Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn relied on their club secretary to communicate with former manager Roy Keane, it has been revealed.

One club director told the Sunday Times that the manager and the chairman, Keane's former Ireland teammate Niall Quinn, spoke only through text messages.

The pair fell out in 2002 when Keane, in his dispute with Mick McCarthy, then Ireland's manager, felt betrayed by Quinn. If their daily work meant communication could not be served effectively by text messaging, they used the club secretary, Margaret Byrne, as the go-between. "Mags" achieved the impressive feat of being well liked by both men.

Quinn has done much to paint a picture of relative harmony at the club and has emphasised how much Sunderland have benefited from Keane's management. Even last month, they had offered him a new two-year contract, which he refused to sign. What he did not say is that under Keane's management, Quinn was not welcome in the dressing room or on the team coach.