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.

ollyfayers added 17:42 - Mar 31 MSG: To be honest, your reply to my blog is needlessly confrontational and insulting. I'm not sure that your outburst deserves a reply, but I'll give you one anyway. I think Roy Keane IS a tremendous manager, despite the first season not going to plan. I don't think it's as crazy a suggestion as you'd like to make out. You say he's been "woeful". I disagree. He's been below average. If it was "woeful", we'd still be in the relegation zone. It was a woeful start, and an admirable recovery. Meanwhile, you're reminded of the Russian saying? Only because your grasp of logic seems painfully limited. I've given you the evidence for what I believe to be his inspirational leadership, and it comes in the form of the press conferences which prevented our team from deteriorating entirely. You may have laughed hysterically, but the argument wasn't that out there. Maybe your hysterical laughter reflects more on your own mind than on the weirdness of my argument? What's more, did I say we should grovel to Keane? No. I said we need to be very wary that continued speculation destabilises the management and the team. That's all. There is no point pushing a manager to the brink when he's trying to do his job. We should be consolidating, not demolishing and rebuilding. My "attitude" is far from sycophantic, and that implication of "little old Ipswich Town" seems to exist more in your own crazy derangement than in my blog post. I'm the last person who would ever have that attitude. Being in charge of a football club which the hopes of a whole county rest on is bloody important. No-one is bigger than that. But as a manager, Roy Keane needs more time. You "call it as you see it" apparently, but that doesn't mean you see it correctly. I'm not going to be as pathetic as you and accuse you of being a lousy supporter - there is absolutely NO point in doing that - but I will say that you could criticise in a way that is less demeaning and insulting than you do. It's bad news for the club, and for the fans. Needlessly divisive. I've not eulogized Keane, but I've said he's a good manager who deserves the two seasons any manager should be given to perform. Given your statement that "a complete disregard of the evidence contributes nothing to the debate", you'd have thought you might think a little harder about what you write yourself. Do come back if you have something useful to say this time.

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julesbda added 17:44 - Mar 31 Let me start by saying i'm still a fan of RK , but i have to ask is this submission made with " tongue in cheek " ?? surely no one can believe we only need a " little bit of tweaking " and we had an " unlucky start " ?? what is an unlucky start exactly ??? we lost games or we drew games and we didn't win games ...when it happens over an extended period of time it isn't unlucky ...someone else pointed out the issue of " inspirational leadership " and i must say i really don't think RK has any of that ...he rules by fear and nothing else ....with some players that works and with others it doesn't ...hence him bringing in players he knows . As for handling pressure we saw he doesn't handle it well with the press conference snap at reporters and his general " blame it on the defence " most of the season . I must admit i gained a lot of respect for him when he stated that their position in the league was down to him and no one else . That was honest for me and good to hear ....Many people seem to mention Norwich !! Well all i can say is that they get 25,0000 for each home game and we can't ...so clearly the fans have voted by their feet and the ipswich fans aren't coming each week for a reason !! This season has been a disaster , we started the year TOP 4 favourites , with hope and money spent . We finish the season near the bottom of the table and hopefully staying up . Attendances are down nearly 10% .... So what to do , i hope they give him till next season and we avoid another " unlucky start " and things pick up ...as someone else said ..it would be tough being ME and making the decision !!

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ollyfayers added 18:08 - Mar 31 julesbda: Sorry, no tongue in cheek I'm afraid. I believe that the sheer amount of games drawn is a problem which can be remedied more easily than if your team is losing plenty. So many draws means that we are hard to win against - which is halfway there. We can use the next season to make it hard to keep points against us altogether. I understand your problem with the idea of an "unlucky start", but we had been playing better than our results suggested. The first game against Coventry set the pattern for a while after. Also, if Roy Keane rules by fear, as people commonly suppose, why would players return to be managed by him? I can only believe that the idea of him being a despotic boss cannot be true, otherwise players simply would not drop a division to be ordered around by him. I think it's not been a disaster, it's just been poor. We all know what disaster looks like. Ask a Norwich or Charlton fan how they felt back in May last year. We shouldn't have that worry. Meanwhile, it's surely fairer to say that lower attendances are due to whopping ticket prices more than anything. It is bloody expensive to see Town - there's no way round it. Roy Keane does not control that. At any rate, thank you for putting your criticisms in a nicer way than the chap before you. As you've demonstrated, it is possible to disagree without being cheap and insulting.

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naaridge1coly7 added 18:33 - Mar 31 You all must be related to Keane reading some of this utter drivel. Curbs in all the way for me.......
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julesbda added 18:44 - Mar 31 Ollyfayers ; i think the biggest issue i honestly have is ....i don't see progress . I do live 4,000 miles away and only get to games 2-3 times per year and get the rest off BBC websites etc , highlight reels etc ..so it is tough for me to really get an idea of what is what ...but we finished the last few seasons close to the playoffs . We had money to spend , we have totally changed the team and we are fighting to stay in the division . I'm just don't see the same players and manager getting us promoted next season . Maybe i am wrong ( i really hope i am !! ) . Everytime we seem to get a good result or two , we then lose playing horrible football and we are back to square one !! . So i'm just not sure how that continuity will come about ....Even though i am a fan of RK i honestly think a change at the top is the only answer ....like i say ..i will be very happy if RK proves me wrong !! take care mate ...and don't worry about abuse .....i'm a Banker ..i get plenty of it daily :)

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ollyfayers added 18:59 - Mar 31 julesbda: Hmph. Getting back in to the Premiership is hard work. However it happens, I hope it happens next year. naaridge1coly7: You're having a laugh! Loads of the comments have been against Keane. [I'm quickly becoming bemused by the argument that if someone doesn't agree with you, they must be spouting 'drivel'. A tad simplistic, methinks.]
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WadzillaBhoy added 21:36 - Mar 31 Naa - Richard Wright best days are behind him, I'm afraid to say. We need to move forwards with youung talent. Murphy although no spring chicken still has at least 3-4 years till he hits his prime. Also Shane O'Connor was a RK signing and he's been amazing. I love the way that RK lets the youth get a look in in the team and also RK doesnt have his favourite players he judges them on how they trained that week. A great idea as it shows the players if you put the effort in you will reap the benefits. Keano, regardless of what some fans think, has great man management skills and with time when he perfects the tactical side of his game will be one of the best managers in English football. With Keano's drive and determination any fool can work out he will one day become a great manager, because he wants to be the best and in general has the right attitude. He will be a great manager, hopefully for Ipswich but it is up to us fans to support him and not add pressure onto a man who is still learning his trade. Curbs has as much charisma as a wet sponge and really is not the right man for the job. He is obviously a man who is lacking managerial confidence after his shocking job at West Ham, just look at how long he has been out the game. The one thing we dont need right now is a weak manager and thankfully nobody can accuse RK of being weak. Get behind Keane and Keep the faith. COYB - I smell six points against the scum next season - hopefully we re-relegate them next season on our journey back to the prem! The future is bright fellow town fans.

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WadzillaBhoy added 21:36 - Mar 31 Naa - Richard Wright best days are behind him, I'm afraid to say. We need to move forwards with youung talent. Murphy although no spring chicken still has at least 3-4 years till he hits his prime. Also Shane O'Connor was a RK signing and he's been amazing. I love the way that RK lets the youth get a look in in the team and also RK doesnt have his favourite players he judges them on how they trained that week. A great idea as it shows the players if you put the effort in you will reap the benefits. Keano, regardless of what some fans think, has great man management skills and with time when he perfects the tactical side of his game will be one of the best managers in English football. With Keano's drive and determination any fool can work out he will one day become a great manager, because he wants to be the best and in general has the right attitude. He will be a great manager, hopefully for Ipswich but it is up to us fans to support him and not add pressure onto a man who is still learning his trade. Curbs has as much charisma as a wet sponge and really is not the right man for the job. He is obviously a man who is lacking managerial confidence after his shocking job at West Ham, just look at how long he has been out the game. The one thing we dont need right now is a weak manager and thankfully nobody can accuse RK of being weak. Get behind Keane and Keep the faith. COYB - I smell six points against the scum next season - hopefully we re-relegate them next season on our journey back to the prem! The future is bright fellow town fans.

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ollyfayers added 23:48 - Mar 31 WadzillaBhoy - Damn right - "get behind Keane and keep the faith" & "the future is bright fellow town fans". Spot on, I reckon.
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WarkonWater added 07:09 - Apr 1 I’m loathe to criticize bloggers because it takes an effort to put something up there but this is not a well-thought out, well-written piece. I tend to agree with those who said the article completely disregards the facts. It’s more like a posting from someone form the Roy Keane fan club rather than a serious blog. I’m not one of those people calling for him to be sacked. But we have to call a spade a spade. It was Keane himself who said that any half-decent manager could get his team to mid-table in the Championship. What then do you call a manager who has had big money to spend by Championhip standards and has his team in relegation bother? Yes, he’s harsh on himself at press conferences but that doesn’t make up for his abysmal performance.

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MBG added 13:27 - Apr 1 Ollyfayers, on reflection my post might have been somewhat insulting so I apologize. But you appear to be star-struck with Roy Keane and oblivious to the facts. Here they are: - RK did not take over a struggling team - he has spent big on transfer fees, player loans and wages by Championship standards - every other club that has invested as much as Ipswich Town in the playing squad are vying for promotion - we are still battling relegation - every Championship manager says we have a talented squad yet RK can’t get them to perform – poor at defending set pieces, poor at converting from set pieces, no movement, no creativity, players looking confused, players lacking confidence etc. etc. - RK’s only managerial achievement was taking Sunderland up in his first year. But they were a team which had just been relegated and had retained a Premiership squad with further money to spend. The gulf between the top two divisions means that every other team relegated from the Premiership that has managed to maintain their squad has also gone straight back up - he has a two year contract and will only leave before then if he decides to walk out or ME makes a commercial decision to get rid of him Given the facts above how can you come up with superlatives such as “tremendous manager” and “inspirational leadership”, that all the team requires is a bit of “tweaking”, that the season has been “far from desperate” and that “fans …may well drive him away from our club”? Our best case scenario this season is that we stay up but we’ll still probably finish in our lowest league position in over 40 years despite the big spending. Is this not serious enough for you? I hope RK brings about a major transformation next season. Then you can write another blog saying “I told you so”. But until that happens we should deal with the facts and not your rose-tinted view of RK’s record and what you think might happen.

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Marshalls_Mullet added 13:48 - Apr 1 MBG - You speak a lot of sense!!
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jbb added 15:01 - Apr 1 To some of the points raised by MGB above I would say- RK may not have taken over a struggling team, but he took over one from a manager who rightly got 3 seasons, & who's team never looked like it was going to be good enough to go up; a new manager brings a rebuilding phase, to dismantle that now and start again would be madness, especially as the team has produced play off form since the end of October (40 pts from 26 games). - Re spending big, S.Clegg admitted that recent loan signings were more than financed by players loaned out, and if fees paid were paid last summer, dont forget the club got fees in for a number of players sold; not all of the signings have worked out so far, they rarely do, but most have; - If players were performing as you say, they wouldnt have acheived 40 pts from last 26 games; - re Sunderland, they got relegated with a very poor team that I think failed to win a single game in Premiership,RK had virtually none of that team, he sold one of the few remaining players Stead for £1m, they were bottom when he took over, won the league, but his biggest acheivement was keeping them in the premiership, he did spend money, but it was spent on championship players on comparatively low wages; - RK is putting a new team together, a team that will have a real chance of going up, that cant be expected to happen overnight. The signs are good, a solid base is now there. He insists on genuine players who give honesty of effort. There is still work to be done in the attacking third, & it is vital that D. Murphy is signed during the summer. Hopefully Civelli comes back.

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Marshalls_Mullet added 15:46 - Apr 1 Crikey - We do all have really low expectations thanks to RK. I dont think ITFC are a Prem club, but given the money spent (even on a net basis), we should have been top half all season and at least near the playoffs. The poor start to the season was not down to bad luck. The biggest worry is that the team dont look capable of imrpoving as the football is dire. And to those who seem to think a draw is nearly as good as a win, remember that in terms of points it aint much better than a loss!!

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ollyfayers added 17:00 - Apr 1 MBG: I don't think I'm oblivious to the things you've pointed out; I'm just seeing things from a different perspective to you. I'm absolutely not starstruck by Roy Keane; his high profile status does not come into it. After all, he sure as hell isn't bigger than Ipswich Town football club. Not to any of us, and last of all to me. Ipswich means too much to all of us to be starstruck by a manager who once played good football. My points are based on how any manager should be treated, and on his track record, which isn't awful. I'm a lot more in agreement with jbb. Although you think I'm looking at it through the tinted specs, I would really hope I'm not - replacing Keane and building another team will be problematic compared to allowing him a chance to really build his own squad. (I appreciate the apology though, and hope that my passionate reaction wasn't equally insulting. That's the problem with something like this which divides people in their love for the club I guess.) marhsallsmullet: I personally don't have low expectations for the club, and I am aware of how much we've flirted with relegation so far, but my opinion is that things look a lot worse than they are. I'd be surprised if we aren't good next season. I think that playing as we have in the last few months from the beginning will harvest plenty of points. jbb: I think you put it really well. Good points, backed up by facts. Let's just make sure we all support the team in a constructive and united way - this is the kind of advantage we normally have over other teams, whose fans spend more time demolishing their club than supporting it.

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Daleyitfc added 22:44 - Apr 1 The rose coloured specs brigade in full flow : "Inspirational leadership" ???? Richard Nixon would be proud.
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bluechick added 12:39 - Apr 2 Hey Olly, Firstly shouldn't a blog be written in the singular as it's your opinion? Secondly Roy has no track record, his signings here are in the red, bad outweigh the good and by now we should have at least some signs of a team knowing how to play together. Send him to Celtic, forget about Mowbray or Burley coming back. If Keane goes be it his choice or not then lets see who applies & go from there.

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ollyfayers added 12:50 - Apr 2 bluechick: I don't think I have to write the entire blog in first person just to highlight that it's merely my opinion. Everyone knows it's just opinion anyway. Daleyitfc: Did you just link me or Keane to Richard Nixon?! Can't help but feel that's a tad over the top! I defend that assertion about inspirational leadership though - it takes balls to accept total responsibility of a club's league position, and it simultaneously relieves the pressure on the team. Had he not done that, we'd probably be jostling with Peterborough right now.

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WadzillaBhoy added 15:03 - Apr 2 Bluechick - Im sorry but if we send RK off to Celtic after about 11 months in charge, who in their right mind with experience will apply for the job? I think most fans who want Keano out are the oblivious ones. If you think about it logically keeping RK at least till the end of his contract is the only way we stand a chance of promotion. If we get rid of him abruptly then relegation is a huge possibility. Right now we are safe under Keano, why rock the boat? Wait to see how we do next season around Nov-Dec and then if we aren't at least in the top half of the table then look for a replacement before the january transfer window opens so that a new boss can add to the squad. Some fans are too gun ho, I'm glad they arent on the board or we'd soon be in Blue Sqauare South! Look I want our club to succeed as well but everyone surely must know that takes time, even with all the money in the world. Im afraid some people assume that just because we have ME on the board we should be up in the Prem. Thats not how football works, prime example QPR (second richest club in the world could be in League 1 next season!) QPR are in serious danger because they did what some fans want our club to do. i.e chop and change managers. Stablilty not only gives us a chance of promotion but also a chance of staying there. Surely Im right in saying thats what most fans want rather than being like a Derby. Going up only to look like a joke then crashing back down to reality. I seriously dont understand the rush some fans are in. Get a grip of reality and back our blues please before I lose all my hair. BTW im only 22! I think some fans either initially hated RK before he became manager for no real reason or they instantly thought we'd become Man U overnight! Get over it people, your attitude isn't helping our club. COYB

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oldmantractor added 13:21 - Apr 13 its one thing to back the lad but quite another to describe him as a "tremendous" manager!! please tell me one thing he has done to merit such a description...
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