Roy Keane has refused to comment on former Blue Jon Walters’s continued criticism of his management style. The Town boss says he may respond to the Stoke striker's claims in the future but was concentrating on today’s home game with Barnsley when asked at yesterday’s pre-match press conference.
Keane said: "You’ve asked me before about comments from players who have left the club and I suppose you’re expecting a reaction. I don’t want to disappoint you, but you’re not getting one. My job is to work with the players that are here and focus on Saturday’s game.”
The Blues boss says he’s becoming tired of being asked to react to reports questioning the spirit of the players, having rebuffed claims of a row with Connor Wickham a week ago: "I shouldn’t have to come on every week and defend the spirit of the players. It’s wrong and it’s boring. Last week it was about Connor Wickham.
"If you think I’m going to defend the group of players or the spirit in the group every week… what’s the point?”
However, Keane hints that he may come back to the matter at a later date: "I’m not getting bogged down with it. It’s for another day. People can have their say, and it’s cheap and it’s lazy. I’ve had it before with ex-players I’ve worked with who have done books, Yorke, Quinn, good luck to them.
"Today is a day for me to focus on my job. There might be another day for that, as obviously I’m no pussy cat myself and if I have to defend myself I will.”
Keane suggested that journalists were better off talking to current squad members about the spirit than those who have moved on: "Ask the players who are at the club.”
After David Norris backed the Town manager earlier in the week, Damien Delaney added his support, admitting that things got feisty when the players were kept in the dressing room for just over an hour after Tuesday’s defeat to Derby: "Yes, it was heated, but that's just a measure of his ambition.
"The day the manager stops having a go at the team is the day I'll be worried because that's the day he thinks 'I can't get any more out of this group'."
"It doesn't bother me, you don't take it on a personal level. If he's having a go at you, it means he expects more from you. He never carries into the next day or holds it against you.
"He likes laying down challenges for players and he likes questioning people and getting a reaction out of them."
Regarding Walters, Delaney added: "Jon should concentrate on his current club Stoke City. He’s a good friend of mine and entitled to his opinion, but not to go public on what he thinks about a team seventh in the Championship.”
Meanwhile, Keane says the Blues’ recent habit of attacking the Sir Bobby Robson Stand in the first half when they win the toss rather than the South Stand as has traditionally been the case wasn’t his decision: "You’ll have to ask the captain that! I don’t instruct him to do that type of thing.
"Some teams have a preference, sometimes it’s windy or sunny on certain days, there might be a number of reasons for that.”