Keane's Challenge: Promotion Next Season - Ipswich Town News

New Town manager Roy Keane targeted a quick return to the Premier League at his first Portman Road media briefing this afternoon. The former Sunderland boss says his task for next season is simple – to win promotion.

Flanked by chief executive Simon Clegg and director of communications Terry Baxter, Keane told the largest press pack seen at Portman Road in some years that Ipswich feels like the right club for him: "Why have I taken the job? My gut feeling. The ambition of the club, the history of the club. It's a proper football club.

"I think I've been very lucky with the clubs I've been involved in throughout my career, as a player and as a manager, and I'm very lucky to get this opportunity and I'm looking forward to it.”

Keane said he spent his five-and-a-half months out of the game after leaving Sunderland relaxing with his family, recently going on holiday to Portugal.

But the ex-Ireland international says he began to feel that the time was right to get back into management: "Three or four weeks ago I thought that if the opportunity came up I was ready for it. I'd previously had other offers.”

The 37-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Town, but says he would like to replicate his achievement with Sunderland and take the Blues up in his first season: "I've signed a two-year contract but I'd like to try and do it in one year.

"That may be a challenge, but that's what challenges are. If I wasn't up for challenges I'd be out walking my dogs today. I think my dogs need a break.

"When I took over at Sunderland that was the challenge. I knew that was a very good football club and I managed to turn things around there, and it's the same here.

"I think what I did at Sunderland will stand me in good stead," he added. "In my first year at Sunderland in particular, we had a very, very good spirit, a never-say-die attitude. We had that up to when I left, believe it or not, we scored a lot of late goals, showed great desire, as much as we were short in certain areas.

"My team I felt would always go to the very end. That doesn't always win you football matches, but I want to get that from the Ipswich players.

"I've no problem with people making mistakes, as long as they keep going and have that desire, day-in, day-out, not two or three days a week, and it's up to me to get into the players.

"I think we had good success at Sunderland and we had success quickly, perhaps too quickly. Hopefully, I'll be a bit more patient with myself. This summer there are lots of players' contracts up and I'll make sure I bring in the right characters, the right people.”

Keane says the details of the deal which brought him to Portman Road were settled very quickly yesterday after he talked it over with his family, who he confirmed will be moving to Suffolk.

The new manager and his first team coach Tony Loughton took their first training session this morning at Playford Road, but Keane says it was difficult to make too much of an assessment of the squad: "There's a lot of players out injured, lots of players out of contract. I think we'll have a busy few months coming up.

"We'll have to wait and see. We've got a game Saturday, I'm speaking to the media today, so it's been pretty hectic. But, will I be bringing in one or two players? I probably will, yes, but nothing will be happening in the next week or two, we've got to take stock of what we've got and take it from there.

Keane was pleased with the way his first training session went and confirmed that he will have money to spend, but wouldn't talk about figures.

The former Manchester United man outlined what he wants from his team: "All I've ever asked from my players as a manager is that they're on time for training and that they give 100%, and that's what I've asked of the Ipswich players. If they're up for that then they'll enjoy working for me, if not then we'll have a very brief relationship. We'll see how it goes.”

Keane says the current players' futures won't depend on their performances in the season's two remaining games. He'll talk to the likes of Bryan Klug, Steve Foley and Chris Kiwomya, who remain with the club, while he considers who to keep and who to allow to leave.

The new Town boss expects it to be a tough Championship in 2009/10: "It's going to be very difficult with the teams which might come down. If West Brom come down, if Middlesbrough come down, Newcastle or Hull, they'll all hope to go straight back up, so it's a massive challenge. Hopefully, we'll be in the mix.”

Keane is in no doubt about next season's target but isn't looking any further than that: "Success in the short-term is obviously winning promotion. After that, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. There is a danger of looking too far ahead. My priority next year is promotion.”

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