Former Town chief executive Simon Clegg has dismissed Roy Keane’s claim that they and owner Marcus Evans “never met together” in the same room during the Irishman’s 20 months as manager of the Blues and the implication that the trio’s relationship was dysfunctional.
Keane makes the assertion in his new book The Second Half, which was published earlier this week, adding that there was no chemistry between himself and Clegg, citing their different backgrounds: "As well as being an ex-Para, he was public-school educated. I was from Mayfield, in Cork.”
Clegg (pictured above with Keane following his April 2009 appointment) is currently based in Azerbaijan where he is working as the chief operating officer of the Baku 2015 European Games having left Portman Road in February 2013.
He told TWTD: "Elements of Roy Keane’s book have been read over the phone to me as it is presently not available on the shelves of the bookshops here in Azerbaijan!
"Like most biographies it is one dimensional and contains elements where the manager might not have been aware of the full facts, particularly in connection to player transfers and potential targets as handled privately by Marcus and myself.
"Despite our different backgrounds, from my perspective, I feel that Roy and I worked together well in a close and professional manner and in the best interests of the club, if he now feels differently so be it.
"I remain bitterly disappointed that despite considerable investment in the playing squad with targets he had identified the club was unable to achieve the success we all aspired to and realise the hopes and belief that surrounded the club on his appointment.
"To say that Marcus, Roy and I never met in the same room is factually incorrect (although for good reasons it didn’t happen very often) and leads the reader to think that the relationship between the three of us was totally dysfunctional.
"In my view nothing could be further from the truth until such time as both Marcus and I began to realise that a change was necessary.”