Signings have been hit-and-miss, says Sunderland boss Keane

Instead, the surprise signing from Southampton is proving the one convincing summer investment Roy Keane made in a £40m spree which netted 13 new players.

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Such extravagance is new to Sunderland, as previous managers Peter Reid and Mick McCarthy will painfully testify.

They, too, needed financial backing but instead were hastily relieved of their duties.

Both must be astonished at the cash splashed and squandered since Keane took over, particularly as the club are back in the all-too-familiar territory of the Premier League's bottom three in December.

Sunderland have a new board now and those Irish backers are prepared to secure extra funding for Keane to maintain their status — in the additional hope that it will persuade the man viewed as 'a Messiah' to sign a new five-year contract.

But for the first time there are testing questions in the boardroom about Keane's judgment and the aloof exterior which has players, directors, the media, kitmen and club staff running for cover every time he walks into a room.

Keane admits his dealings in the transfer market have been hit and miss.

The towering Jones is a success but the jury is out on Paul McShane, Greg Halford, Kieron Richardson and Michael Chopra.

His £9m spent on keeper Craig Gordon still seems a little excessive.

That Keane is even being questioned would have seemed inconceivable in the summer but such is the price of failure.

Indeed, January represents one of the most important months in the club's history and whether they emerge successfully rests firmly in Keane's iron hands.

For the streetwise Irishman it was ever thus.

The players are still adjusting to life with a man whose personality, menacing will to win and career-long success rate are all being tested.

"Some we have brought in have done well," said Keane. "Some have been adjusting to life here and in the Premiership."

On the outside, the new Keane appears to have mellowed.

His views are considered and delivered without a grimace or the cold stare that Patrick Vieira remembers so well.

In many people's eyes, he has lost the manic edge that helped make him the ultimate winner.

But behind Sunderland's four walls, the fear remains.

The players are afraid to seek confrontation in his office, they accede to his every demand on the training ground and worry about seeing interviews in print in case he disapproves, which he normally does.

"No one puts an arm round me," he joked, with menace, at the Academy of Light yesterday.

The humiliating 7-1 defeat at Everton last week was the strongest evidence for the doubters so far.

And, while Keane managed to keep calm in public and hide his temper for the cameras, inside he was hurting so much he could barely raise his head off the pillow on Sunday morning.

"I stayed in bed until 12 then dragged myself to the shower and went for a meal with the family," he said.

"I felt sorry for myself for 48 hours. That is something you never forget until the day you die.

"You get flashbacks. I have five or six major setbacks in my career and days that come into my head — sendings-off, injuries, club and international situations.

"You want to keep the list short but last weekend added another one."

The point is it still hurts, as will the players responsible.

His standards have not dropped but his determination has to be tempered with patience and humility, much as it must have pained him to admit his own failings.

It is a battle he may be wrestling with for some time.

"My inexperience is part of my learning process and it was shown up last weekend," he said.

"I am not shielding the players because I take full responsibility for the team selection and the subs. That is where I let them down.

"The most important man to learn is myself and I do believe we will have a good season.

"We are having a difficult season but with the learning curve, myself and the players will get stronger as the season goes on. I feel we are making progress, believe it or not.

"There was a beauty about last week because Everton smelled blood and there was no element of sympathy.

"I would have loved to be on the other side. Sometimes you need to be hammered to learn a lesson."

That bloodlust message will have been drilled home to his players this week as Keane makes plans to overhaul his squad in January.

Keane said: "I could have £100million to spend, it is all about attracting the right players and hoping they want to come to Sunderland.

"We are chatting and narrowing it down but it can make it tougher when you are at the bottom.

"We have our targets now and getting them is a new challenge. That is where our chief executive Peter Walker and chairman Niall Quinn come in.

"If it goes wrong I can blame them!"

Luring players to the north-east is a tricky business, especially when you are an exacting taskmaster, and it will be even harder with Sunderland in freefall.