Boss Roy Keane has brought in a sports psychologist to help end the Blues’ alarming slump in form. Town, 17th in the table going into Saturday’s game at bottom-of-the-table Preston, have lost their last five league matches.

Keane said: “We try all sorts to try and help the players, it’s not just a physical challenge. I think the Championship can be a mental job because there are so many games and you can lose so many, and that’s even for the teams towards the top of the table.”

The Blues boss says it’s sometimes hard to get back to winning ways after a series of poor results: “Losing games can become a mental issue because it becomes a habit. A lot of the problems we had last year were draws where we’d got into winning positions and couldn’t quite get over the finishing line.

“We’re now on the back of some defeats and it can sometimes be confidence where you can’t see where a victory is going to come from, so you look at every angle you can to help the players.”

Keane says that it’s in these situations where his squad could do with the type of experienced players he tried to sign in the summer — the likes of Shaun Derry, Lee Carsley and Kevin Kilbane - but with whom the club was unable to do deals: “Even some of our experienced boys, Gareth McAuley and one or two others, they’re fairly quiet lads.

“That’s why over the summer I met certain players that I thought would come in and be that voice in the dressing room, but we never got the deals done and we are paying the price for that.

“We’ve got boys like Connor Wickham and Luke Hyam in important positions. These boys are just out of nappies. They’re not going suss a situation out in a game and say ‘listen lads, we’re under pressure here now, someone’s got to give a foul up by their corner flag’ or whatever it might be.”

The former Ireland skipper says this lack of “streetwise”, experienced players in his squad was evident during the first goal during Saturday’s defeat to Swansea: “Tommy got a push, but if someone pushes you in the street, you’d push him back, wouldn’t you?

“We see set pieces every week where people are jostling around the penalty box and if you’re a centre-half and you think no one’s going to nudge you, you’re in cuckoo land!

“In the six-yard box, you’ve got to be ready for that. You’ve got to be streetwise. I know the way I’ve been brought up, if someone pushes me I know what I’d do back to them and it’s not apologising. We’re too nice, I think I’m too nice. We’re all too nice.

“I think we’re a young, naïve team. We’ve seen it, going back to last year and earlier in the season, but that’s where I keep going back to experience and being streetwise. It’s sussing out that moment in the game when we need to say ‘we need to shut up shop now’.

“Like at Watford when we could have gone in 1-0 down at half-time, instead we went in 2-0 down. We need some of our experienced players to do that.”

Keane says chief executive and owner Marcus Evans remain supportive despite the current position, but concedes results have to improve sooner rather than later: “I think they do but you still have to get results.

“West Brom was one result, every team can have a good day, you see that in any sport. We need to be consistent and when I say consistent I don’t mean winning every week, the top teams in the Championship don’t win every week.”

If things don’t progress Keane knows there is only one outcome and he isn’t making any excuses: “Our league form is unacceptable. If I left next week, I wouldn’t have anyone to blame. I wouldn’t blame Marcus Evans, I wouldn’t blame Simon Clegg, I wouldn’t blame the media, I wouldn’t blame the supporters, I wouldn’t blame my staff, I wouldn’t blame my players. I’d have no one to look at except myself.

“We can talk about the Shaun Derrys, the Lee Carsleys, the Kevin Kilbanes, the Chopras, but it’s irrelevant that these players aren’t here.”

Photo: Action Images

JetaimePeters added 01:02 - Dec 10 You need a good cop for your bad cop Roy! What about Dwight Yorke? He's got a nice smile and he'll cheer up the bairns! Lets hope this psychologist works - a psychologist lives and dies by results!
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Big_Foot_Blue added 01:02 - Dec 10 Anything which helps the team is a good thing and it's good to see Keane willing to explore avenues such as sports psychologists. Will be interesting to see if our form does now improve over the vital christmas period. Again you can kind of see Keanes point, yes he in my opinion not managing effectively enough for our club at the moment but we do have a young squad and the defences lapses against Norwich and Swansea clearly show Naievety. Our lads need to grow up fast and the manager needs to improve with them. Then who knows; anything can happen in this division.

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Garv added 01:20 - Dec 10 This guy played under clough? Effin' Joke. So when Tommy Smith pushes Craig Beattie back (even though he didn't get the chance) and gives away a penalty what will you say then Roy? 'It was naive of a young lad, we need more 'streetwise' players who won't make these mistakes'. The man is bizarre!! How about he concentrates on how to play FOOTBALL (using your feet to kick the ball to each other and eventually in that goal thing at the end if the pitch) and how to score more goals, not on how to cheat to waste more time or get opposition players yellow carded or sent off, kicking the ball away, play acting etc. We don't want you here anymore 'keano', never liked you, never will- you're ruining the club now do the honourable thing (i know it will be difficult) and walk away (after all you have experience in this department don't you?).

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Blue92 added 01:23 - Dec 10 Jetaime, Dwight Yorke can't stand Keano, and is retired.
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bobble added 01:53 - Dec 10 we have gone from a drawing every game to losing every game just exactly how many goals is this physiologist going to score for the team ?.. telling the players they are suffering from mental problems should be good for team spirit i reckon gee this mr keane is a talented manager so honest 'refreshing'insightful and useless
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shoopdelang added 01:58 - Dec 10 Irrespective of current form etc. I feel it is an exciting time for Ipswich. We have a very young team, a very young manager and a fincancially stable club, surely the only way is up? How many other teams in and around us have a youthful team like us, a manager as young as ours and in a stable fincancial situation? None. We are a club that is going somewhere, maybe not quite yet, but there is light at the end of the tunnel if you see what i mean? If you look at the set up, its a positive one.

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GiveusaWave added 05:43 - Dec 10 Oh dear....
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Back_The_Boss added 06:39 - Dec 10 ...clutching at straws?
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 07:29 - Dec 10 Forget "mind games," and "streetwise." It's a game of football. Be positive, play attacking football as the best form of defense, encourage an approach that looks to keep the game flowing, and take it to the opposition. If we're 1-0 up with three minutes to go, I don't want to see us time-wasting. That's pathetic. Go for the second goal, albeit with a bit of commonsense caution, and win or lose by this philosophy. COYB.

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imalwayswrong added 07:32 - Dec 10 I expect the psychologist is not doing it for free! More expense.
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RetroBlue added 07:56 - Dec 10 Sir Bobby used a psychologist on the team and in particular Paul Mariner , who at that time gone something like 10wks without a goal. 90% of the game is in the "head"! Wimbledon had won the game vs Liverpool in the FA Cup final before they'd even left the changing room, cos they made such a din in the changing room it actually unsetled the "normal routine" of their more skillfull/ better opponents.

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bobble added 08:00 - Dec 10 yeah but roy s messed their heads up so bad it could take years before these blokes remember how to win again
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Suffolk_n_Good added 08:18 - Dec 10 WTF!!! Let me save the club some money here, Try these simple mind games: KEANE: If the team don't get a win on Saturday, you'll be out of a job!! PLAYERS: If you don't get a win on Saturday, you'll have a weeks wages donated to charity!! There, just think how much money I've saved ME!!!
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GetInTheGameScowcrof added 08:30 - Dec 10 Take him to St Clements and lock him up! He's doing a Hoddle and losing it big time!
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el_nino added 08:45 - Dec 10 "I think I'm too nice." ...Don't know about that Roy! However, I think this can't do any harm. If it works then why not?! And Bobble....it's a psychologist, not a physiologist! 2 very different professions! Although we could probably do with both as sport is all about science these days!
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Surco72 added 08:50 - Dec 10 Will the bloke ever stop making excuses ? Wickham 3 games started Hyam 8 games started how are they affecting the other 2 thirds of the season Roy ,and when you were playing those boys just out of nappies instead of your crap loans we were winning games . I am fed up with hearing about Derry ,why dont you try coaching Leadbitter or Norris to become more like Derry ever thought of coaching to improve a player Roy ? no lets just go and buy someone else

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bobble added 08:57 - Dec 10 not me its the idiot autofinish on mac
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bobble added 09:00 - Dec 10 i see preston have scored more away than we have scored at home i thought this was going to be a win but am beginning to worry as keane is totally undermining what little confidence the players might of had....... 0-2 to preston
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Paulc added 09:30 - Dec 10 bobble - You are aware the game is at Preston, making your point about Town goals at home and Preston's away form irrelevent.
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fourth added 09:54 - Dec 10 That's the first part of his job subcontracted. Who is he going to bring in to do his coaching work for him? Let's be clear, if he gives up on essential parts of his contracted work, it should come straight out of his salary.
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KenDubZ added 09:59 - Dec 10 Roy I honestly belive this is the turning point I think you may have sussed it :) COYB !!! KEANO, KEANO, KEANO
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bluepeter added 10:03 - Dec 10 Don't waste even more money on a phsycologist. It would be cured over night if wages were halved every time we lose.
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SouperJim added 10:29 - Dec 10 An encouraging read, I'm pleased to see that Roy has ideas about what needs to be fixed and how to go about it. At the same time, highly amusing that he keeps whinging on about the lack of experience in the squad and then at the end of the article he says it's irrelevant! If it's irrelevant and you've just got to get on with it Roy, why do you keep mentioning it every time you see a journalist? He keeps saying "here's my excuse", quickly followed by "but I've got no excuses".

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PSGBlue added 10:48 - Dec 10 Only thing that's going to lift the players and the supporters for that matter is your departure Mr Keane. I'm also fed up with Keane making excuses about the players he couldn't bring in at the start of the season. What about the one's we have let go, D Wright, R Wright, Stead and Pablo (not going to include Garven) all better than what we replaced them with! Keane Out, Clegg Out!

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naa added 10:48 - Dec 10 Yet again Roy's example of lack of experience is that we need someone to tell the players to foul someone to to take the pressure off. Nothing about trying to keep possession or try to keep the ball in the opponents half. Or even about attacking more - which is clearly the reason we aren't socring, but Roy seems oblivious to this. These are much better ways of not conceding goals! Rather than feckin' fouling all the time. I despair of this, I really do. And it sums Keane's managerial tenure up totally. Negative, negative, negative. And no Roy we don't need more players! As pointed out yesterday, you've signed 22 playerrs in your time here! That's a crazy number. If you need one or two experienced head why didn't you get them in the massive influx of players. However many he signs he always needs just one or two more. The man's a joke.

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