Bring football back to Portman Road! The players are good enough to pass it and play proper football. The style at the moment is not the way we do it at Portman Road. Looks like its all about the results and we do not have a good, consistent structure of play.

Im a season ticket holder and have seen very poor football this year, we are two points from the play-offs but I havent seen us play a good game. Lets play football and get ourself up the league by playing football - look at West Brom and Blackpool as examples. I dont think Keane understands the ethos of the club

Stepping outside the blame culture type comments, we need to decide who is responsible for the defeat and ITFC position in the table. The top line says its ME - he would say he sets strategy and financing. Is it SC then? - well he's here for the wider sporting/olympics connection and the RK connects/association with the sparkling football world - and thats why we have SC and RK. Is it then RK who is accountable - not solely I'd say, although he has been hired to manage the team into the Premier league. Is it the players? - well would you respond best to a supportive understanding coach or to one who would bully and intimidate you - some would, some wouldn't. In my humble opinion as a supporter and season ticket holder its a combination of responsibililities, but if pushed, I would point the finger at ME. He has all the cards to make improvements.

brazil1982 makes a good point, but the fact is that any manager who is available to replace RK will have been sacked from somewhere for not fullfilling the owners or boards aspirations, thats why they are not working and available!

Sorry Bluevelvet/Brazil1982, that's not true. Curbs and O'Neill are not failed Football Managers. Neither left their respective clubs because they had 'failed' in managing that team. They left because of personal terms due to transfer policies and funding with the board. They both were a success at each club.

mmmmm im wondering if there was a marksman on a rooftop when he made that statement, shame no photo ,cant look for a red dot . Sorry Kennedy ,i dont buy that one,

agree Keanish, and also agree why wouldnt they come here after all Keane did! Both good footballing managers, people managers and the kind of manager who would follow the tradition of this club!! I have moaned about people talking about the good old days, but there is a lot to be said for mananging people through repsect rather than fear.... dirtyd think you will find it was the reason he got a 2 year deal - one will do anyting the manager says or one will get docked 6 weeks pay each time one doesnt!!!!!!!

When i didn't renew my season ticket i thought i'd regret it.... ha ha.

Bluelady - I agree O'neill is a good manager although his record at Aston Villa of bringing on young academy players is not so good. Look at all the new faces Houllier ha s been using with great success. One thing one can't accuse Keane of is using our best youngsters on a regular basis. Personally I would like RK to succeed here - we are just not playing very well at the moment. Sure the manager bears some responsibility but so do the players although I would be happier if he didn't insist on sometimes putting square pegs in round holes (which an awful lot of managers do by the way). None of us are on the training ground day in day out and the presumption that the players are not happy or scared of RK is just that :a presumption with no basis in fact.

Can someone provide any proof that RK's style of management is making the players frightened when they go on the pitch? Plenty of bloggers are saying this is the case, but where is there proof?

Sorry you are all interpreting the article wrong. What happens on Friday is the first 11 players into the changing room puts their name down on the squad sheet. Eastman & smith obviusly cannot beat Mac & Delaney so they get the full back roles. By the time 5 midfielders have signed their name, it only leaves 1 place for a striker.

Then the next 5 get sub spots. anyone not quick enough does not get picked. At half time with things not going well RK asked for a vote of hands as to who should come off. The players voted off Priskin (except Fulop) of course, then the remaining votes were cast. RK'sITFC is run like a reality TV show. Votes count, and those votes are cast by players only. Only reason Pajeic (sorry about spelling) is out is ageism, think Strictly/BBC. A younger coach will be brought in.

Sounds more realistic then the article from Kennedy to me.

Sorry - it should of read:One thing one can't accuse Keane of is NOT using our best youngsters on a regular basis.

I was surprised that he was given the armband for the match. Shocking result.

Brian a mul

At last a voice of reason I can agree with . I posted on here that if we are in or around the top 6 on Jan !st we will get to the play-offs ! When the players cross that white line performance is down to them - nobody else can do it for them ! When so many young players are being used they do not always manage to produce to the best of their ability . This can cause frustration in them so making things worse .

Also standards in football have been falling for many years due to the needs of business plans to make profits . This means with some clubs ( ours being one of them ) that strict limits are being placed on budgets for signings and wages , so leading to a struggle to attract the better players , to try and run the club on strictly business lines ( to make profit and increase the value of the club ) but to achieve those aims normal commercial ideas do not work ! The increase in value comes with promotion to the top flight , to do this good players have to be in place , and that costs money ! At the moment this is not being done ( shown by the lack of top quality players coming in ) and so we have to make do with cheaper , older players , or loanees who can help but are not a long term answer . Our younger players are having to shoulder too much too soon due to this lack of football knowledge in the top management .

37 and counting comments on a non story of who is to blame blah blah blah, who cares who is to blame, just lets fix it (if in fact it is broken), and stop trying to score points of off each other depending on which side of the Keane fence you sit on.
All football matches are there to be won, lost or drawn, now BLUE-FRED thats a FACT, what bothers me is that why we have to put up with such knee-jerk reactions to something so obvious.
I hate losing, in fact I spend the nest 24-48 hours in a foul mood, but I would like to think that I am not so childish as to have to find someone to blame all the time.
I think it is a sad indictment of the world that we now live in, that whatever happens we have to blame someone for it.
Finally, whoever the manager, games will be lost, that I am afraid is also a FACT.

i think its tough enough for young players coming into a team ,they must feel pressure to prove themselves,its made worse by a poor manager who cant even play people in correct position ,and is constantly sodding about with selections and subs. Doubt if they know if they are on their arse or their head half the time,its hardly surprising we get performances we have recently witnessed.Keane had the gift of the gab on arrival,and has not got us anywhere ,and shows no sign of doing so.I hope but doubt we will beat Hull,i honestly dont see us beating Canaries, i cant believe Keane can be tollerated beyond that,if it this turns out to be the case.

"Don't blame the manager, blame us" very admiarable Mr Kennedy, I'm sure with those kind of comments Roy will be delighted to keep you in the team (when your bloody hamstring stops playing up) But talk is cheap, we fans need to start seeing a bit more quality on the pitch, so unless you had a hand in Roy's team talks, his inept tactical awareness, shocking substitutions & crap purchases, I suggest Mr Kennedy you keep your thoughts to yourself.
Keane has to take blame for the performances on the pitch, but Evans & Clegg must look at themselves too, clearly they are not allowing Keane to waste anymore money, & if this is the case & they are not backing the manager with the funds, then surely they must remove him from his position & draft someone in who does have the ability to attract players & get the best from them.

Kennedy, what a joker! No wonder cardiff didn't want him anymore, I fear that if keane is still at the helm come next Sunday were gonna get a hiding off the bird shi*.

Mark must be staying on Keane's good side. He may avoid a post game slap around the head !!!!

Meekreech

Cheers man. I just think we need to keep our heads and not get over excited.
Marcus Evans has has the best interests of the club at heart.
Home grown young players are the way forward for the majority or clubs outside Premier League. They dont cost a transfer fee, wages are relatively low and give good commitment and honesty. They are also a big source of income to help balance books and keep clubs in business.
This comes at the price of experience and consistancy though as we currently see.
In fairness to RK he is giving the players game time to learn, gain experience and improve. Any medium term future success we have as a club will probably depend on some of these lads with or without Keane as the helm.
There is a chance he may not be around to benefit from the fruits of his current endeavour. Tactically he makes mistakes but who doesnt??

Lets just get behind the team and lift them for the next 3 games!!


Kennedy is a solid buy at 75k. Vastly experienced and a good left back. We need experience in our current team.

What a Dick!!!

brian_a_mul - There are several core opinions on this site. Some dislike Keane and won't support him come hell or high water. Some think Keane can do no wrong. Some feel we should give him the benefit of the doubt whereas many think he's already used up all his credit with the fans. Those from all shades use examples to justify their beliefs. But there is one core element of us that share an opinion that is present on all sides of the debate; namely that the style of football is critical to this club and its fans and the possibility of gaining promotion through the play-offs is not necessarily the be all and end all if the approach to the game is wrong. Of course, not every game is going to provide entertaining football but it should always be an objective. If not, why bother watching? For many who have never really seen a successful Ipswich side I sympathise, but for the others of us the style we adopt is as important as the success we reap. Its all about philosophy. The players have the talent I have no doubt. But if they are not able to display it week in week out maybe the way we play is wrong. Keane may be a good manager - but sometimes a manager needs the right club and I don't think this is the one for him. That said, I think ME will let him see out his contract because I think ME's attitude is probably the same towards all his businesses in general and not governed by short term reaction.
If we do not get promoted this season would you renew Keanes contract? If we get relegated (not an impossible scenario given how tight this league is) what would be your views then about the matter?

Some are saying that we're only a couple of points out of the play-offs and not to panic or if we're still around the top 10 around xmas then we're still in with a decent chance of promotion...I'm sorry but it's all gone way beyond that for me...it's the generally really bad feeling/negative vibe around the club that our manager has stirred up over the last 18 months (on an almost daily basis) that I want bringing to an end.

I'm sick of the sight (and sound) of Roy bloody Keane...every day,yaddah yaddah yaddah..Keane this Keane that..please just go.

See your point lightening- "roy keane's ipswich etc"

I see Kennedy is wanting to keep his position in the team by showing "public " support for our clueless manager ! Poor tactics - poor substitutions- etc etc This is the MANAGER'S fault ! I can't even admire his "loyalty ?" to Keane .

Gio Dos Santos seen arriving at portman road

So, brilliant start to season, a little of form and 2points out of the play-offs, not even half way through the season, is it reallllyyyyyyy that bad??? come on, get behind the lads, keane or no keane and lets spur them on to top 6!