Town boss Roy Keane felt the Blues deserved their 1-0 victory over Barnsley but admitted that his side weren’t at their best.

Keane said: "It was a decent victory. To win without playing particularly well, we'll take that all day.

"It wasn't pretty but we'll have to take it, particularly given our position in the league - beggars can't be choosers.

"We started well, we had two or three good chances and it was a good goal that won it. Not a classic, but a good goal in the way Pablo showed a great work ethic and chased down a lost cause and that's what we want our strikers to do.

"Pablo and Daryl linked up well in the first half and we kept a clean sheet at the other end against a decent side. They are not on the edge of the play-offs for nothing.

"There has been too much talk this week, some silly headlines and criticism of two or three players. We're all in this together and I don't ask any more of my players than what I know they can produce.

"It would have been lovely to get a second goal and it would have settled the team down but it wasn't to be.

"We got an honest performance from them and that's all I can ever ask for. Whether we won or lost, it didn't really matter to me. All I wanted was an honest performance and I was content with the players.

"That's our second successive 1-0 win at home and that's always a good result."

Barnsley manager Mark Robins was embarrassed by Town’s winner: "We gave them a stupid goal. It was a comedy of errors and not one we want to repeat.

"He [keeper Luke Steele] can't explain it. He made a bad, poor decision to come out and then he left the ball on the touchline.

"After that he was always going to struggle to get back in goal. What we saw was a hot head. We shot ourselves in the foot. It was an embarrassing goal and something you rarely see.

"We're normally organised, fairly resolute and hard to break down, but today there was no doubt we gave them the goal.

"We didn't get started and were second best all over the park in the first half. Ipswich were hungrier and more energetic.

"In the second half we came out and had a go, but we'd already shot ourselves in the foot by then. It's not good enough and we've got to change that mindset.

"We had chances in the second half and huffed and puffed, but it was all about desire.

"Someone's got to want to go and put the ball in the back of the net. There were chances there but we just didn't take them. We were powder-puff."

Photo: Action Images

BeeneyITFC added 22:18 - Mar 20 so they cud of gone to another team if he was that bad . KEANO! COYB!
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petersongoal added 22:43 - Mar 20 can i just point out that out of most of the players hes managed and certainly the most succesful ones that hes managed, most of them hate him! which is (and trust me because i can tell you how i know but i do know) that is why a lot of guys last summer said NO WAY to coming to Ipswich. hes the wrong man for the job, sorry but he is.
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ChambersM added 22:44 - Mar 20 you're right blueherts, its ridiculous
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alfromcol added 22:50 - Mar 20 Really good first half today and some incisive passing football played. With slightly better finishing Town could have been out of sight at half time and the crowd and players wouldn't have been so stressed during the second half. What those who moaned about the performance in the second half have to realise is that, there are two teams on the pitch influencing the way the game is played. At half time the Barnsley players were told to start playing, which they did in the second half and this changed the pattern of the game. The plus side of all this is that despite all the Barnsley pressure over a long period of the second half the Town defence didn't concede a goal and Murphy had few if any saves to make. Unfortunately lots of supporters want to turn up see Town score 2 or 3 early goals so they can relax and watch the match be played out without further concern about the result. Football isn't like that. Another win on Tuesday and some will start thinking about the play offs!!! The way chances are being created a big win for Town is over due. Could happen on Tuesday

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alfromcol added 22:54 - Mar 20 Petersongoal: ""can i just point out that out of most of the players hes managed and certainly the most succesful ones that hes managed, most of them hate him! which is (and trust me because i can tell you how i know but i do know) that is why a lot of guys last summer said NO WAY to coming to Ipswich. hes the wrong man for the job, sorry but he is."" What's this old rubbish about? Are you a journalist? Sounds like the C**P that they write. ""(and trust me because i can tell you how i know but i do know)"" Presumably you mean you can't tell us? If you can please do.

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cphtractor added 22:57 - Mar 20 Keano!!
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bennyblue added 23:14 - Mar 20 i reckon we might be safe now but it really doesnt reflect well on the manager that it has taken 38 out 46 to get us almost in the position where we will stay up.the dork from cork has to go
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petersongoal added 23:16 - Mar 20 alfromcol i think you'll find i know a lot more than you because i dont waste my time being abusive on an internet forum...enough said really. now if you have a constructive comment to make then please lets hear it, otherwise i suggest you get back onto google images or youtube and try to insult someone with a smaller IQ than yourself, try typing "plankton" into your search engine!

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Bluefinger added 23:37 - Mar 20 Looking at the finishing line of 52 points. We are nearly there, another win and a draw or two should see us safe. Told last week to listen to myself by my work colleagues. Six pointers against Watford and Scunthorpe? Listen to yourself...from moronic couch fans nowhere near Manchester or West London.
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Keaneish added 23:43 - Mar 20 Can someone please tell me why as a footballer you would not want to play for Keane!? The man has played under the English games greatest ever club managers, has played for the most successful club ever, has hoards of medals and an honest approach. Why do people seem to think that because he rattles a few cages he's not the right man for the job? Get a grip. This 'players don't want to play for Keane' - what a load of rubbish. Have you ever thought it's because Ipswich isn't as attractive compared to big cities in the country? Or that the money isn't good enough, or the type of contract on offer not desirable or that we're just not as big a club as others? I'm delighted someone of Keane's stature is here. Yes we need to win more games. We will.

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moomoosereni added 23:47 - Mar 20 Vital 3 pts today well done Town. Fact is, in last 11 games we've lost just three, won 5 and drawn 3. Yes not the greatest record in the world, but not an easy schedule. Some tough games, particularly 4 straight away games. All in all whilst its been disappointing this season, it could be a hell of a lot worse! Cheer up, nearly summer.
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blue added 00:26 - Mar 21 WE WIN SOME LOSE SOME AND DRAW ,ONLY 8 POINTS AWAY FROM PLAY-OFFS WITH 24 POINTS AVAILABLE.WE HAVE OUTSIDE CHANCE FOR PLAY-OFFS GAMES AS FOLLOWS ALL WINABLE IF WE KNUCKLED DOWN .OVERALL DISAPPOINTING WE ARENT THERE ALREADY AND WHO KNOWS WHAT WE COULD OF ACHIEVED IF WE BEAT WATFORD AND LETTING IN LAST MINUTE GOALS,WE WOULD OF BEEN IN THE MIX.OVERALL ROY HAS DONE OK UPTO NOW AND REALISES A FEW MORE CHANGES IN THE PIPELINE AND NEXT SEASON IF NOT THIS ONE WILL BE A GOOD SEASON IN MY EYES.CMON BOYS PUSH TILL THE END!!

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bennyblue added 06:35 - Mar 21 yeah lets buy roy a beer for not putting town in the 3rd
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FarringdonBlue added 07:20 - Mar 21 All this Keane bashing is starting to get on my t*ts! Let's be honest everyone (including you Keane hater out there, he inherited a pretty weak team and has to put his stamp on the squad whether they his players or not. Let's not forget that Richard Wright was player of the year in 2009 and any time a GK wins it would be because he made a lot of saves, and that means the opposition had lots of chances and would suggest we we're playing the best football ever seen at PR. You can see that Keane is working out each player and the ones he doesn't want will leave and good honest players will come. Relax Town fans good times are ahead!!

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FarringdonBlue added 07:22 - Mar 21 Just read that back, i hope you can make sense out of it....
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bennyblue added 07:57 - Mar 21 good times are ahead when keane gets the boot
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greenkingtone added 09:19 - Mar 21 Bluetone: I think he meant he expects maximum effort whether we are winning or losing. Quite right!
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jas0999 added 09:22 - Mar 21 Impossible to disagree with anything Roy said. It ws an honest assessment, and although a small minority seem to moan about a win (unbelieveable), the fact is we won the game and are heading up the table. The most pleasing thing yesterday was the desire.
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tractaboy added 10:17 - Mar 21 Very pleased with a win today against a team that has been picking up good results. At the moment i'll take a scrappy 1-0 over where we were 3 months ago. It could be a lot worse than it is. We could be Scunny, Plymouth or worse, Peterborough. At least we're pulling away from the dross at the bottom. Shame a couple of teams below have games in hand on us which mean we may not finish as high as it currently looks. Bit worried by this constant second half slump in performance. Maybe the half time warm up thing isn't helping. Anyone else thinks Pablo was unlucky he didn't put the goal away himself? Think he earned it. Up the town. Still not sure where i stand on Keane. I do like his attitude but seems to lacking tactically. But any win when you're not playing well will do. Heres to 3 points on Tuesday. Hope we don't get complacent playing a team below us. Dissapointed i won't be able to make it so to eveyone thats going please get behind the team and give Mariner the welcome he deserves. COYB!!!

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cbower added 10:21 - Mar 21 If we had scored another goal in the first half (and this would not have flattered us at all) then the second half would have been much different. I am not claiming we are a good team yet but it is a footballism to say that good teams can "win ugly" and that's what we have done against Scunny and Barnsley. Building a side starts from the defence. A solid base making the team hard to beat and this is what (a bit more by luck than design at times) we now have. Summer signings should mainly be about bringing creativity, some pace down the flanks and a clinical finisher into the mix (not much to ask for eh!) and we could well be a force. Since our first win, some 14 games in I admit, we have been accumulating play-off level points. From where we were in late October, 15th feels pretty good 'cos there have been times when many posters on here have proclaimed that we were doomed, doomed, doomed to Div 1. RK has failings and he is the first to admit to most of them which is refreshing in itself. He deserves to see his contract out and if he takes us forward next year then maybe it will be extended. I have said it before - his success will be success for ITFC and that is what all fans should want!

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Keaneish added 10:43 - Mar 21 Sorry to say BennyBlue, but he's here until the end of the 2011 season so get used it!!
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BangkokBlue added 10:58 - Mar 21 I read these comments after all the games, and rarely post, but I can't help myself now. I can't understand these people who are still saying 'Keane out'. Look at the facts: The start of the season was disastrous. after all the expectation of the summer no one could have expected such a poor start to the season, when we got 8 points from 14 games. However, since then we have 39 points from 24 games, and have lost only 5 games out of 27. If we'd had that form for the whole season we would now be on 62 points, and 4th in the league. Would people be saying 'Keane out' then? I know you can't just pretend the first 14 games didn't happen, but if you'd have asked people after those 14 games what position you'd like the club to be now, any sane person would have gladly accepted 15th place. We're going in the right direction, and will build for next season. Any change of manager now would be totally counter-productive, and lead to another period of re-building. Ipswich has always been a club where the manager has been given a reasonable period to establish themselves. How many examples do people need to see that club's with stability in the manager's position do better than clubs which change manager all the time? I don't want to see Ipswich become a club with a revolving door policy with managers, they are the clubs that end up in trouble. Get behind him and the team, even if it does take another year, two years, or even longer, the good times will return.

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PutYaBootsOnKeano added 11:54 - Mar 21 haha, all the naysayers. Wait till the end of the season before getting dogmatic. You could end up vindicated, or looking dafter than now. In the mean time, enjoy the result against a team that last week, beat 3rd placed Forest..
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roytheboy added 12:13 - Mar 21 Very well done Roy Keane, keeping them in the dressing room definitely had the desired effect, I knew it would and said so in at least two previous postings this week, it was very clear for all to see that the effort from the players was much much better, moan about Keane all you like fellow Supporters ? but I honestly believe that he is good for our club and will soon have us back in the premiership if given time and adequate funding (not to mention the FULL SUPPORT of everyone who claims to support ITFC) if you support the club then you support everything about it also, Directors, Manager, Coaches, the whole package, and be proud to do so, as I am.

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tom_the_blue added 12:42 - Mar 21 I think we are most definitly on the up. Keane is the man to take us to where we want to be and a couple of good signings in the summer will take us there. I think this will be a very interesting summer coming up as Keane will look to build on the surrent side. He'll probably continue to remove some of Magiltons deadwood, such as Quinn, Bruce and possibly R Wright and Stead, and will probably sell those of his own signings who he will accept are simply not good enough, Healy and Martin in particular. If we can keep Colback for another season, and perminatly sign Murphy and Healy, and add some real pace and creativity to the wings (although, don't forget, we've got Civelli coming back), we will have a real chance for at least a play-off spot next season. I firmly believe that Keano is making progress with this club, and we are a much better team than we were this time last year. If we can finish this season on a high, we could really, really push on next campaign. COYB FTNS

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