Ipswich Town Football Fan Chat » Roy Keane

The futures bright the futures blue

Ian Wade — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:23:00 +0000

A good start to the new season. I have only seen the home game against Burnley which we should have won. There were encouraging signs in that game that there was a better team spirit and a greater determination to win. As we all know the squad has been far too big and expensive for the past two seasons, so it was obvious that there were going to be departures. Roy Keane is gradually moulding a team that he wants and not one that he inherited. From the outside it looks as though he has concentrated on moving out the larger wage earners that Jim Magilton bought to the club, coupled with the mistakes he made himself in his first season at Ipswich. David Wright, Richard Wright and Pim Balkestein were not offered new contracts. Liam Trotter got himself a better deal at Millwall. Those on loan with Ipswich last season namely Liam Rosenior, David Healey, Daryl Murphy and Jack Colback all returned to their own clubs. Then Roy Keane named eight players he was prepared to listen to offers for. Of those Kevin Lisbie, Lee Martin and Pablo Counago have all gone out on loan. Alex Bruce, Owen Garvan and Jon Stead have been sold. The other two Colin Healy and Alan Quinn still remain at the club. Jon Walters has also now been sold for £3 million plus, which is a superb piece of business. Making players available for transfer must be unsettling for them especially if they have family commitments so I can understand Jon Stead becoming unsettled. He was our best player against Burnley and put in a really good shift. There have been additions to the squad. Goalie Marton Fulop and experienced full back Mark Kennedy should be good signings. Youngster Conor Hourihane has arrived from Sunderland and another youngster, Andros Townsend, is on a season long loan from Tottenham. Defender Darren O’Dea has also arrived on loan until January from Celtic and this week Jason Scotland was purchased from Wigan and takes over the number 10 shirt worn by Jon Walters. However the money recouped from sales does not balance out the huge outlay on players that Marcus Evans initially supported. That gamble will not come off unless we gain promotion to the Premiership. If that happens then I am sure the big mistakes that Ipswich made in their second season in the Premier League will not be repeated. Bad purchases on big money and long contracts. The team spirit disappeared and Ipswich was doomed to the division where we now are.

We have progressed to the third round of the Carling Cup with two hard fought away wins. A home tie in the next round would be good to bring in some extra revenue. The draw will be made on Saturday before we host Bristol City complete with Jon Stead.

Roy Keane certainly would not win any popularity stakes and his man management skills are questionable but at the end of the day all we all want is to see our beloved Ipswich back where they belong. If Roy Keane can do it “his way” then we will forgive any of his shortcomings.

Roll on Saturday and Bristol City.

End of term report

Ian Wade — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:10:56 +0000

Well the last home game of the season ended with a 0-3 defeat by Sheffied United. Ipswich played some good football in the first half, most of it started in midfield by Owen Garvin. For a home game Roy Keane opted to play five in midfield, leaving young Connor Wickham to battle on his own up front. Sheffield United went in at half time one goal up and early in the second half when Tom Eastman, who was making his debut, was sent off, the game was over.

Roy Keane reckons his job starts now, but I thought he was supposed to have started a year ago ! What has he been doing then, having a laugh at the supporters expense. The season has been rubbish with very few good points. The emergence of Connor Wickham spurred me into renewing my season tickets. I do hope no stupid deals are made as banded about in the press of Tottenham buying him and then loaning him back to Ipswich for a season. If he can score twenty odd goals for us next season it might propel us into the Premiership and then he will become a Premiership player with Ipswich. Roy Keane talks of wanting four or five other players. What is going to happen to the huge squad he already has ? I know he has already released a few but a lot more need to be cleared out. David Wright not having his contract renewed was a major surprise, but perhaps he has too much to say to the press ! He could finish up with the Canaries.

Roy Keane’s expensive signings have been dreadful. I am sure Sir Alex Ferguson conned him when he told him what a good purchase Lee Martin would be, much the same as George Burley and David Sheepshanks were conned by Sven Eriksson into believing that the Italian goalie (name escapes me) we had was a good buy. Tamas Priskin just never looked interested. So what is also to become of the following :- Alex Bruce, Pablo Counago, Jon Stead, Colin Healy, Alan Quinn, Kevin Lisbie and possibly Owen Garvin. Owen Garvin is the only creative midfield player we have at the club but he has been in and out of the side like a yo-yo. He is not Roy Keane’s type of midfield player which is a shame, or is there another problem which we do not know about. If Liam Trotter has any sense he will move on and not accept a new deal. He will then be assured of playing regularly. Carlos Edwards has been disappointing and was another bad buy.

So what are we left with of those we have seen on the pitch this season ? Goalkeepers :-Brian Murphy and Arran Lee-Barrett . Defenders :- Damien Delaney, Gareth McCauley, Shane O’Connor, Tommy Smith, Tom Eastman and Troy Brown. Midfielders :- Grant Leadbetter, David Norris, Jaime Peters and Billy Clark. Hopefully Luciano Civelli will be back from injury at some point next season. Strikers :- Jonathan Walters and Connor Wickham.

My old school reports use to say “must do better”. The same applies to Roy Keane. One wonders with all his wealth, is he motivated enough ?

Local derbies again next season

Ian Wade — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:17:03 +0000

Well done Norwich in securing promotion back to the Championship. At least next season we should have one home game with a virtually full house and a bit of atmosphere! The last home game against Doncaster was an absolute bore, a typical end of season mid table nothing to play for game. The only bright points to come out of the game was the continued promise shown by youngsters Connor Wickham and Shane O’Connor, plus Gareth McCauley has finanally got his act together and he put in another sound shift in defence. Loanee Jack Colback has been our best player this season, as confirmed by his fellow professionals, and he will undoubtedly be back with Sunderland next season. I do not know why Roy Keane played him on Saturday, I would have thought it better to give someone else a chance as it was a nothing game. Daryl Murphy does not look that interested any more. He did not play close enough to Connor Wickham who had to lead the front line virtually on his own. I certainly hope we do not buy Murphy and Healy from Sunderland with Connor Wickham going in the opposite direction. Roy Keane has been big enough to admit he has made mistakes this season and lets hope he has learnt from them. He will certainly need to do some wheeling and dealing in readiness for next season but that is one deal I hope he does not make. Letting Jordan Rhodes go at the beginning of this season was his first big mistake. Jon Walters (pictured) by his own admission has not had a good season. When Jim Magilton bought him from Chester he was a striker, but in order for him to fit in the team Jim Magilton decided to play him on the right of midfield. His strike force at that time of Alan Lee and Pablo Counago were performing well and did not warrant change. That certainly worked for the first season. He is not a skillful player but does have a “presence” and it might be best to play him alongside Connor Wickham. That would allow somebody like Jamie Peters to play right side of midfield. There is not enough width in the side and we need someone with real pace to bomb down the wing and get behind defenders. Our midfield on Saturday lacked composure as usual. No imagination. They are very good at getting from box to box but there it ends. If I were Marcus Evans I would not pump any more money into the squad. Roy Keane has enough players to sell and wheel and deal with before the start of next season. If he is not able to do this then it will be time to bring in a more experienced manager. Jim Magilton had no managerial experience before being appointed and it was right to change him when he had lost his way. If Ipswich start next season with a similar run to this season then Roy Keane will be under immense pressure. Another inexperienced manager under pressure is Gianfranco Zola at West Ham. They could easily come through the trap door and join Ipswich in the Championship. That would make another interesting home fixture, better than having to watch Scunthorpe again!

Only three home games left this season.

Ian Wade — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:47:57 +0000

From an entertainment point of view the last three home games have been dreadful. Scunthorpe were a team of “spoilers” who wasted time to slow the tempo of the game and very nearly succeeded in getting a point if it had not been for Connor Wickham’s 92nd minute strike. I could not watch games like that every week. The Barnsley game was not much better but we did get three points again due to a moment of madness by their keeper. The guys who summarise on BBC Suffolk say they can accept games like that provided we get three points. They get paid for watching these games unlike the rest of us who spend our hard earned cash to support the team and turn up to be entertained. The performance against Plymouth was lack lustre with the majority of the players clearly lacking confidence. We gifted them their two goals and their players worked very hard for their manager, Paul Mariner, who received a wonderful and deserved reception when he appeared from the tunnel. Paul Mariner joined Ipswich in October 1976 and became part of the great team that won the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup in 1981. He did not make the reunion of that fabulous squad when the North Stand was renamed the Sir Bobby Robson Stand on the 26th September 2009. He would have had a lot of “catching up” to do with old friends after the Plymouth game so it is probably understandable that he might have overlooked having a drink with Roy Keane. Why Roy Keane had a public rant about that I cannot understand. Very childish.

I listened to a commentary of the game at Swansea on BBC Welsh Sport which seemed about as entertaining as the Scunthorpe game. The commentators were however very complimentary about the Ipswich work rate and how well they closed the Swansea players down. However there was not a lot of goal mouth action at either end. The commentators made Jamie Peters at left back our best player and also made the observation of how one footed Daryl Murphy is. Do we really want to sign him ? Oh for a Paul Mariner type centre forward, lets hope Connor Wickham signs a contract and makes the grade.

The club is losing money each week which is not surprising with the number of players in the squad. The squad was too big under Jim Magilton and it is just the same under Roy Keane. In 1981 when Ipswich were competing for three trophies, the League, the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, they did it with a squad of 14 players ! In any business wages are the biggest expense item on the trading account. I am sure there will be a major clear out at the end of the season. Ipswich probably need another five points to be sure of staying in the Championship and lets hope they can pick those points up at home in the remaining games against Reading, Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield United and perhaps give us a bit of entertainment.

The balance was right at last.

Ian Wade — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:02:29 +0000

My cat was grinning when I got home Tuesday evening after the game at Portman Road, he knew the result so he would not be getting his backside kicked once again. This was a good performance by a well balanced side. My man of the match was Owen Garvin who controlled midfield. Why he does not start every game I do not understand. I am not a great David Norris fan but he was the ideal partner for Garvin with his “crash bang “style of play. As I have said before Norris and Leadbetter do not compliment each other. Garvin and Leadbetter do not compliment each other either as both demand the ball and you can only have one boss. Roy Keane has a dilemma of who to leave out when Leadbetter is available again. For me Garvin is a far better creative central midfield player than Leadbetter.Young Shane O’Connor made his home debut at left back and was a breath of fresh air. He had a very sound game and looks the answer to the position that has had six players tried previously namely Damien Delaney, Pim Balkestein, Jamie Peters, Jack Colback, Tommy Smith and David Wright. David Wright was restored to his rightful position of right back. Jack Colback had another terrific game on the left of midfield. Jon Walters played right midfield and he and Wright resumed their rightsided partnership of two seasons ago. Up front Daryl Murphy (pictured with Colback and O’Connor) got back to scoring again and does look a good loan signing. David Healy is clearly struggling to get back to match fitness. Pablo Counago replaced him with 30 minutes to go and looked very sharp and eager. Connor Wickham replaced Daryl Murphy for the final 10 minutes and it was amusing to see the Cardiff defenders bounce off of him while he kept possession. He is a strong boy and a fine prospect. Ipswich have not won two games on the trot all season. Provided there are no injuries I hope Roy Keane starts with the same eleven against Scunthorpe. Lets see if they can win again and get us further away from the relegation zone. The season ticket renewal form is in the pending tray at the moment!!!

Still too many draws !

Ian Wade — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:47:05 +0000

The last home game in February saw yet another draw. The last gasp win with that late goal by Pablo Counago against Coventry in mid January seems a long while ago. Despite all the comings and goings in personnel the same problem is still there in that we cannot hit the back of the net. You do have to start questioning Roy Keanes tactics and team selections. The first half on Saturday was an absolute bore. All we seemed to do was pump high balls up the middle which become 50/50 balls and are invariably won by the opposing defenders. We have nobody in midfield who can put their foot on the ball and have the time to pick out a pass. Owen Garvin does have that ability but when he comes on or is selected to start he has to play on the left of midfield. David Norris charges around like a headless chicken. I could not see what all the fuss was about when Jim Magilton signed him and nothing has altered to change my mind. Grant Leadbetter works hard in midfield but him and Norris do not compliment each other. Jack Colback (on loan) is an exciting player who has shown he can play left midfield, left back and centre midfield. We will miss him when he goes back to Sunderland at the end of the season. The best right back we have at the club is David Wright but we continue to play another loan player in Liam Rosenior. Carlos Edwards has not done all that well on the right of midfield and it is a role that should be filled by Jamie Peters. He is another very adaptable player who can play right midfield, left midfield, centre midfield, right back and left back. The central defenders Gareth McAuley and Damien Delaney have formed a good partnership and I can understand Alex Bruce and Tommy Smith going out on loan in order to get games. Other players out on loan are Jon Stead, Tamas Priskin, Colin Healy, Liam Trotter and Kevin Lisbie. I wonder if they will be on their way at the end of the season ? Two seasons ago Jon Walters best position was the right side of midfield. In my opinion it would be better to play him up front where he does have the energy to help defend from the front. Who to partner him ? I cannot see that we are any better with the strikers Healy and Murphy from Sunderland. On Saturday we looked more purposeful when Pablo Counago and Connor Wickham came on. At least Pablo can put his foot on the ball and bring others into play. Perhaps he should be tried in midfield ! Bristol City were not a very good side and unfortunately we looked no better than them. We are in a relegation scrap make no mistake about it. A year ago owner Marcus Evans Group played their trump card come season ticket renewal time in appointing Roy Keane. He was quoted in the EADT on Saturday as admitting it could take five years to get Ipswich Town established in the top flight. It is season ticket renewal time again soon. The carrot offered to Early Bird supporters renewing their tickets and receiving a 50% rebate if Ipswich get promoted is safe as far as Marcus Evans Group is concerned for this season and next season which is very disappointing for all us loyal supporters.

Progress Yardstick

Ian Wade — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:07:59 +0000

After all the excitement of the last gasp win against Coventry it was disappointing to go out of the FA Cup at Southampton and then allow WBA to draw level in injury time at Portman Road last night. WBA were clearly the better side but Ipswich do now defend resolutely and are proving difficult to break down. If we had players who could control the ball and strike it cleanly the result might have been so different. Not surprisingly Jon Stead looked ring rusty after his suspension. David Norris made some great runs from midfield but his finishing was abysmal. Gareth McAuley had a great chance with a free header and later on Carlos Edwards and Tamas Priskin should have done better when WBA were pushing forward looking for that equaliser. Progress has been made since the beginning of the season but if we could find that player who is going to hit the back of the net on a regular basis the future would be so much brighter. The aim at the moment has to be to stay in this division so that we can have our local derbies again with Norwich. Forget about Premiership football for this season, I do not want to pay hard earned money and see Ipswich get stuffed every week.

Too many draws !

Ian Wade — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:03:49 +0000

I felt sorry for Mark Hughes who lost his job at Manchester City because “of only two wins in eleven games”. Too many draws ! Admittedly he had spent fortunes on players who were not performing for him but the owners were wanting immediate success for the huge investment they had made. Fortunately the owners of Ipswich Town FC, the Marcus Evans Group, are being a little bit more patient with Roy Keane. Ipswich have drawn twelve games so far this season but the situation is similar in some ways to Manchester City where some players Roy Keane has purchased are not performing for him. If those draws had been wins we would be right up there behind Newcastle now. The Marcus Evans Group are shrewd enough to know that the appointment of Roy Keane would and did create great media interest and hence their name would continually be to the fore. It is more a case of how is Roy Keane doing than how are Ipswich Town doing. With the postponement of yesterdays game at Scunthorpe the suspensions for Grant Leadbetter and Jon Walters will carry over to the game at Crystal Palace. Stern John will also not be available to play against the club he is on loan from. The big question is who will partner Jon Stead up front or will Roy Keane decide to go five across midfield ? I hope not, as we look so much better if we have two up front who are prepared to defend from the front.

Roy Keane at the Helm of Ipswich Town

Pete — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:59:54 +0000

Roy Keane at the helm, new players coming in, the 2009/10 season has the potential to be an explosive season with plenty of highlights and talking points. The national press will focus on Keanes’ point tally rather than Ipswich’s point tally and like us they expect us to be climbing high.

But, what about that squad is it good enough or hungry enough to be up for all 46 games next season that is my biggest concern, the desire to win each game. Too many times in recent season have we seen great performances, team and individual, one week and a shadow of themselves days or weeks later.

Lets hope Keane can drive the winning way home into the Ipswich mentality and we’ll many positives to talk about and get carried away with talk of increasing the capacity to meet the new demand etc…..