Two wins on the trot has Keane set for lift-off

"I'm not one for stats," he said. "But that is amazing. Unbelievable."

After going on to deliver his withering verdict on his fellow managers' attitude to officials — Sir Alex Ferguson's in particular — Keane disappeared for his usual windswept Friday morning training session. But a large seed had been planted in his mind.

Fast forward a day, half-time on Saturday to be precise, and the Sunderland manager, furious at his side's early ineptitude which had gifted West Ham's Freddie Ljungberg a soft opening goal, unleashed his anger and frustration.

"Shocking and appalling" were the printable descriptions used by Keane, who said Sunderland were so bad that he could have played against them, dodgy hip and all.

Although Kenwyne Jones's 29th-minute tap-in from Kieran Richardson's cross levelled matters, the manager was still furious and Richardson in particular could have no complaints if he was singled out for criticism during the break.

Richardson said: "I wasn't pleased with myself, I was giving the ball away far too much and he told me about that in no uncertain terms. He told me to get to grips with it and I felt much better after the break.

"He stressed Sunderland have always been an up-and-down team, he just wants consistency. He doesn't want the club to be known as one going up and down every season. He's trying to build a solid unit here. He wants us to be an established Premier League club and then build on that."

If further inspiration was required by Keane's players, it was the prospect of heading to a Spanish training camp immediately after the game. Not surprisingly, the thought of their grumpy manager leading his team on to the tarmac at Newcastle Airport resulted in a dominant second-half performance and a deserved win to follow up their success at Aston Villa. Match-winner Andy Reid was at the centre of most that Sunderland created as they overpowered a West Ham side, who failed to produce anything after Craig Gordon's best save since joining the North-East club denied Carlton Cole.

Reid, a £4million signing from Charlton, has become an instant hit with Sunderland fans. He certainly has an eye for a pass and a goal, as his winner six minutes into added time demonstrated.

Keane said: "I played with Andy for Ireland and I knew he was a good player, although I did have to carry him in a few games. He's different to the others, always trying stuff. He's a laid-back type of lad, enjoys a few drinks and a singsong, and I thought, mentally, he'd be fine in front of our crowd."

While defeat was cruel on West Ham, it was not unexpected as they retreated after the break and struggled to cope with yet more injuries. George McCartney and his replacement John Pantsil failed to finish the game, as did Cole. Ljungberg then departed with a hamstring injury with three minutes remaining, leaving West Ham with 10 men .