The Rules according to Roy.

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Speaks volumes.

PLAYERS LEARN TO LIVE SUNDER BOSS ROY'S NEW RULES (Garry Doyle)

Roy Keane has promised his Sunderland players he will pay for a team holiday out of his own pocket if they win promotion. Keane made the pledge last week just prior to the side's impressive 2-1 victory over West Brom. The tactic offers a rare glimpse into Keane's management style, which, by and large, has been remarkably straightforward but devastatingly effective in his six months in charge.The Corkman has guided the Wearsiders to fourth in the Championship, collecting 60 points from his 31 games in charge - suggesting that trip to the travel agents is inevitable.Yet few would have predicted this in August when Keane inherited a team whose only prospect of leaving the Championship was via the trapdoor and into League One.The reality is, though, that he has turned the club around.Here, Mirrorsport explains how he has done it, reporting from inside the Sunderland dressing room to give you a glimpse of Roy's golden rules.

RULE NUMBER ONE : No Liam excuses.
Liam Lawrence was a moaner. He was dropped after a home defeat against Cardiff and didn't get his place back for four weeks. In the meantime, he knocked on Keane's door, wanting to know why he wasn't in his side. To Keane, the answer was obvious : Lawrence wasn't doing the business. His complaints were unappreciated and within three months , Keane had sold him to Stoke. The lesson was clear: Keane prefers players to win back their places through actions rather than words.

RULE NUMBER TWO: Competition, is and always has been, against yourself (Ollie Cooperwood)
Keane went paintballing with his Sunderland players yesterday, and competed fiercely for the winning prize. And that's the secret of his philosophy. Every aspect of his regime is competition related. When the players do gym work or press ups, they are paired against one another and told they are in a contest. The idea, Keane has said, is to get a competitive element ingrained into their thinking. Similarly, in seven-a-side practise matches, the intensity is obvious, particularly when Keane joins in. Compared to his predecessor Mick McCarthy, Keane’s training sessions are longer and more intense - and after bringing in his own fitness trainer Neil Bailey, the fitness in the players is apparent.

RULE NUMBER THREE: Save the hairdryer for special occasions.
Unlike his mentor, Alex Ferguson, Keane does not resort to shouting to get his way and, believe it or not, has lost his cool at half time on only one occasion this season . The incident came at Ipswich in September, when Sunderland lost 3-1, Keane dubbed his players a “bunch of choirboys”, and ripped into their performance. Otherwise he has been the epitome of calm, preferring to get his point across using a patient, purposeful, method.

RULE NUMBER FOUR: Weather the storm.
In January, Sunderland were on a run of two wins in six, when Keane decided to speak to his players about his hatred of losing. For half an hour in pouring rain, he drilled into his players the importance of results, and how defeats affected his mood. Privately the players wanted to know why the lecture could not have taken place indoors. Yet only one person - Keane - spoke in those 30 minutes. Sunderland have not lost since.

RULE NUMBER FIVE: Minutes are worth more than money, spend them wisely.
Keane doesn’t fine players who are late for training, he drops them. Anthony Stokes discovered this two weeks ago when he was 10 minutes late for a training session. Two days later, against then league leaders, Derby County, Stokes watched from the stands. Keane’s attitude is that the players earn so much money that a fine is no deterrent.

RULE NUMBER SIX: Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
It was the stick he used to beat Mick McCarthy with in Saipan - unfairly, because McCarthy did his homework. Keane, probably, is more thorough, presenting his players with a tactical dossier on the opposition before each game. The analysis is simple and broken down into an individual basis, picking out five points about each member of the opposition, which outlines their strengths and weaknesses.

RULE NUMBER SEVEN: Life isn’t fair, get used to it.
Initially Keane was stand-offish. He allowed his assistant, Tony Loughlin, to take training sessions, as he watched from the sidelines. His arrival, though, had an immediate impact on the pace of training, which increased considerably. By November and December, when results were inconsistent, Keane delivered regular rants to improve basic performances and attitudes. Some players privately commented about being “unfairly treated”. Then after hearing of a whispering campaign in the dressing room about transfer targets during the transfer window, Keane called a team meeting, and announced he was targeting a player to challenge for every position on the team. “Accept that and get on with your job” said Keane. By and large Keane is as hard a man off the pitch as he was on it.

Is it enough to turn my head?
Well I'm starting to feel the slightest of twitches.