Keane: We Need Killer Instinct Sat 21st Nov 2009 21:47
Boss Roy Keane again bemoaned his side’s toothlessness in front of goal as Sheffield Wednesday left Portman Road with a point after a 0-0 draw.
Keane said: "It wasn't a great game but I think we had the better of the chances. I was pleased with the clean sheet. We're looking a bit more solid at the back, but we're obviously not scoring enough.
"Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition goalkeeper, but I still feel we had one or two other chances.
"There was one on the line and you just need someone to have that killer instinct and put the ball in the back of the net. We're lacking that at the moment. The plus was that we kept a clean sheet, but I don't think we played particularly well.
"I always knew it was going to be pretty hard, with them playing three in the middle. I know our fans want us to play attractive, attacking football but it was hard to open them up.
"When you talk about the team scoring goals, you end up talking about the strikers, but it's not against the rules for defenders or midfielders to score either.
"And if you're going to achieve anything as a team, you need one or two of your strikers to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis."
Keane was pleased with Owen Garvan’s performance on his return to the team after three months out: "He's got a goal in his locker and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. He did well."
The Blues boss says he will look at adding a loan frontman to his squad before Thursday’s deadline as he seeks to resolve his striking problems: "We'll keep trying different combinations and see if there's a striker outside our club that might be available."
Meanwhile, midfielder Liam Trotter, who was on the bench for today’s game, has been linked with a loan move to Scunthorpe, where he spent time last season. The Iron were one of a number of clubs mentioned in connection with Owen Garvan last week.
Wednesday boss Brian Laws was happy to have got the draw: "I was pleased with the clean sheet and our second half performance. It was a solid performance from our defence.
"I was a bit nervous when three of our back four had been booked in the first 20 minutes.
"We had to be really disciplined after that, especially on a wet surface, and if one of them had made one mistimed challenge they would have been off."
Laws singled keeper Lee Grant out for praise: "Goalkeepers get you points. When your back four has been penetrated you have to rely on your goalkeeper.
"He made two or three important saves and it would have been very harsh had they scored.
"It was a very solid, workmanlike performance from us and now we've got to build on this."
We knew in the summer that we didn't have killer instinct, so why have we still not brought in a decent striker?! Today we started with Lee Martin up front, and then moved Jon Walters (who we all know is not a good striker) up front when that didn't work. Jon Stead must feel harshly treated after scoring the goal at Reading. Keane said he may look to bring in a striker on loan next week, but a couple of weeks ago he ruled out new signings until January I thought?!
We edged the game today, but Sheff Wed had chances and looked more likely to win the game in the last 10 minutes. Overall, very disappointing.
Good to see Garvan back after his undeserved absence of 3 months. He played well and, like David Wright, showed he should not have been left out before.
So...into December in the bottom 3. Surely the time must come to chance the manager, especially with the likes of George Burley available. The current squad if motivated and organised (not changed every match!) should be able to push up the table.
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Harry, if you're scrawling these pages as i know you like to do in between playing Wii with your immaculate looking family and eating jellied eels, throw us Gio for the rest of the season will you? You don't need him and we clearly do!
Good to see Garvan back with a bit of a bite in his tackles and a desire to chase down lost causes. Wish the same could be said for woeful Priskin who is one step away from the coveted Finidi George laziest footballer ever to grace Portman road prize.
In my opinion the team is there with the exception of what is clearly lacking up front. Come on Harry...
Awful performance against another side who should have been put to the sword along with the Swansea's and Watford's.
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I agree with Mark entirely,I really dont think it would be a foolish decision to remove keane now,hes had more than a chance to prove his worth,and why not take George Burley back,Im sure hed come if prompted,and hes by far our best manager in the last 20 years. Im fed up with Keane,his excuses,his tactics,his signings,his lack of direction and obvious motivation,the playes are interested or bothered win or lose....we must change this before its too late.....I was never behind Keanes appointment.....Curbishley would have been my man by a mile............
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time to separate ourself from the boys and become men, Keane it isn't working. You spend 3.2 mil combine on martin and priskin you had the money and you've defiantly had the chance, time to go.
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i thought we defended well today but put under pressure in the last 10 mins. edwards played well in attack and coming back to help defend priskin showed some good touches and got into some good positions but should keep onside more often. garvan showed he can press and tackle at times quite pleased for him. i dont think walters should play up front at all he is quality but he aint no striker. i was hoping connor would be coming on to bully the wed back 4, in them conditions something may have happened
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For the vast majority of the game today I thought we had the look - at last -of a well-balanced football team. Back four looked comfortable, it was good to see Garvan in from the wilderness - although I can't help thinking that perhaps he was just being put in the shop window - and we seemed to be causing a fair bit of trouble down the right in the first half. Problem? Well, it's glaringly obvious that we still have no-one up front who could hit a cow's arse with a banjo. I feel sorry for Stead. He looked eager when he finally got the chance to come on, although if I'm honest, I don't rate him that highly- it's just that beside Martin and/or Priskin he looks ..well...better than either of them. What we need by the end of the week is a great big ugly proper centre forward. If we had a big target man who was prepared to get properly stuck-in and really pull their back four around today we would surely have got something from the game, especially as three of them were on yellow cards from early in the game. What we needed when the ball was hovering ten inches from the line in the second half was not a "finisher", we needed a full blooded centre forward to hurl himself at the goal, taking the ball and anything else that got in his way into the back of the net. We simply have not got anyone with that sort of presence in front of goal. Despite this I think there were some positives to take from the game. Thought their Keeper had a good game. Increasingly unsure about RK at the reins as we head towards Christmas although I could see glimmers of hope today.
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Bottom 3 going into december....it ain't a good look is it!? Looking at the next 3 games, Cardiff & Bristol City away and P'boro home, if we pull it out of the bag we may, may get 4 points. Realistically, we proba ly won't get anything out of Cardiff, Bristol City again probably nowt but we may nick a draw. Then it's P'boro at home, by then this will be one hell of a massive game, 3 points are vital! In my opinion this will be the game when ME & co will have to take stock if the result does'nt go our way and get rid, cos by then we may be a little to far behind for my liking. I really hope i'm wrong as i'm not an anti Keaner, and i don't usually think changing manager every few months is a positive step when other clubs do it, however i'm starting, starting to get a bit worried. Can anyone reassure me?
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OrkneyBlue This is what concerns me most. It's not the screaming anti-Keaners that I listen to -they were probably screaming anti-Jims before that - it's the voice of fans of moderate views who are beginning to say, like me, that it actually does begin to look like there is something to worry about.
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warwickblue...it's good to know i'm not the only one. I have to say though like yourself there were glimpses of hope today, but i think it was plain to see, as it has been for a while, that its up front thats the problem.
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It's blatantly obvious that we need a striker who can find the back of the net, but where the heck do we find him and, just as importantly, will he want to come? Is there a quality (fit) goalscorer languishing in the reserves of any Premier clubs willing to drop a league? I don't think there is. I honestly can't see Roy finding anyone before the emergency loan deadline, unless he can call in a favour from Fergie. If he can't, then I guess a lot of you guys will get your wish and Cleggy will be sharpening his axe.
I'd love to see Burley back, but how many play off near misses would the moaner's be willing to give him? Would Evans and Clegg settle for another five year plan a la Sheepshanks?
Based on our last few games we are definitely turning the corner, just not fast enough.
COYB (for heaven's sake)
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Joey, it's a forum, that's what it's here for. I agree Warwick Blue, i don't listen to the anti Keaners, alot of them bark with minimal substance (wait, they'll point to the league position then go quiet!). I'm not a staunch pro-keaner either, although i want him to succeed and take us on to bigger and better things because i like the man's honesty, passion and no nonsense style (no Haaland retorts please, that would be boring!). I think he has all the right ethics. You train well, you show discipline and desire, you're in, which is how it should be.
Here's the but. After donking £70 to get to get to Portman Road from London and standing there in the rain it was the first time this season i actually thought...'we've got something to worry about'. Fairly sure we've tried every combination up front now and nothing's coming off. For me, that game was crying out for Pablo today. If we don't get someone in along the lines of a Gio, someone with a different approach up front then it doesn't appear there's a solution.
Are people beginning to come round to Delaney now? No left back but a handy centre half.
Mark - Garvan did deserve to be dropped. I was at the West Brom game and he was shocking. Looks like the break might have given him that appetite again though although still early days.
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Keane: We Need Killer Instinct
