Town boss Roy Keane said that the 2-0 home defeat to Derby once again showed that his side isn’t ready to seal a position in the top six. The loss saw the Blues drop to seventh in the Championship table.

Keane said: “I thought we threatened to win the game, we threatened to score goals, but on top of that we gave two really poor goals away.

“A couple of weeks ago when we had Coventry at home we thought ‘can we take the next step forward?’, but clearly we’re not ready for that. We’re not ready to cement ourselves as a top six team.

“It was an important game for us tonight and we didn’t take the opportunity. Credit to Derby, they defended well, they took their goals well and they’ll be happy with that. But from our point of view, you’ve got to take these opportunities.”

The Blues boss, who kept his players in their dressing room for just over an hour after the match, is concerned that the number of defeats has increased in recent weeks: “We’ve lost to QPR at home, Coventry, at Watford, at Reading. We’re losing lots of games. We’re winning a lot more than we were last year but we’re losing more as well. As much as we were disappointed with the run last year, a lot of those matches were draws.

“We’re a mixed bag at the moment. I think what we’ve got learn as a group is that when we’re not quite at it, like tonight when I don’t think we were, we have to grind out a result. And we’ve not done that.”

Keane says central defender Gareth McAuley will miss Saturday’s home game against Barnsley due to an achilles injury which had been affecting him prior to the game and forced him off in the second half.

Also out are skipper David Norris, who is a week away from a return due to the ankle injury he sustained in the game against Millwall, while Grant Leadbitter is suspended having reached five bookings.

The Blues boss says this will give other members of his squad an opportunity to impress: “There’s a lot of boys waiting in the wings - Luke Hyam, Troy Brown, Ronan Murray - and they’ll get their opportunity this weekend because we’ve got injuries and suspensions.

“And when we had injuries and suspensions at the start of the season these boys never let us down, so I look forward to these young boys playing on Saturday and putting a good shift in. It won’t guarantee we’ll win the game, but they’ll go out and give 100%, and it’ll be interesting.

“Darren O’Dea and Mark Kennedy were on the bench tonight, they’ll have a good training session tomorrow, go easy Thursday and I’ll have a look on Friday to see whether they’re ready to come back into the team because we need a few players who are streetwise, especially if we’re losing Grant and Gareth.”

Derby boss Nigel Clough was delighted with the win, but felt the opening period was close: “I think it was touch and go first half, very even. We had a couple of good chances, they had a couple of long range efforts, but I thought having gone in 0-0 at half-time we came out for 20 minutes or so and played very well indeed.

“That’s taking into account what we had out there, in terms of midfielders playing at full-back, full-backs playing at centre-half. A little lad from Ilkeston Town playing in midfield, Ben Pringle, making his fifth start and an injured centre-half coming on up front for the last 20 minutes.

“I thought it was an incredible effort by the players, given all that. Absolutely incredible, coming to such a good side and a difficult place.”

Photo: Action Images

cromwellblue added 13:02 - Nov 10 Frankly I am just relieved that when you guys get Keane sacked you will all be forming a queue at the chairmans office CV in hand. Since you are all such experts how can we fail under your stewardship. P.S. If any of your would care to let me know wherwe you work I would much enjoy telling you how S**t you are at your jobs and criticisng everything you do as these seem to be the North Stand policy these days. Seriously if you hate watching it so much PLEASE stay at home so I don't have to listen to you moaning on for 90 minutes.

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Seasonticketsteve added 13:08 - Nov 10 Shambles last night from start to finish! The only players to come out of it with any dignity in my opinion were Fulop-two great saves in the first half, could have been two down by half time very easily without, Delaney who I lost count made countless last ditch tackles to stop Derby scoring and Colback who even though he drifted to far in the second half was constantly running his socks off. I get the feeling its going to be another mid table season, maybe even pushing the top ten-i feel a top 6 finish is just beyond us this season, not being a pessiment, just a realist. And my team for Saturday would be: Fulop Brown Delaney Smith O'Dea Edwards Colback Norris Townsend Scotland Priskin Have got a feeling that Norris will be back for the weekend despite what Keane says and after last night we need our captain in there. UTT

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whoppit added 13:11 - Nov 10 Cromwellblue - so you are happy with our mediocre manager are you?? I am happy for you. Why not go and stare at your Roy Keane posters and smile sweetly while we waste yet another season under this pitiful regime. Oh one more point - if I decide to charge fans GOOD MONEY to watch me at work and I am not performing, then it is their perogative to tell me so. What an idiotic thing to say really !!!!

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bluelady added 13:21 - Nov 10 whoppit oh dear the therapy really isnt working is it?? Why be so downright horrible to people? we are all town supporters at the end of the day, some of us actually going to the game more than others so actually being able to give a first hand view of games, i rest my case!
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depressed added 13:30 - Nov 10 whoppit....Patience is quite clearly not one of your virtues..How long has cloughie junior been at derby? Its only this season that they look half decent. Don't panic man!
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whoppit added 13:46 - Nov 10 Sorry if I sound aggressive on here and I apologise if I come across that way. I am just so bloody frustrated at another lacklustre season that is promising to fade into nothing. I saw the 1980-81 team and some of the football we played as little as 10 years ago and it makes me fume when I see how far we have fallen. Bollock$
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cromwellblue added 13:46 - Nov 10 whoppit I look forward to seeing you in the dugout showing us how great you are. P.S you forgot to tell me where you work :-)
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whoppit added 13:50 - Nov 10 My real name is Jim Magillton and I work at ASDA - night shift !!!
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cromwellblue added 13:57 - Nov 10 whoppit. We are all frustrated but this constant negativity, abusing and booing of the team serves no purpose. Since the departure of Burley the team has been going down hill. (Cue Joe Royal comments, his team was NOT entertaining to watch a built around Bent & Kuqi, the latter of which I remind people constantly he tried to sell TWICE in the season we finhsed 3rd) It's going to take time. Keane is in his second full season and it takes this long to get his own team in place. Many of our players were not easy to get rid off which speaks volumes. Last night wasn't great but this division is average from top to bottom. Chainging a manager will not bring instant sucsess. Who do we replace him with? lat season we were about the only championship side in the lower half that did not sack their manager. Did the others get promoted? NO. People on here need to get real and accept from time to time you have bad days. Id we win our next few games this site will be full of people syaing we are certs for promotion. A fickle world in which we live, demonstrated by Boo boys at Spurs! I'd trade. Does money buy success? Ask Mancini!

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Keaneish added 14:02 - Nov 10 Er...we're 7th and in the quarter final of the cup and some of you are shouting, 'Keane out'!!! WTF? In fact, the same people who shout whenever we lose!! We all knew Commons was the danger man, Savage would have to be matched, Colback wouldn't provide width and the 2 centre backs can't play full-back. That and the fact we shouldn't give too many free kicks away on the edge of our box against the Championships best dead ball specialist. These things lost us the game last night as they were areas which we all knew had to be resolved, and none were. Keane is accountable for this as he didn't provide a solution to a single one of these problems, if he did, the players didn't respond so there is obviously a problem. I've been an open Keane supporter on here but have also become increasingly disillusioned with some of the team selections, poor tactics and poor performances but while we're 7th and in the quarter finals of a cup do you seriously think Keane is going anywhere!? One thing is for sure though, performances and team selections must improve between now and Christmas though. I wanted a minimum of 13 points and a quarter final place from five league games and one cup game when i posted some weeks back. Maximum return is now 12 points. Saturday is quite simply a must win against a very ordinary side.

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Wickets added 14:04 - Nov 10 I see we are still winning the toss and changing ends !!! anyone know why??? why we are moving away from what has been a tradition at P RD since at least the early 60s
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SouperJim added 14:07 - Nov 10 Lmao whoppit. You come out with some choice dung sometimes, but to be fair to you I understand how you feel about how far we have fallen and I've only been going since 95. I find myself increasingly bipolar watching Town, convinced Keane needs to go when we lose, determined to be patient and get behind the team when we win. Maybe the wins are just papering over the cracks, but all things being equal this season is make or break for Roy Keane's Ipswich Town. Just maybe good times are just around the corner (one way or another)...

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del45 added 14:26 - Nov 10 Have things changed in 6years of the way football is played at this club unable to take corners, freekicks, cannot hit the goal if further out then 8yds, teams give us corners cause they know it is the safe thing to do against us. What do they do in training all week play X-Box games, once again last night same old story no football brains in this side, is this supposed to be their trade???? people who know about football Mr R K will stay away till things improve and save their money.

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bluelady added 14:27 - Nov 10 Wickets surely thats the least of our worries?
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Bobby_Petta added 15:05 - Nov 10 Funny you say that Keane, when you took over you said you would have us up in two seasons? The only think you seem good at is making excues. Thats face it you have money to spend more then most other Champonship sides, like teams like Norwich, Derby and Swansea, and you have wasted it. We might be doing better than last season, but not much progress, got 4 players on loan which is a step backwards. To many of same type of players like Colback Norris & Leadbitter, Need a decent couple of full backs, there is no balance in our team, we lack a play maker, we play we four centre backs and have no decent wingers a part from Townsend which is a loan player. We play the most boring style of football there has ever been played down portman road. Look at teams like Norwich there manager seems to be picking up good young players lower leauge. Marcus Evens you need to sort it out, since you have taken over the club has gone backwards, because of inexperinced managers. Get someone in we a proven track recorded over building a team, Sean O'drisscoll of Doncaster is doing a good Job on not much money and they play football! some thing that has been lost at Portman road.

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vulcher added 15:19 - Nov 10 One thing is for sure, whilst the fans r getting on the youngsters we will not get better. I think we need a change of manager but the way the fans were getting on eastmans back last nite was a disgrace. We played sum good stuff in the first half, and as soon as the fans started getting restless our players lost their heads.
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alfromcol added 15:26 - Nov 10 Shows how we didn't get near the Derby goal - halfway through the second half before we had a corner. Four centre backs is a disaster, Its only Macauley and Delaney who have stopped more goals against, the crosses are raining in on them. Team selection defies belief. One up front for a number of games, then we had part of the second half where we had 3 up front with Scotland replacing Livermore - or was he playing behind Priskin and Wickham? Why o why was Townsend not on at the start, on a wet and slippery pitch you could see him making all sorts of problems for defenders, as he did when he came on. However the game was already lost by then and the team were playing with no shape at all. I really, really want RK and the team to succeed but it doesn't look possible at the moment. We are back to last season, when you turned up at the match with no idea what players were going to start the game or in what position. Just ordered my ticket for Saturday but I'm not sure how long I can keep taking these disappointments.

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fourth added 16:33 - Nov 10 I don't think these negative comments about our Mr Keene are at all fair. I suggest he would benefit with a little help bringing in 1)a tactical manager, a 2)a chief scout 3) a man manager 4)a historian/philosopher to give RK weekly a better understanding of how to play total football on good fisons turf. It is difficult to move from being a successful player to an unsuccessful manager and we should be more supportive, helping him to move along to the next stage in his career. He is able-bodied and should find something. Let us wholeheartedly hope so. We are, I feel, rather spoilt by the quality of our past managers and it must be very intimidating taking on the Ipswich Town mantle. So, come on, be fair, failure is an experience we've all known. Acknowledging it helps us to move on.

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fourth added 17:28 - Nov 10 As a matter of interest. As a supporter since 1956. How many times have we lost by 3 go
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fourth added 17:31 - Nov 10 als at home? That is, can we set an ultimate worst?
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bluedragon added 17:43 - Nov 10 Mr Keane keeps saying that town are not ready to establish themselves in the top six? WHY The reasons is keane After watching the game last night .you don't play four centre half's at the back this give you no width the wings . A manager picks the team that play if we have no full backs that is keane fault .he let david wright leave the club but didn't replace him .AS I KEEP SAYING ON HERE KEANE IS NOT THE MAN FOR THE TOWN. All i will say is we are not a family club anymore

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poggie added 18:16 - Nov 10 Thought Edwards looked dangerous ... until he went off! Was he injured? Priskin played well, but Derby deserved their victory. Very disappointing result & performance. Not surprised the attendance was so low! Also, I am getting sick of seeing Keane on sky sports commenting on anything but Ipswich!
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fourth added 19:37 - Nov 10 All of Keane's energy moves towards himself rather than outwards to encompass and draw together a team. He is a player, not a manager. Divide and rule to keep his "reputation" rather than developing, learning, enjoying, understanding. He knows it all already. Therefore there is nothing he believes, for him to learn. He is Mr FullStop.
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jas0999 added 19:38 - Nov 10 Papa - good point - why would people moan when we win! Hadn't thought of that! BUT why can't the moaners post a positive comment when we win? Why only comment when we lose? We are 7th. We are in the last 8 of the cup. Surely some praise? Surely?
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dirtydingusmagee added 20:53 - Nov 10 cracko,tradition went out of the window when they appointed Keane,UNFORTUNATELY !
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