Wolves utility man Greg Halford today lifted the lid on his Sunderland hell after branding Roy Keane’s man-management skills “non-existent”.

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Halford – Keane’s first signing in a £2.5m capture from Colchester – makes his first return to the Stadium of Light tomorrow since his ill-fated spell on Wearside.

The 24-year-old played just nine games before being loaned to Charlton and Sheffield United. Halford finally ended his Stadium of Light nightmare with his £2m move to Wolves this summer.

But asked whether he preferred Keane or Molineux gaffer Mick McCarthy, Halford said: “It’s a no-brainer really – one thing I always said about ‘Keano’ was that his man-management was non-existent. He didn’t like players coming up to his office and talking about things. I wanted to speak my mind and say ‘why aren’t I playing?’

“I’d been training well and playing well in the reserves and that was the toughest thing. Every player at Sunderland under ‘Keano’ would tell you the same that it was difficult to talk to him.

“Roy Keane is the type of person that once he has made his decision doesn’t have to explain it to anyone. He keeps it to himself. Once his mind is made up, it’s made up and there’s no changing it.”

Halford admitted there was a clash of personalities.”It turned into a personal thing between the two of us,” he said.