My last blog some time back wholeheartedly supported our man at the helm and this one will be no different, even though we have had to endure some bum-squeaking moments since that time.

rytext">This blog has been submitted by chripswich. To view more from this author click here. TWTD blogs are added by site users unedited by the admins. Want to become a TWTD blogger? Simply send us your first article via the Contact Us page. The Peterborough debacle springs to mind and some further dross on the pitch that followed even if a few points were earned along the way. I never lost belief however in Mr Keane and that we would stay up. If ever there was a club and group of players that was “too good to go down” (as the old phrase goes) it was indeed ours this season.

My last blog also featured the fact that whilst luck rarely plays much part in anything sport wise, we were without doubt the victims of some bizarre injury time occurrences earlier in the season. Occurrences that would have reflected poorly on morale and confidence. Occurrences that had they not happened we would be very much knocking on the door of the play-offs or indeed in them.

I still feel we will land a top ten finish - would we have taken that at the start of the season? Yes, I think I would if I had also seen the change in the club that we have seen emerging and also believed we would be just one or two players away from a team that will truly challenge for promotion next season. I also believe that to be the case. The facts are he has changed the mentality of our club and along the way has made us far more difficult to beat, always the place to start. We have struggled up front. I didn’t want to see Jordan Rhodes leave; we will see how Jordan’s career progresses and only that will tell us whether he was right or wrong.

Stead out on loan raised a few eyebrows? Has he set the world alight since? Priskin was probably the only poor player investment he has made (nothing to do with ability, the guys head just isn’t in the game) The facts were we landed ourselves in trouble and what proven goal scorer would have risked coming to us from October onwards?

He has tinkered around and changed teams more often than we would have liked but what would he have learnt if he hadn’t see how his players could perform and not tried different formations and tactics. There will be players we as fans like but he cannot get on with, there will be players he sees more in than we do somehow.

I listened to a phone-in with some Villa fans the other day; can you believe some of them were anti Martin O’Neill! It’s just the way the game is. There are 20,000 budding managers at Portman Road every week and another few thousand tuning in on Radio Suffolk.

For me, the last week or so has seen what we can do on the pitch and also where our club 'is at' so to speak. Bouncing back from one the most depressing nights at Portman Road when Plymouth visited with seven vital points in three tricky games. Also one of the most exciting youngsters in the country has pledged himself to the club for two years, loanees coming out and saying they would like to stay at the club and a team on the field combining young talent with some old(ish) stagers who have shown they will lead and support.

Is that a bad place to be at this time? Is this the sign of the club run by a tyrannical bully that no one can get on with?

Keano does himself no favours sometimes, he is what he is. He wears his heart on his sleeve but he is honest and it’s that honesty that really gets to people I think. Never was an evening more Keane-ish than when Mr Mariner came back to Town, we saw the best and silliest of Roy. In the pre-match press conference he was how he should have been, talking of the delights of the legends of old Ipswich, people he could learn from, people we all should respect. He showed that respect by allowing Mariner to go out and take his adulation without interference.

He then got the hump because Mariner was too busy to have a drink with him and I truly suspect the real source of his agitation was the fact we got beaten! Yep, I suspect that had quite a bit to do with the outburst. Sore loser? Well that’s fine by me!

He truly is an enigma. As most legends are. Anyone who doubts his status should, as a I do, visit Ireland and Scotland - every Dublin and Glasgow (Celtic fan) taxi driver knows the Ipswich squad and how we are doing.

But he’s learning his trade and actually in my heart I hope he doesn’t learn too much on the media front. He’s entertaining and refreshing and thank goodness the days of Burley's repetitive ramblings and Jim's nonsensical excuses are long gone.

I liked Joe Royle because he was football man and so is Roy. He brings his personality to his love. His love? Not himself, not his players, probably not even this club (I accept that), just the game of football and that will do for me. Oh, and one other passion he has? Winning, and that will also ALWAYS do for me.

Keane is 'Marmite man', you love him or you hate him with little in between.I stated in my last blog that I would judge Keano on a) Whether Connor Wickham signed a contract? b) If the team showed improvement, spirit and the ability to compete, c) Whether the club itself changed to compete in the world that is no longer how perhaps we want it to be.

I no longer wanted to be 'good old Ipswich' everyone’s second team. Well we are not that any more and all the rest of the above have ticks well and truly placed against them.

If we can secure Daryl Murphy’s services, retain Pablo and add one more proven striker we have a strike force around Wickham to be feared and that WILL score goals. A leader in midfield is all that is required along with that striker in terms of additions. Does everyone remember the long list of additions everyone felt we needed this time last year?

I think we are in for some exciting times on the pitch next season and when we have the blips along the way (which invariably happens) we can smile and, yes, sometimes cringe at the honest and entertaining sound bites from our manager. A manager I believe we very are lucky to have.

Hmmmm? But then I really like Marmite as well!

matt_the_blue added 13:00 - Apr 6 Excellent blog :)
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naa added 13:40 - Apr 6 yep, good blog. Not sure I agree with the 'what players we need' bit though. Firstly, Colback will be gone in the summer. Murphy might not stay due to wage demands. Edwards has been poor and we still don't have a left-sided solution (no idea if Civelli will ever make it or not after that injury), Rosenior seems out of the picture at the moment, so he may not want to sign permanently, but we need right-back cover. We still need a ball-player in midfield. Garvan clearly isn't on RK's radar, so we need another. I know RK favours Leadbitter and Norris, but that makes us horribly one-dimensional and leaves us playing a style of football I'm not especially happy with. That seems like quite a few players to me. Which is a worry, as we may have the early season bedding in issues all over again. Considering how this season has progressed RK should definitely get another year (or at least part of one, depending on how we start), but I really do worry about all those players we need and RK's ability to get them. Especailly when you bear in mind how much money he is likely to be given (my guess is not very much).

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sonian_blue added 13:51 - Apr 6 Well I cant stand marmite but your blog and Keano will do for me, COYB
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PimsOclock added 15:02 - Apr 6 Although you are more than a little one-sided, I have to agree that your analysis of current position compared to expectations at the start of the season is a well balanced one. Aside from the most ardent "Keane-Outer" I think every single fan who attends games on a regular basis can see clearly the progress that the team has made under Keane since that hellish start to the season. Thinking back to the televised games against Newcastle and West Brom at the start of the season, we are obviously in the ascendency and Keane has done it by a) building the team from the back, b) clearing out the dead wood and c) learning from his mistakes. You can't ask for more than that from any manager!!

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mightytown added 17:48 - Apr 6 great blog, well done mate, pimsoclock sums it up pretty well too. when i think back to all the stick i was getting from my wednesday and qpr supporting mates at the start of the season and then i look at how were doing now and what a pile of shi t theyve become and how there seasons are panning out, then it shows the improvement weve made and i feel pretty content. onwards and upwards! coyb

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budgieplucker added 21:39 - Apr 6 Well presented blog. I have to say initially I wasn't in favour of Roy Keane but funny enough he has grown on me a lot. I think his honesty is refreshing and sometimes he doesn't hold back but then again he will admit when he is wrong or perhaps when he tinkered too much. I also think he has a healthy respect for fans and I truly believe if he reached the point where he thought it was in the best interests of the club to resign then he would do so. I actually think it has been a very interesting season for the following examples:- 1) the hapless McAuley & Delaney of those first few weeks turn out to be a master pairing at the centre of defence - and many wanted to get rid of them!!!!!!! 2) who would have thought Jaime Peters would become such a worthy utility player 3) Grant Leadbitter - a very good signing 4) A delight to see the development of Shane O'Connor - the next Stuart Pearce 5) And of course the emergence of Connor Wickham providing a real presence up front and alongside Murphy having two forwards who will let the oppositions central defenders know that they have been in a game. 6) Realising that David Norris is a very good player and perhaps worthy of the sum we paid for him a couple of years ago. 7) Tommy Smith emerging and also managing to force his way into the international scene with New Zealand. 8) Decent goalkeeping coverage with Brian Murphy joining and the emergence of local lad Adam Lee-Barrett. 9) The general principal of not being afraid to blood youngsters including Jack Colback albeit a Sunderland player. 10) Do we really need big buck signings - Martin, Edwards, Priskin? 11) Mr dependable David Wright still showing he is one of the most consistent players at the club. 12) The Owen Garvan yo-yo scenario 13) The deep feelings for Sir Bobby and proving that ITFC is still a very special club. 14) How on earth did Ian Holloway take Blackpool to such giddy heights. 15) I think we have all learned a lot even Keano. 16) Ironic that Magic was reported to have headbutted a player, perhaps more of a bully than people would make our present manager to be.

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tommyblue added 23:26 - Apr 6 excellent blog
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Tractorog added 10:59 - Apr 7 Good blog. Wierd season. I said in my last post that the resolution of Daryl Murphy's situation in closed season would be key... so would Owen Garvan. He needs to either become consistent enough to make himself the automatic first name on the team sheet or go and waste his undoubted talent in someone elses reserves. (Yes I know that on his day he can be brilliant ad adds the flair the team needs in the centre of the park... but he has bad games too often). I'd now also argue the same about Pablo. OK I've lit the blue touch paper ... stand well back folks.

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TractorRoyNo1 added 13:04 - Apr 7 Well thought out.
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These_arent_the_days added 15:27 - Apr 7 Absolute pro-Keane biased blog.'settle for a top ten finish?' - did you not see post after post on this site pre-season predicting either automatic promotion or through the play-offs? 'Priskin the only bad buy?' What great qualities do you & Roy Keane see in Lee Martin that nobody else can spot?
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chripswich added 18:16 - Apr 7 Love the name..."these arent the days"..thats great! I wasnt one of the "keano is our saviour, promotion in year one" merchants, I listened to what he said about it being a two year job... so this blog can only go with what its author thought and that is what i thought.. with regards to Martin? well i see your point, but we havent seen enough of him to really decide whether he was a truly bum buy or not... i will admit the jury is well and truly out on him tho...he had a good game in the resrves today tho apparantly...we shall see.

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These_arent_the_days added 20:35 - Apr 7 chripswitch Thanks for a constructive reply to my comments - makes a nice change to some of the more insulting posts that often appear
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naaridge1coly7 added 22:06 - Apr 7 and of course Lee Martin was a cracking signing......more blind faith.......boring........
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naaridge1coly7 added 22:10 - Apr 7 and isnt healy superb signing? go back to managing sunderland reserves,we still havent forgotten plymouth or peterborough in a complete disaster of a season. Blimey we started a rumour bout healy on here over a year ago and he ends up signing him wot a larf!!!!
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theswitch added 11:20 - Apr 8 Bizarre punctuation. We all knew with Keane that; he would make some brilliant purchases (Grant Leadbitter and Dwight Yorke) and some bad really bad? (
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Guthrum added 09:34 - Apr 9 naaridge1coly7 - "we still havent forgotten plymouth or peterborough"? You already seem to have forgotten Cardiff, Derby, Blackpool and other games we've beaten teams as good as us (or drawn with upper-table teams - e.g. Leicester, West Brom). "a complete disaster of a season"? If that's how you'd describe a mid-table finish, what words would you use for Peterborough's season, already relegated in early April?

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PutYaBootsOnKeano added 20:55 - Apr 9 Well written Sir, nice prose. And I agree with all sentiment within. I think we could all add a few pointers to what we need for next season; I just hope everyone remains patient. Next season is where the heat is. But it will not be easy; this league simply never is. Having Keano is a blessing in the history of this club, because it arrests any rotting and keeps us firmly on the map, and addresses some of the maturing the club needs to do. That combined with our heritage and strong club board ethos, makes us a pretty fine club to be associated with. Also, i do quite fondly believe Roy does love this club. I don't think he knew what we were when he took us on; but his attitude since suggests to me that he wants in.

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tractorboybig added 08:18 - Apr 13 a well written blog, But it misses a point. there is not much in this set up to inspire? We are light years behind those teams our club should be competing with and up till now we have been. Evans has not moved the club foward, he has set the debt to one side which we have to pay back, he has employed a manager who has taken us back wards not onwards and has supporters comparing our season with the likes of Peterborouh. I think Keen has gone as far foward as he can and if thge status quo remains then a mid table finnish is all we can expect. An outsider could probaly argue thats all ITFC now are and we all live in a dream world.

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blueherts added 14:02 - Apr 13 I think at the start of the season if you had said we would satisfied with a mid table finish many people would have questioned it. Keane -by his own words- created a false expectation - and I think many ( and I remember Chris Coleman making a sarcastic comment after the first game) felt we believed we had a chance to reach playoffs We are where we are because we have been average( at best) all season Wow- build from the back eh - must remember that one - lets also play midfielders who sit back and will not push forward , oh and one up front Signings - Martin ( Genius- Alex F must have funded his academy for few more years) , Priskin ? , Edwards and Healy Just please be a realist and not look at this season through rose coloured specs YES after our start we have improved but - that is Keane was here from the start he HAD to do something . With a two year plan we should have a pretty settled team ( give or take) that could take us to the play offs next season - I would love it - but with Keane overseeing it - who is he going to attract . Prove me wrong I hope , but cant see it

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Happy2bBlue added 18:16 - Apr 13 Well written, very little to disagree with. COYB
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PaulMariner added 13:27 - Apr 14 Lots to disagree with, on many levels.
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patrickswell added 16:08 - Apr 14 The season hasn't met expectations. I really thought that the Keane effect would see us challenging for promotion but it hasn't panned out that way. But, bizarrely, I think this could work to our adavantage next year. Keane will have learnt more from this year of struggle than he ever would have done had we stormed the division. As the hubbub around him dies down, he can get on with developing a squad capable of mounting a promotion challenge. We've seen the core of a squad emerge over the last few months and if this core can be supplemented with some better purchases over the summer, then I think we can do a lot better next year. I've been behind Keane this year, as much as anything because I don't think any manager should be judged in anything less than 2 years. However, there were periods when I felt that Marcus Evans would be moved to pull the trigger: 1) It may have been impossible for Keane to stay if we still hadn't registered a win after the Reading away game (Thank God, for a depleted Derby side). 2) After the Peterborough away game, with us back in the bottom 3, what would have happened to Roy had we gone to Sheffield Wednesday and lost? In the event, picking up the three points at Hillsborough gave the team the impetus it needed to start climbing away from trouble. It's been solid and unspectacular, but God knows the Owls would have killed for our run of results since that game. In conclusion, the other big irony of this season is for all the talk of "what a disastrous campaign it's been", is that had we not given away the late goals we did against Sheffield United, Barnsley, Watford and West Brom, we'd be 4 points off the play offs with 3 games to play. The margin really is that fine. Let's hope next year that we can narrow the gap.

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The_Stotts added 18:55 - Apr 21 Useless blog..Keane is useless too.
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