Roy Keane said Town had no one to blame but themselves after their 3-1 home defeat to Swansea. Keane refused to criticise referee Andy D’Urso despite the Billericay-based official turning down what appeared to be a certain Town penalty.

The Blues manager, whose side have now lost five in a row in the league, said: “No excuses, we have no one to blame but ourselves, not just the defending but the chances we missed and not dealing with the setback of the first goal.

“Obviously the first two goals were hard to take, but there are no excuses. We’ve got to do better, simple as that.”

Keane’s team looked to be on their way to a win when Andros Townsend put them in front but he says his side couldn’t secure the result: “When you’re comfortable, that’s when you get into trouble. That brings a different type of pressure — trying to kill the game off. When we didn’t get the second goal we were constantly under pressure trying to keep a clean sheet.

“The first goal was a soft one, but even then you’ve got to steady the ship and keep your head and we didn’t do that. The second goal was comical, I suppose, but I’m pretty sure I had the same conversation with you last week.

“It’s a bit like Groundhog Day — doing the same thing over and over again. You’ve all seen that movie, it’s quite good I know, but we’re doing the same thing over and over again and I keep coming up here saying the same stuff. You’ve got to draw the line somewhere on it.”

Despite having what looked to be a solid claim for a penalty turned down by Andy D’Urso, Keane kept to his usual policy of not criticising referees: “The official didn’t cost us the result today. Let’s not try and find another excuse for us losing the match. It would be too easy but it would be wrong.

“Remember, we were 2-1 down at the time. Who’s to say we would have scored the penalty? We’re pretty sure it was a penalty, but who’s to say we would have scored it?”

The Irishman accepts that five league defeats in a row simply isn’t good enough: “It’s unacceptable and we’d had two or three before that, then we had a couple of wins in between. But it’s eight defeats in 10, which is unacceptable.”

Keane confirmed that David Norris missed out because he has a virus, while Damien Delaney was fit to be called upon if needed. Darren O’Dea picked up a hamstring injury and is a doubt for next week’s trip to Preston. The on-loan Celtic man was already set to go home to Glasgow early in the week with his girlfriend still to give birth to their first baby.

Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the win: “It was very, very pleasing. I heard the players talking and they said that maybe a season or two ago we would have lost the game.

“It shows the mentality in the group at the moment that we’ve got the belief to keep going. We’ve shown a number of times that we want to control and dominate games with the ball and our ability to keep going has served us very well. It’s a fantastic result for us at a place where it’s always difficult to come and get a result.”

Rodgers says he feels for his friend Roy Keane with several of his senior squad members missing at present: “I look at the team that he’s got and he’s missing his experienced players and this is a league in which you need these players.

“Look at Norris missing today, Delaney, Gareth McAuley out for a while. These are stalwarts of the group. I don’t think there’s any better man to be here in a fight to pull the team out of it.”

Rodgers was not unsympathetic to Town’s claims for a penalty: “I don’t think it was a turning point in the game but if you judge it on the situation, if you’re the home manager you are disappointed if you don’t get it.

“Having then seen it afterwards on the replay I can see why Andy D’Urso doesn’t give it. There was a slight touch, he’s maybe thinking that the guy can go through and get his shot off and finish. Mark Gower’s just coming across, there’s no doubt that there’s contact.”

Photo: Action Images

bluesman added 20:45 - Dec 5 Do you remember the best games under Georgie B? You could hardly follow the ball, we moved it so fast. It was magic. It was football. And it seems so, so long ago.
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jbb added 21:26 - Dec 5 Calling for a managers head when you are on a bad run is a typical but foolish fans reaction. A fair assessment of RK's record as a manager - has had 3 full seasons as a manager, has won a championship, kept a team in the premiership, successfully fought two relegation battles and taken a team to the semis of a cup. Both teams he has managed were struggling (sunderland) / midtable championship teams when he took over. Of course he has made mistakes - Delaney as RCB, Peters at RB (a good game Wed doesnt make him a natural RB). As regards his dealing in the transfer market - he signed Leadbitter, Priskin, Edwards, Fulop, Delaney, Murphy, Scotland all very decent players in my opinion. Has brought in some decent loan players as well. He has recouped in transfer fees almost as much as he has spent. What players were let go that have made any real impression elsewhere. His one bad buy (Lee Martin) is young and might yet come good. Show me a manager who hasnt made one mistake in the transfer market. Unlike others I think the clubs prospects were rarely better. A lot of young players have got valuable experience - the likes of Hyam, Eastman, Brown, Murray, Wickham can make decent players. I would like to see a return to 451. Most teams are playing with an extra CM (including Swansea). I said at the start of the season that a play off place wouldnt be acheived with Peters and Smith in the back 4. Their reading of the game is very suspect. An natural CB doesnt do what Smith did on Sat. I would rate Brown ahead of Smith as a defender at present, though Smith . I think a run of league wins is well within the capabilities of the current squad. Best XI: (451)Fulop; Zuiverloon (should improve with games), McAuley or Eastman, Delaney, O'Dea; Edwards, Norris, Colback or Hyam, Leadbitter, Townsend; Priskin. I would bring in Scotland for one of CM later in game (dont think he is 90 min player at moment). Fallon hasnt looked much but early to write him off. Seems mobile and an alternative to Priskin as lone front man late in the game.

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choprawontcome added 21:50 - Dec 5 really cant see the point of writing arm long posts you egotistical fools AND SOME OF THEM STILL SUPPORT THE MUPPET!!!!!! KEANE OUT ......SIMPLES.
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GiveusaWave added 00:29 - Dec 6 moomoosereni- very good post. When Priskin was tackled early on,-there was hardly a whimper of "off,Off,Off". If there had been- the ref may well have taken action (that tackle was atrocious). When the Swansea players were tackled,- they REALLY made noise... Brandonblues- you mean like a 10-0 against Chelsea or something? Still don't think keane would go. Keane MUST be constantly thinking that the phonecall is coming through...

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WeWereZombies added 11:31 - Dec 6 Finidi put in more than a handful of good performances. Worst ever Town player, unfortunately from the Burley era which provided so many good times, was Earl Jean - how did that happen?
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meekreech added 12:12 - Dec 6 JJB At last a post with sense and thought ! Also a good understanding of reallity ! When will people learn that football today is a completely different game and will always take time to get players gelling ! It also relies on decent officials ( note the performance of the officials on Saturday ! ) being in place because thay can make or break team effort with decisions and attitude !!! The officials on Saturday ( judged on their performance ) should never be allowed to officiate at anything more than under 11 level . Their decision making was so poor as to be beyond comical but unfortunately clubs can have no say in officials suitability to remain on league lists ! Unfortunately the officials on duty Saturday gave a repeat performance of their previous visits to PR . When supporters saw who the ref was the immediate response was that we would be given nothing and would get nothing from the game . Surely refs should be picked for games where they are going to be fair ( neutral ) to both sides and not an ITFC hater such as we had to endure ( costing us the game ! there I have said what a lot of people will not say because it interrupts their anti RK rants !!) .

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h32 added 17:56 - Dec 6 jason0999 - you are right, the two men 'at the top' are NOT football people - and the next man down from them, has proved he is NOT a competent Manager (as yet anyway, and may never be) .......... hence we have the situation we have. Should we be surprised ? - NO. Should we justifiably expect much better ? - YES. I sincerely hope this totally unsatisfactory scenario is resolved at the earliest opportunity - because it grieves me to see attendances falling (totally understandable), supporters being split (criminal, but again understandable) and the general demise of once GREAT CLUB that we all hold dear to us. From the heart - and I hope speaking for many others, who one day will all be as 'one' again. United we stand - Divided we fall................

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h32 added 18:07 - Dec 6 ......... of OUR once GREAT CLUB ............ sorry for the omission.
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