Keane critical of Black Cats' display February 23 2008
Sunderland manager Roy Keane accused his players of being "overawed" by Portsmouth as the Black Cats slumped to their 10th consecutive away defeat in the Premier League - an unwanted club record.
Keane felt his team gave Pompey's star names like Sol Campbell, Kanu and David James too much respect - even though it took a contentious 70th-minute penalty from Jermain Defoe to give the hosts a 1-0 win.
The Irishman said: "It was a bad piece of defending for the penalty. (Niko) Kranjcar is clever and experienced and our lad (Phil Bardsley) stuck his foot out.
"But we never looked like scoring. David James can never have had an easier game in his career.
"Maybe one or two of my players were overawed by one or two Pompey players. You shouldn't be collecting players' autographs.
"We've lost far too many games too easily and although it was a referee's decision again today we can't be victims all the time."
Keane was clearly upset by the Mackems' eventual surrender after they had cocooned disappointing Pompey in a midfield trap for the first hour.
And a fifth booking of the season for defender Danny Collins means an automatic one-match ban, leaving relegation-threatened Sunderland short at the back for next week's vital trip to Derby.
Defoe stepped up to rifle in a penalty, his second goal in successive home games since a £7.5million move from Tottenham, after Kranjcar, cutting in from the left, kept his feet when stumbling over a challenge by Andy Reid then went down over Bardsley's outstretched foot.
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp said: "Niko wouldn't go down (deliberately). He never likes going down, he doesn't want to get his knees dirty.
"The referee seemed to have no doubt it was a penalty and I thought so too - although I haven't seen a replay yet.
"I was delighted with the result because the game was just as tough as I expected. They outnumbered us in midfield with their 4-5-1 and made it hard for us.
"We can't really play 4-4-2 because our wide players Kranjcar and John Utaka haven't got a defensive bone in their bodies but Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin were comfortable at the back and when I put Niko out wide in the second half he caused problems there.
"The difference, though, was when the big man Kanu came on as sub. What skill he's got. It's frightening. Imagine what he was like as a 21-year-old playing at Ajax and Inter Milan."
Redknapp is trying to rest veteran Kanu, who is just back from the African Nations Cup where he injured a knee, because he will be needed for the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United a week next Saturday, with new boy Defoe cup-tied.
But Defoe has now been installed as Pompey's official penalty-taker after spot-kick misses earlier this season by Kanu, former top-scorer Benjani - which both cost points in goalless draws with Liverpool and West Ham - and Kranjcar.
Redknapp said: "If we give Jermain chances he'll score goals and he could have had another couple today. That's why we brought him here.
"Sunderland were tough and I still can't see them going down even though Birmingham had a marvellous result and Wigan and Bolton also look like getting out of it.
"I'm just glad we're not involved in all that. We're giving it a go for Europe and we've got the players here to do it."