When Jordan Rhodes was sold for what seemed a pretty meagre sum I had some doubts about the deal, as did many.

Of course, the sum involved seems up for discussion, so to speak, but however much it was it seemed that we were selling off some of the family silver (albeit perhaps at the time nickel-plated), an action we didn’t think was now necessary with billionaire Mr Evans in - or at - Town.

The rights and wrongs of that piece of business will be discussed for many a month as Jordan continues to impress elsewhere and with Reading seemingly willing to pay a decent fee for him now. Of course, it's especially painful when one of Mr Keane's problems is that our first team strikers (the ones deemed worthy of a place at the club) can’t seem to hit a barn door from 10 paces at the moment.

Whilst connected I suppose, Connor Wickham is a very different proposition to me, he has a very special talent. A big strong lad with skill and a true striker's eye, indeed he could well be considered the family silver (gold-plated) and if these rumours are to be believed (and I see no reason why they shouldn’t) the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal et al are no fools when it comes to young prospects.

So here we go again, not an unusual situation for an Ipswich fan over the years, a good (perhaps even great) young player having taken advantage of a superb youth system only to be prised away by the lure of much gold and majesty surrounding the biggest clubs. Or will he?

One of the 'out of the box' thoughts I had when Roy Keane joined us was that he would give us some 'real' credibility, not the credibility we’ve had in the past – that of everyone’s second club, a friendly day out in Suffolk etc – no, the credibility of a club with ambition, with a chairman with money to back up that ambition and now with a frontman equal in fame to any other frontman for any other club in the game. Think about it, Roy Keane is a huge figure in the football business, worldwide they don’t come much bigger.

So, for a young impressionable Ipswich footballer deciding what to do in the future he won’t be sitting opposite a dithering George Burley, an ageing Joe Royle or blustering Jim, it's flipping ROY KEANE! A footballing icon/legend and I would have hoped a footballing hero of Connor Wickham’s when he was first donning his soccer boots.

I believe this to be Roy Keane's first big test. Some would say getting us out of the bottom three, up to mid-table somewhere and then an assault on promotion next season was a bigger one. I think we will do that anyway, but if we are to do that and stay there we need to attract good players and keep the ones we’ve got.

I am a big fan of Mr Keane's and believe he has had to do most if not all of the things he’s done to change the kind of club we are. Actually I don’t want to be "good old Ipswich” any more. I want to be part of Keano’s army! Somehow scaring the hell out of the opposition on the pitch as well as on the bench! I want us to do what Sunderland did, bulldoze our way to the Premier League and then see where that takes us. Yes I want to be a bulldozer not a flipping tractor! I’m actually a bit sick of that tired old Suffolk trademark.

But again to do that we have to add to our assets and keep the ones we have as long as we can and if Mr Keane cannot be the frontman that plays a skilful lead role in keeping Connor Wickham for a couple of years and making him an essential part of that bulldozing side then I see little point in him being here.

With Wickham he cannot employ the “Do you want to be here or not, and if you have to think about it, you can f*** off!!” tactics he clearly employs with some who need that attitude. He has to be a bit more skilful than that with good young talent, in either keeping them or attracting them. In his book he tells of the times that Cloughie and Ferguson put their arm around him on a few occasions he needed it, now it’s his turn!

I for one won’t accept a rueful shrug and “we can’t stand in the boy’s way” at a press conference to announce Wickham's departure. You’re Roy Keane – a legend - part of football royalty. With the backing of Marcus Evans's millions you should be able to attract most players and certainly keep any 16-year-old!

So, with Jordan still making the news at the moment I will be keeping a close eye on all things Connor. In my eyes I sincerely believe this to be Roy’s first big test!

StokieBlue added 10:01 - Nov 18 "With the backing of Marcus Evans's millions you should be able to attract most players and certainly keep any 16-year-old!" That statement is nonsense. If Man U or Chelsea offer 10k+ a week are we supposed to break the wage structure in order to hold on to Wickham? Whatever Evans offers the big clubs can offer more, surely you can see that? You are also not taking into account that it might not be a financial decision he makes and might decide his football education is better served under Wenger or Fergie. Obviously I hope he stays but it's entirely Wickham's decision as he has no professional contract and your blog entirely misses that and focuses on Keane and the club. SB.

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hype313 added 10:01 - Nov 18 Agree with the statement of not wanting to be everyones second club and all the niceties that go with it but regarding Wickham, there is nothing we/ITFC/Keane can do about it if he wants to go, How many players have gone to Manyoo and the Gunners over the years, Fabregas/Walcott/Foster ect and the clubs had no choice but to let them go, If FC Barcelona cant keep hold of Fabregas then we have no chance. But dont blame the club if he does go, its just what happens in football.

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FrowsyArmLarry added 10:15 - Nov 18 SB re: "it might not be a financial decision he makes and might decide his football education is better served under Wenger or Fergie" This is exactly the point the blog is trying to make. The reason for having RK here is that he is on a par with these guys in attracting players.
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StokieBlue added 10:20 - Nov 18 Bluemurder: Your kidding right? Roy Keane is on par at attracting players as Wenger or Fergie? You must have your head in the clouds mate. Not only have they achieved more in the game in regards to developing players but both have the truely massive resources of Arsenal and Man Utd behind them. The comparison is laughable and my original point stands (and is also made by the 2nd blog comment I might add). SB.

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Papa added 10:27 - Nov 18 In these situations I think it depends mostly on the player and his parents and other direct influences. He is a local (ish) born lad who has many years ahead of him and will hopefully see that moving away at a young age to another place to be 6th choice striker and get a run out in the league cup will be a bad move. Hopefully he will see that staying with us a few years getting first team experience will be a better choice. You can say what you want about Keane and Keane can say what he likes to Connor but if Connor sees the big city lights it wont matter at all – he’ll be gone.

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RobbieScarlatti added 10:50 - Nov 18 Roy has brought us credibility? Nope, he's brought us the Sunderland reserves team. Roy is not a big name. He's not got a track record. You're talking about him like he's Mourinho or Capello. Players are reluctant to play for him. Why? Cos he hasn't got a clue how to manage people. I think there is a key link to be made between our (marginally) improved results of late and Keane softening in his management style. Flying off on one and telling people that they will never play for him again is not the way to handle players. He should have spoken out in support of his players, backed them, coached them, and got them working for him, not against him. That kind of attitude doesn't attract players in, it just makes enemies. Keane has an awful lot to learn, he's proved himself quite naive - he sure as sh*t isn't the finished article. I'd say Keane's biggest challenge is still to get us out of this mess we are in. Some people are taking it as a given that he will sort it out. Well, we are knocking on the door of being in the bottom three at Christmas - thats a HUGE challenge. I'm behind keeping with Keane by the way, giving him the chance. I don't believe in flip flopping about with managers. However, I just don't see why people have this blind confidence that he will do it. Like its his given right that he will. I think if he really was the real deal like you suggest above then we wouldn't have gone 8 steps backwards before going 1 forward.

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townfan added 10:54 - Nov 18 Excellent blog, and my sentiments exactly. No longer do I wish us to be the nice, friendly club we have been. I want us to take games by the scruff of the neck and win them. Football is about winning, and in RK we have the biggest winner of them all. As for CW, I've been sitting with his old man at most games this year and by all accounts Ipswich is the only club for him. Granted, when a club like MU, Arsenal or anyone else of that stature comes in and offers him the opps and money they can it will be difficult to dismiss it without a thought, however, his dad and CW himself see the bigger picture. Let’s get behind RK and everyone associated with the club. Despite our current position, we're heading in the right direction and have finally got a structure off the pitch that is required to be successful on it. It takes time.

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FrowsyArmLarry added 10:56 - Nov 18 SB, I'm not saying Keane is a manager of that caliber.... I think the point is he's not! My personal view is that if he was any good he would be having a positive effect on the team. As it is we're second fiddle to teams like Doncaster.
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FormerlyCGS added 10:56 - Nov 18 Roy Keanes first real test?????????????????????????????? The first test was to assemble a winning squad which he has failed miserably..... 2nd test, win games to challenge for the playoffs .....failed 3rd test help bring through young talent, failed with rhodes and is about to fail with Connor. GET THIS JOKER OUT OF OUR CLUB. yeah its Roy Keane a big name, a big name player small time aggressive poor manager!

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muhrensleftfoot added 11:10 - Nov 18 I thought it was a good blog. RK needs to inform young Wickham that he'll get 1st team games with us, whereas at Man U/Chelsea etc, he hasn't got a chance for at least 3 years. Of course in the end Wickham is free to choose what he considers is his best option. Let's hope his agents or advisors if he has any, are thinking about his future development, rather than what cut they can get from having him sign a lucrative big money deal with a Prem club

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chripswich added 11:12 - Nov 18 I realise i have put myself out there so to speak for criticism...but "should we break the wage structure"..uhmm why not?..i cannot imagine it would have to be by much if at all for a sixteen year old...we might have to pay way more than we would for another 16yr old but CW isnt just any other 16 yr old "if connor wants to go we cannot stop him?"..thats my point..Mr Keane and the club should do what it takes to make him want to stay... thats why i say..its his first big test..are we still "shrugging" saying "we're only ipswich with no clout"..is the billionaitre owner and the famous frontman just a facade or does it actually mean something...we shall see if connor becomes what many say he will, going to man u , arsenal or wherever at 18 or 19 in season 2011/12 wouldnt be so bad would it?..in the meantime he can be a big fish in a smaller sea and help us get where we want to be whilst all the time upping his eventual value...

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StokieBlue added 11:20 - Nov 18 Chirpswich, thats all very well but you just need to ask yourself: Would you prefer to be a "big fish" in a smaller pond or be setup for life at one of the big 4? Lets face it, it's entirely possible he could get injured or go the way of some other great teenagers, why would he not take the money now? I obviously don't want this scenario to happen and hope he stays and signs on his 17th birthday but someone needs to play devils advocate here and it also has to be pointed out that it's not really in Keanes hands. Thus the title and thrust of the blog is not really fair. SB.

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pickles110564 added 11:27 - Nov 18 Hi Callum
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VemundBrekkeSkard added 12:12 - Nov 18 The fact is that Roy Keane, with his massive reputation (both the good and bad points of it) is the sort of person who has the ability to attract many quality players (like bringing Djibril Cisse to Sunderland), but also to make many others run a mile in fear. So although the choice is ultimately up to Connor and out of Keane's hands, it would be ridiculous to think that having Roy Keane as a manager isn't going to be one of the key thoughts going through Connors mind as he weighs up his options. The thing is that at the moment his thoughts on Keano remain a mystery, so we don't know WHICH WAY it will sway his decision, we just know it will be an important factor. Totall agree when you say it's time for him to put his arm around him and offer encouragement to get him to stay. In fact I'd like to see that kind of man-management in effect quite a lot more often on many players, rather than the one-dimensional, 'impress-me-or-else' authoritarian we've all come to know, because that attitude could almost force him out of the club, and for much less money than he's worth. Also, with regards to the "dithering George Burley" comment and how surely it's better having a legend like Keano convincing you to stay, I feel I have to point out that Burley was in charge at Southampton for the breakthrough of their 'class of 2005', and successfully convinced Walcott to stay for an extra transfer window, resulting in a massively increased fee for when he was finally inevitably sold. Agree with the comment that it might not all be about money but about placing his education in the hands of a manager like Wenger or Fergie. After all, Wayne Rooney actually took a pay cut to join United from Everton (where they tried to keep him by making him their highest paid player ever). He's on a lot more these days of course, but at the time it was less.

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SomershamBlue added 12:24 - Nov 18 It's about potential as well as money (but mostly it's about money). What potential could we offer CW? The chance that we could make it to the Premiership in a few years (maybe). I hope he stays and scores plenty of goals for us - but I fear that he won't.
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chislehurstblue added 12:30 - Nov 18 As I have stated before Arsenal have already offered us £1m compensation for Wickham which was turned down. The reason that he has been involved so much in the first team is to "bump" up the price we can get for him in compensation. I understand that he is likely to leave in Jan for Arsenal or Man Utd. Fergie knows all about him as does Wenger and they both believe he has the ability to become a full England international. One of the town coaches have said to me that Wickham is the best player he has seen in that position of that age! When you look at Ramsey for Arsenal he was excellent for Wales the other day. Would he be that good if he was still at Cardiff? Probably not. This is what Wickham has to weigh up. Town are hoping to get £3-4m for him.

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corshamblue added 12:32 - Nov 18 Bright Lad with no fear . . He'll sign a contract for us and move in the summer for a Fee that's agreeable to the Board, ME and last but not least RK - he will not undersell a true talented youngster would he?
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Mark added 12:33 - Nov 18 We live in a celebrity dominated world, and I had hoped that appointing Keane would attract some quality players to Ipswich. I recognise we are a Championship club and there are limitations, but I thought he would have attracted a few loan signings from Man Utd for example. This didn't happen in the summer and the signings made were one early test failed. The Rhodes sale, poor performances and dreadful results followed...all tests failed. Wickham staying may be out of Ipswich's hands if he gets a good offer. All we can do is persuade him to stay. It may depend on his relationship with Keane to some extent, but I certainly think it is unfair to say George Burley or Joe Royle would be in a worse position. I think they are both good man-managers who players like to play for, and both had success here at Ipswich (Royle's performance looks fantastic now considering the horrible financial position the club was in at the time). Keane is the one "not here to make friends".

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sotd78 added 12:40 - Nov 18 If we really believe CW is going to be a big player we should be offering a ten year contract when he turns 17. If that was at even just £2K a week he would be a millionaire. For us a long contract would not really be a risk if we really do think he is going to make it because for sure he would never see it out. Not even the big boys will do much more than offer three years. And then it really would come down to who CW loves best and who loves him!

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chislehurstblue added 12:43 - Nov 18 sotd78 - £2k a week!!! If he goes to Man Utd or Arsenal as I understand he will, he could earn £100k + a week in a few years time and then potential have a transfer fee of £25m + He is not going to stay.
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Lightningboy added 12:55 - Nov 18 Absolute cobblers chripswich...and your comments re Burley,Royle & Magilton:laughable compared to what Keane's done here so far - at least they had us in the top half of the table at worst.. I don't care what he did as a player or who he played for,he totally shot himself in the foot when he took over by being cocky & over confident in his own abilities as a football manager which are obviously lacking (for the record I think his team tactics & rotation this season have been amateurish). Anyone with an ounce of common sense would've sent Rhodes out on loan for the season. We've got no chance of keeping Wickham..Keane should've looked further ahead than his own 2 year deal.

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UEFA81 added 13:22 - Nov 18 chislehurstblue - there's much more to life than money you know.
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TractorRoyNo1 added 13:33 - Nov 18 Beware of his family "friends" Messers Goddard and Barnnett. The kid has a simply choice, first team squad with us and low-ish wages or u18's and high wages with a 'big-club'. If Goddard and Co are actually advising him / his parents then they should say, "learn your trade at a good club like Ipswich, you can then move to a big club in 2-3 years and get a vast salary". or better still speak to Richard Wright, he went 'too soon' and missed out on a long international career because he spent most of it warming the bench.

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pickles110564 added 13:35 - Nov 18 Keano will outstay you Lightening boy because you will not hang around once the mighty town leaps up the table. In Keano we trust. COYB
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biggerblue added 13:40 - Nov 18 There will be only ONE doubt that will cross CW or his parents mind? Were will Ipswich be in March? If we are still bottom 3 of even bottom 5, then I think the question answers its self! Would he play for a Div one side? No matter how much loyalty he may have the club; the answer to that is NO ! Would i blame him? NO Come March and we are safe form going down, i have no doubt that CW will stay!

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