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

WorcesterBlue added 11:17 - May 13 It's all been said but I'll say it again anyway. Keane, Clegg, Jewell, McCarthy and Lambert all piss poor old school appointments made from the golf course by ME and his hapless cronies. At least with Hurst he tried something different but again he screwed up and got some out of his depth psycho who was forced to sell before buying when we couldn't afford to (evolution not revolution!) rather than a McGreal type who might look to learn and develop something. ME's decisions and the people he chooses to advise him are the fundamental issues here. We're screwed with him but also unfortunately screwed without him unless someone with more love for the club than their money decides to save us?

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