Boss Roy Keane slammed his team’s second half performance as the Blues surrendered a 1-0 half-time lead to lose 3-1 at rock bottom Peterborough.

Keane said: "We live in the real world. We defend each other but when you have three thousand fans here to see you, you must be better.

"It is not good players that get you out of trouble, it is characters and in the last 25 minutes I never felt we were going to get back into it.

"I have defended the players this season as they have always given their all, but we died out in the second half and I need to put my finger on why tonight and we must do more.

"You can have 90% of the possession but if you don't score and don't defend set-pieces you will lose games.

"There is no hiding place. In any walk of life you have got to show some character and we had none."

The Blues boss felt a second first half goal would have settled the match in Town’s favour: "We got a foothold in the game but we didn't get that second goal that I think would have been enough to have won us the points.

"Their goal in the first minute of the second half changed the game. It was a crazy goal to give away. We had the kick-off, we didn't clear the ball, dived in for the challenge. I'm not sure it was a foul but you still have to defend the set-piece and we didn't do that.

"Their second goal was a good goal but the third was another set-piece and we have to be better than that.

"Credit to Peterborough, they took the game to us but our second half performance wasn't good enough. It was disappointing, frustrating - and a lot worse but you won't be able to print it!

"The last 20 minutes we lost that bit of spark and it looked as if we had played over the weekend and they had a few days off, not the other way round.

"I think we will be in the bottom three tomorrow night as other teams around us will pick up results.

"We had a fantastic following again but we let the fans down tonight and that's not acceptable. We have to make sure we bounce back on Saturday at Sheffield Wednesday."

Peterborough boss Jim Gannon made an important tactical change just after the half hour, taking off Craig Mackail-Smith, bringing on Reuben Reid and switching to a five-man midfield.

Gannon says he should have gone with that plan from the start: "I made a difficult decision to try and accommodate a certain player and I compromised my beliefs to get him in. I will never do that again.

"I was disappointed in myself as we looked poor in the first half an hour but I made the change and it was justified.

"Straight away Reuben gave us width and penetration and you could see signs from then that we would be more purposeful.

"We didn't show enough quality maybe but in the second half we had more tempo and certainly did enough.

"I just reminded them at the break about what we have been working on and we played my way after the break.

"I have learned a lot in my short time here and if we play like that for the majority of the remaining games then we will give ourselves a chance."

Photo: Action Images

yorksblue added 10:00 - Feb 17 That's it. Enough is enough. Can't even beat garbage at the bottom of the league 3 times in one season. Until we rid ourselves of this muppet, I'm concentrating on watching some decent football, with passion, at Histon.
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Marshalls_Mullet added 10:00 - Feb 17 Dubblue Dont start that wind up re Burley. Derby - Play offs. Hibs - Challenging the top two. Southampton - Prevented relegation and reached the playoffs. Get a grip lad.
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Nunn_the_Wiser added 10:00 - Feb 17 Terrible performance, and result, but were not doomed yet. Fair enough people expected us to win last night, but we havn't had back to back wins all season! All the people calling for Keanes head are justified as this season has been hugely dissapointing, but i agree with most others on here, change of manager at this time wont help in the slightest. If we do survive this season, Keane needs to have a good clearout in the summer, and next season will be better. Shef Weds biggest game of season now, lets hope the players pull there fingers out and show some passion, unlike most of them last night.

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ITFC1985 added 10:06 - Feb 17 George Burley has never managed Hibs
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keanostackle added 10:06 - Feb 17 What a rubbish game last night was. Again started well go 1-0 and have chances to increase the lead which for about the 15th time this season be unable to do. How come we just cant score the second goal ! With the way the game was last night it was crying out for wingers who can run with the ball and get crosses in, and credit where it is due exactly what their manager did by bringing on Reid. Walters looked very poor last nioght and Healy has a decent touch at times, but looks so out of confidence and match fitness it is unreal. Surely we have a man who is an out and out wide man on the bench that we paid £1mil for in Edwards, and I know he has not been in great form, but feel he would have added more than either counago or quinn. Also, as we were losing why not change and play 3 forwards to get that goal, as how many times did the posh defence pass it around as no one was closing down !!! And although he was nopt having his greatest game Leadbetter is still a different class. Great support from the fans. The only thought I had on my way home if any comfort and not sure it is, if I had to choose a game to lose last night oir Saturday against Shef Wed I would have taken last night as I still think they are going down (ok we may join them !!) but Shef Wed are just above us. Still support the club forever more.

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Marshalls_Mullet added 10:08 - Feb 17 Oops, meant Hearts. Mustve been thinking Mogga!
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Lightningboy added 10:21 - Feb 17 I just do not understand Keane's team selections at all...Just when we're starting to look a bit more solid he goes and drops David Wright,then last week starts the QPR game with only 2 recognised defenders? I don't agree with people saying it's the wrong time to get rid of him - we've won a poxy 6 games with Keano all season - surely nobody could do any worse? (Ok,maybe Tony Adams or Mick Harford) but if something doesn't change drastically from here on then we're going to be playing leyton orient & rochdale next season. 16 games to go - realistically we need to win at least 6 of those and scrape a few more draws...Does anyone think Roy can get our players to achieve this?

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hampstead_blue added 10:26 - Feb 17 Shocking second half. They ran around like idiots. No craft, composure, or real creativity. It seems we are very one-dimensional. The midfield of Walters, Leadbitter, Norris, Colback, are just to similar. We need some craft and guile in there, not just another clone. Murphy is the bright spark and it does show that many posters here (who slammed his arrival) had not seen what he can do. He is classy and shows good touches. I'm worried. RK had bought a lot of players and we seem to be going backwards. Too many questions, but I will keep the faith.

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Surco72 added 10:26 - Feb 17 Keane heads up this is your best team to play Sheff Weds ALB Rosenoir Mac Delaney Wright Leadbitter Norris Garvan Walters Colback Murphy Good Luck
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Suffolk_n_Good added 10:33 - Feb 17 Sorry I have to agree with the majority on here, enough is enough, it's ok backing the manager, but this is now becoming blind faith! I believe Keane has been given more than a fair chance to improve things, this just hasn't happened & lets be honest if we do survive relegation by the skin of our teeth, it certainly does not mean we should be celebrating, our season was over by Christmas. Keane out....

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Marshalls_Mullet added 10:37 - Feb 17 Agree with Hampstead that our midfield is not creative enough. With Leadbitter and Norris sitting pretty deep generally, we need more width. Walters does OK, but we have no threat down the left. Our midfield just contains, rather than posing a threat.
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fredbarber added 10:40 - Feb 17 First things first standing there last night the support was excellent we gave the team all the backing and got nothing in return. For me the subs killed us after they made it 1-1 we started have chances, but as soon as garvan went off and peters came on and switched with colback we lost are shape completely. Two weeks ago I backed keane 100% but when bruce and stead were loaned out alarm bells started to ring. For me the back two have been solid for a while but we havent kept a clean sheet in ages.I would have had bruce back in the team by now. For the first time last night standing there at the end I seriously am doubting the manager, hope i am wrong and hope we all look back in the summer after safe mid table finish. I can still see a 15th finish the same as Jim did in his first year but as i said my mind is started to doubt keane Onwards and upwards i will be there on saturday UP THE TOWN!!!!!

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Thetruth added 10:42 - Feb 17 One thing I will say about last night, is that 3000 of us there had more passion then the players ever will have!!! Away support is quality, terraces are quality, like going back in time! Keep the support going, looks like the team are gonna need it!
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SomershamBlue added 10:44 - Feb 17 I reckon that if we win our next 2 games, then RK will survive, if we don't, then he won't. It's all very well giving straight answers in press conferences, which he undoubtedly does, and not being afraid to criticize himself, but he has not demonstrated that he knows what to do to fix the problems.
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bennyblue added 10:46 - Feb 17 has the penny finally dropped if only the keane hard cores could have acknowleged the fact that keane is a celebrity manager with no real experience a couple of months ago we might have got someone decent in who could have stopped the rot.now its serious.matt the blue where are you
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Hinesy_itfc1 added 10:51 - Feb 17 BRING BACK ROYLE! HE WORKED WONDERS AND CAN BLATENTLY STILL DO A QUALITY JOB. THE PLAYERS WOULD LISTEN AND HE WOULD HAVE ALL THE CONTACTS (just like we thought keane would) COYB!
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osborne1nil added 10:53 - Feb 17 Interesting that alot of the fans on here who have slated all those who dared moaned about Keane have now realised what the 'whingers' have been trying to say for sometime. Even if Keane can keep Town up (which I think is possible but squeaky bums to the end of the season) it will have been a disasterous season. With the players he inherited and money spent Town should have been in the playoff zone. Pre season we were up towards the favourites with the bookies for promotion and where are we! With roughly a 1/4 of the season still to go it is enough time for a new Manager to pull together results to keep us up and even finish mid table. Town have been so poor this season in most areas of the pitch which is unusual, GK, defence,strikers and hot and cold midfield. Keane has bought in his own back office staff to help him with Parland, McLoughlin and kicked out Klug who was the last connection with Sir Bobby. Results have not followed with most areas of the pitch being changed around each week. Is Thatcher not fit to play LB or is it that he was late for training and was black balled as a result? Surely it is better to play a natural LB than makeshift? Bring back Burley and perhaps we can see some attractive and consistant play and let RK learn his trade somewhere else because time is running out this year or else we could seriously end up swapping places with the Scum next year. ITFC isn't a club to boot out its Managers and to give them time but ME is in charge now and his people on the board. What is the faceless person of ITFC thinking? The fans have been excellent (as always) especially away and the players were obviously so ashamed of this performance against p'boro to the extent that they couldn't face applauding the fans again (inspite of RK saying this will not happen again). Time is running out fast along with the patience of alot of the posters on here!!!

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bluetoba added 10:54 - Feb 17 Keane done it with Sunderland so it doesn't matter what you say bennyblue. However, I really think the Camels back is broken now and think we'll be lucky to stay up. Gutted it hasn't worked for RK.
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Lightningboy added 10:55 - Feb 17 It's all very well supporters coming on here saying that the town fans were great last night etc etc but at the end of the day that's not going to get us 3 points is it. Heads out of the sand guys..Keane's had 10 months to decide on his best team - he can't - which is why he's still experimenting with spring around the corner. Roy,do the decent thing,resign,either now or at the end of the season & let us put in place a manager more suited to ITFC's style of management/style of football,then go and sign up for a fantasy footy league where you can chop & change to your heart's delight. Oh,and the really sad thing is that if Keane does stay & keeps us up there will be people on here stating that he's the new messiah for saving us from the drop! - this season has been a complete and utter disgrace to Town's recent history,what's worse is that there are fans willingly accepting it because they want(ed) a big name in charge.

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kev_b20 added 10:56 - Feb 17 This needs to come to an end! I am a blue's fan through and through and am now finally FED UP with having my heart ripped out week in week out.....Our club has sold itself out and look what we are left with.... Getting rid of stead was the last straw for me... Under Jim, we wouldnt let Shumi go to Derby as they were one of our close promotion rivals, and yet, now we can let our top scorer go to one of our relegation rivals...... Its almost at the point now where i dont care any more... And it scares me as i am passionate about 'my' club, but that feeling is soon slipping away... And im not sure how soon it will come back..

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kevinscoles added 11:10 - Feb 17 I have been a fan for over 30 years, this is not the worst team I have seen, this is not the best. Keane is not the worst manager, John Lyall for me, nor is he the best. The fact is any team in the league can beat any other team, hence Plymouth winning 3,1 on Saturday. If we pick up six points against Wednesday and Scunny the whole world will look a different place. Crap happens last night I was depressed this morning I am moody, by Saturday I will be excited and optimistic. That's why we support Ipswich, it's the rollercoaster, not just the summit.

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Marshalls_Mullet added 11:11 - Feb 17 Kev.... its becoming a ghost train rather than a rollercoaster. A roller coaster has more ups than we have recently. Its been a very poor 9 years!!
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utrechtblue added 11:14 - Feb 17 just a simple point but if you decide today after a defeat that you now support histon, or whoever, then you never were an Ipswich Town fan. A number of people on here are boring sheep who revel in the knee jerk reaction based on what drivel they can remember from previous posters. The real support will be at Hillsborough and Glanford park in the next week and I believe they will be rewarded for their efforts. Blue Army

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Woodbridgian added 11:24 - Feb 17 Keane Said: "I have defended the players this season as they have always given their all, but we died out in the second half and I need to put my finger on why tonight and we must do more" Answer to his question raise hand place finger on your own head and you will have put your finger on the problem
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:28 - Feb 17 if M E cant see that Keano is a failure he must be on the Darkside of the moon ,after last night im very Uncomfortably numb, Burley/Royle ,Wish you were here,we really have our backs to The Wall, ......is there anybody out there .?
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