Town owner and chairman Marcus Evans is reported to have met with manager Roy Keane yesterday to reassure him regarding his position in the wake of this week’s claims of his likely sacking.

Evans’s helicopter was spotted at the Playford Road Training Centre yesterday. This afternoon’s report claims clear-the-air talks with Keane were the reason for his visit.

Speculation regarding Keane’s future had all but disappeared until earlier this week when a national newspaper claimed that Steve Cotterill, who is understood to be close to being named the new manager of Portsmouth, and Tony Mowbray, said to have met with Evans recently, were in the frame to take over at Portman Road.

Back in March, chief executive Simon Clegg dismissed the then-widespread claims that Keane’s sacking was on the cards.

Meanwhile, Keane himself says he has no regrets about his controversial exit from Ireland’s World Cup campaign in Japan and Korea: “Missing out on the 2002 World Cup finals does not lose me any sleep.

“I enjoyed helping Ireland qualify, and the madness of it all is that people still don’t know the full story. There are as usual plenty of second guesses.

“There was a view within the Irish camp that just because we had qualified, we had done enough. But that did not sit with me.

“With a good manager who’s brought a professional attitude and a new stadium about to open, my hope is that Irish football will be now taken seriously. There has been an improvement, but there is a lot more to be done.”

Photo: Action Images

ChambersM added 21:17 - Jun 10 stating my opinion
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Mark added 21:20 - Jun 10 The reasons I don't think Keane should be manager of the club are because of his poor descisions, results and performances, and for wasting of millions of pounds. Take Lee Martin alone possibly costing us £4M in transfer fees and wages; that's about 11,000 season tickets sold, almost a whole season's worth! Carlos Edwards, about £2.5M, another 7,000 season tickets. Keane's past was mentioned in the story above so is discussed here. I'd love it if Keane stayed and made good signings, bringing attractive football back and ending in promotion glory. That is just hope though, as last season was awful. This coming season we have yet to see a new signing, but an important player in D.Wright is leaving for free seemingly without a firm replacement being set to join. The signs are not good, but I hope it changes. Hope hope hope!

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itfc_steve added 21:22 - Jun 10 clegg out.
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Vic added 21:23 - Jun 10 CM - over and over again! Why not make a comment and then go to the forum? I notice you've never posted on there - I think you'd like the banter and some on there will argue, or agree with you till the cows come home! Just gets a bit boring seeing the same person writing the same stuff on here time after time - imo anyway! Thats all, I'm back to the forum now!
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Vic added 21:23 - Jun 10 CM - over and over again! Why not make a comment and then go to the forum? I notice you've never posted on there - I think you'd like the banter and some on there will argue, or agree with you till the cows come home! Just gets a bit boring seeing the same person writing the same stuff on here time after time - imo anyway! Thats all, I'm back to the forum now!
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ozzydog added 21:29 - Jun 10 what a load of drivel
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petermorris added 21:30 - Jun 10 good post @ readtheleaguetable. By the way, all this Keano/pro/anti/Daily Lies/Evans/Clegg/Chops/Wickham/helecopter/Ireland rollocks is giving me a b4stard between the eyes - I'm off to sort out my fridge for the World Cup, then wait patiently for our season to start.
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itfc_steve added 21:35 - Jun 10 well said sir.
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StowTractorBoy added 21:36 - Jun 10 Thank goodness we can now have stability as all these stories do help the mood of the fans and as this is one of a few places we can rant why oh why are our local press i.e. the EADT and the Evening Star so negative about our beloved Club. I for one am sick and tired of snide comments that are indirectly linked to Roy Keane. Please please Elvin King and co get off his back. We need the local press behind the Club not continually trying to find a problem because there is nothing else to write. I know of many other fans who are sick to death of the paper trying to find problems and I for one will not buy the papers until they change direction.

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ChambersM added 21:38 - Jun 10 they attack us because of our manager....you want it to stop...support the fans wanting keane out!
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ozzydog added 21:41 - Jun 10 The local press are now run by a naaarwich firm called archant press They hate ITFC
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jd89 added 21:46 - Jun 10 omg what is wrong with some people. i never was a fan of keane b4 he came to town but i am starting to like him and i really do think with him in place we will see some good days again very soon. i worship town and can't believe how some supporters feel the need to attack anyone who likes keane. i have a lot of experience in football and i feel that most of the people that are doing the attacking have no idea about what football really is.

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alfromcol added 22:07 - Jun 10 Usual cr*p from ChambersM and colleagues. Presumably you have nothing better to do during the close season than spend time continually posting the same old comments. Very boring, we all know what your views are, give us a rest, at least until the season starts. Enjoy the World Cup everyone.
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Suffolk_n_Good added 22:09 - Jun 10 Correct decision to back him, yes it was a poor season, make that an awful season! but as others have said, now is not the time for a sacking, ME puts the money in, if he's prepared to back the manager then so am I.
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pitseablue added 22:15 - Jun 10 Just heard next season the grass at Portman Road will be green ! Some of the nutters on here would moan about that!
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ChambersM added 22:25 - Jun 10 YES I WILL...bloody grass at portman road, keane sort it out its all your fault
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naaridge1coly7 added 22:50 - Jun 10 omg and the atmosphere last year,werent that just like being at a library.......
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naaridge1coly7 added 22:54 - Jun 10 the real fans no longer go cos they know better,its all gone clearly wrong since this mug of an overpaid media seeking operation took over,FACT!!!!!!!!! wake up and smell the coffee you complete ignorant twits.
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naaridge1coly7 added 23:11 - Jun 10 anyone find it interesting how few signongs our top class manager has made yet????? Sacking must be really close now hes met with richard bransen......
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generalpublic added 23:52 - Jun 10 shame .we could have done with a new manager if we want to get up.keane does not have much of a talent for playing good football or signing good players .its been a bad experiment shame....
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north_stand77 added 00:31 - Jun 11 Met Roy Keane recently and I have to say he was very polite and gentlemanly. He is going to be starting the season as our manager so why cant everybody get behind the Club, Keane and therefore the players. Surely thats the only way to support the team? I am fed up of reading all the negative and often immature jibes aimed at our manager. Its up to the Marcus Evens who our manager is and how long he's in post, unless Keane ends it. So why not try being positive about everything which is the very thing that the players need for a good start. I hope they keep well away from this site.

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TractorBoy added 08:49 - Jun 11 He will be here when the season kicks off. He has the backing of Evans and Clegg. We will start the season with his team and his signings. That's something we have to realise, like it or not. The best thing we can do is support the team and the manager, putting that woeful season behind us. I feel if he doesn't get a good few results in the first 10 games then Marcus' patience will wear off. If he gets the results - Happy Days! Come on you Blues!!!

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dobbie73 added 08:58 - Jun 11 Tractorboy - very succinct! I guess we could say that if we are doing well, then everyone SHOULD be happy (hear that ChambersM?!), despite/because of* Keano at the helm. And if we have a pants start, then as you say Tractorboy, Keano will probably be gone, then it will be back to the managerial merry-go-round. *delete as appropriate, depending on your viewpoint COYB!!!!!

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evansblue added 09:35 - Jun 11 My oh my, the world is a really dark place for some ITFC fans on here. Some of the negative comments, which you are entitled to make, really made me laugh though so thanks for that. I am just pleased that my blue tinted specs are working and I can only see good times ahead for us. A hungry Manager who knows he made mistakes last season wanting a decent right hand man to help him, money from the owner whose anonymity we must respect and the best young player in the country on our books. The fact we are chasing Chopra for a price in the region of £4 million shows the ambition of our club. So to the negative cyber monkeys who one imagines sit on their own with their anoraks on for home games scared to open their mouths, I genuinely feel for you. I am happy to be positive about the future and I will respect your right to be negative as it certainly makes for good reading

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bluearmy4life added 10:07 - Jun 11 I can understand why some fans are not happy with keane and who want him to go. Im on the fence, Last season was a disgrace but it was the performances that were more concerning then anything. But we need to get still be behind him and hope we can sign some decent players before pre-season so they have plenty of time to gel and to get things right because at the moment there is no chance we will make the play-offs with are current team no way! If keane does'nt get things sorted out within the first 10 games no doubt he will have to go thats life and thats how football is today.

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