Boss Roy Keane says midfielder Ed Upson needs to “get a move on” if he is to win an extension to his contract which is up in the summer. Upson, who until recently has been sidelined with glandular fever, netted the penalty which won last week’s reserves derby against Norwich, but failed to impress his watching manager.

Keane says that 20-year-old Upson, scorer of the winning goal in the 2005 FA Youth Cup final when just 15, has a lot to do to extend his Town stay: “Ed was poor. Just because you score a penalty doesn’t mean you’ve played well.

“He needs to get a move on with his fitness because his contract’s up in three or four months. He did a bleep test yesterday and his score wasn’t the best, but we’ll see. It’s up to the player.”

Upson was given a one-year contract by Keane last summer, having previously been told he would be released by former boss Jim Magilton.

The Bury St Edmunds-born youngster has made two senior appearances, both in the Carling Cup earlier in the season, the second against tonight’s opponents Peterborough.

Keane was also unimpressed with new signing Devann Yao’s first public display in a Town shirt during last week’s match at Carrow Road: “He didn’t play well in the game. He was poor, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt as it was his first game as he’s still getting up to speed in terms of his fitness levels.”

Yao, 19, recently signed a deal until the end of the season, having impressed in a trial before Christmas.

Photo: Action Images

Billy_Whizz added 09:06 - Feb 16 Oops - poor in the Reserves isn't great - though Upson had been getting good Reports earlier in the Season. Obviously no Devann tonight then either?
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Bluecynic added 09:54 - Feb 16 If the lad has had Glandular Fever no wonder he did badly in the bleep test. I'm not sure these comments are that helpful. Are they taken out of context?
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mistleyblue added 10:30 - Feb 16 why sign him then ?
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JayITFC added 10:32 - Feb 16 Not sure Keane should be saying this in public, IMO it's a chat to be had between player and managed in private.
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g0ddard added 10:34 - Feb 16 i agree, i dont think you should publicly critisize your players
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Blueknight85 added 11:00 - Feb 16 its quite a friendly comment compared to some of that crap written on here
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Aussieblue added 11:01 - Feb 16 Keano, I think its you that needs to get a move on, nuff said.
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ITFCenFrance added 11:10 - Feb 16 Bonjour ladies and gents! Agree with some of the earlier comments... Telling a player to get his s**t together in a face-to-face meeting is surely better than demoralising the lad in public. OK, so he needs to pull his socks up- but if these comments are meant to shock Upson into action, I'm sure that it would have been sufficiently daunting- and therefore effective- if delivered in private, in the manager's office. Having said all of that, if journalists pose questions regarding specific players, which I assume was the case here, then maybe we as supporters should be thankful for Keane's honesty. A bit of compassion regarding the ol' glandular fever wouldn't have done any harm though. I'm still on board with the Keano revolution, as it seems he is shaping things up nicely. Having said that, I'm living abroad and the last game I saw live was the 3-0 win vs QPR in December... So maybe I'm seeing things through rose-tinted spectacles (I love that saying- very camp)! 3 points tonight in the real East Anglian Derby s'il vous plaît, monsieur Keane!

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brockleyblueboy added 11:18 - Feb 16 I don't totally agree with what Keane said but maybe some players need to dressed down in public in order for them to get a reaction. When Keane was at Sunderland he still had this mean edge to him, which in a way he has lost. So maybe he is going to get it back, be harder on the players and kick their butts untill we are safe. Good luck tonight tonight lads, its not going to be easy but if we get our heads down and get stuck in then we can get the 3 points.

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bennyblue added 11:28 - Feb 16 i think you should publicly criticize whoever you want as long as you can take the same.why are we signing up these 2nd rate players and managers ?
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:28 - Feb 16 Glandular fever really sets you back, unlikely that R K s phsycotherapy,is likeley to help,!
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SouperJim added 11:31 - Feb 16 Keane is boss, I see nothing wrong with his comments. He didn't go over the top, he was just honest, they were poor and need to do better. If the players have the right attitude, it'll motivate them to prove what they can do and turn it around. If they don't, then they're probably not right for Roy Keane's Ipswich Town FC.
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peakyboy added 11:53 - Feb 16 he will be the next victim by mr keane! 20 years of age, not in the 1st team yet. sorry but he will be gone.
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peakyboy added 11:57 - Feb 16 infact im loving roy keane! its the 1st time we get to know anything about the players at itfc.. before i cant remember hearing a thing on players. he tells it how it is :) keep up the good work keano!
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tom_the_blue added 12:27 - Feb 16 I agree with Keano on this one. He hasn't pushed on since scoring in the youth cup final a few years back. He needs to work very hard to secure a contract, and if he doesn't put in that extra effort I'm sure no-one can blame Keano for releasing him. COYB
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8ashblue added 12:46 - Feb 16 Ed needs to know now that its in his court. He was promising at 16/18 but has failed to make the grade so cannot expect to remain at this level if he isnt up to it. He has got lots in his favour (skill, left sided, eye for goal etc) but it takes more than that to succeed. I would have hoped that palying with Norris Leadbitter he would have seen what was required so even though glandular fever would have put him back for a while, my guess is that he's not good enough. Bye

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WadzillaBhoy added 13:19 - Feb 16 In the TWTD report for the game it said that Devann put in an impressive shift
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Blue_Jack added 14:17 - Feb 16 i was at the reserves game last wednsday. Devanne Yao was the fittest, strongest and most skillful player wearing either blue or gold - a fact eagerly agreed upon by the city fans ( they outnumbered us by about 200 - 5 ) I couldnt see RK, he must have been in the dugout hiding from the snow. Maybe it got in his eyes ..... Trust me, Yao is a class act & he would be the perfect solution slotted down the left

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onceginergernowgrey added 14:58 - Feb 16 Anyone thought that perhaps RY has already had the private chat in the office and this is the next step? Seems to me that this bloke (Keane) doesn't do much without a reason. Whether or not you agree with his reasoning............................
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mightytown added 16:17 - Feb 16 keane telling a player he's not doing well enough, sounds fine to me. you lot are in danger of making a mountain out of a mole hill!
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Blue_Showboat added 17:45 - Feb 16 I think Keane will have had those chats behind closed doors when he offered him a contract extention and on a number of occassion throughout the season. He was going to be shown the door before Keane arrived, Keane obviously saw something in him and gave him the chance to prove himself with a year contract, and at the age of 20, he should have been knocking on the door all season if he wants to break the first team. All Keane is doing is giving him a reality check, he has 3/4 months to prove he has what it takes to make the grade at this level or he wont be here next year. Different players need to be managed in different ways remember, an arm around the shoulder will work for some and make others complacent, a kick up the arse like this can make some players drop their heads, but others will come out fighting to prove their worth, and if Upson wants to play at this level he needs to realise his potential and soon!!!

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