THEY were once the most feared midfield partnership in England sweeping all aside as they drove Manchester United on to domestic domination during the 1990s.

Premier League and FA Cup winners medals were won during an explosive two-year stint together, leaving opponents quaking at the prospect of two of the country’s toughest competitors.

Now Paul Ince and Roy Keane are ready to go head-to-head for the first time as managers, with a very different set of priorities than their glory-filled Manchester United years.

Survival is now the key word in both managers’ job descriptions, a far cry from their heady days at Old Trafford, leaving two of the games most volatile characters having to show their softer sides on the sidelines.

Tonight’s Carling Cup tie in Sunderland is followed three days later by a crucial Premier League battle at Ewood Park, but Ince is adamant a strong bond between the two has only grown since hanging up their boots.

He said: “Roy texted me when I went to Macclesfield as manager. When you are in the lower echelons of the league and are struggling, people are saying you must be bananas taking the job.

“For me it was a way in to management. We didn’t win the first couple of games but went away to Walsall, who were top of the league, and we beat them in the FA Cup.

“I got in the car and got a text from Keaney and it snowballed from there. Every time he got a good result I texted him, because they were fourth from bottom in the Championship at the time.

“He got promoted there and we kind of drove each other on to be fair. In different ways because he was going for promotion and we were looking for survival.”

Since his own summer elevation from the wilderness of the lower leagues to the Premier League, Ince has suddenly found himself the centre of attention – but he is not about to forget those who helped him through the tough times.

“It was brilliant because he didn’t have to do that,” said Ince.

“You maybe expect it for one or two games but even when we got beat it was ‘keep your chin up’ and vice versa.

“It is easy to ring people up when you are manager of a Premier League side.

“But it is not easy to ring someone up who is bottom of the league at Macclesfield. That showed the greatness of the man, and he was one of the few.

“All of a sudden I get to the Premiership with Blackburn and all the others start coming out of the woodwork. I am not that much of a mug. I remember the ones who rang me when I was at Macclesfield.”

If Keane and Ince’s playing styles merged into their approach as managers, tonight’s fourth official would be guaranteed a busy evening.

But the Rovers boss admits the game has changed since their dynamic years together, leaving managers having to show a more sensitive side than a lot of their predecessors.

Ince said: “I don’t think we have mellowed it is just sometimes with the game as it is, you can’t be an Alex Ferguson and like he was with us in the early 90s.

“Then you had big strong characters and strong men who could take the criticism. Now you have to pick the players you have a go at and the ones you put your arms round - you have to recognise that as a manager.

“There are times when I want to blow my top, and so does Keaney, but you just have to hold yourself back.

“We had a belief in our ourselves that we were the best players in the Premier League at the time. Whether we were or not does not matter.

“At times, not just me and Keaney, but when you lined up in the tunnel before the game you had already won the game before you were out there.”

Both managers will have a cautious eye on Saturday’s forthcoming Premier League showdown but that does not mean to say either will be changing their winners mentality tonight.

Ince said: “To keep Macclesfield up was like winning something, and at MK Dons we had something to aim for. So in my first two seasons as manager I have won something.

“This season is completely different. We are not going to win the title but we still have a chance of winning the Carling Cup.”