They’re a dynamic, young and bright pair. It looks like a perfect marriage. Roy has made some phenomenal signings and they deserve the title.”
His hair still not white yet