The Return of the Keane?

[Photo from BSketti]

The Guardian is reporting that Roy Keane may return to English football as the manager of Championship side Ipswich Town. This is a terrific move in my view. As I wrote back when he left Sunderland, Keane has shown his managerial chops before, especially in the Championship; he took a mediocre side up to the Premiership and then held them there. I speculated back then that backroom intrigue involving owner Ellis Short may have been involved in his exit from Sunderland, and it appears that that may have been the case. Keane was far from perfect as a Premier League manager, especially in the transfer market, but he was learning and there's a good chance he'll be able to do well there in the future.

This looks like a good situation for Keane as well. Jim Magilton was just fired, but the team isn't actually in bad shape. They're ninth out of 24 Championship squads at the moment and have some decent talent, including 22-year-old Argentine winger Luciano Civelli, veteran goalkeeper Richard Wright, 20-year-old Canadian star midfielder Jaime Peters and former England U21 international striker Jonathan Stead. They have the foundation of a good club and should be in a decent position to challenge for promotion next season.

Regardless of your view of Keane as a manager though, most would concede that his return will be good for the sport. Keane was always one of the most interesting personalities in soccer as a player, and the same remains true as a manager; he's probably the best character in English football now that Jose Mourinho has gone to Italy. I'm already looking forward to following Ipswich Town under him, as it will certainly be entertaining, no matter what the eventual outcome is.

Update: 5:39 A.M. April 23: Keane has been confirmed as the new Ipswich Town manager [CNN].