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

MAVERICK added 10:56 - Dec 10 what about 'Simple Minds' Alive & Kicking every time we score (we won't have to pay to many royalties)
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bobble added 10:59 - Dec 10 do you think we could really get to the champions league by fouling them in their half roy ? if only it were that simple still the shrink should score 25-30 goals for us the rest of the season and with all these goalkeepers and defensive midfielders an the defensive manager the world is our oyster the glorious lower leagues beckon for a decade or so.......... how cool is that ? whats the rules of cricket again if you foul one of the other teams players in their half do you get 6 runs ?

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blue_em_away added 11:32 - Dec 10 RK is stating to sound like my ex wife!!!
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legoman added 11:43 - Dec 10 I think Roys new shrink needs to come on here and chat with some of you lot.
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Help added 12:22 - Dec 10 Shoop - Its only a young team when RK's first 11 are out injured. It has not been a young team all season. A young INEXPERIENCED manager. Financially stable club?? £14M loss! We do not need a head shrink mr Keane. What we need are players in the right positions, playing passing football, attacking the opposition. Something we have done very little in the last 18 months. The reason the shrink is needed is to counter the confusion from you. Fans are confused, football commentators and pundits are confused, so the players must be to.

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Reuser31 added 12:38 - Dec 10 He's totally lost the plot hasn't he? Whilst getting a psychologist in may well help lift the players, Keanes departure would probably lift them a hell of a lot more. Get out, Keane, you're a joke.
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Oxblue added 12:45 - Dec 10 I have heard it all now!!! Try playing the players in the correct posistions!!! Try supporting the players!!! COYB!!
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Lightningboy added 12:46 - Dec 10 If we do get a shrink in Royston,can I suggest that the first 3 people to see him are you,Simon Clegg & Marcus Evans.
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Basil_Smallpiece added 12:47 - Dec 10 Wotcha GITS! (copyright B Smallpiece IOP).Keano was obviously looking for a psychiatrist but his spelling let him down when he was thumbing through the Yellow Pages. Go back and have another go, Keano, then nip round his and climb up on his couch and repeat all this twaddle about shoving people in the street and being too nice. See what he says. And look out for the blokes in white coats! How desperate it is that the mighty Town have an oaf like this for manager. What on earth are that bunch of officious clowns who gathered recently at the AGM thinking about? O tempora o mores! FORK! POMS! COYB!

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whoppit added 12:50 - Dec 10 How about a hypnotist for Keano?? Then every time he hears an air horn at the match he will chew his gum and not give a $hit. Oh hang on, he does that already. My bad !!!
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whoppit added 12:51 - Dec 10 How about a magician to make Marcus disappear?? Oh hang on.......
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whoppit added 12:52 - Dec 10 How about a wizard from the City of Oz to give Cleggy a brain of his own??
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Mark added 12:54 - Dec 10 I agree with some of the comments above. If we had have signed Derry - on big wages for a player in his 30s - would it have made that much difference? With Leadbitter and Norris quoted as key players, where would central midfielder Derry have fitted in anyway? As for the comments about "streetwise" pushing and fouling, I read this a lot from Keane but I never read about how we should pass the ball. Under Burley it was always about pass and move, and if we went a goal down the team still knew to keep the ball on the floor and play. Barnsley, Norwich and Swansea outpassed us, that's why we lost, not because we didn't foul our opponents at the "right" times.

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Dale added 15:07 - Dec 10 “Tommy got a push, but if someone pushes you in the street, you'd push him back, wouldn't you?" Oh dear.
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naa added 15:21 - Dec 10 Mark: what are you on about? Derry would have played right-back, obviously! And yes Dale, RK has made a fool of himself yet again. I seem to recall that refs give pens for that kind of thing. This is one of his worst ever quote actually. More and more talk about fouling without mentioning playing football. And he wonders why we don't score many goals! I can't believe Clegg and read his comments and not find 'much hilarity' in them. And then sack him.

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devontractorboy added 16:31 - Dec 10 Right team I want you to all close your eyes and relax....that's it.....think of somewhere you'd like to be, your favourite place, a beach perhaps & relax....... .......when I snap my fingers you will wake up & Alan Curbishley will be in charge with Matty Holland as his assistant........& everything will be just fine, you'll play flowing attractive football, the fans will come back & we will storm into the Premiership......now after three....one...two...three.........................!!!

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Suffolk_n_Good added 16:53 - Dec 10 LOL devontractorboy, if only it was that simple!!
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Garv added 17:09 - Dec 10 ...and I will be the kit man in the corner cleaning your boots
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pegasus added 19:14 - Dec 10 This reminds me of the Parable in which a troubled king of the east summoned his wise men and commanded them to inquire into the source of all the miseries in the world. The wise men duly investigated, and returned to the king with the answer that the source of the miseries was him.
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brainbox added 20:04 - Dec 10 Mind games - now I've heard it all - just play good, positive attacking football like we are used to at ITFC - please go away Keane!!
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kentblue added 20:20 - Dec 10 No need for a psycologist if you were to GO Keane . You are the reason !
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bobble added 21:34 - Dec 10 hes really pushing us to far now.his sole tactic is to push and foul players in their own half and play 11 defenders
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