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Keane Yet to Make Keeper Choice for Swansea Clash
Keane Yet to Make Keeper Choice for Swansea Clash
Friday, 16th Oct 2009 12:05

Roy Keane says he will decide later today whether to give new loan keeper Asmir Begovic his debut against Swansea on Saturday or whether to stick with Richard Wright. Portsmouth keeper Begovic joined the Blues on a three-month loan yesterday in the wake of Wright making a number of errors.

Keane said: “The boy’s come in and he’ll be looking to come in as quickly as possible. He trained yesterday, he’ll train today and I’ll make a decision on him later today.”

Bosnian international Begovic could get the nod over Wright with the former England keeper having made one or two significant mistakes in recent games and with the Blues continuing their habit of leaking goals.

Town have no new injury worries after the week’s internationals, although Tamás Priskin and Gareth McAuley only returned last night and Carlos Edwards won’t be back at the club until later today and will probably miss training.

Their condition will be assessed before a decision is made on whether to play them with Edwards the biggest concern after playing the whole of both games for Trinidad and Tobago and having flown back from the Caribbean overnight.

Skipper Alex Bruce is available again after his groin injury and could come into the side for Tommy Smith alongside McAuley with Jaime Peters and Liam Rosenior likely to continue in the full-back roles.

Keane says Edwards may be rested until Tuesday’s game against Watford, so Lee Martin could come in as his replacement on the right of midfield, with Grant Leadbitter and Liam Trotter likely to continue in the centre.

Alan Quinn will probably keep his place on the left, particularly if Martin comes in for Edwards on the right. Keane has been impressed with Colin Healy’s performances in the reserves and the Irishman could come into the squad with Jack Colback also likely to be amongst the subs.

Up front, Jon Walters is likely to be partnered by either Tamás Priskin or Pablo Couñago.


Luciano Civelli and David Norris are Town’s only two long-term absentees due to their knee ligament injuries, but Keane says both are making good progress: “Civelli’s doing really well, and Norris. They’ve been on the training pitch this week.

“Luca’s due to see the specialist in two weeks, we’ll probably give him a week off so he can go home next week, but he’s back on the training pitch kicking a ball. I’m delighted with him, he’s shown a great, great attitude, same with David Norris. They’ll both probably be back in December.”

Keane admits that a victory of any kind is sorely needed after 11 matches without a win: “The fans will be desperate to see a home win, any sort of win, whether it’s home or away, a scrappy one or otherwise. We need to get that win under our belts, we’ve been saying that for four or five weeks.

“Swansea have been on a good little run themselves and clearly they play football in the right way. As much as we respect all the opposition we play, I think it’s about what we can do and we have been guilty of being sluggish in the way we’ve started some of the home games.

“We need to be ready from the first whistle and make sure we’ve got the preparation right – that’s certainly gone well this week – and trust the players to go out and perform.”

Swans boss Paulo Sousa comes up against Keane as a manager for the first time but says he always came out on the winning side in their battles as players: "It is a pleasure to have played against Roy Keane in our national teams and in the Champions League. He was a very competitive player who understood the game well.

"He had good technique and he was very aggressive without the ball. He was a clever player.

"He played with important players and with important clubs and he worked hard to develop himself.

"I'm pleased to have played against him because of all that – and also because I think I won every time!"

Sousa doesn’t think it will take too long for Town to start moving in the right direction: "When you change the manager you have to give time to the new people.

"It's not an easy job and it's important to have the protection and help that you need to get through difficult moments. I know results are very important, but sometimes people take decisions too quickly.

"One of the good things in English football is that managers are usually given more time to do a good job – more than in other countries – and I hope Roy Keane can turn things round at Ipswich.”

Swansea currently sit in 14th place on 14 points with an away record of won one, drawn two and lost two.

The Swans have a number of injury worries, striker Gorka Pintado is a doubt with a thigh injury and midfielder Joe Allen is a concern with a hamstring problem.

Defender Federico Bessone is expected to be OK despite a groin injury, however, striker Guillam Bauza (knee) and full-back Albert Serran (ankle) are expected to miss out. Midfielder Ferrie Bodde is out for the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Over the years the results between the sides are neatly balanced, Town having won nine (seven in the league), Swansea also having been victorious on nine (nine) occasions, with seven (six) matches ending in draws.

Last season, the game at Portman Road ended in a 2-2 draw with Pablo Couñago netting twice for Town and Ferrie Bodde and Jordi Gomez for the Swans.

At the Liberty Stadium in February, Gomez added Swansea’s third goal in a 3-0 victory after Jason Scotland had netted the first two.

No current member of the Town squad has played for Swansea, although Pablo Couñago held talks with the Welsh club in the summer after the Blues and Swans agreed a fee before deciding against the move. None of Paulo Sousa’s squad has played for the Blues.

Saturday’s referee is Kevin Wright from Cambridgeshire, who has shown 20 yellow and two red cards in seven games so far this season. Coincidentally, Wright’s last Town game was the 3-0 defeat at Swansea last season in which he yellow-carded David Norris and Alan Quinn from Town and Swans defender Alan Tate.

Squad from: Begovic, R Wright, Rosenior, Peters. D Wright, Delaney, McAuley, Bruce, Smith, Balkestein, Leadbitter, Trotter, Colback, Healy, Edwards, Quinn, Martin, Walters, Couñago, Priskin, Stead, Wickham.


Photo: Action Images



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pottyblue added 14:06 - Oct 16
thatcher adds a bit of steel and backbone
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FormerlyCGS added 14:07 - Oct 16
i think thatcher is a damn site better than bruce macauley delaney smith and balkestein - turn the lights off? Perhaps you should turn em on!
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dirtydingusmagee added 14:22 - Oct 16
Callumgarryskeemer, you been missing a while, been writing your blog.?
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towntalk added 14:23 - Oct 16
Wright has been one of our better players since his return. Is his form down to a loss of confidence? I really wonder if it is connected to a lack of man management skills from Keane. There are times when half the team look scared to death. Competition for places is great, but if you are bulleted as soon as you make a mistake it can quickly turn good players - and good teams - bad.
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campowasgod added 14:24 - Oct 16
Just heard Begovic will start tomorrow....
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FormerlyCGS added 14:28 - Oct 16
Can you imagine the responses if I wrote a blog!
If you like i'll get started on it right away, although some doubt my intelligence on here, could be a chance to prove my doubters wrong!
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TedTurnip added 14:46 - Oct 16
Really - evidence? despite the fact that he strings a load of fabricated injuries together as he has no desire to play. It was also exactly the same at Charlton. Have a look at this record. Joined Ipswich August 2008 made 20 appearances. Joined Charlton January 2007 - made 22 appearances. Not exactly ever present is he. And don't go down the road of injuries have hampered him - not for two and half years they've not.


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superblueflude added 14:46 - Oct 16
Callum why Garvin holding? - he cant takle!
so overated he really was. same goes for david wright - just another delaney good at defending but nothing going forward.
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dirtydingusmagee added 14:47 - Oct 16
GO FOR IT, just get a dictionary,to find some words to replace all the;''';'<>;;[]=;:';;;;];[;;[;.
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dirtydingusmagee added 14:49 - Oct 16
Camposagod,was that on radio,i just watched Anglia News,he hadnt decided ,but that obviously wasnt live interview.
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tractorboybig added 14:49 - Oct 16
worst strike rate in div
worst central defenders
no full backs
no midfield,
and the solution? another goal keeper.
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superblueflude added 14:51 - Oct 16
Tractorboy big

new goalkeeper brings new confidence to the defense, improve performace, which means they feel confident movign foward passing the ball to the midfield which means the midfield improve and press forward for, spreading the play up to the strikers and wallah!.
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PutYaBootsOnKeano added 14:51 - Oct 16
Disagree with Franz. Wright should be dropped for two reasons. He'll go back to the reserves, get his confidence up again. Wright has even admitted he has trouble blocking out his mistakes and that is detrimental to confidence. 'Keepers need to be robust, and forget their mistakes quickly. Wrighty can't, that's his key weakness.
Bring this fella in, and the whole team gets a lift. It's like you feel a new force at the back , a new invincibility and it can be a great help from the defense to the attack. Big man, Big presence, Big attitude, exciting loanee i think.

If it doesn't work out, so be it. Wright has cost us 3 points in two games, and that's the truth. Sentimental as I am, drop him. he'll come back with something to prove.
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campowasgod added 14:54 - Oct 16
Heard from someone at the club.
I cant say who and he maybe telling porkies , but he is normally right.
Rules out Keano then ......
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superblueflude added 14:55 - Oct 16
rules out keano then? what the?
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FormerlyCGS added 15:03 - Oct 16
I'd put Garvan in a holding role because of his passing abilities, would create alot of chances from deep in midfield and set up some good attacks! His tackling is not that poor!

Did you all know I want KEANE OUT???:@{>?P{:L{@@{}?!"£$&"% -
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dirtydingusmagee added 15:10 - Oct 16
i think most people have got the the message cgs.The rest are waiting for your post to be decoded at Bletchley Park, BRING ON THE BLOG !
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TedTurnip added 15:17 - Oct 16
dirtyding - love that post
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Surco72 added 15:48 - Oct 16
superflude your comment about david wright being overrated,good at defending but little else!!!!,surely that is reason enough to have him in the team have you not been watching our defending ?
As for Delaney he has been caught out of position or wrong side from a number of set pieces nothing to do with going forward just cannot defend
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superblueflude added 16:05 - Oct 16
I would actually try DavidWright at CB with Bruce, with Rosenior right and peters left thats my ideal defence at the moment.
im just saying everyone cant keep slagging of some of the players bought, give them tmie, how many times do we as humans take a new job at a new company, now although we carry on doing what we're experienced in we still find it hard to get going at the beginning - remember people football players have jobs and sod loyalty if i was offered more money i would take it - woudlnt you? so lets get behind the time, forget about Rhodes hes gone, regrets possibly but its over with. concentrate on the future and cheer the team, get behind keane - yes if still bottom at xmas shout all you like but we have 8 days with 3 importae 6 pointers so come on be true blues not sofa fans
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SouperJim added 16:17 - Oct 16
Mr Turnip, pure conjecture. Number of appearances is not evidence for a player's desire to play.

I picked D Wright and Thatcher as full backs as they our, imo, our two best defensive full backs and at the moment we can't defend for toffee.
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minteritfc added 16:49 - Oct 16
wright
rosenior...bruce...mcCauley...delaney
edwards...leadbitter...garvan...martin
pablo...priskin

best 4-4-2 formation...
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dubblue added 16:50 - Oct 16
2-1 to town R. Wright to keep his place.
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FriskinPriskin1 added 17:00 - Oct 16
Pick both....or better still the fans favourite could play in goal: Matt 'bloody' Holland...
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BlueCiren added 17:06 - Oct 16
Here's A winning team :

Wright
DWright McCauley Bruce Rosenior
Trotter
Edwards Leadbitter Quinn
Walters Priskin

Maybe Martin for Edwards if he's knackered.
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