Alan Curbishley has reportedly attended two recent Ipswich Town games, which is worrying. Sure, ‘Curbs’ is a manager with a strong reputation and an equally impressive CV, but Ipswich already have a tremendous manager in Roy Keane.

Although we don’t have to worry that Marcus Evans has been reading Flavio Briatore’s ten-step guide to running a football club, replacing Keano would still be a poor move at this point. At Portman Road, no-one is hastily sacked. Getting rid of Keane would be the worst imaginable violation of this trend.

If talks are indeed taking place, it will be the first time that the owners have demonstrated a palpable naivety in their long-term plans for the club. Admittedly, it has not been a tremendous season for Ipswich; we all know this. However, it has been far from desperate. What Town need is a bit of tweaking, not major change. We’ve not been outclassed by the whole division. We just need to stop the late goals going in and convert a couple more of our chances per game, that is all.

The unlucky start to the season could easily have developed into a full-on disaster, but Roy Keane’s inspirational leadership ensured that it did not. His every statement to the press was calculated by him so that the players wouldn’t lose confidence. By accepting the responsibility himself, and admitting that his job could be on the line, he eased the pressure on the team. Many managers let this pressure mount to a level where winning games becomes near impossible. Roy Keane did not.

As it happens, we’re not likely to do a Norwich. We shouldn’t have to drop a division to play against teams we can beat. Another win should do it, and then we can look forward to next season, when Keane’s vision for Town will hopefully blossom into something more deadly for opposition defences.

This is exactly why the Town fans and management have to be extremely careful. Constant speculation about Keane’s future may well drive him away from our club. We do not want this. In recent years, there have been players who don’t seem too fussed about winning points for our team. Roy Keane is exactly the man to sort this out – anyone slacking will be kicked quickly and powerfully up the backside and may well find themselves landing somewhere near Carrow Road.

He seems to care about our club, and won’t accept mediocrity or failure. Let’s remember this before we send him a P45 form, or force him to ask for it.

BathBlue2 added 10:32 - Mar 30 Thank you for a well measured blog, free from this ridiculous hysteria. This team is still a distance from being good - let alone a top team in the chanpionship. Those first 14 games still weigh heavy on us and perhaps reveal that Roy Keane was, in many ways too big for ITFC and some of the players; but since then matters have improved and no one can argue that in the present manager we have a man of immense pedigree, tremendous experience and brutal honesty: not a bad profile. Clearly there are still tweaks and changes that need to be made to the team and squad; and perhaps the close season will see that. But one change we do not need is the Manager of this club. I suspect he is not quite the monster many like to portray him, and I am sure, like many of us, he will mellow with age... perhaps he, too, needs a little 'managing' by Simon Clegg (probably is already) and between them next season we will see a team that is strong and skilful on the pitch and strong and skilful in their heads... just like Roy Keane at a press conference!

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andoverblue added 10:44 - Mar 30 Do not forget 4 of the players are loan es [ so assuming they go back to there own club ], and what with the players out on loan [ who prob will come back ] . I think its a little more than tweaking we will need
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andoverblue added 10:48 - Mar 30 Please note , my above comment in brackets should read [ who prob will NOT come back ]
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naa added 10:53 - Mar 30 andoverblue: For me that is the problem. Because the start was so utterly dismal RK has been firefighting the rest of the season with loans etc, rather than patiently building a squad, as I'm sure he'd liked to have done. That leaves us in a difficult position in the summer in that we will either be back where we were in January, or he'll need to sign several players just to be where we are now. So far RK has shown no signs that he is any good in the transfer market and that seriously worries me. His best signing is Leadbitter who a) cost a lot and b) he knew very well from his Sunderland days. To be a decent manager at this level you have to be able to find talent outside of the Premiership and outside of your former clubs. So far he hasn't done that. So, assuming we need four players in the summer what gives anyone the idea that he's capable of getting them? If it wasn't for that I'd be happy to see him stay. This has been a poor season and we're still not playing well, but I do agree with others that stability and time can be important. I'm just really worried about his ability to get players in.

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ollyfayers added 11:41 - Mar 30 BathBlue2: Thank you for the compliment. I think you've perhaps put it a little more eloquently than I did. andoverblue: That is an interesting point; we don't want to be too reliant on our loan signings. We shall have to see if they mature into permanent contracts. naa: I would agree that Roy Keane's transfer policy does seem to be the most worrying thing about his time as manager, but I do think we should give him next season to prove himself. Stability and time is, as you say, important. I think these rumours are quite harmful. In your comments on the most recent article, I feel you've made a good point about some of the speculation. It IS possible to suggest that Keane should go whilst still wanting the best for the club. The question is, would it be best for the club? I imagine, in one way or another, we shall find out soon enough.

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naa added 11:48 - Mar 30 ollyfayers: well obviously I've no idea if RK going would be better for the club than him staying. None of us do. I can state my opinion in the knowledge that it means very little, it's just my opinion. I'm glad I'm not ME in having to make that decision! Getting Jim out last year seemed like the right thing, but so far things haven't improved. So RK going and being replaced we have no guarantee that things will get better and ME must be aware of that now (I think he thought RK would be a banker). He may therefore be a little more reticent to make a quick change.

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Trotsky added 11:56 - Mar 30 I disagree naa - It's too easy to say Roy is no good in the transfer market - every manager gets a few wrong. Keane reacted to the woeful start to the season by bringing in Leadbitter, Rosenior and Edwards. Edwards hasn't overly impressed but bringing those 3 in did help to turn things around. He also took action on the goalkeeping front and dropped other players. If you ignore August completely, and still include the bulk of the winless streak, we'd be 11th in the table and 5 points behind cardif in the play off places. And all that with a terrible scoring record as well. September to now might not have been a purists dream, and even the most pro-keane of supporters won't have liked the fare on offer at all times, but with a squad that was quickly found to have either the wrong attitude or lacking the talent for success, Keane did make necessary changes in order to get points on the board. On the subject of transfers - it's not just down to Keane to identify talent - and he alone cannot bring it in to the club - every good club has a team of people looking to identify players they can bring in. And then of course they need to want to come, and arrange personal terms as well that fit within the wage structure of the club - ie lots of other people are involved in getting players in. You might even include supporters - because their reputation for singing or whinging, moaning or cheering, clapping or booing players could surely factor into a players thinking.

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RRanger added 11:57 - Mar 30 Very good blog - nice to read sensibly thought out views. I very much hope that RK is given the time to prove that he is the man to take us into the Premiership (and keep us there). Our club and the players have been cruising along in their comfort zone for too long.Burley was given 5 years to get us into the Premiership - he did it in 4 but unfortunately him and Sheepshanks over extended the club with some poor purchases and we dropped back into the Championship in a financially worse position than before we were promoted. Hopefully we have learnt our lesson and WHEN we go up again will manage the transition better ( although the Premiership has changed and survival in the top division will be the most important thing).It can be done with the right management team AND a supportive fan base.The best examples to my mind are Wigan and Fulham who have survived without over extending themselves financially but with astute managers and a strong team ethic.The other team that comes to mind is Sunderland - RK got them up and kept them up and to my mind laid the foundations for Steve Bruce to carry on the work.Curbs. did it at Charlton but since he left they (and him ) seem to have gone downhill.Burley, after leaving us, had success at Hearts but nowhere else and I can't believe returning to Ipswich he could repeat his former feats and anyway the fans don't seem to be in the mood to allow any manager 5 years to get us to the top division.RK has had 1 (not very good) year but he is only halfway through his contract.He obviously likes living in this part of the world and is a proven winner. In other words he obviously really wants to succeed - lets face it I'm sure he doesn't need the money but like most of us he has pride.Lets give him a decent chance,get off his back and trust him to get us to the promised land!

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naa added 12:11 - Mar 30 Trotsky: but that's my point. If he has a team of scouts (which obviously he does) where are the players they're finding? At the end of the day RK still has to trust the scout's judgement and sign the players they recommend. He's shown little sign of that here or at Sunderland. He sacked our international scout based on one viewing of one recommendation he made (and this guy had found a number of cheap players for Burley over many years, and was well respected). You mention Edwards. A perfect example. He plays on the right - a position that didn't need changing - and has been poor. Yet he was a player RK was familiar with. A definite failure. Rosenior as well. Perfectly good player - though seems out of favour now - but again, in a position that didn't really need strengthening (it certainly wasn't one of our weakest areas). So two of the three signings you mention and they're hardly startling successes. The goalkeeping situation is sorted is it? What situation? Wright was player of the year last year. He went through a bad patch - along with the entire defence - and has long gone out of the team. McAuley was equally awful at the time and is now playing very well. I've yet to be convinced that B. Murphy is any better, as he's playing behind a solid defence. He certainly hasn't looked better than Wright. You also fail to mention Priskin, Martin, Healy(1 and 2). All managers get it wrong in the transfer market, but that's a pretty poor record for one season. Of the failures I'd say: Edwards, Martin, Priskin, Healy, Healy Unsure: Rosenior Success: Colback, Delaney (though he was signed as a left-back where he was awful), Leadbitter That's not a great ratio really. Unlike some on here I am willing to ignore the start of the season and will accept that we're now doing OK points-wise. But the football has been pretty poor all the way through. One reason we are better defensively is because we are playing defensive football. People point to our high shots on goal stat, but a lot of those are long-range efforts brought about by a lack of support up front. It's a meaningless stat without context. Anyway, as I said, I've no idea what the right thing to do is, I'm just putting my opinions of why I'm worried about RK (mainly his transfers).

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naa added 12:13 - Mar 30 Oh and RRanger: Burley got a very weak Derby team that had been floundering at the bottom into the play-offs and did the same with Southampton. That's not bad really is it? Not that I'm saying I want him back, just thought I'd clarify a bit.
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ollyfayers added 12:30 - Mar 30 naa: Well, your opinions are certainly well considered. It remains to be seen which opinion will prevail. Like I said, I think we'll find out pretty soon. RRanger: I couldn't agree more. Our players were definitely in a comfort zone. Our management and fan base need to be stable and supportive. Teams like Fulham, Wigan and Sunderland set the best example of what we should currently be aiming for. Give Roy Keane a chance, and we could become a regular Premiership outfit. Thanks for your nice words about the blog. (And I love your emphasis on WHEN we get back in to the premiership. Promotion in 2010/11 hopefully!) Trotsky: I hope we can find out truly how good Keane's signings can be by making sure that he stays, and seeing what kind of squad he builds for next year. At the moment, signings are perhaps a concern, though it is too early to tell. In my opinion, Keane is still settling in.

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PimsNumber1 added 12:47 - Mar 30 KEANE HAS a problem trusting people and it looks like he doesnt trust his scouts if he has any , but if they recommended priskin martin and healy then I can see why. Edwards he did know about and d healy , both flops . The backroom staff he trusts but they are not good enough to take us to a higher level than where we are NOW. Its all boring triangles and lay offs and shoot. That about corners and free kicks and headers from said set pieces. We are woeful. I really wanted keane to succeed and I thought he would. I would also be upset if he is fired but with his backroom and transfer ability, or lack of it , I cant see any progress.

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naa added 12:58 - Mar 30 Pims: good point about RKs lack of trust. It is fairly obvious from comments he has made in the past that he has a natural distrust of people and they have to do a lot to convince him. I personally don't think that that is a good thing in his profession. He has to be able to make quick decisions about players, scouts, staff etc. This season has shown that. He is almost through a whole season and is clearly still deciding about some players.

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itfc1981 added 14:14 - Mar 30 Bathblue, , free from this ridiculous hysteria : 'The unlucky start to the season could easily have developed into a full-on disaster, but Roy Keane’s inspirational leadership ensured that it did not'. that sounds like ridiculous hysteria to me!
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yorkshire added 14:22 - Mar 30 Nice Blog. I have to say I agree completly. Keane has made a number of mistakes over the past season - mistakes that you would expect a young and inexperienced manager to make. He has sometimes been too honest with the press but the problem for him is that he is a "big name" and therefore it is more likely that what he has to say will be reported nationally and in great depth. However, I like some of the players he has signed, Leadbitter, Murphy x2 and Delaney. I think Martin and Priskin havent had good seasons but are young enough to make amends next season and both O'Conner & Wickham have definately come on this season.There is definately more discipline in the sqad and I hope that this season will be a one off and that next season we will start winning some of these games that we have drawn.

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jbb added 14:36 - Mar 30 A manager will always be assessing his own players regarding who needs to move on, or what youngsters or other players in form deserve a chance. To those who say he doesnt know his best 11, of course he has to rotate with 2 games per wk, and there should always be an opportunity for a player to play his way back in, but his first 11 is fairly clear, with 1/2 positions being rotated, as many clubs do: GK- M; Def-W,Mc,D,O'C; Midf- W,L,N,C; Forw-Murph,Healy/Counago/Wickham. Successes in transfer/loan markets: (9); Begovic, Lee Barratt, B. Murphy, Rosenior, Delaney, O'Connor, Leadbitter, Colback, D.Murphy Failures: (3) Martin, Priskin, C.Healy Jury out: (2) Edwards, D.Healy Of the failures 2 are internationals, and both have recently scored vital goals for their loan clubs, the other has ability also and could well come good yet. Edwards & Healy (who's conditioning has let him down) are also very experienced internationals, who if they stay will very likely come into form at some stage, though both have already scored important goals.

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bluelass7 added 14:38 - Mar 30 What a great article. Agree with you 100% - Seriously, very impressive.
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TractorRoyNo1 added 15:30 - Mar 30 Good effort!
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matt_the_blue added 16:21 - Mar 30 Good blog, nice to see a reasoned argument :)
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jawapower99 added 18:20 - Mar 30 us town fans dont know how luckly we are to have a man utd legend as are manerger we should all consider are selves luckly and stick with keane. KEANOOOOOOOO ALL THE WAY
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kirbs added 23:51 - Mar 30 is this blog some sort of joke? id rather have magilton back then keep keane, although jimbo got slated as manager he did nearly get us in the play offs! I dont know any manager who has spent £8 million and is taking the team backwards, madness! Do the right thing ME and save our club please.
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ollyfayers added 00:26 - Mar 31 bluelass7, TractorRoyNo1 & matt_the_blue: Thanks for the nice comments. Good to have some encouragement. yorkshire: Yes, I think the "big name" thing you mention is definitely a factor with the press. The improved discipline is noticeable and good, isn't it. Also, I'm sure we'll start winning those games we've been conceding late goals in. itfc1981: I don't think I'm guilty of hysteria. You have to admit, the start to the season was nearly disastrous. It could have been more so, but Keane steered it away from that. His comments to the press showed strong leadership. Where's the hysteria there? kirbs: I don't understand. What do we need saving from? We're not doing too badly - it's not a Crystal Palace situation or a Norwich one. We're just not doing too well either. If this happens next season, of course it'll be a different matter. But surely it's still early days for Keane?

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Lightningboy added 09:46 - Mar 31 What is this obsession people have with Roy Keane as manager?...are you seriously happy with the "style" (and I use the word loosely) of football we're seeing?...it's like watching a pub team at times. I'm assuming that most of the people behind Keane on here are: A) Norwich fans taking the pi55 & must think Keane's reign here is hilarious. B)Man Utd fans first,town fans 2nd & will blindly follow their leader Keane wherever he goes. The sad thing is,Keane won't walk because it'll be the 3rd time he's walked out and he Knows no-one in their right mind would employ him again...sadly unless Marcus Evans has the balls to admit he's made a huge mistake we may well be stuck with this mess for another 12 months. Sadly by then we'll have missed out on Burley,Curbishley,Coppell and Mowbray.

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MBG added 14:32 - Mar 31 This blog is full of drivel. There’s the opening statement that “we have a tremendous manager” and that RK has provided “inspirational leadership”. What evidence is there for saying this? Blind faith I say. I laughed hysterically at the comment that “we just need to stop the late goals going in and convert a couple more of our chances per game, that is all”. Really? I’m reminded of the Russian saying which goes something like this: If my grandmother hadn’t died she’d still be alive today. You obviously haven’t been watching us this season or you know nothing about football. The statement that irritated me was that “Town fans and management have to be extremely careful. Constant speculation about Keane’s future may well drive him away from our club.” Are we meant to grovel and be thankful that the mighty Roy Keane has put himself at the service of little old Ipswich Town? Your sycophantic attitude demeans our club. I don’t think we should sack RK. I believe we should stick with out traditions and give him the two years he signed up for. But when it comes to assessing his performance as manager we have to be realistic. He has been woeful. Yeah, I know I’ll be accused of being disloyal. That’s nonsense. I just call it as I see it. True supporters stick by their team but also have the confidence to criticize when those in control take our club backwards. This kind of adulation towards RK and a complete disregard of the evidence contributes nothing to the debate.

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ollyfayers added 17:20 - Mar 31 Lightningboy: It is possible to support Ipswich above all and still think Keane is the right man for the job. It's his first season in charge, and his track record suggests we ought not to sack him this early. All of that Man Utd or "big personality" stuff is irrelevant. On merit, I think he should stay. I frankly hate Man Utd, and during his playing career, I intensely disliked Roy Keane. As a manager, he has impressed me. You could level the "norwich fan in disguise" claim at anyone who puts forward an opinion about itfc that you disagree with, but it's hardly likely that I'm a Norwich fan just because I think Keane should be given two seasons to succeed.

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