I saw my first game at Portman Road in 1957, Plymouth Argyle in Division Three South. Since then we've had two brilliant managers, Ramsey and Robson, some good ones, McGarry, Lyall, Burley, Royle, some indifferent ones, Ferguson, Duncan, Magilton and one awful one, Milburn. I feel now that Keane joins the last section for the following reasons.

1. To be a manager in any industry you will work with people you don't like, it's a fact of life. The good manager accepts that if those people do a good job, use them. Keane is incapable of this, he has no greys, only black and white. Hence he cannot see the good points in David Wright, Ben Thatcher, Owen Garvan, Jon Stead and Pablo Counago, all players who should make the squad most weeks.

2. Tactics and Style: Keane was a runner/tackler/motivator, luckily for him he was surrounded by skilful players. He obviously cannot see this and only picks players in his image. So we have a midfield of Walters, Norris, Leadbitter and Colback- all similar with no guile and hence the side lacks balance. Our perceptive players , Garvan & Counago are now so demotivated by Keane as to be almost worthless. He blames the front runners for lack of goals but where's the service.

3. Motivation: I thought Keane would be good at this, but it is obvious that as the game goes on our players are constantly looking over their shoulders with fear and tense up to such a degree that they stop playing in the last 20 minutes in case they make a mistake. I imagine the dressing room after the game resembles the corridoor outside the headmaster's study with us boys waiting for the cane.

4. Ability to Pick a Player: A lot's been said on the TWTD Message Board about his signings and it is evident that what he sees in a player is a mystery to most of us. That coupled with his snap judgements will cost us dear in the future.

Watching Jordan Rhodes in youth games it was obvious he had the goal poacher instinct that few players possess. OK he didn't always do the other bits but he reminds me of a Greaves/Cottee type. He surely should have only gone on loan, not be sold. Wickham does not have the same qualities and is more of a Stead than a Lineker.

What worries me is not that we will be playing Plymouth in League One next year as I expect, but that Marcus Evans will see that owning an unsuccessful club is a good way to lose a fortune and loses interest and tries to sell, what then? Too awful to contemplate.

In my view we should get rid of Keane tomorrow and get in an experienced short-term manager Coppell/Royle/Warnock who would keep us up. However as Marcus Evans and Simon Clegg know little about football and as they probably don't want to admit their mistakes, I doubt it will happen. Ah well, back to 1957.

WickedBlue added 01:48 - Mar 15 What utter tosh................I was going to write a long article telling you how you are wrong, but yorkshire beat me to it and has covered almost everything. If you can not see how well Roy works with players, getting the best out of them then you really don't know anything about football no matter how long you have followed the Town. I started supporting Ipswich in 1969 the same time as SIr Bobby took over so i never got to see the team under Sir Alf though I did have the honour to meet the man and talk football with him. I also got to meet Sir Bobby twice both were truly a great men, and I feel comfortable to say they would have laughed at your blog. A manager doesn't care if they like the player or not, and Sir Alf and Sir Bobby and RK though each have/had different styles of management, each was a strict disciplinarian and they care/d about if you are doing a job for the team and if not they would drop you until such time as you improve and can do that job. I suggest you read todays article on D. Murphy and his view on RK and how he operates. This has to be the worst blog I have read in a long while.......

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WickedBlue added 02:17 - Mar 15 yorkshire I wouldn't expect to much from naaridge1coly7 I have read a few of his posts and it appears he is unable to present a good argument on any subject. bluetone surly you jest, RK has shown his commitment to the youth system by introducing youngsters to the first team. If your only proof for such s stupid comment is the sale of Jordon Rhodes the fact he hasn't scored in the last 14 games (is it now?) for a league one side might be proof RK got it right. If anything is responsible for destroying the youth policy it was being forced to change by the FA from the old apprenticeship system to this academy system which restricts were we can sign young players from. Under this system we would not have been able to sign players like Kevin Beattie, Brian Talbot and Russel Osman to name a few. This system we have now is designed to protect the big clubs at the expense of smaller clubs such as ourselves.

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apm_77 added 21:53 - Mar 16 Another supporter stuck in the dark ages. If this is your general outlook you'd be better off sat at home remebering events from 50 years ago. Keane needs time, at least more than Jim Magilton was allowed. As you have such a clear memory of our past glories you'll doubtless remember that Sir Bobby Robson took 7 years to achieve anything, and plenty of people were calling for his head long before that. Keane inherited a squad of bits and pieces players, used to playing out of position, in ever changing formations, and with no back up plan if things didn't work out. One thing you could never accuse Keane of is not changing things if they aren't working. As for your comments on Keane's signings, Leadbitter has been a triumph in midfield, Colbeck would still be wallowing in the reserves at Sunderland along with Healy and the terrific Murphy, and the very un-Keane like Edwards, Priskin, Martin and Rosenior will all come good over time and at various times in the a season. This season can hopefully be put behind us in May and a much better 10/11 will surely follow. I think people like this blog's author have had it in for Keane from the start, I doubt very much you'd have been so quick to write a blog singing Keane's praises were we in the Play Off places. Keane the Manager and Keane the Player are two very different people, he's only 38 and needs time and support to craft a style and build a team. Writing him off after one season is myopic to say the least. And to finish, the only way you'll be watching League One football next year is if you pop down to the 2/3 empty Weston Homes Community Project down the A12.

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