Roy Keane says his Town team have shown a tendency to be naïve during the latter stages of games this season. The Blues boss was clarifying his comment last week when he said that the club is too nice.

Keane says he wasn’t referring to the club, its staff or the fans but to the team when he said that Town are “too nicey nicey”: “There’s nothing wrong with being nice, my dad always said it’s nice to be nice, but you’ve got to have that nasty streak. The nasty streak I meant was at certain times of the game.

“I don’t mean the club or the area or the supporters, because they’ve been brilliant, but in terms of concentration [on the pitch], we’ve conceded a lot of late goals and that’s when you need a nasty streak.

“Knowing when to foul somebody, time waste, we see clubs doing it all day, but I think we’re generally a naïve team. That’s why I say the team’s probably lacked one or two characters.

“I’ve seen it with other teams and other clubs, it gets to injury time, I wouldn’t say [it's] cheating, but there are times when you can take your time with the throw-in. We’ve had it here a couple of times when clubs have come here and players have been down for four or five minutes and they get up and there’s nothing wrong with them.

“There’s a cuteness to it, that’s what I meant. I didn’t mean the people at the club, but I mean the players need to be more streetwise.”

The Town boss hasn’t spoken with owner and chairman Marcus Evans recently but says this is entirely normal with his day-to-day relationship with chief executive Simon Clegg: “Any talk of a breakdown [with Evans] is nonsense. I speak to the chief executive as normal twice a week and we were all discussing possible players to come in recently.”

Keane reiterated that he’s happy in Suffolk and suggested he would keep on living here even if he were to lose his job with the Blues: “I love it here, I'm very happy. I took my five kids out of their school in Manchester to be here. I bought the house, so I've made a commitment to the area anyway, whether I'm in a job or not.

“But I've made a commitment to the club as well. I want to see out the job for the two years of my contract and hopefully that will continue.”

Photo: Action Images

jamie22 added 10:30 - Apr 3 I know it's a good idea but I don't want Ipswich to be doing the staying on the floor for 5 minutes, it's an embarrasment when teams do it in my opinion!
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Fixed_It added 10:32 - Apr 3 Keane is here for the long haul. He is a winner, and we will be winners. Stick with him, Marcus!
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PimsNumber1 added 10:33 - Apr 3 Those last 3 paragraphs sound very positive. I do think we should persist with him at least till xmas and if we are not in the top 10 minimum then its time for him to go.
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Bergholtblue added 10:35 - Apr 3 And when they get booked for time wasting, being their fifth of the season, and resceiving a one match ban, he will moan that they are getting booked needlessly. The man is an idiot!
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bennyblue added 10:39 - Apr 3 too right idiot idiot idiot
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Redmond added 10:41 - Apr 3 This is not football, just be honest and if you are hurt then ok but dont time waste
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bennyblue added 10:42 - Apr 3 too right idiot idiot idiot
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ollyfayers added 11:01 - Apr 3 Fair point from RK. Those late goals have been a problem. That said, we should set an example about how to play professionally, so I don't want any Town players doing a Drogba as soon as it hits 85mins. Like jamie22 says, it's just embarrassing. Reading later. Come on you Blues.
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ollyfayers added 11:03 - Apr 3 (Of course, I mean the Drogba diving around bit. The scoring goals bit would be nice though. Not sure he plans to sign for us too soon anyway).
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Barhamblue added 11:12 - Apr 3 Bennyblue. Look in before looking out.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 11:17 - Apr 3 Absolutely disagree with our manager on this one. I'd rather cultivate an image of a team which avoids all these annoying tactics and isn't afraid to play the game honestly. I interpret honesty in this context as not deliberately wasting time, not feigning injury, and not diving. I also think that it is tactically probably worth pushing for the extra goal even when you are ahead with a few minutes to go: attack is, as we know, the best form of defence. No doubt some will disagree with me.

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ChambersM added 11:19 - Apr 3 stupid comments
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:28 - Apr 3 We will see , hard few matches remaining, i,d be more convinced if we got some points from them, its no good losing and saying well they were a good team ect ,ect [bored by that one ]we SHOULD be COMPETEING, it wont be any easier next year.And saying we've been talkng about bringing in a couple of players, that has been said all through this season .Until they arrive AND perorm that is a pointless statement. Lets see a result today COYB.

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sereneblue added 11:35 - Apr 3 Bergholtblue and bennyblue, of cause your entitled to your opinion about Roy Keane but I would image by your very repetitive and naive comments he's twice the man you two will ever be.'Roman was not built in a day' and look at the incredible force they became.Give Roy and the club time to build a strong side,things don't happen over night. Come on lads,get behind Roy and the team.Patience is a Virtue.

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denhamblue added 12:00 - Apr 3 naive this season, your joking,weve been naive ,consitently,for the last few seasons!,and im struggling to see,where more than 4 or 5 points,are going to come from.
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Mark added 12:25 - Apr 3 Ipswich supporters rightly had a go at Scunthorpe recently due to the horrible time wasting tactics which nearly ruined the game, and Keane seems to suggest we should follow a similar approach of "Knowing when to foul somebody, time waste..." Do we really want our players being coached in when to foul opposition players? How about coaching them to play football?! I want a return to the "Ipswich way", a return to enjoyable attacking football and sadly it does not seem we will get this under Roy Keane.

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hogster1970 added 12:30 - Apr 3 concentrate to get the team to actually play some decent football first keano. i can only say i have seen about 3 decent home games all year, qpr coventry and blackpool springs to mind. if you are 3-0 in the lead because you can play some good football then you aint got to worry about time waisting, just hope they come out today with all guns blazing because if they dont and take the game to reading we will be on the losing side again i feel. so come on you blues lets kick ass

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dirtydingusmagee added 12:33 - Apr 3 Mark , i have to agree, dosnt look like we will see decent football with Keane,hardly comes across as a bloke indeared with finnesse.
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Big_Foot_Blue added 12:33 - Apr 3 Sounds like he's damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. If he doesnt tell his team to toughen up and not to rush thing in the last minutes then we lose and people want him sacked and if he tries to rectify this problem people moan hes an idiot and a disgrace. COME ON PEOPLE! I don't want us to turn into Scunthorpe either however we dont need to be like Scunthorpe! Look at premiership clubs who find ways to kill time by just not running to the ball to take a freekick or letting the fans hold onto the ball when in the crowd a bit longer. This is streetwise tactics which should help us not to concede so many late goals. He is not an idiot so theres no need for the abusive language For god sake get behind your team and your manager since hes not going till at least christmas so just get behind the lads! COYB's!

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tom_the_blue added 13:16 - Apr 3 I totally agree with Keano on this. We have been to soft over the past few seasons, lacking real leadership. We need someone who plays a bit like Keane used to, a good footballer with a cynical side to him. I see a bit of this in Leadbitter, he is not particualy dirty but he is niggly eg with shirt pulling etc and would be a tough opponent. Also, in the last few minutes of games, and we are leading by 1, who cares about nice football? Its all about getting the 3 points in the bag, and if this involves time wasting etc, I dont care, as long as we win. COYB FTNS

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dirtydingusmagee added 13:53 - Apr 3 Be nice to watch decent football though, still if we get the points we wont be so critical, Keane has enough games left to get us halfway in table,like ''any half decent manager'' so looking forward to a good run into end of season then ,! COYB
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StockholmDave added 16:23 - Apr 3 Reminds me of a story a friend of mine told me a few years ago. Old Trafford, 90th minute back in the days when there was only 1 ball. Utd were one goal up in a tight game near the end of the season. Mark Hughes through on goal, but at a bad angle, smashes the ball into row Z, when the fans started grumbling he turned to them tapped his wrist and winked. It's not about cheating, it's about winning!

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kentblue added 17:26 - Apr 3 Keane is a one dimensional thug and obviously wants to carry this out on the pitch ! Oh for Arsene Wenger's artistry - ! Ipswich always had a reputation for this type of football for many years . Keane is taking Ipswich Football club in the wrong direction and away from the style that always did us proud . I've said it before - Keane is ruining every aspect of ITFC !! He needs to GO .

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Crock added 17:31 - Apr 3 Why are there 2 dots over naive?
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pennblue added 17:38 - Apr 3 Totally agree with Keane. It is part of the game, and I would much rather be watching on from the stands watching a front player take a few extra seconds on the deck, with us 2-1 up pushing for a Europa space, rather than watching us play pretty pretty football in the Championship, watching is slip to another 1-1 draw or defeat.... No-one remembers the losers or the runners up....

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