Boss Roy Keane says adding an assistant manager to his staff has been put on the back burner. The Blues manager announced that he was looking for a new deputy at the end of last season.

Keane told the club site: "It's not been a priority for me this summer. I've put it on the back burner for now. I spoke to one person who I felt I could have worked with and we had some good conversations, but he has ended up getting a job himself.

"I've been too busy with other things at the moment. I want to focus on trying to bring in one or two new faces to the squad and also concentrating on the players here already and getting things right for the new season."

New Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers, a close friend of Keane’s, was strongly linked with the job prior to landing his position with the Swans.

The Blues boss says the current pre-season programme is a very different to last year's: “Perhaps more by accident than design, because we ideally wanted another game or two in Holland, our preparations this time have been like chalk and cheese compared to last summer. But it’s working OK and is far better organised.

“Last year it was hectic to say the least with a new manager, new staff, new players, hours of travelling, house and school hunting and no canteen with our training ground being renovated.

“We also picked up injuries, which apart from Damien Delaney, we have managed to keep clear of this time.”

One of the planned games in Holland was against Town’s 1981 UEFA Cup final foes AZ Alkmaar, local policing concerns scuppering the fixture.

Photo: Action Images

ITFC_IN_HULL added 11:50 - Jul 24 obviously brendan rodgers was offered the assistants role but who can blame him taking the swansea job, keane has friends who are good managers ie paul ince , steve bruce ,mark hughes , bryan kidd , bryan robson . if it didint go all well for brendan at swansea he may take the offer up .anything can happen but i would like to see nicky butt here working with the younger lads and not the assistants managers job

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hamster153 added 11:59 - Jul 24 RIGHTLY SO KEANO!!!!!
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Mark added 12:05 - Jul 24 I'm surprised this has dragged on for months, as it is an important position. A good assistant could help with all the pre-season preparation and bring in new new ideas, especially regarding identifying transfer targets. A man with contacts is what we need.
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Raedwald_625 added 12:23 - Jul 24 Been too busy! what 'av yer been doin' then? Do us a favour.
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BlueArmy01 added 12:35 - Jul 24 The real reason is he knows he only has ten games to save his arse, and the players are openly saying they hate him...................thats what i hear anyway.
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PimsNumber1 added 12:36 - Jul 24 Brian Clough and Peter taylor . The dream team Yes its an important role . Hope he gets someone in who has contacts and experience outside Eire and Sunderland.
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bontcho added 12:58 - Jul 24 I still think we missed out when the Peter Taylor thing didn't work out.
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bedsitfc added 13:34 - Jul 24 bluearmy01 - get a life. you are talking s--t, anybody that wants success will be happy to play under keane and players that just what their ego stroked will hate him. so imo if any player hates the manager they are not welcome at portman road.
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BlueArmy01 added 14:07 - Jul 24 bedsitfc Not out to cause a stir or anything believe all you like, just wait and see......... hopefully he will prove a lot of people wrong but it won't be with this crop of players they don't want to play for him.
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Karlosfandangal added 14:20 - Jul 24 They all hate Keane Mmmmm.... Must be why Wickham sign a contact then as he has Arsenal and Tottenham after him and he could have sign for next to nothing and doubled his wage. Three players on their way in, got a feeling they may have heard about Roy Keane. Yep good point they all hate him.
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naaridge1coly7 added 14:23 - Jul 24 cos no one likes you who would want to work for you? its the same in any business................EUUUUUUUURGH sorry just threw up again........and ps whats that smell??????
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tractorboy1995 added 14:43 - Jul 24 Sorry who said Bryan Robson is a good manager ? But yes a pivotal position, I think Keane needs someone whose been there and seen it all, who has the experience, as it showed when Ian McParland arrived at the club.
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brian_a_mul added 14:56 - Jul 24 Maybe Alex Ferguson might consider working for Roy!! :)
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tom_the_blue added 14:59 - Jul 24 So, no-one wants to work with Keane. If that is the case, why are all the players who have worked with him before all jumping at the chance to work with him again, hence all the ex-sunderland players joining us, which you all moan about? You lot are all very, very thick, or our so desperate to insult you will use anything against him.
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tom_the_blue added 15:00 - Jul 24 *our=are
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TractorGeek added 15:20 - Jul 24 Excellent news - means getting rid of Keane is thankfully now on the front burner
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jas0999 added 16:01 - Jul 24 Moan moan moan moan - why do some people bother supporting this club? If Roy had have brought in an AM then people would have moaned that he should have been concentrating on buying players! It's pretty clear that whatever Roy does some people won't like him. Suggest these people do themselves a favour and support another club!
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tom_the_blue added 16:40 - Jul 24 well said Jas- some people just seem to enjoy moaning, don't they?
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joeippy01 added 17:46 - Jul 24 we dont enjoy moaning, but what is there to be happy about (cencerning ipswich town at the moment)?? Nothing... Poor, poor manager (proof in the pudding the season) And average players that clearly don't really want to play for him but are happy with the wages, Wickham is only staying because its clear Keane wont eb here for much longer and he does not want to go bust in the prem. he isnt staying so he can play for keane!

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h32 added 18:10 - Jul 24 jason0999 - for all the good points you raise - you are making it so obvious this season already that you are even more pro RK than ever - and of course will go with the messiah whatever he comes up with. Keep the balanced view - we expect just that from you.
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h32 added 18:13 - Jul 24 tom the blue - who's thick ??
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BlueArmy01 added 21:31 - Jul 24 Fair comments by all everyone is entitled to an opinion, like I say just wait and see what happens...................by way of a test what is the average age of a pro Keane town supporter my guess would be a lot lower than those who have come to expect passing Football the Ipswich way, just a hunch...............
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arc123 added 23:44 - Jul 24 People might laugh, and I know he's a bit of a cockney wide-boy, but how about legend Jason Cundy for some kind of role on coaching staff.Heard him on talksport and could be very motivational.
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suffolksam added 01:08 - Jul 25 looks like keane is going to go if the club are not going to waste money on a assistant for him .i have heard through reliable sources hes got 6 games to turn it around at the start of the season if not the chop
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TractorPaddy added 03:08 - Jul 25 "One of the planned games in Holland was against Town's 1981 UEFA Cup final foes AZ Alkmaar, local policing concerns scuppering the fixture" - ...anyone know why police would be concerned about a game that doesn't seem that high profile with some fairly distant history (though we should still boast of such glory). Was there some scandal that led to our victory i missed. I would think the Alkmaar fans' would have recovered from the disappointment and hold no grudges towards us. There has always been a strong connection between Holland and Ipswich - Zondervan, Wilnis, Uhlenbeek, Muhren, Thijssen, Reuser, Sir Bobby Robson. Shame - would have been a good fixture

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