Town manager Roy Keane says his strikers need to start scoring goals or the Blues will end the season in the bottom half of the Championship. The Blues boss says his side should have taken more of their opportunities during the back to back away games at Scunthorpe and Reading.

Keane said: “If you don’t score goals, you’re going to go nowhere fast. We had the same last year and we don’t want to go down the same road.

“We scored one on Saturday, none tonight. I would say in those two games we had seven or eight very good chances.”

The Irishman called on his players to be more clinical: “Particularly the strikers, if you get that opportunity, you’ve got to score goals. Our leading goalscorer scored eight last year. If our leading goalscorer gets eight this year we will be in that bottom half.

"Our strikers have to take responsibility, just like our defenders have to do for set pieces. Our goalkeepers, we judge them on clean sheets.

“If our strikers aren’t scoring or contributing when they’re starting or coming on, they need to do better.

“But, in defence of them, I think the strikers needed a bit more to go off from the midfield tonight. It’s obviously a team game and we all need to do a bit better.”

Keane again had praise for Jaime Peters, who negated the threat posed by Royals winger Jimmy Kebe, having done the same at Portman Road in the game between the teams last season.

“Jaime was very good. I thought two full-backs and the back four in general did well. I think we know that Reading are a big threat going forward, particularly at home. Jaime’s a very, very good attacking player and he did well. I’ve a lot of time for Jaime, he’s a good player.

“He’s done well against that type of winger many times. I think it suits him with his size, his strength and his pace. I think he enjoys those one v one battles. I think we missed him a little going forward, but I think he and Troy defended pretty well.”

The Town boss had few arguments with either red card and felt he ought to have acted at the break with Luke Hyam already booked: “I think it was coming. I should have taken him off at half-time. When you play the way Luke plays — tackling - and you’re on a booking, there’s always the danger.

“He’s been naïve of course and the referee was quite quick to send him off but I've not too many complaints. He set himself up for it with the first yellow card.”

Town will also be without David Norris when Leeds visit Portman Road on Saturday, but Keane says there’s no panic: “He’ll obviously be suspended, Luke will be suspended, but we’ll survive. We’ll have 11 players ready for Saturday.”

Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Chris Hughton has dismissed claims of interest in Town striker Connor Wickham having been spotted at the Blues' match at Scunthorpe on Saturday.

Hughton said: "There is absolutely nothing in it. I went to Scunthorpe on Saturday because it was one of the closest places to get to after training."

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich24 added 13:00 - Sep 29 For crying out loud i have said this so many times get a striker with pace signed up someone who can score goals and is suited to way we play which im afraid is very direct route one! Now try jason roberts from blackburn
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Martus added 13:07 - Sep 29 Credit to the defence tho, we may not be scoring loads but were not letting in alot. I feel the reason were not scoring loads is not purely down to strikers but the style we play, hoofing it up to the strikers makes it very difficult to score goals (although Scotland has missed some sitters) but u can see from arsenal, blackpool and west brom that by passing it (ON THE DECK!!!) through the midfields offers alot more chances and i feel all three of our main strikers are better suited to running on to the ball rather than being a target man. As of yet the CM's dont create chances they are seen as the muscle in the side, which may be good defensivly but we can score that many goals playing it wide all the time. I feel Livermore could be our missing link and be a creative midfielder and split up defences with through balls on the deck for stikers to run on too. Probably wont happen tho cos thats not Keanes style, but its not entertaining and its not working so surely we have to change?

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sonian_blue added 13:40 - Sep 29 That a portrait pumpkin?
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bumpkin added 13:44 - Sep 29 'ello sonian_blue. Thanks for your support however, please make your posts positive and news related items only please. If you are negative you will get banned even though you don't break any terms and conditions from our grim and joyless moderators. Beware !!! I will vanish soon when Gav gets online during his teabreak.
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bluelady added 14:27 - Sep 29 Prisken has been finding the net and needs to be given a fair chance..... also stiff shorts, loved your post had my giggling for ages - was a joke wasnt it?
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stiffshorts added 15:13 - Sep 29 ok then, let's assume I'm wrong about winning/drawing when we should have done worse (I don't think I am though). Now what about answering all the other points I noted such as the poor passing, giving the ball to opposition when not under pressure (Fulop) and all round disjointed performances, poor teamwork etc etc??? Well??? Are we good enough to reach play-offs at seasons end playing like that?? Come on, be honest!!

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stiffshorts added 15:16 - Sep 29 by the way, I'm a season ticket holder of many years and travel away for a few games each season too. I'm not on here to slate Keane or the players, I'm being brutally honest. Have we really improved at all since Joe Royle left?? Discuss.
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Seasider added 15:29 - Sep 29 Roys certainly stating the bleeding obvious about strikers scoring,difference is he can do something about it we cant. Agree with Martus and as I stated in post before match CW doesnt look worth 8m,JS heavy and slow in mind and body;so why not give TP a go,doesnt feel he has had a decent run as dropped or switched wide as soon as Scotland and Wickham available. Keane also placed some of blame on midfield,and I feel our strikers would benefit from a midfielder like Keiron Dyer or Gio who are fluid midfielders and create more chances for strikers,feel Jamie Peters or Reggie Lambe could fill that role but RK has started to become the tinkerman again as he did last season and it is difficult to know what team he puts out or indeed what team will turn up! Still we have a settled defence and dont concede too many goals and Alan Hanson puts that as most important factor so thats ok then. Most Premiership teams plays Roy Keanes system so we will be ok when we are up there with the big boys,just getting there seems the problem!? COYB

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poringlandblue added 15:46 - Sep 29 stiffshorts, totally agree with you, i dont get to too many home games but of two ive seen bristol city and cardiff theyve looked 0-0 until mr jameses cock up and the own goal, hardly any shots at goal, the aimless hoofs from defence to connor who wins nothing in the air its not rocket science to play to his strength, his feet, prehaps fulop could throw it out occassionally rather than kicking long, defence looks solid which is a good start but goals would help, what about attacking and overlapping fullbacks they seem scared to cross the halfway line, id just like to see some exciting attacking flowing football for my £30 get me out of my seat other than when we score, believe it or not but norwich are playing a passing game and look where they are!!! nuff said lets throw caution to the wind v leeds abit if preston can put 6 pass them surely we can stuff them, coyb

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svendust added 16:17 - Sep 29 stiffshorts, if it really is as bad as you say with disjointed performances, giving the ball away, poor teamwork etc etc we wouldn't be 2 points off second after nine games, you can't say that all the points we've won have been a fluke! I've heard numerous reports that we have kept possesion and passed the ball around well away from home so far this season and we've been very hard to break down, we just need to play a more fluid attacking game at PR and take our chances away from home, there is no reason to 'flounce'

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Surco72 added 16:46 - Sep 29 Seasider .. do we have a settled defence ? Over the last 4 games we have used 3 different players at right back ,3 different players at left back and four different centre backs ,agreed we have not conceded many but hardly settled . Keanos tinkering every time someone made an error last season was a major factor to low confidence and our awful start would be a shame to waste what has been a very good start to the season by going down the same road .The area that does need changing is Norris and Leadbitter playing together in the centre which will now be enforced by suspension and hopefully bring in a ball player

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jas0999 added 17:45 - Sep 29 Need to play 4-4-2 against Leeds on Saturday. If we can't score against them, then it really would be a poor show. As I said on the match report in my opinion we need more than 3 senior strikers. Wickham is perhaps not match fit, Scotland has missed several easy chances/missed out on a pre-season, whilst Priskin is very inconsistent. I think when we talk about 'strikers' we need to be clear - this is not about the wingers, who's job it is to create chances. we are talking out and out strikers. Roy has only signed Scotland and Priskin. Okay, Priskin hasn't set the world alight and it is too soon to rate Scotland - he has missed chances, but also scored a couple of times. We really need another out and out striker IMO.

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Martus added 19:07 - Sep 29 Jas099. In order to score ure strikers need chances created bycure midfield, we don't have that. Priskin is inconistant cos he don't play even after a MOM performance aginst Bristol City. I don't like sackin managers but if we don't change the style of football I don't want Keane here next season as it dosent work we played differently with Stead and that was the reason for the good start not hoofin if to Scotland and Wickham

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baznsez04 added 19:47 - Sep 29 not one to start idol gossip on here, but a french newspaper this morning was saying that ipswich are about to sign david bellion on loan... interesting given the man utd link.
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Ipswich24 added 22:17 - Sep 29 bellion wouldnt be bad shout but jason roberts would be class
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ITFCcharmer added 23:24 - Sep 29 I hate to say it but We haven't had the Strike Force at ITFC to make a real promotion push or a number of seasons. I see no change now under under Keene. Wicham's still learning his trade and will be brilliant but he isn't yet. None of the strikers we've brought in are 20+ goal machines and we need 2 of them if we want to be true contenders. Big Sigh..... I'll be there every game willing for our passing game to return for more than 15 minutes a game and longing for the good times to be back at ITFC, knowing in my heart that I doubt it will happen with Keane as manager. I will love it if i'm wrong and I hope I am!

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ryan_tractorboy added 00:18 - Sep 30 Chopra is injured so he would be no use, connor still coming back from injury. Scotland is just getting in the swing of things. Early doors but goals have been an issue since we lost bent, rarely getting over 10 goals. Lets see what happens.
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kentblue added 06:30 - Sep 30 Play Priskin ! Keane ( or is he yet another player you have fallen out with ? )
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suffolksam added 11:06 - Sep 30 looks like a reasonable start then a slide back to midtable. this is season 3 of roys management and i really dont see it happening . hope i am wrong. look at QPR got rid of jim got a quality manager and are light years ahead of us we aredropping points to easybeat teams now and i cannot help but think the rot has started again. another season of treading water ?
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itfc4eva added 15:24 - Sep 30 sadly everybody does, wickham and townsend will have a great season. lets start scoring in the first half. tough games against leeds but i hope we win, especially as they conceded 6 against preston COYB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Acen added 17:57 - Sep 30 We need someone on loan.
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