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Delaney: Keane Would Destroy Me After Games But Still Picked Me
Tuesday, 12th May 2020 12:56

Former Blues defender Damien Delaney has been reflecting on his time at Portman Road under Roy Keane.

The ex-Town boss admitted in his book, The Second Half, that he had been tough on centre-half or left-back Delaney during their time together with the Blues.

“Damien Delaney came in and did OK,” Keane wrote. “I was a bit hard on him sometimes, probably because I knew him and he was from Cork. But I went over the top.”

Speaking to Off The Ball, Delaney said he doesn’t hold any grudges towards his former boss.

“It is as probably close to an apology that you get from him!” he said. “He probably wouldn't say sorry for anything - but it's fine, man.

“He did what he thought was correct at the time and he managed the way that he thought was correct, and I was on the end of a lot of it... an awful lot of it, if I'm honest with you.

“It wasn't fine at the time, as it grinds you down. I have laughed when people said this before - but if Roy Keane has said he was too hard on you, can you imagine what I had to go through?

“It was tough enough and he did used to favour coming for me. But again, you try and take it on the chin and focus on the game.

“The only thing that kept me going was that he picked me. If a manager is having a go at you and you're not in the team, or even worse he is not talking to you and not picking you, then he doesn't think very much of you.

“But I think I played nigh-on every game for him, bar a game or two here and there when I was banished for a mistake. But nigh-on every game.

“That is the only thing that consoled me: he can't think I'm that bad because he's picking me. So he would destroy me after a game, not speak to me for a week, and then named the team on the Saturday and I'd be in it!”

Keane, who was Blues boss between April 2009 and January 2011, signed the Irish international defender from QPR in July 2009 for £750,000.

Delaney, now 38, ended his playing career last year when with Waterford in the League of Ireland.


Photo: Action Images



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Saxonblue74 added 13:13 - May 12
Keane came into management decades too late. His style (or lack of) belonged to 70's football
6

Dissboyitfc added 13:14 - May 12
Roy Keane another disastrous manager, in some ways the worst of the lot! His reign started the rot!

Felt sorry for Delaney, never really rated him whilst here, but was certainly a better player when he left us!
5

Terry_Nutkins added 13:29 - May 12
What is the mindset that makes someone think if i destroy your confidence you'll perform better...
9

BlueBadger added 13:33 - May 12
Ah Roy Keane. Only Paul Lambert keeps him from claiming the 'worst Town manager ever' trophy.
0

MattinLondon added 13:39 - May 12
If Keane had simply said ‘I'm sorry that it didn't work here, I tried my best, but my best wasn't good enough' then I wouldn't really hold anything against him. But in his autobiography he mocked the club, the fans and just came across as a bully.

I can't think what the managerial equivalent is of having a sledgehammer smashing your balls is. But I do want that to happen to him. In front of a global audience where he is humiliated as a clueless buffoon.
5

Dockerblue added 13:52 - May 12
Blue badger, you're forgetting Hirst! I think that Roy Keane is a bully and a thoroughly all round horrible man who in most walks of life would come across someone tougher that would put him in his place.
5

atty added 14:01 - May 12
Well Delaney went on to play regularly in the PL at Palace, and captained them for a while.
Didn't McCauly leave us for nothing under Keane, and went in to play PL football wil WBA, and captain them for a while. Always seemed to me that Keane lacked maturity, was a bully, and Jonny Walters must have been the only footballer to stand up to him.
4

Suffolkboy added 14:25 - May 12
One or two spot on assessments of RK as a manager ,with which many will find sympathy A thoroughly and totally committed player on the field ,he literally took no prisoners and mercilessly drove others around him : but empathy , integrity ,maturity and humanity weren't amongst his stronger suits and honesty didn't rank highly either ( which is partly where JW took him to task) .
He was never the man to manage ITFC ,wasn't a developer of talent , rather a destroyer of people and wanting and needing to spend to bring in players ( never the Town policy ) .
RK unsurprisingly to us was a loser as a Manager of men !
COYB
6

TractorRoyNo1 added 15:13 - May 12
Keane & Lambert, both great footballers, both Celtic, both sh!t managers for us.
1

MickMillsTash added 15:57 - May 12
My top 3 w@nkers
1. Hurst
2. Jewell
3. Keane
4

runningout added 16:04 - May 12
John Duncan not so good either. It's all pointless embarrassing abuse and a bit late to grumble about managers that had a shoddy reign with us. Hope we can start acting like the club we should be, not the fakes we have been for donkeys
3

patrickswell added 16:39 - May 12
Keane really seemed to believe that man management was just something that happened to other people didn't he? It explains a lot about why Delaney looked so miserable during his time with us.
4

Linkboy13 added 16:57 - May 12
He came to us as a fullback and never looked comfortable. He then formed a very good central defensive partnership with Gareth Mc'cauley. I was not surprised when he went to Crystal Palace and did so well in the premier league playing regularly for Three seasons.
3

naa added 17:00 - May 12
MickMillsTash: can't believe you have Keane at the bottom of those three. He's by far the worst. He had all the money, reputation and opinion of himself, but instead he got rid of any promising players we had, often for little cash, he signed some stinkers, dismantled the youth setup, got rid of Bryanb Klug and then took us down, down and down the table and had no humility either.

Jewell was a likeable guy who sadly failed, but he did sign some OK players, Cresswell amoung them.

Hurst was tasked with a difficult mission to revamp the squad for a pittance and was forced to sell players he couldn't afford to leave. He then did very badly even with what he had.
9

naa added 17:04 - May 12
patrickswell: Considering he played under Brian Clough, Alex Ferguson and Martin O'Neill it's amazing that he was so bad at man-management as those are said to be three of the best ever at it.

His problem is he has no humility, so doesn't learn from anyone, just assumes he knows best. Or so it seems to me at least.
5

Ipswichbusiness added 17:37 - May 12
Roy Keane may well come across as a thoroughly unpleasant character.

Yet as a player with Manchester United he was a winner and before coming here he achieved promotion with Sunderland. He failed with us and all managers after him have failed.

What is it with ME's leadership that so many apparently promising managers have failed under him?
1

therein61 added 17:48 - May 12
He's always as a player and manager claimed to be a perfectionist which he felt gave him carte blanch to belittle all around him he destroyed young players at Man Utd. and some seniors and carried on the same as a manager( punditry has not changed him either i.e: agree with me or do one while passing on the dark lord look!!) as a player i thought he was not world class and would have been a perfect fit in the Leeds midfield in the 70's enough said!!
1

maninashed added 18:07 - May 12
The rot started with the departure of Joe Royal. We have not really had a competitive team since. Joe was always willing to give a youth player a chance, although at times probably not out of choice. Lambert seems so be similar, but everybody seems to forget he is starting from a lower base than Joe, who at least inherited some of George Burley's premiership squad. Lambert really does need to start delivering from next season as he has had a season and half to sort the mess out.
2

Marinersnose added 18:13 - May 12
Keane was without doubt a World Class player who changed important games on his own. I was critical of his management as it was clear that he couldn't deal with the players. I heard that his actual coaching was excellent and the training was varied and enjoyable. He also attracted so excellent players to the club either permanently or on loan. He cannot be put in the worst manager category as Hurst and Jewel we're far worse. I would however take any of the players we had during his time at the club as many were far superior to what we have now. Keane as a manager was poor but as a player he was right up there and many World class players eulogised over his talent
1

pastystringbean added 20:39 - May 12
I remember watching leiston vs an Ipswich eleven. Keane was there with his coaching team as was delaney who was injured. I stood beside Delaney who was beside Keane who was beside Loughlon. Halftime approached and Keane asks Delaney to “come inside for a cup of tea” Delaney says “I'm alright gaffer thanks” Keane then says “f*****g get inside” This still makes me chuckle to this day, just thought I'd share it!
1

ChrisR added 22:45 - May 12
Keane has not had Club Manager role since departing ITFC , and never will have now , which shows how poor his reputation is.
He was MC s hope to get to Premier League , and we have been declining ever since that failure.
R K signings were dire ( Priskin , Martin ) , sales worse ( Rhodes ) , and MC has been wary ever since of chancing big fees. Wrong choice at the wrong time , would have been better to keep Magilton!
2

Garv added 23:34 - May 12
Keane, while probably not helped by Clegg, inherited a good squad full of decent pros and half decent youngsters including Wickham, Rhodes and Garvan. He thought he was best off dismantling it.

Considering the circumstances he took over in, i.e the easiest of all the managers during the last decade, he's the worst of the lot. He had the fans well onside, PR almost full for his first game, Evans still new into the job and offering money to spend, a good squad.

The defensive partnership formed between Delaney and McAuley was his best achievement, and it brought about a few clean sheets. Sadly it often brought about a lack of goals at the other end too.

Re: Delaney, I always felt he was harshly treated and underrated by fans. Left back didn't suit him from day one, but with GMac he was pretty solid bar the odd mistake as he mentions. Criminal that we let him leave for nothing in August 2012, especially as it left us so bare in defence (Jewell's fault that one).
5

have_a_word_with_him added 00:17 - May 13
Not a left back and moving him to CB alongside McAuley was a fantastic if unexpected bonus for us. Both went on to sustained performances in the Premier League which should speak for itself. It was painfully obvious how disengaged he became under Keane, there was no joy at all and I was pleased for him getting regular top flight football at Palace, albeit at our definite loss. Keane should be completely embarrassed at his mishandling of Delaney, but he won't be, as many on here have said, it's not in his locker.
2

Wickets added 07:43 - May 13
I thought Super Jim signed him ? Must have that wrong .
0

bobble added 08:07 - May 13
the dark lord was the one who first cursed our club i still believe we need an aboriginal smoking ceremony on the pitch to remove the bad medicine he left behind.....
6


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