'Weary' Gordon rested, not dropped following rout, insists Keane

By Michael Walker

Published: 08 December 2007

Roy Keane insisted yesterday that he did not drop his goalkeeper, Sunderland's record signing Craig Gordon, last Saturday, following the 7-1 demolition against Everton, but merely "rested" the £9m Scot.

Pointing to "mental" weariness and the "pressure" of Scotland's European Championship qualifiers, Keane said that Gordon has reacted well to missing the 1-0 win over Derby and "is in contention" to be recalled for Sunderland's difficult-looking trip to Chelsea this afternoon.

Recalling that at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson once allowed Peter Schmeichel to go on holiday to Barbados mid-season, Keane said: "It's not unusual for players to get one or two weeks off. I remember at United that Schmeichel went to Barbados for two weeks in the middle of a season, even though we were going for the league title. We were training and there were pictures of him on the bloody beach."

Keane then joked: "Craig's not going to Barbados – we've got a nice sea-front down here. As long as he doesn't go out in a canoe, we'll be all right."

Considering Chelsea are unbeaten at home in 70 matches, Keane's tone was optimistic. This is Sunderland's first away trip since the 7-1 defeat and though they recovered some pride against Derby last Saturday, Keane knows "people will be thinking how many Chelsea are going to get."

Subjecting Gordon to that possibility could be damaging, however, and the expectation is that Darren Ward will retain his position.

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