And yesterday it did for thousands of fans and chairman Niall Quinn looked red-eyed too.

But the truth is that when the first real application of Bunsen-burner heat was applied, Keane was found wanting. He could not handle it.

Therefore better for him to go now than trust himself to January dealing and then walk out with the season's die well and truly cast.

Quinn, a supremely popular and hard-working chairman, at least has a fighting chance of saving Sunderland'sseason by finding someone big enough and good enough to fill Keane's shoes.

And despite Keane's disappointingly quick decision to walk away from the fight, they are big shoes.

Keane was box office; he turned the club around when it was heading towards the third tier of English football.

He was flawed but he made them Premier League and proud again.

Keane will be damned by many as a serial quitter and there is some truth in that.

But he raised the bar, albeit too briefly at Sunderland, and now Quinn must aim to match and better that standard.

As for Keane, if he learns from his many mistakes, especially in player recruitment, he will come again. If he wants to.