Roy Keane goes into tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final against West Brom at Portman Road convinced that he’s capable of turning things around at Town despite the Blues having lost their last four games. The Irishman says he will know when he’s no longer able to bring success to the club he took control of in April 2009.

Keane says he is always analysing his own performance as Blues boss: “I ask myself every day whether I’m capable of turning things round and the answer is yes.

“But it might be tomorrow, it might be Thursday when I think that I’m not the one that can turn things around, then I’ll sit down with the owner and we can have that conversation. But I’ve not felt it’s got to that stage.”

Club owner Marcus Evans and Keane haven’t spoken since Sunday’s 4-1 derby defeat to Norwich City, but the Blues boss says that’s normal: “Our relationship doesn’t work like that, we don’t speak to one another on a daily basis. He lets me get on the job.

“It’s never worked that way. It’s not in my make up, I just try and get on with it and we don’t need texts or emails or phonecalls to know how disappointed everyone at the club will have been. You have to look forward to the next game and look to bounce back.”

The Blues boss is typically honest in his assessment of the club’s recent form but believes things will improve as more senior players return from injury and further additions are made to the squad: “Obviously, I’m not doing a good enough job at the moment.

“The way that things have panned out over the last month or two, in terms of the injuries and suspensions to experienced players, it is costing us. But we’ve got to keep our heads and hang in there and survive over the next few weeks and hopefully we’ll get into January, strengthen our squad and get some of our senior players back.”

Keane says he’s not one to leave football behind him when he goes home: “I think it’s hard to switch off. The day I go home and sleep well or relax after being beaten is the day I’ll get out of the game. Defeats are meant to hurt you. It hurts your pride, you’ve let supporters down.

“I think 4-1 was a bit harsh on the team on Sunday, we took a few gambles with 10 or 15 minutes to go, I have to take responsibility for that, but you want to try and get back in the game. However, the damage was done in the first half.

“You have to get on with it, we were back in on Monday morning and working for the game on Wednesday. And hopefully we can get a good result then.”

Overall though, Keane says he’s coping with the current pressure: “I’m surviving. Just about! It’s part of the job and part of life. An old Irish friend told me not long ago, ‘some days are about surviving, you’ve just got to hang in there’.

“I’ve seen other coaches and managers going through difficult spells and it’s about hanging in there and hopefully things will turn. You might get that bit of luck, someone might score from 30 yards tonight and turn the season around.

“But, if you continue to lose matches, the pressure builds and then ultimately the manager pays the price. That’s the industry we’re in.”

The Town manager feels that injuries to senior players have meant his youngsters have played more of a role than he had hoped: “We’ve been far too dependent on young players who are 18 years of age and learning their trade.

“And that includes the loan players. We’re grateful to the loan players, we were very dependent on loan players last year and it’s the same situation this year.

“If they’re missing, like they are Wednesday, or they get called back, then we’re back to selecting some of our young players, who I think are still learning their trade.

“There’s no hiding place in the Championship. I think the Championship is as hard a place as any for young players to learn their trade.

“If anything, it might be easier for some of our younger boys to be in the Premiership, which sounds mad, but the Championship is all about experience, knowledge and being streetwise.”

When all his senior players are fit, the 39-year-old believes he has a decent side: “I think when we have a full strength team we’re not a bad Championship outfit, but when we’re missing a few of our players, we find it difficult to win football matches.”

The travails of the last two seasons have caused Keane to revise his initial assessment of how long it might take him to return Town to the Premier League: “When you come in and you try and do things in two years, that probably isn’t enough time. I think you need a bit longer but, of course, when you don’t get that, pressure builds.”

Despite players such as Jon Stead having departed in the summer when Keane wanted them to stay and the club failing to land targets like Shaun Derry, the former Manchester United man says his relationship with Marcus Evans is fine: “I’ve no issue with the owner. When I had opportunities in the summer, I shouldn’t have allowed players that I’d been speaking to about joining the club to leave the training ground until they’d signed.

“I’m the manager, it’s my job to try and attract players, although I don’t do the contracts. But I don’t want to go down that road today, it’s not about who we missed out on and what we should have done. That’s all about learning.”

Keane feels that things aren’t immediately going to become easier for his side - who are now 17th in the Championship - starting with this evening’s Carling Cup quarter-final: “The games coming up are as tough as the last few games. West Brom are a very good team, they’ve got a good squad. They’ve bought very well on the back of promotion.

“They’ve used their squad well in the Carling Cup, they had a good result at the weekend and there’s a chance for them to get in the semi-final of the Carling Cup. They’ll come down here and want to do a good job on us.

“No one’s going to do us any favours and when you don’t win football matches - four on the spin now - the pressure builds and the players have to deal with that, be brave in terms of dealing with the ball and cut out the silly mistakes.

“The mistakes we’re talking about are very, very basic and we need to cut them out because it’s costing us.”

Photo: Action Images

meekreech added 13:53 - Dec 1 My favourite to replace RK is that highly successful manager GORDON STRACHAN ! That is the sort of manager waiting to come in so be careful what you moaners wish for !
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moomoosereni added 14:07 - Dec 1 To all those that come on here, moaning about us "moaners". Just realise that we all want the same thing here. We all want success, we all want to see the club do well. Yes some are quite harsh on here with their opinions, but I think the majority of it is tongue in cheek. People are just fed up of watching passionless, tacticless performances from town. Watching Sky Sports News last night Keane even said it himself. He said that the nature of the business we are in is that if the team performs poorly someone has to pay and that is normally the manager, its the business we are in. Aside from managers such as Ferguson and Wenger in this country I can't think of many more that would survive for an extended period of time if they had poor runs. It's time for a new era, Keane has given it a go and fair enough he's tried everything, changing players, changing formations and now having a pop at the derby. He hasn't passed any of these tests and should do the honourable thing and step down.

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Lightningboy added 14:22 - Dec 1 Keane ,you are not capable of turning things around..we've gone so far backwards since your arrival that it may take someone capable another 2 or 3 seasons to sort things out. I hope tonight is the last we see of you at PR and to be honest i'd like to see the back of Clegg aswell. Hopefully your upcoming conversation with our owner will be short and sweet...."you're fired".

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Guthrum added 14:38 - Dec 1 Roy Keane theoretically CAN still turn it round, but WILL he be able to? I'm not so sure any more. The glorious beginning to the season is beginning to look more like a 'blip' than the present bad run. One win on its own (especially in either of the cups) is no longer good enough. We need two, three or even four in quick succession, with a majority of draws instead of losses in between, to restore upward progress and some modicum of fan confidence in the Manager.

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Surco72 added 14:47 - Dec 1 Legend .. there is no way Keane will sack himself because if he walks away from another club and job when things are going wrong there is no chairman that would employ him in the future
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Legend added 15:00 - Dec 1 Is Keane walks away he wont be bothered if he didnt manage again. With 27 million in his bank im sure he wont loose any sleep over it. Like i said...Evans, Back him or sack him!
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lunatic38 added 15:06 - Dec 1 If i had been on the Drugs i would probably think i could turn things round at Portman Road aswell. Too many bad signs showing now, i would not judge a manager after a few games and i would certainly not want a manager sacked but you Mr Keane, you have had long enough and believe me when i say Ipswich have nothing to show for 18 months other than a delapidated ,very unbalanced squad playing a team all over the place, no fluidity and certainly none of us know who the strongest 11 are and i think that includes you BUT my main gripe is (whether we loose or not) is the football we play is so predictable, boring and SH7TE and no its not Tamas fought or any other players its you !!!!! ps. WHO THE F>>K IS RORY FALLON ?????????????????????????????????????????????

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elmswellblue added 15:40 - Dec 1 I will be attending a freezing Portman Road tonight with no expectations, I must be mad. Saturday is the big day.
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dude added 16:29 - Dec 1 Bring em on.
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Surco72 added 16:29 - Dec 1 If Keane wasnt bothered about managing in the future he would already have walked
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adamisablue added 16:38 - Dec 1 best case scenario. keane goes, we get a decent maanger (curbs and holland, ruud gullit etc) we aoid the drop but turn into a decent side in 3 or 4 seasons when this mess is sorted, and promoted after 5 or 6. worst case, keane stays. relegation looms, marcus pulls the plug and we go into admin and stat league 1 with at least a 20 point penalty. all our internationals go (G-mac, fulop, priskin) all out loan players go back to there respective clubs saying "well that was a disater. whats that? prem resvers for 20k week? yes please!" and we get relegated again to league 2 then out of the league. the simalatrys between us and nowrich couple of seasons ago are strking, +plus lets not forget poor luton town (who? exactly!) everyone at itfc (fro the laundry to the board needS to ACT NOW! That starts with us making sme noise in the ground, norris installing some pride and passion in our xurrent squad, marcus getting shot of clegg and keane and stopping this whole farce, or our nxt 1/4 final will be in the ldv vans trophy against kettering....

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Lightningboy added 16:51 - Dec 1 Anyone on here think we should keep Keane and throw more money his way in january?
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roytheboy added 16:58 - Dec 1 Very best of luck tonight Roy and the team, I shall be there supporting you all, while you are Manager of ITFC you will always have my support, I am beginning to despair about the people who can only write cruel and negative posts on here, chances are that if they do get their own way and succeed in hounding our Manager out we probably wont get anyone that's any better, I still remember reading the so called supporters lambasting of George, Joe and Jim, nothing changes really does it ?

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Reuser31 added 17:40 - Dec 1 To all those still pro-keane: it seems a little naive to bury your heads in the sand when there is clearly so much wrong. While I accept it's unlikely Keane will go until his contract runs out in april, we are only fooling ourselves if we write positive messagges on the forums. We all want the club to be sucessful after all. COYB FORK
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I_8_NARWICH added 17:48 - Dec 1 you said that you could turn things around this time last season, surley we should be seeing some progress by now, and guess what i cant see any. Mr Keane seems to be able to talk the talk but cantt actually put what he says onto the pitch.
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thechangingman added 18:04 - Dec 1 I've been off this site for a couple of days (too painful). I've just popped back in though only to find that this tw*t is still manager of my beloved Blues... Why?????
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WirralBlue added 18:09 - Dec 1 I don't think Roy is doing a great job, but in time he will hopefully improve. What good will changing the manager do? I would have preferred Jim to have been given more time as well. Give him longer, I think he will get it right.
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Kuqicoo added 18:15 - Dec 1 'I can turn things around' - how many times has this been said in the last 18 months. Surely there comes a point when youve got to say 'No you can't!' Players have left and new players have come in and has anything changed? Nope, still the hoof and hope stuff, the chopping and changing team every game and very odd subs/tactics. I can't see much progress myself but guess some people on here can..or are willing to put up with more of the same. And how come Jim managed to get us Gio and Keane gets us Fallon?? Oh for the days of Kuqi and Bent...and goals actually being scored!

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buryblue77 added 20:35 - Dec 1 I hope so, I've wanted Roy to be a success since he took over and maybe I naively thought he'd be a great manager on the basis that he's been managed by treats such as Fergie and Cloughy. One might assume you'd pick something up along the way working with such people. Come on Roy, sort it out!!! CLUB!!!!!!!
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buryblue77 added 20:40 - Dec 1 Just read my comment back, posted from my phone and the predictive txt which I can't seem to switch off is really annoying!!!!! Treats was supposed to have read greats and CLUB!!!!!!! Is actually COYB!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Sony Ericssonfor making me look a mug!!!! COYB!!!!!
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tractaboy added 21:26 - Dec 1 Sadly i get the impression that there is no "board" breathing down Keane's neck. I'd would really love to hear more from Clegg and Evans. An awful lot of faith and money have been spent by the fans with nothing in return. Really hoped things were coming together at the beginning of the season and i'm so depressed that we're in the same position we were a year ago. I think Clegg especially and Evans need to come and either show some solidarity and publicly help build some team spirit or weild the axe and get someone in who can use the decent players i think we have and push forward. Now. 11000 at Portman Road tonight, i know the weather is awful but it's not everyday town get into a cup semi-final. So if the results won't spark Evans into action, maybe hurting his chequebook will.

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fifeblue added 10:50 - Dec 2 Yeah - Compo and Clegg, where are you?
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