Boss Roy Keane felt referee Andy Hall’s decision to disallow Stern John’s goal at the end of the first half was a turning point in Tuesday's 0-0 draw with Peterborough. The Blues manager thought the goal should have stood rather than being ruled out for an apparent push on Posh full-back Scott Griffiths.

Keane said: "Saying it was harsh would be an understatement and it was the turning point in the game.

"I always judge the reaction of both sets of players, but the one person who thought it was a foul was the referee.

"I don't think we played that well but we had some good chances. The fact we didn't take them was very frustrating and I'm getting fed up of using that word.

"We've got to start putting the ball in the back of the net and I don't just mean my strikers - anyone.

“Peterborough put their bodies on the line but it's surprising me how much trouble we're having scoring goals.

"I need my players to step up to the plate and take a sniff of a chance. Instead of that, we always seemed to be on our heels.

"We played too many long balls in the second half. I don't know why because we don't encourage the players to do that, but maybe it was a sign of us getting edgy.

"We overcomplicated it at times as well, when you are looking at players to have a shot when they are in a good position.

"It's very frustrating. The only positive is that we kept another clean sheet. Our defensive record is outstanding at the moment and if we had turned any ratio of chances into goals we would be so much better off in the table."

New Peterborough boss Mark Cooper was pleased with his side’s defensive display: "It was a very resolute performance.

"On Saturday we conceded a couple of needless goals but tonight the goalkeeper and centre-halves were outstanding. They had to deal with a lot of balls into the area but they won nearly every header.

"When they didn't they won the second ball that bounced on the edge of the box. I was very pleased defensively and, being greedy, we could have nicked it at the end.

"When you're in the position we're in and you come to a place like this, with the players they've got, you have to respect that.

"You can't go all-out attack. We tried to defend properly and play a bit on the counter-attack. That's three games unbeaten now and we have to build on this.

"We mustn't think we can just turn up and it'll happen for us at Coventry on Saturday, just because we've had some good performances. We've got to show the same work-rate and desire."

Photo: Action Images

ITFC1985 added 09:38 - Dec 9 I agree with PunchNoHopers, i saw the goal that was disallowed this morning and John was pretty riding on the guys shoulders. We played some good stuff last night but yet again failed to create a decent clear cut chance, ive also noticed more and more our players seem scared to shoot from distance and seem to want to create the perfect unmissable chance, which becomes hard when you try to pass your way through a crowded penalty area!! we need to start shooting from distance, who cares if it doesnt go in, but it could take a deflection force the keeper into a save (abit like Leadbitters shot) or get a corner!! we need to start taking shots or we are never going to score, Priskin should never have come on last night, he shows no urgency no desire and is never going to score, Edwards needs a kick up the backside as he shows moments of class but when you want him to run at the defence he doesnt and passes it backwards and his final delivery is not great. Only plus's i could see from last night is that we look solid in defence (bar the last minute) Lee - Barratt kept a clean sheet and made a decent save which will do his confidence the world of good and we're unbeaten in 9 (not many teams can say their in the bottom 3 and unbeaten in 9 lol) COYB!!!!

0

brittaniaman added 09:51 - Dec 9 Why is it Watford (sold there 2 strikers of last year, got no money, and they are sitting in a play off position)) makes no sense does it?? Blackpool are the same,and several other teams. We have had the money and sit in the relegation spot all season I do not like to mention Magilton but he is certainly having a hard time at the moment and they sit in 10th spot. But enough of other teams let us get behind our team and see if we can get some goals from somewhere. Jo Royle had plenty in his time here. so come on Keano show us what you can do starting from this sat. and see if you can prove yourself a better man than Holloway. that alone should start you going Cheers for now !!!!

0

naa added 09:52 - Dec 9 The problem we have is that there's no threat from midfield. People on here rate Edwards but can anyone say he put in one decent ball last night? Or cut in and had a shot? He offers nothing. Though I admit he looks good when he has the ball, he has no final product at all. And Walters looked tired last night. Offered no real threat either. That's our problem. Yes, the strikers have been missing chances but we managed to score goals last season with the same bunch of strikers. The team overall need to start offering some threat. We played OK last night. Though I find it amusing that some seem to think that it's the best football in years. No chance. Not even close. But we seriously fell away after the first 20mins or so. The second half was a pretty drab affair. I also find PutYourBootsOnKeano's comment bizarre. Going on about how Keane has drastically improved the quality of the squad. Has he? Regardless of the current position we are in. Leadbitter total success, but he should be at £3M. Rosenior, good player. But that's about it. Delaney is showing promise (though luckily, as he was bought as a left-back) but I'm holding on a decision just yet. There's no-one else I'm afraid. We do seem to be very slowly getting somewhere, so I'm patient enough to wait, but all the "we're much better than ever before" and "our squad is loads better" comments I just find confusing.

0

brittaniaman added 10:06 - Dec 9 BYthe way, management and players please watch the football on a sat.night or sun.morn.if you are to tired and watch the goals fly in from any position of the park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
0

mikeybloo88 added 10:15 - Dec 9 It's obvious to say we need goals, and I agree that the strikers (especially Priskin) are pretty rubbish, but could also do with some goals from midfield. All the decent teams have a midfielder or two who chip in when the strikers aren't doing it and bang in af ew long shots, so COME ON MiDFIELD, you're helping heep us solid but we need more going forward.
0

ITFC1985 added 10:16 - Dec 9 alot of people calling for Keane to go, but if Keane left would that change anything? the next manager who would come in is going to have the same players and be in the same position and it would probably be even harder for us to get out of the position we are in as we would have to adapt and get used to the way a new manager plays, by then it could be to late.
0

Hinesy_itfc1 added 10:18 - Dec 9 Can someone tell me what is Carlos Edwards problem when he gets the ball out wide? is he scared to use his immense pace and dance past people? we all know he can do that so why wouldnt he do it last night? please tell me someone else noticed that. also there was numerous times he could of had a dig at goal and failed to do so. any thoughts?
0

naa added 10:24 - Dec 9 Hinesy_itfc1: exactly what I said earlier. So far Edwards has decieved a lot of people on here. A lot of people rate him but his total contribution to the team has been to push Walters out of his best position. £1M wasted in my eyes.
0

byebyesheepshanks added 10:29 - Dec 9 I agree with most of your points NAA - We've got money. That money bought us Leadbetter & he looks too good for this division. We should use the money to buy a really good striker who is also too good for the division. A Chopra, Beatie, Earnshaw etc etc. That's how a team with money gets promoted. The middle ground signings - Martin, Priskin etc who add up to a lot £ but don't actually amount to anything. Those were mistakes, but we are where we are & at least the defence is sorted out & we're starting to play a fixed 11.

0

Ipswich4ever added 10:41 - Dec 9 Gareth And Damien at CB looking very good!
0

RRanger added 10:48 - Dec 9 It was very frustrating last night:countless reasonable centres - although not many from the byeline, the ball bobbling on the edge of the box having been half headed out by Peterboro's defenders (who I thought had a decent game) and none of our midfielders picking up the pieces.Leadbitter is a very good buy - in his midfield semi creative position he is forging an excellent partnership with Garvan and reminds me of a young Scholes but he needs to press forward more behind the attackers to pick up those loose balls on the edge of the box and use that excellent strike he undoubtedly has.He should be scoring goals. Delaney is proving a revelation - outstanding in every game since moving to centreback - he has been my man of the match in at least 3 games so far and the McAuley/Delaney partnership is beginning to look as good as any we have had for many many years. I feel doubly sorry for R Wright - if he had been playing behind these two would he have ever been dropped.Begovitch and ALB have been very solid BUT HAVE HAD VERY LITTLE TO DO since our defence has tightened up. I'm sure goals will come. How about a lucrative 2 year contract for Kevin Phillips in the transfer window.If West Brom had been prepared to offer him 2 years I think they would still have been in the Premiership.At his age what he wants most of all is a degree of security. Beattie would be lovely but he will go to another Premiership club. COYB

0

naa added 10:51 - Dec 9 byebyesheepshanks: yes quite right. Ever since Evans arrived the manager's have just bought bulk and not quality. Magilton's downfall was to waste a few million making the squad bigger but not better and Keane has largely made the same mistake. I have serious doubts about Keane's scouting network - or his ability to trust in others, which he needs to do if he's going to buy players he doesn't know well. But January will need to herald at least one striker who could kick-start the season - as David Johnson did 10 years ago. In that regard, it does show that you don't always need to spend big money on a name player. But what definitely doesn't work is paying a reasonable amount (£1m) for a jobbing player who's in his mid-twenties (I could name many of those in the last two seasons).

0

AFCC added 10:51 - Dec 9 you Keano bashers have anoyed me so much that I cant sit hear a read your nonsense any more. The squad is far stronger than the past couple of seasons (sorry Jim) and RK is working on each department. The midfield was weak but with Leadbitter & Edwards in (perhaps even Colback), Garvan back on form and the returning Norris & Chivelli it's much better. In defence Delaney has taken his time but has now formed a a formidable partnership with Delaney (conceeded 2 goals in 9 hours of football!) Rosenior also proving his quality week on week. Even in goal the current circumstances have been unfortunate but Lee-Barratt is a more than adequate deputy with Murphy ready from Jan 1st. Now that just leaves the stike force. Priskin was a quick fix that has not paid off and I must say that I was disapointed with the calibur of player brought in during the loan window. Hopefully Mr Evans along with you blinkered people can see that progress is being made (albeit slowly) and with the funding for a prolific striker in January (and perhaps another on loan with Priskin, John & i hate to say it Pabs being shipped out) then OUR TEAM can be a force to be reckoned with for the remainder of this season and into next. COYB!!!!! & merry christmas everyone

0

bedsitfc added 10:53 - Dec 9 get holt from scum and jackson from gillingham / bernard from southend
0

bigfish added 10:55 - Dec 9 Turning point - its not rocket science a player or 2 that CAN SCORE GOALS 20 plus a season They also want to die for for the town and play each game 100% eg another Matt Holland type person and not a Francis Jeffers person out to cream as much out of the club as possible. That is the combination for success Keane said on Suffolk interview Tuesday - we have 5 or so good strikers - a definition of a good striker is some one that scores regular. SORT IT OUR QUICKLY or We are in Trouble

0

bjc added 10:55 - Dec 9 guss might be available! or theres allways my dog rusty?
0

dobbie73 added 11:05 - Dec 9 AFCC - nice summary! Bigfish - I hear what you are saying on the striker front. But .... a 20+ goals a season man would be playing in his own club's first XI (figures if he's THAT prolific), and therefore unavailable for loan. So if we are to tempt anyone of that calibre to us, it would have to be in the transfer window. Would mean a large transfer fee, and possibly high wages .... But some have called for James Beattie and/or Kris Boyd from Rangers. Maybe half-jokingly, but with Beattie apparently falling out with his manager and Rangers struggling for money, these may be ambitious but realistic targets. Just depends on (a) would they fit in and be able to work with Keano, and (b) would Marcus Evans be willing to dip his hand in his wallet and possibly break the wage structure?

0

DrJeckyll added 11:16 - Dec 9 I think we will probably pick up the points we need to climb up the table away from home, 13 away goals scored compared to 6 at home i think says it all. All season we have been playing 'must win' games. We are putting way too much pressure on games that really isn't necessary at this stage of the season. Forget about the table, that will take care of itself. We went off the boil a bit in the second half, anything to do with the booing that greeted the whistle at the end of the first half do you think. what about the tuts and whinging that resounded round the stadium if a player misplaced a pass as well, do you think that helped? Portman road, with the exception of a couple of games this season, has a horrible atmosphere about it. We need to stop putting so much pressure on every bloody game to get a result otherwise we will need strikers with herculean mental strength to put the ball in the back of the net. And even if they existed we would have no hope of signing them.

0

naa added 11:20 - Dec 9 AFCC: I'm not Keano bashing as such. But reading your post you list the following successes: Leadbitter. Yep Edwards: as said, I don't agree with that. He's there to add attacking threat but how many shots or assists has he had? Rosenior: yep, good player Delaney: I accepted that one already, looks like it might work out, but he's only played 4 games at centre-back so far. Too early to tell. And that's all you really mention. So three successes. Not bad, but hardly the revolution some are claiming. So not sure how we've got you so upset when you essentially agree with me.

0

naa added 11:25 - Dec 9 Dr Jeckyll. The half-time booing was definitely for the referee as he'd disallowed a goal and turned down a good penalty shout and had generally been a bit rubbish. And, in fact, the booing only started after the players had all left the pitch. Agree though that the atmosphere was a bit 'on edge' but at the end of the day if the fans can see the effort and quality they usually respond - e.g. the Watford game atmosphere was good as we had real threat that night and played well. As we went off the boil last night so did the fans. I know that the fans help and they can pick the team up with some atmosphere, but that's just how it is. Pretty much every team across the country has the same problem.

0

DrJeckyll added 11:39 - Dec 9 naa, i was in churchmans stand last night and some moron started shouting abuse at the players after only about ten minutes and as time went on more morons started to join him. At half time the boo might have been directed at the ref but it certainly wasn't clear to me that it was him being targeted and maybe it wasn't clear to the players either. Maybe a good traditional chorus of 'the referee 's a wa**er' would have been more suitable

0

AJblue added 12:05 - Dec 9 BREAKING NEWS.. Jim Magilton has been suspended by QPR... I know it is nott relevant to the above, but i thought you all might like to know. As for last night, gotta say i enjoyed the game, but frustrating isnt the word. We so need a goalscorer, but if it were that easy....... Would love Kris Boyd down here, but i think he , like Beattie could have their pick of teams to join, we really would have to splash the cash to lure them. Phillips would be a good punt, offer 18month 2 year contract,you never know.

0

bluefishx added 12:09 - Dec 9 Selling Rhodes was the turning point. (Yeah, yeah, I know, let it go...).
0

Facefacts added 12:33 - Dec 9 The blatant handball (also admitted by the Peterborough commentator on BBC radio Cambs "we got away with that") was the turning point, it's just that the ref saw the foul by Stern John but not the handball. With video replays available on appeal by the captain (or one of those Europa League extra refs) we would have got a penalty. Actually no he pointed to his chest, so he must have 'chickened out', or didn't go to specsavers.

0

Mark added 12:34 - Dec 9 It is disappointing for me how we always seem to get worse at home after the substitutions. After an hour, what was the point of changing Stern John with Jack Colback?! I agree that there is little end-product from Edwards. Not only did he cost £1m, he is 31 years old (making that transfer fee extremely expensive). Up front we lack both aerial ability and pace, and we should have signed a quality striker in the summer. Who we can get on loan in January remains to be seen. 4 games to go until the window opens. Will Evans give Keane more cash to spend? If we were to change managers, December is a sensible time to do it so a new man can assess the squad and decide who to buy and sell in January.

0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls