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[Blog] Is Sacking Keano a Sensible Option?
Written by prozach on Monday, 26th Oct 2009 18:41

By accepting a place at University this year, I realised that my days of being a regular season ticket holder were numbered. I decided to go to every single game, home and away, before my course started, have an Ipswich Town binge so to speak.

So when Uni started in the first week of October, I was probably expecting more than the zero wins.

Had Jim Magilton still been in charge, it is probably fair to say that he would have got the boot by now.

But is getting rid of Keane now a sensible option?

In my opinion, the answer is simple - no, not yet.

Keane came in towards the end of last season, got two really good wins, and had the whole summer to create his own squad. Has the team he has built really that bad? Leadbitter, Rosenior and Edwards are all players who have played Premier League football. Tamas Priskin netted 16 goals for Watford last season. More recently, signing loan keeper Begovic has seemingly halted the large amount of goals we were conceding. Man for man, we are a better side than last season.

Getting rid of the manager now and replacing him, the new man at the helm would want to be promised funds for the January transfer window, so he too can mould together his own squad. Since Evans has been here, with Magic and Keano as managers, it is reported that they have shelled out around £28 million for players, their wages and loanees, a gargantuan total for a Championship side. Whether Evans would be willing to cough up further funds in January is another matter.

We are certainly not good enough not to go down, but recent performances have deserved more points than we have. How many times have we come away from Portman Road this season saying we have been awful and completely outplayed? I can only think of Palace and Newcastle, and the rest we should have had more from the games. The signs of the first win are most definitely there, and much like Keane, there is no reason to panic. Wouldn't you be more worried if we were being outplayed every week and not creating chances?

And the question of who would replace Keane is another matter. Out of who is realistically available who would want to come to a side bottom of the Championship? Most Ipswich fan's first choice to take over from Magilton would have been Alan Curbishley, but he has said on numerous occasions that he only wants to return to Premier League management. Sven was always optimistic. Terry Butcher failed at the likes of Brentford, Bryan Robson has no track record of success at this level, and the list goes on. Steve Coppell and Paul Jewell would be two excellent candidates - but even they struggled towards the end of their respective spells at Reading and Derby.

Many times on the TWTD Message Board this season, people have argued 'if we hadn't of sold Rhodes' or 'if we gave Jim another season'. The fact is, there is no point discussing the fact. They are gone. They are in the past and it is a completely pointless and irrelevant argument. In my eyes, Magilton had lost the dressing room and a large amount of supporters at games. He is an ITFC legend, and always will be, but many of his decisions in his final season and a half were baffling to say the least. He simply was not the man for us, but good luck to him at QPR. While Jordan Rhodes is scoring goals for fun in League One, it is no Championship. I remember a certain Sam Parkin who scored goals consistently in League One....

At the end of the day, Keane has signed a two-year deal, and I think he will be here for those two years. We are certainly not good enough not to go down, but recent performances have deserved more points than we have. How many times have we come away from Portman Road this season saying we have been awful and completely outplayed? I can only think of Palace and Newcastle, and the rest we could have had more from the games. Keane is here whether we like it or not, and for the time being we may as well support him and the boys through this sticky patch.




Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.

Markie31 added 23:11 - Oct 26
Hasnt lost in 3 games, form is improving, a few wins and we're back in the fray. IN KEANO WE TRUST......for now :)
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UEFA81 added 23:15 - Oct 26
Ipswich 61 wouldn't have to do anything diferently. The fact that Keane had gone would be enough to turn around the team's fortunes.


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lozklein added 23:22 - Oct 26
No man management skills, sold our best centre forward, under performing personal recruits...he should do the honourable thing and go
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ldnj added 23:22 - Oct 26
There is no reason why Rhodes couldn't be bought back, with the presumed sell on it would be cheapest for Ipswich rather than any other club. There's no shame in bitibg the bullet and admitting a mistake. Trouble is he probably wouldn't come back now ... !
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naa added 23:46 - Oct 26
pickles110564 : I'm so tempted to swear at you it's unbelievable.

If you actually read my post you'll see that I DON'T advocate sacking Keane.

All I stated (factually) was that Robson is a more successful manager than Keane. My point being that blind faith in him could well be mis-placed and certainly has no factual basis.

I struggle to see what some people are seeing though. We are NOT playing good football (Watford game excepted) we have not one a single game all season.

What are you seeing?

Anyway, I've been a season ticket holder for quite some time. Judging by your deluded entry I suspect it was before you learnt to read (sometime last week maybe).

I don't like to post personal abuse but frankly you deserve it. My post was one of the more considered on here.

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tommyblue added 23:47 - Oct 26
get marcus stewart back hes still playing
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blue added 00:05 - Oct 27
Other managers are aware of our run at the moment and i say as soon as there is another manager on the horizon ,GRAB him,sack roy keene and evans give our new manager some funds and i reckon by then civelli back ROCK ON IPSWICH.
RK 14 games 28 million spent ,its just not working.my opinion.
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hussey1969 added 00:20 - Oct 27
blue,you cant spell Keane and he hasnt spent £28 million

your point?

fool
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hollywoodginge added 00:55 - Oct 27
i only read the 1st few post on here to see enough to make me post so apologies to all those who i didnt read before deciding i wanted to chip in with my 2p worth, i skipped them cos id seen enough, 1st of all i think this is a good blog well written IN MY OPINION, i believe that all fans who pay their money are entitled to their opinion but i also believe that it doesnt make u an expert! Sacking Roy Keane i think would not help anything personally, i have remained positive and behind the towen all through this current low spell and the only thing that has trully upset and angered me is that i have been attacked for doing o by so called other town fans! the way i see it is this, YES i acknowledge we are bottom of the league and it does hurt to see us there, but we are literally 2 good results from being out of the bottom 3, we are at the moment difficult to beat, were now unbeaten in 3 games so that tells me all i need to no that we are as close to roy keane suggests we are to turning things around, Keano has beared the brunt of most of what has gone wrong this season, but in many games the real things that have cost us are beyond his control, for example, we outplay sheffield utd away, is it keane's fault R Wright (whom has come in for criticism by the same fans this season who heralded for an england recall after west brom and voted him as player of the season last season) droppped a cross in the last min of the game? or is it Keane's fault that ANY player who has made an individual error that has been punished this season made that error? i think not. some may say that it is he that picks these players, but who else is he to pick? some of keane's signings may have been suspect, but in saying that edwards, rosenior, and leadbitter are keane's signings, and tell me they are flops, they have been brilliant in recent weeks! since begovic has came in he has been effective, that was questioned by many! but has turned out to settle one problem it seems, we aint shipping goals anymore, maybe by coincidence, i have seen alot of people spouting that keane and clegg are lying about trying to bring in loanee's. well has it ever been suggested that the type of player were trying to get here is the quality player that prem managers want on the bench cos they are that good they are reluctant to let them go, or that the players feel that they are on the verge of the 1st team at there respective clubs and dont wanna leave? im sure that Keano feels every loss as much as the rest of us, he was always a winner, thats why he was the player he was that won so many trophies, leagues, FA cups, The champions league ( he didnt appear in the final, he picked up a booking for the team in the semi's against juve, knew he was gonna miss the final, but still played the game of his life so utd went on to progress regardless, and won it, people will always remember the final as a neutral, ask any utd fan when it was won, thel tell u it was in turin cos of keane!) every game we go on without a win, he feels it! he WILL we WILL turn it around! "Listen, Trust me!"
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leagueonescum added 00:57 - Oct 27
I'd like to know where the 28 million figure came from too? You don't become a good manager over night but if you're starting out then a good mentor would be a key ingredient. Keane was lucky enough to be managed by two of the greatest football managers our game has ever seen. Fergie had the sack looming over him at utd unles he won the next fixture and we all know what happened there. The modern player mentality is to sit back and sulk. Keane is looking for a reaction from his players and the ones that don't react are not favoured. Essentially he is
seeking the sterling attitude he adopted as a player. He will be prone to errors (as all managers are) but he has the pedigree to succeed, we should at least give him until Christmas if we are to suggest he had enough time here.
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NorwichBlue138 added 02:07 - Oct 27
the poor guy has had 14 games - if we are bottom at christmas we can start thinking about possibly getting a replacement, but you look at who he has bought (ok healy delaney etc aren't great) but rosenior, edwards, leadbitter - its only a matter of time before these players start taking Town up the table - you can't give someone less than a third of a season before chucking them out - that is how Newcastle got where they are - give Keane at least til the end of the season if not longer COYB lets not talk about Keane leaving - first win next game you watch keep the faith!!
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randlemcmurphy added 07:21 - Oct 27
i think the recent appointment of Gordon Strachan shows what other managerial 'talent' is available if we were to sack Keane.
Better the devil you know and all that bobbins...
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dirtydingusmagee added 08:20 - Oct 27
just cant see why people are saying when we pick up our 1st win we will start flying up the table , HOW ? what are the other teams above going to be doing? we are points adrift already, we need wins ,but the other teams cant all loose,we will ''fly'' nowhere.instead of saying we will do it without thinking, look at the fixtures and see how other teams may fair in games, you cant just pick games for others to lose just to suit us GET REAL, it already requires 3 games 3 results and teams around us to lose, just to get out of bottom 3 ,league wont go into limbo just for us .sorry ,optimists, but it is not as easy as you think, if you think it is PLEASE TELL US HOW IT WORKS .
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dobbie73 added 08:48 - Oct 27
My first thought is - excellent blog, and regular posters on here will know I advocate NOT sacking Keane. I too can see the building work going on, and you don't sack the brickies because only 3 out of the 4 walls are up so far! I feel a bit uneasy because the rebuild is taking longer than expected, but I strongly feel we are heading in the right direction. Of course if I turn out to be wrong I will humbly admit it - likewise if our season turns around and we start going places, I expect all the anti-Keanites to stand tall and say "we were wrong", then we can all get on with supporting the club as one without any "I told you so" comments, lol.

My second thought is - this subject stirs up so much obvious passion amongst the fans (both pro- and anti-Keanites), why isn't this passion displayed at games more?? 12th man and all that ....

@Leagueonescum: "You don't become a good manager over night but if you're starting out then a good mentor would be a key ingredient. Keane was lucky enough to be managed by two of the greatest football managers our game has ever seen. Fergie had the sack looming over him at utd unles he won the next fixture and we all know what happened there. The modern player mentality is to sit back and sulk. Keane is looking for a reaction from his players and the ones that don't react are not favoured. Essentially he is seeking the sterling attitude he adopted as a player. He will be prone to errors (as all managers are) but he has the pedigree to succeed"

EXACTLY!!

KEANO!!!
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FormerlyCGS added 09:07 - Oct 27
Keanish has just made me smile. Thanks for your funny comments on here being serious though you do want Keane sacked dont you?
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WeWereZombies added 09:42 - Oct 27
When Keane goes may depend on who else becomes available - would Everton sack David Moyes? And if they did would he want the challenge of managing Ipswich? If the answer to both those questions is yes then it is goodbye Keane even if we have had a couple of wins and are out of the bottom three. But Bryan Robson! - Keep Keane on his, long, learning curve if he or Peter Reid are the alternatives.
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WeWereZombies added 09:42 - Oct 27
When Keane goes may depend on who else becomes available - would Everton sack David Moyes? And if they did would he want the challenge of managing Ipswich? If the answer to both those questions is yes then it is goodbye Keane even if we have had a couple of wins and are out of the bottom three. But Bryan Robson! - Keep Keane on his, long, learning curve if he or Peter Reid are the alternatives.
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Bergholtblue added 09:45 - Oct 27
Did anyone see Leicester v Reading last night? Reading dominated the match but fell to a sucker punch goal. Does that remind you of anyone?

Did anyone see Derby v QPR. Derby matched QPR for the first half and lost out due to superior fire power. Does that remind you of anyone.

The point of this is, there are teams down in the basement every bit as good as Ipswich are. A few wins will not see us fly up the table, because the teams around us will pick up points as well. We are in a relegation battle and that means we have to start beating teams in our own "mini league" . We needed to beat Plymouth, we need to beat Derby and then Reading the following week. If we don't, stop thinking it will all come good because it won't.

So whether you think Keane should stay or go, keep it to yourself and get behind the team before it too late.
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Keaneish added 11:06 - Oct 27
Can everyone who's behind Keane take down the names of the users on here who aren't so we can point the finger at them in the upcoming weeks. Seems to me that the comments from those behind him, make a hell of a lot more sense than those who aren't. No doubt when our fortunes turn around everyone will point to the Peter Taylor appointment and say it was all his doing.

Good Cop, Bad Cop routine coming up with a win on Saturday...
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FormerlyCGS added 11:08 - Oct 27
Dobbie - If we started to climb the table I would be the first one on here to apologise and say I was wrong! I hope it is the case but just cant see it.

This board would be boring if we all agreed!

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DrJeckyll added 11:09 - Oct 27
Some people will always hit the panic button. I very much doubt ME would have built such a succesful company if he didnt hav a bit of nouse about him. He has also put a lot of money into the club so if you ask me he should be the first one to panic if he could not see light at the end of the tunnel. Then there is Mr Clegg who was in charge of Britains most successful Olympic squad ever, you have to assume he knows a thing or two about what he's doing as well. And RK a man who went from playing league of Ireland football to being a top European player.
None of them are panicing and most of us aren't either. It's a shame that some fans are but I have given up hope of bringing them on side now, will instead just try to keep posting positive messages for my fellow strugglers :-)
P.S. does anyone think that adopting the song My Way as the club song would be a good idea on several levels other than me, i think it could become as iconic as You'll never walk alone?
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superaltown added 11:34 - Oct 27
no point in sacking him.

Yes, we are bottom but we are not getting tonked every week either.

what we really need, and we haven't got, is an out and out goalscorer,who will get us 20 goals in a season.

Keano is the right man, just needs time and I am confident we will get there - mid table finish this season, then up next.
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tommyblue added 11:46 - Oct 27
like the idea of my way

lets get behind the lads, keanes got a 2 year contract, let him have them 2 years, unless we dont win till xmas then we have to overlook the situation, but until that happens which i doubt, please support the team, look at the liverpool fans sunday scared united off the park
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:47 - Oct 27
OR The road to hell ! At least Bergholtblue can see my view of it, The learning curve Keano is on .....do's that take in trying to get us back into Championship next season? Keaneish, Its worrying to see that you are so infatuated with Roy Keene you are already slagging [so far non existant people off because they may claim Peter Tayler turned things around IF it happens . ALL WE WANT is to get things turned around, whatever it takes .
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DrJeckyll added 12:09 - Oct 27
Dirtydingus, do u really think we will be playing Galatasary in the near future, wow, thought I was an optimist lol
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