Skipper David Norris says everyone at Portman Road is under pressure after the recent run of results, not just manager Roy Keane. Saturday’s defeat at Preston was Town’s sixth successive league loss.

Norris said: “When you’re on a run like we are, everyone’s going to be under pressure, particularly the manager. He’s happy to take the flak and deflect the pressure of the results on to himself to take the pressure off us so we can continue to try play our game.

“But we’re feeling it as well, we’re having discussions between ourselves, we know it’s got to change and we’re trying everything we can to try and change it.”

The former Plymouth man, speaking during Tuesday afternoon’s visit to St Elizabeth Hospice, said the Blues boss hadn’t been at that morning’s training session, it not being unusual for Keane to hand over the running of a session to his coaches: “We haven’t seen the manager since the game, we were only in for training this morning, and we’re doing this this afternoon.

“I think the manager was especially disappointed after the weekend. I think it was a good chance for us to turn it around and we haven’t done that. At the moment it’s tough for everybody.”

Norris says the players are still fully behind their boss: “We all get asked to do press and all the lads are saying the same things and backing the manager.

“And if anybody has any doubts about the authenticity of this they only have to look at our recent games.

“No one can accuse us of not playing for our manager. The effort is there, if not the quality at the moment.”

Norris, Gareth McAuley, Jack Colback and Arran Lee-Barrett took part in yesterday’s visits which also continue tomorrow.

In addition to gifts donated by Town, the squad paid more than £2000 of their own money for extra presents for the children they are visiting at Ipswich, Colchester and West Suffolk hospitals, St Elizabeth Hospice and Children’s Hospice (EACH) in Ipswich and St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds.

Each of the wards visited will also receive further gifts including portable DVD and CD players, mini camcorders and toys for children who spending time in hospital throughout the year.

Captain Norris says the present-giving is now a traditional part of the club’s Christmas: “The visits to the local hospitals and hospices at Christmas are an important part of our build-up to the festive season and being able to take gifts in to the children and adults we’re visiting is really rewarding.

“We are very grateful for the assistance of Asda Stoke Park in ordering in all the toys that we need as well as donating CD players, DVDs, CDs and computer games from their own stock for the wards to keep.

“Being in hospital is never fun and especially so at this time of year. These visits give us the chance of helping to put a smile back on the faces of the children in the wards and showing our appreciation for the hard-working nurses and carers.”

Photo: Action Images

blueherts added 12:26 - Dec 15 Anyway - well done to the Team for Community works - Lets support em all on Saturday and hope that the confidence is back !!!
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SammyT added 12:32 - Dec 15 Nice to see some reasoned discussions on here *nods head at blueherts* Regardless of the Keane situation, hoping people will back the team during the game and we can get a big 3 points. Hoping leics have used all there luck after then pen decision that went their way against donnie. COYB! Keane out.
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Legend added 12:33 - Dec 15 It's good to see 90% of the views on here are sensible and i can see where most of you are coming from. I think the Leicester game will be the big turning point for all. Win it and it will give everyone a massive lift going into the xmas run, Draw it and well it stops the rot so to speak but loose it and it will only have one outcome! I know its never going to happen but it would be interesting to see how another manager would fair if he was put in charge for a month and had to keep all staff, coaches and players. Say fergie or Wenger. Do you think with in that month they would change this club around? As if Keane was 'that' bad the surely players like Leadbitter, Edwards, Colback, and Fullop would not come back to the same manager who was so bad??

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whoppit added 12:50 - Dec 15 Is it just me but is anybody else a little worried that our manager, who is ultimately responsible for the teams results, doesn't see fit to turn up at the training ground to try and motivate the players to end this winless run???? Just proves that Keano is happy with his 30m in the bank and could not really give a $hit about Ipswich at the end of the day. I am sure he is losing no sleep whatsoever. It's also apparent that all Marcus and Cleggy cares about is that they have their Keano publicity poster boy for their REAL interests. The football is not all that important it would seem.....

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Suffolk_n_Good added 12:54 - Dec 15 Nice touch from the Players & Asda & for that they should be applauded. If Keane is not in attendence for training, then can I ask the question who is taking it? who are the players taking instructions from to try & change results on the pitch? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, Keane is not passing the reigns onto an assistant or number 2 as he hasn't got one, So Ian loughlan (Sorry if thats wrong!) must be taking training, but he's never manged a club before has he?

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brockleyblueboy added 12:59 - Dec 15 I have long been behind Keane as I have always felt we were really close to turning the corner but this just hasn't happened. These things happen in football. Some people come to a club whether it be a player or a manager and it just clicks. The leicester is game is very important but all games are important (I had to laugh at the save our season game west ham had the other day and it wasn't even Christmas), so I have to concede that if we are to lose this then it will be time for Keane to go. We need tomix it up and we need a change. We haven't turned the corner and unless we do something now we could find ourselves in League 1. I do have to agree with several of the comments on here that the players have to take a huge % of the blame because it is not Roy Keane kicking the football. everyone has to take the fair share of the blame. There was so much hope at the begining of the season, it's quite upsetting the situation we find ourselves in. Chins up folks I am sure something good will happen.

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whoppit added 13:02 - Dec 15 Suffolk_n_Good - I think Tony Loughlin is in charge of the training. He makes the players watch old Match of the Day episodes as he is apparently clueless. Then, during the five-a-side, they put a lifesize cardboard cut-out of Keano on the touchline that has an automated mouth that chews gum. The eyes glow red too and the beard grows in thicker when it gets upset. After 90 mins, the cardboard cut-out sits down and counts his cash !!! No difference from the real thing then !!!!!

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Mungo added 13:07 - Dec 15 Congrats on the community work - very nice to see that sort of thing. Why was there no training on Monday then? After a run of six successive defeats, I would have thought spending as much time as possible on the training ground would be in order? Our set pieces in particular need work, would not be too labour intensive and could decide a game, so why not pencil in an extra session or two?

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Suffolk_n_Good added 13:13 - Dec 15 Tony!! thats his name!! Thanks Whoppit, I must have sat here 10 mins trying to think of his bloody name!! V. good explanation!!
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TractorRoyNo1 added 13:14 - Dec 15 it only proves that you put 2 and 2 together and can make 5 whoppit added 12:50 - Dec 15 "Just proves"
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whoppit added 13:21 - Dec 15 Hey Keano, Bristol Rovers have just sacked the Trollop they had in charge. Maybe you can send them your CV !!! Second thought, they are looking for someone more qualified and that rules you out Roy !!!!
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meekreech added 13:24 - Dec 15 Do none of you ever think RK could be doing other managerial business ? Not all managers spend every day on the training pitch as other business has to be dealt with ! It goes to show how little some of you know about how business works ( try going through a week with no meetings ) with all types of other matters to be dealt with ! Do we know if he was talking with ME or SC about the situation or was he , as so many of you would like to think , walking his dogs or talking to agents re new contracts or to other clubs about players ? Why do people immediately think RK is shirking his responsibilities simply because he is not at the training ground ? It is time the whingers started to think sensibly and did not read into statements things that are not there ! Just because they seem to have a personal issue with RK their thinking goes into the realms of fantasy , believing every little rumour or whisper of things past !

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whoppit added 13:26 - Dec 15 Tahnaks for that meekreech - or are you one of Keane's kids who posts on here defending his dad?
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Raedwald_625 added 13:33 - Dec 15 Reek you're a dope. Managers proiritise and today is Wednesday FFS. What's so important that he can't get down to the training ground? What the hell does he do all week? What's desperately needed is to get it right on the training ground - what could be more important? I really want Town to turn it around, but Keane's got to work damn hard to do it - and it appears he isn't

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whoppit added 13:35 - Dec 15 meekreech is in denial and is not ready to tear off his Roy Keane posters from his bedroom wall yet !!!!
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Suffolk_n_Good added 13:44 - Dec 15 meekreech: "Realms of fantasy!" Loosing 6 league matches in a row!! loosing 9 in 11!! that is fantasy!! No one would have ever dreamed we would have a run like that!!
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Surco72 added 13:45 - Dec 15 The arguement whether its Keanes fault the players are not performing or its the players fault is futile as at the end of the day it is still really Keanes fault now as the players not performing are players Keane has brought to the club to better it surely ,so if they are not upto it they are bad signings which is his fault .He can no longer blame Magiltons poor squad or to much deadwood ,this is his assembled team and squad and they are not playing or performing for him for whatever reason and that is his fault . The reason the likes of Edwards ,Colback ,Leadbitter and Fulop are here is because they were not upto the Premiership or could not get a game and nobody wanted them for the over the top money we paid .How much of that money would we get back if we tried to sell those 3 on ,nowhere near the £ 5.5 million paid i am damn sure

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meekreech added 13:50 - Dec 15 No whoppit I just do not have the same lack of sense and reallity that you have ! From when the appointment was made I never thought RK was the right manager for our club , and still do not , but I do not think that being so vitriolic with the posts on here shows our supporters in the best light ( gives them up the 140 a chance to laugh at us ) and in my mind tends to put people off our club ! I would have liked a manager with more of an ITFC way but the owner has his own agenda which we have to accept ( or face further financial problems ? ) and live with things ( not liking them !!! ) as they are !

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Suffolk_n_Good added 13:51 - Dec 15 Spot on Surco, which is why I've said on here many times before, Premiership reserve players are not the way to go when trying to build a team. We need to be buying "quality" players for this level that have someting to give, or up & coming players who are ready to take the next step up I:E Matt Holland from Bournemouth, Jon Walters from Chester, David Norris from Plymouth etc.

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whoppit added 14:02 - Dec 15 So meekreech, I stll say Keano should be on the training ground to try and work on changing the teams fortunes. Contracts, signings and all that other stuff should be handled by Cleggy. So, Keane must be walking his dog and not really giving a $hit about Ipswich. Sounds feasible to me !!!! And Cleggy should be fighting off all those other clubs who are interested in signing Rory Fallon on a permanent basis !!!! What a bloody joke this club has become under this regime.

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blue_em_away added 14:22 - Dec 15 whoppit you are indeed sir a bell end. Can't you talk in any other tongue than a sarcastic one?
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Papa added 14:35 - Dec 15 "We haven't seen the manager since the game" Shocking. A true leader pulls his men together and moves them onwards. Keane has abandoned his men - this is not leadership.
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Surco72 added 14:40 - Dec 15 What did Norris think he would gain by telling upset supporters that the players havent even seen the manager since Saturday ? It is almost like adding "fuel to the fire" , i for one want them in everyday training and trying to sort out the problems with the manager alongside them not be told that after 6 straight losses Keane hasnt even spoken to them ,and anyway how is Keane going to pick his team if hes not watching who is training hard !!

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tractorboy2434 added 15:12 - Dec 15 as previously I want nothing from Norris or any of the players other than a huge improvement in form and 100% effort, I am of the opinion that is not what we are getting at present, just going through the motions, and if that is the case just what are the manager and coaching staff doing, precious little it seems.
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MAVERICK added 15:12 - Dec 15 We are like oxo on helium at the moment (laughing stock). I think I need to see 'Escape to Victory again' !
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