Boss Roy Keane says he believes his Town side are making progress, even people might think he is mad for saying it. The Blues sit in 12th in the table, two points from the play-offs, which is where the Town manager feels his side currently deserve to be.

Underfire Keane says he will continue to strive to take the club forward for as long as he’s still at Portman Road: “I didn’t come down to Ipswich and move my family to be popular, I came here to do a good job. I’ve got to the 30th June and until that day I will do my utmost to take this club forward.

“And despite what anyone else is thinking, I think we’re making progress. I know people have said I’m a bit mad before and they’ll think I’m even madder after that statement.

“We are going to lose football matches, absolutely. We’re disappointed over the last six weeks in which we’ve gone two goals down in matches and not given ourselves a chance.

“We have to get rid of that we know, but I still think we’re on course for a good season. Judge us on where we are at the end of the season.”

Keane believes that he is becoming a better boss: “I see a manager who is making progress, a manager that will make mistakes, like everyone else, and a manager who is learning.

“But given the right support and respect, I will do a good job, if it’s not at Ipswich it will be somewhere else, simple as that. I will be a successful manager, guaranteed."

The Blues boss says he's in the dark about what might happen beyond his current contract but is enjoying day-to-day life at the club: “I don’t know what the future holds but on a daily basis I come here with my staff and I’m delighted with them, we’re trying our best. We lost a lot of players over the summer, players I didn’t think we were going to be losing, senior players.

“We’re now working with a lot of young players, it probably helps from the club’s point of view that they’re on small wages, but we’re battling on with it and the players are doing well.

“We’re now missing Gareth McAuley and David Norris and we were without Grant Leadbitter last weekend, three of our most senior players. We’ve got four of our kids from the youth team last year on the pitch plus the loan players, who are learning their trade, and they’ve got to listen to a lot of nonsense [from the crowd].”

Keane, who says he’s not targeting any further loan signings at present, is in no doubt that he can be successful with Town: “Absolutely. That hasn’t changed after losing one or two games and showing inconsistency like lots of teams in the Championship.

“Look at the squad we have and the players we lost in the summer and this is where we’re at. Where we are in the table, 12th, is where I think we deserve to be. We’ve got a long way to go, I’ve said that before and even with our strongest team I think we’d do well to get in that top six.

“Take two or three of the senior boys out and we’re short. We see that with other teams, we see that with some of the bigger teams.

“People have got to understand where we’re at. At this moment we’re mid-table and I think that’s where we deserve to be. I don’t think we deserve to be higher or lower.

“We’re a victory away from the play-offs still. We’ve got a good week coming up, a very tough game at Hull and a tough game against Norwich. But they’re two good games for us, particularly away from home so we don’t have to listen to any nonsense.”

Keane feels the club’s lack of success going back before his tenure may also have some bearing on the current pressure from supporters: “Possibly so, but there’ll be other reasons, sometimes your face doesn’t fit and they want instant results and that’s not going to happen, particularly when a decision is made that we’re going to take a policy of working a lot more with our younger players.

“We’re playing players from last year’s youth team, which didn’t pull up any trees. It helps them to be surrounded by three or four senior players, which we didn’t have last weekend.

“Last weekend was a disappointment, there’s no getting away from it, to concede goals like that at home, and the same against Derby. I think those goals could have been prevented.

“What we have to do, despite the nonsense that’s been spoken about tactics in the last few weeks, we’ve got to get back to basics, to what we were at the start of the season. We were hard to beat and I think we’ve been too open the last few weeks.”

Despite the booing and criticism from the terraces, Keane believes the man who counts most, Marcus Evans, gets where the club is at the present time: “The owner does, I’m pretty much sure. He understands what’s going on with the younger players, with the injuries, with the players we’ve lost.”

Meanwhile, midfielder Carlos Edwards says the booing and particularly the cheering of Barnsley's players were "disrespectful" in a Radio Suffolk interview.

Photo: Action Images

olepablo added 14:02 - Nov 19 Hahah - keep the quotes coming Phil, they're getting better!!! Making progress, well, compared to being bottom like last season, he has a point!! Get a job elsewhere, who'd be stupid enough to employ him, you'll soon be finished as a manger keane.
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Mungo added 14:03 - Nov 19 I disagree, and I think RK is mad for saying it! Is the team more competitive than it was 2 or 3 years ago?
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Martus added 14:05 - Nov 19 Its not that we loose matches, we expect to loose matches in this league. But its the way we loose those matches (and also the way we win) as a Ipswich fan i dont always expect a win but i expect to watch good attacking football. I see no intent to play passing football, no width or attack from the wingers, including the full backs and playing CM in LM. Ipswich has never been a team to sack managers, look at the amount of managers weve had over our 100 year history. But this man is not a typical Ipswich manager, i dont care if we loose as we have no more right to be in the prem than any other team, but i EXPECT good football. KEANE OUT!!!

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jabberjackson added 14:08 - Nov 19 I don't like the way Keane sems to be geting so bitter and twisted He has a fair point about SOME of the fans reaction, but please don't alienate everybody Roy. I do believe that Ipswich will succed under RK, but only if we display a united front both from within the club and as supporters Aw inter of dicontent maybe, but 2 decent results in the next couple of weeks, and everything will be rosy again, you'll see...

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Nunn_the_Wiser added 14:11 - Nov 19 Martus, we never LOOSE games. Occansionally lose though.
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tallguy6767 added 14:18 - Nov 19 Well Roy your the one who came here shouting your mouth off about doing it (promotion) in a year. It's always someone else's fault with you,you make me sick with your contradictions , get out of town before you ruin this club further!
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JayITFC added 14:35 - Nov 19 “But given the right support and respect, I will do a good job, if it's not at Ipswich it will be somewhere else, simple as that. I will be a successful manager, guaranteed." Never seen such arrogance in my life. RESPECT ME. Tw@t...
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whoppit added 14:36 - Nov 19 “But given the right support and respect, I will do a good job, if it's not at Ipswich it will be somewhere else, simple as that. I will be a successful manager, guaranteed." I think I am going to pi$$ myself laughing !!! And Keane says he is still learning as a manager??? He is no novice here. This is his FIFTH season as a manager and FOUR of them have been pretty dire. And where are you going to after Ipswich Keano??? Man Utd or Barca?? LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL See you at Barnet or Hereford more like !!!!

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Crock added 14:46 - Nov 19 “I came here to do a good job." You failed then.
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JohnScales added 14:47 - Nov 19 By Keane's quotes here it sounds like he thinks he is bigger than the club. He's not. FACT!! Royston Maurice Keane get the hell out of ITFC
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oleoleoleabi added 14:49 - Nov 19 you have to earn respect in order to get it, and attacking the fans everytime u cock up is not going to earn respect!! "we lost a lot of players over the summer" oh really where did they go??? o yeh thats right you sold them, you transfer listed 8 players, that is not that losing them!! as for "i will be a successful manager guaranteed" lol, where??? away from home so we dont have to listen to any nonsense, more to the point away from home so not all of us have to watch such nonsense and see your ridicuolously poor excuse of tactical decisions!! god help us at norwich with keane in charge. Keane Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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tallguy6767 added 14:53 - Nov 19 Well Roy your the one who came here shouting your mouth off about doing it (promotion) in a year. It's always someone else's fault with you,you make me sick with your contradictions , get out of town before you ruin this club further!
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Legend added 15:00 - Nov 19 Why do most of our fans turn on the managers we have?? Keane, Magilton, Royle, Burley? Do you think that ITFC is still a big force in this league? Think again! those days have gone im afraid and the club and manager are trying to bring those days back. This takes time.....Lots of time, At least three or four transfer windows! We are not world beaters at the moment but then again we are not in the bottom three! We are an 'average' team along with about ten others! We do not have a god given right to be in the top two or top six! other clubs are in a postition just like us. Forest,Coventry,derby,Sheffield utd,Norwich,Reading,Swansea, e.t.c , All with the same goals as us to make it out of this league. This league has been proven to be one of the toughest in the world and has so many teams that can beat each other. So Keane goes......who comes in? O'Neil? Dont be daft! Keane goes and we start all over again, new staff, new assistant, new players in and out, new problems on and off the pitch which then sets us back another two seasons at least, and then what? Half you mugs turn on the new manager yet again as we only manage tenth in his first season. The reason the likes of Arsenal, Man utd and Forest (when Clough was in charge) were/are so settled is because they have stuck with the same manager through thick and thin and not chopped every five minutes!! Man City anyone?? Richest club in the world and still they cant win sod all as the manager keeps getting sacked every 18 months!! Just stick together as fans and back ITFC to the hilt week in week out and enjoy the ride! If not then just sit at home and have the radio on, This club is crying out for vocal support and not boos.

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Hereford_Blue added 15:02 - Nov 19 Nunny, if you're going to comment on other people's spelling, try and spell 'occasionally' right.
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cornishnick added 15:02 - Nov 19 You have to admire Keane's determination to stick around with comments like these. You lot are only happy being miserable. I think you would rather see Ipswich lose every week until Keane was gone. And once he's gone, who the hell would want to come here (players or managers) given the performance of the fans on Saturday? A couple of weeks ago after the win at Sheff Utd, it was all Keano, Keano, now it's all Keane out, Keane out. We're just two points off the playoffs, get some perspective for God's sake.

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Daleyitfc added 15:05 - Nov 19 Knob. What has amazed me has been the level of blind support that Keane has had on here, and elsewhere. The dumbest of which has been the "He's the manager so he knows best" attitude : taking this to its logical conclusion would mean that every club would have the same manager, however inept, until he retires/quits. There are awful managers in all walks of life (I currently work for one) and often it's hard to get rid of them. However, because football works on a contract basis, rather than salaried, there is no threat of wrongful dismissal court cases : simply a monetary amount that must be settled if the contract is terminated early. Right now, that would be the best money that this club could possibly spend.

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oleoleoleabi added 15:05 - Nov 19 cornishnick- where you happy with tuesday and saturdays performances, enjoyed watching that did you??
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Legend added 15:16 - Nov 19 At the end of the day we as fans have two choices, Either go to the games and show your positive vocal support, or sit at home with and listen to grumpy old farts phone a certain radio station and say the same crap week after week about Rhodes and Stead and blah blah blah. Either way its your choice as right now ITFC needs positive support and not idiots! The next three games could well turn our season around. If you plan on going to the matches to moan then please stay at home.

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Suffolk_n_Good added 15:19 - Nov 19 Keane is loosing it!! Blaming everyone but himself, the sooner this moron leaves the better, I've had enough, every time I log on, I find another story, with Keane quoting more bulls**t. Keane just walk......
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blueknights added 15:22 - Nov 19 Legend, in your longevity report you forgot to mention the late lamented Sir Bob. Given the size of our club, the resources available and his achievements, his record stands comparison with anyone - and 13 years from strugglers to Euro-beaters supports the case for stability. However, stablity with the right man, rather than one whose erratic performances in all areas, provides the case for so much 'debate' on this board.

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elmswellblue added 15:25 - Nov 19 Roy Keane you are the weakest link.......Goodbye
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blueknights added 15:28 - Nov 19 One more thing. However bad it gets, never boo your own team. Vent anger and dismay on the opposition - it works wonders (Sheff Utd 2-0 down, Town reduced to 11 men - 10 on the pitch and one raucous, deafening one in the stands 3-2; nuff said)
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tallguy6767 added 15:34 - Nov 19 So if M.E is on board with everything keane says there's not really much point in this club having supporters, as its clear were all held in complete disregard. I remember keane saying the supporters were the most important thing about a football club,now after some just criticism he completely disregards them . The man's lost the plot big time that's if he had it at all. You can here him now when he does go,we will be the worse fans ever, trust me!

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Ryorry added 15:51 - Nov 19 I've put up with a lot of *sh** from RK one way or another as have we all, been a patient fence-sitter - but I've NEVER before, in 37 years of supporting Town, actually been made really angry by any previous manager's comments, indeed, I have supported fully all our previous ones till they went. So congratulations Roy, that's quite some first. In fact there's so much to get angry about in that statement that I can't even begin to break it down here. Just one eg - getting rid of a decent senior player like D. Wright before getting a replacement in; then says a replacement RB isn't required and he's not looking because one of the yoofs is just fine ...then saying on here the problems are down to losing senior players and having to rely on the yoofs ...dear God... And that's not even beginning to mention his disrespect to the fans - heaps praise on us whilst we're going to the limits, certainly more support than he'd have got at most other clubs considering the results and performances - but the very minute he gets an adverse reaction, he turns on us ... As for performances - if that's progress, I'd rather have the opposite thanks Roy - if we're not gonna get points for promotion, we might as well go back to playing attractive, attacking football whilst remaining in mid-table. As for Legend and other blind fools with their heads in the sand - perhaps it's about time you realised that the most TRULY positive support of your Club actually means having the intelligence and strength to express your dissent and be openly critical when things are clearly mired in a pool of mud and need to be changed. Some people seem to have selective vision when assessing the fortunes of clubs which have changed managers. Well said Oleo and Daley

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whoppit added 16:00 - Nov 19 It would seem that the only fans who want Keano to stay are the few left who are clinging onto their love of a big name manager, no matter how useless they are. The only other Keano fans right now are all Budgie fans !!!! It's pretty bad when the scum like your rivals' manager !!!! KEANE - GO AND F%&K OFF - YOU ARE NOT WANTED HERE.
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