Roy Keane has (genuinely) strong views about the importance of quality football kits

This tells you all you need to know about Roy Keane.

Ireland will kick off their new kit deal with manufacturers New Balance from next Tuesday, with Stephen Hunt and Keith Andrews on hand at the Aviva Stadium for the big reveal. One hopes the new kit - and we're sure it will - meets with the approval of Hunt and Andrew's former Ireland teammate, Roy Keane. The former Ireland captain is now assistant manager to the national team and is preparing the squad for two friendlies in the lead-up to their World Cup qualifier with Austria. The impending partnership with the new kit manufacturers has brought back an old memory for former Ireland forward Stephen Elliot. The Dubliner recalled comments from a raging Keane when he was part of a Sunderland squad striving for Premier League promotion. Keane, in his first managerial posting, was less than impressed that Sunderland's kit was made with a company synonymous with supplying gear for boxers. After a loss, in the early days of the season, Keane lost the plot and seriously asked the players how they could ever be taken seriously in their Lonsdale kit. In his Sportdec column, Elliott writes:

'Roy went on to say that, in his opinion, it was important when opponents seen you in the tunnel, that you had an aura about you. That you looked like champions, so you could have that mental edge over your opponents. 'He went on to say that opposing teams would be coming to Stadium of Light and looking down at us because we were in our Lonsdale gear. 'He mentioned that when he was at Manchester United, he felt teams were mentally done when they seen the team looking the part going onto the pitch.'

Sunderland went on a superb winning run, late in the season, and were promoted as Championship winners. That summer, The Black Cats switched from Lonsdale to Umbro and Elliott admits they looked the Premier League part, at least.