Boss Roy Keane says former skipper Jon Walters will never play for the club again as long as he is manager. Walters, who is the subject of a new transfer bid, was stripped of the captaincy yesterday with Keane dropping him from today’s team and disciplining him for his reaction to being given the news.

Keane said: “Jon was due to play and he was in my team on Friday morning, but I spoke to Jon on Friday. I’d been thinking a lot about the captaincy side of things and I just felt that it isn’t right that a player who has a clear desire to leave the club should be captain.

“I thought it was a straightforward one but Jon’s reaction was unbelievably overboard, he’s been disciplined and as long as I’m manager of the football club he’ll never kick a ball for us.

“But we had another offer on Friday night, whether that was a coincidence or not, from a different club. The owner’s negotiating with this other club at the moment. I don’t think you’ll see Jon playing for this club again. We hope a deal can be done quickly, but we’ve heard that one before and until we get the fee we’re happy with it’ll drag on a little bit longer.”

Keane says regardless of yesterday's developments he expected Walters to be on his way this week in any case: “I wouldn’t say it was a ruck, [it was] a disagreement, an exchange of views is a posh way of putting it. I’ve had heated exchanges with many a person, the wife, players, team-mates, managers. I’ve crossed the line a few times myself and you have to take your punishment.

“But I think Jon was going to be leaving next week anyway, no secret there because if his agent is talking to every Tom, Dick and Harry, why should I hide behind anything? If your desire is to leave the club, then you shouldn’t be captain.”

Keane says the new offer isn’t from Stoke or West Brom and hints that it may be from a club from outside the Premier League, with QPR previously reported to have had a £2.5 million offer rebuffed: “There’s been another offer come in, more than Stoke, which I’m glad about because they’ve just been tip-toeing around the situation.

“I’ve said to the owner, if these other clubs, these big Premier League teams, don’t want to come back for him, we’ll sell him to the other team. That’s my opinion but the owner’s obviously negotiating with these other clubs.”

Meanwhile, Keane says he hopes to have three new additions in his squad when Town travel to Crystal Palace next week: “I’m quietly confident that we’ll have three players in.

“There’s one you know and that’s Jason Scotland. We’re trying hard with him and Wigan have made it clear we’ve had a bid accepted. We’re talking at the moment and let’s see what happens.

“We were never going to get it done for the weekend, but we hope Jason might be involved next week.“

The proposed swap involving Cardiff's Ross McCormack and Jon Stead appears unlikely to be one of those three moves with that deal moving slowly and other clubs interested in the Town striker. One of the new signings is the young, defensive loanee Keane was targeting at the end of the week, who Celtic manager Neil Lennon has revealed is Darren O'Dea.

The Blues boss was delighted with his side’s performance against Burnley: “Brilliant, good game, good tempo, good spirit, good energy. It lacked quality sometimes from our point of view. I mightn’t look it, but I’m absolutely delighted.

“Physically they looked stronger in terms of height. We had a game on Tuesday, we had an away game last weekend and an unbelievable amount of injuries. Grant picked up a bad one today, it looks a sore one, he may have chipped a bone in his ankle."

Midfielder Leadbitter, who was on crutches after the game, is set for a scan on Monday.

Burnley manager Brian Laws felt he was likely to be more pleased with the result than his former Nottingham Forest team-mate: “I think overall I’m probably the happier of the managers because we got a draw out of it. When you go down to 10 men it’s always tough and to concede in that last period was tough on the players because I thought at times we looked in real control.

“But Roy might say the same. I don’t think either goalkeeper had a lot to do. There was a lot of good interplay but I think the final pass was a bit lacking, which is something that we’ve got to work on and improve.

“The one thing that you have to work with is energy and commitment and certainly the players gave that commitment right until the last moments of the game and I was delighted to get the goal.”

Photo: Action Images

ramseyn added 08:48 - Aug 15 Crock... Why don't you finish the last two words of your name?
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thechangingman added 09:42 - Aug 15 I just LOVE this forum! On the absolute minimum of information people hold forth on issues that they literally know NOTHING about - it's high comedy at its very best, thank you one and all ;0) So, we only get to hear one side of the story and that from Mr Roy Keane, a man not exactly renowned for his diplomacy, man-management skills and maturity. And yet, in our celebrity-obsessed times his word proves enough to convince everyone that his account is true and the other guy must be a bad, bad man... Hilarious! Once again I thank each and every one of you who jump on the trust-every-word-Keane-says-bandwagon for the comic-gold entertainment that you provide for this forum. Very rarely has a man with so few discernible skills gone so far, caused so much damage and been quite so confrontational and emotionally unstable and yet been so regaled by those he is conning. And now with exactly the same predictability let the abuse roll in from those who perceive themselves as pro-Keane and everyone with a different message as wrong! For the record, I've been attending Portman Road for nigh on 40 years now and have supported the Town through thick and thin. I am Town til I die and want our club to be back where they belong, i.e. top 6 in Championship/half-way up Premiership. With Keane at the helm? To be honest, I hope not - I really, really hope not... Cue the negative feedback... ;0)

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ramseyn added 09:46 - Aug 15 The changing man : let me get this right, from your post it seems you're saying you hope Ipswich don't make it to the premiership with Roy Keane? And you have the nerve to have a pop at others. If we get to the premiership I don't care if kermit the frog gets us there.
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OrkneyBlue added 10:10 - Aug 15 This has all gone a bit pete tong for Walters. First off, his desire to play a higher level is probably no different than any other player at our club given the chance. However, the big difference is how each one would go about it and for me, with the info that we have been provided with, he's and/or his agent have just gone about it in a very unprofesional manner which i think is why the majority feel a bit let down as before this he was the so called model pro. You would expect this kind of behaviour from other players, other clubs like the Leroy Litas of this world but not JW. The club granted him his wish by agreeing with the transfer request, should've just kept his head down and carried on working hard. Shame. As for the captain thing, again the thing to have done, even if he felt so hacked off as he obviously did, would have been to express that he disagreed but understood the decision. There was no point spitting the dummy if he is moving on anyway, you can't have your cake and eat it.

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thechangingman added 10:11 - Aug 15 Hi ramseyn You want to get my post right? Thank you for that. No, I am absolutely NOT saying that I hope that Ipswich fail to get to the Premiership. What I am saying is that I hope that they do so (eventually) but that Mr Keane won't by then be at the helm. Happy to clear that up for you and maybe you have an idea in regard to Kermit - is he available to start immediately?

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ramseyn added 10:44 - Aug 15 Changingman, ok, say can I ask a straight question. Would you be happy if town go up with keane.
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Len_Brennan added 11:03 - Aug 15 thechangingman: Fair point and well made. None of us on here know what the true story behind this whole saga is and certainly RK has the better opportunity to give regular comment with his spin on it, where Walters does not. As manaager, RK has every right to do what he thinks is best and if that is stripping Walters of the captaincy and dropping him, well fair enough. But going public with the "never play again" stuff is naive & self-serving. It only proved to cause uncertainty fear and mistrust last season when McAuley, Stead, Wright & Garvan were spoken of it those terms. All four subsequently did play again and ultimately Wright went on a free, Gravan for a pittance & Stead available for a fraction of what he is actually worth to the team. McAuley on the other hand has been an absolute necessity, despite losing the captaincy. RK has to learn not to let his own personal annoyance etc. not interfere with doing with is best for the club, in terms of playing some players or maximising the financials.

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h32 added 11:06 - Aug 15 And to think that the 'late great' Sir Bobby Robson once managed this club of ours, and of course all it's people, as it should be done in every respect - very successfully too. What would he think of the current state of flux ?? How times change !
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h32 added 11:11 - Aug 15 thechanginman - excellent post - a pleasure to read. Needless to say I agree with every word.
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suffolksam added 11:14 - Aug 15 roy is the worst player manager known to man now we have lost our captain and 2 points only the 2nd game into the seasson.sack him sack him
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blueconscience added 11:24 - Aug 15 Walters is pathetic, he has had one good season, and will be no major loss. Good on Keane for being firm, and not wanting an idiot like Walters as captain.
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ramseyn added 11:35 - Aug 15 Mug.
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h32 added 11:39 - Aug 15 Some of you 'posters' are so pro Keane it is totally unbelievable - you make it so obvious that it would be the easiest thing in the world for him to convince you all 'that black is white' - and you wouldn't even query it !! The rest of us, in the main, try to give a thoroughly balanced view with the well being of all things ITFC at heart - because we care about 'the club' not just 'one man' within it. But of course it takes all sorts ................................ and we have them.

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Mungo added 11:42 - Aug 15 Oh dear. This is getting a bit out of hand. Shame because, like others, I always thought JW was a good hard working player. Hope the move goes through quickly to bring an end to this unpleasant situation. Whatever the motives behind all this, the whole thing doesn't seem to have been handled very well by either JW or RK. Lets hope it doesn't put off any potential signings...

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ramseyn added 11:44 - Aug 15 I'm neither pro or anti, there have been times I've praised and equally cursed. But when I see comments a la Suffolk sam which say two points lost and only two games into the season sack him sack him. Clearly some of the anti keaneites either know so little about football or that it's no longer about football which if the case there can be no balanced views.
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thechangingman added 12:05 - Aug 15 Hello again ramseyn I am pleased to answer your question although I am puzzled as to why you ask it. Do you have a predetermined answer that you'd like me to give in order to fulfil your definition of a 'true fan' and therefore a 'wrong' answer that'll help you to decide that I don't meet your criteria? Whatever your reasons (which honestly DO fascinate me...) I would say that of course I'd rather have Town up with Roy than down without him but that this would, in my humble opinion, be a very undesirable scenario and not one, I think, that would lead to success, exciting football and a stable football club. My question to you is: Do you want Town up at ALL costs? Even if those costs actually destabilise the club and ultimately lead to our destruction? I thought not. We are all Town fans on here and as such we need to support our club - because that is what it actually is: OUR Club. That doesn't mean that we have to blindly follow every single thing the club does or, indeed, to support the periphery staff, such as coach, manager, owner. When they are LONG gone (and, in some cases quickly forgotten) OUR Club will still be here and we will all still be supporting them. I am not anti-Roy per se. I gave him a chance, against my natural inclinations, when he first arrived here. The thing is that he has yet to do even one thing that has helped to alleviate my fears that he is anything other than what I had thought of him in the past. I.e. a bigoted, narrow-minded, immature, unprofessional, non-diplomatic, inept, bitter, angry, violent little man with a LOT of money... Ahhh, it's good to get it all off your chest sometimes isn't it? The bottom line is that I really don't want to be known as being 'Anti-Keane' - I just want to be, in the truest sense PRO-TOWN!!! Ps Thank you very much for your kind comments h32 - MUCH appreciated. Also to Len Brennan, who I might add is more than capable of writing very interesting posts himself... COYB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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jas0999 added 12:17 - Aug 15 H32, as you know I always enjoy reading your realistic posts, but on this occasion I simply believe you are wrong. Surely, a player who has a known desire to leave our club (the reason is irrelevant), can not expect to remain on as captain.I believe Roy was RIGHT to consider the long term future of the club and with Walters wanting a move, appointing Norris was a good decision. The club have disciplined Walters so there is no smoke without fire I am afraid. In addition to this, Roy has actually signed three very good players so far since the end of last season. Fulop appears to be the best keeper we have had a for a while, and Kennedy made a promising start to the season before the unfortunate injury. Townsend shows promise as well. Added to this, with 6 key players injured - the Counago and Walters situation - 4 points out of 6 against the two teams favourites to go up and I would suggest you and a few others are being slightly harsh on Roy. Surely some people on here can find at least one positive?

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ramseyn added 12:22 - Aug 15 hi changingman. Very eloquently written once again! You have though taken it upon yourself to answer the question put to me on my behalf. "My question to you is: Do you want Town up at ALL costs? Even if those costs actually destabilise the club and ultimately lead to our destruction? I think not" the club isn't following the lines of ' up at all costs', for example not breaking salary structures etc. I have seen nothing to suggest that keane is at present taking this approach. I asked the question because I just can't understand somebody not wanting their team to be promoted because they don't like the managers personality. Also, this isn't OUR club, it belongs to somebody.

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SiBo added 12:35 - Aug 15 As far as Walters is concerned... like someone else said, I wish him luck wherever he goes... but the main point isn't that I wish him luck, that's me just being nice... The main point is wherever he goes... as he should, on his bike, now... I do not want anyone at this club who doesn't want to be here... christ the guy was put on a pedastal by the manager, given the captains armband and repays it by asking to leave... before anyone had come in for him... Bye, bye... If a premiership team had come in for him (with a decent enough offer) RK has always said, he would talk to a player about what they wanted to do at that point... but to come out, as captain, and say he wants away, when there isn't any reasonable offer on the tanble... now that shows the real Walters to me... I don't care if its his wife, grandma or long lost uncle twice removed that wants to move... This isn't the way to do it. I applaud RK for taking the armband off him, I applauyd RK for giving it to Norris (Who is better suited to the job in my opinion) and I appluad RK for his stance on the matter. Is this just Walters agent giving bad adivse? or where thay trying to destabalise the situation, so we let him go for less money? Bye, Bye Walters, I wish you well, but sorry mate, you are not THAT good! decent season...

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Upbeat~ added 12:37 - Aug 15 That is fine Keane, stick to your principles. However, is there really a need to air our dirty laundry in public? This also could result in Walters leaving on the cheap, as Keane has now officially blocked any opportunity for Jon to apologise and there is little chance that we would be prepared to keep him on the books if the right offer didn't come. Therefore we as a club have revealled a weakness that could be exploited - effectively JW has to go in the next few weeks, with no chance of reconciliation between RK and JW. I personally like Keane's straight talking. Still, sometimes a manager does need to be slightly more diplomatic when in front of the press.

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ramseyn added 12:40 - Aug 15 In my opinion, and as somebody mentioned earlier, had keane not have explained, this forum would now be full of speculation as to why Walters was dropped and that keane should come out and explain. Guess you can't keep everybody happy all of the time!!
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renshaw added 14:55 - Aug 15 idc
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MAVERICK added 15:06 - Aug 15 Looks like my Walters shirt is going in the charity bag, shame. Hang in there Pablo
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Blue041273 added 15:40 - Aug 15 Ramseyn Appreciate your arguments. One point to take issue with you though. OK we may not "own" the club in a legal sense but the club does belong to the fans collectively as without us there would be no club. The fans are the one constant. Players come and go; managers come and go; ME may even give it up when he's bored but the supporters will always be there. A true supporter can no more give up supporting his club as give up eating. The common claim is 'Ipswich til' I die' and for the vast majority of us this is a fact. We may divorce our wives, kick the kids out of the house, ignore our parents, but we will always be true to our football club. This commitment brings with it disappointments by the bucketful but it also gives a few special moments that we treasure for ever. OK we've had more downs than ups recently but with all football supporters we still have hope. In the modern world sometimes hope becomes expectation and disappointment becomes even more bitter to swallow. But you cannot tell me or the other ITFC faithful that this is not 'our' club. Warts and all we all love it desperately.

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BasingstokeBranch added 16:25 - Aug 15 Well said Blue041273. I think it's fair to say though that the majority of fans on here do take a degree of ownership when it comes to our beloved club. Many of us are simply born into it and take on the club through no rationale thought nor reason. Our fathers loved this club as did their fathers and their fathers etc etc etc. Of course it's OUR club, it always will be.

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