Keane: frank but upbeat
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Ipswich Town manager Roy Keane was under no illusions after his side’s 2-0 defeat on his native Leeside. “We started badly, and gradually got worse”, he remarked to the press corps. “There were no real positives to take other than gaining some match practice. Cork are obviously a stronger team than Waterford who we faced the other day. We had one or two half-chances but I’ve spoken to the players and Cork are a very good team. I’d never underestimate any League of Ireland club, or the league itself. It’s tough, you get even less time on the ball here than you would in England. We didn’t help ourselves though, the two goals we gave away were abysmal”.
“We started today a little bit sluggishly, and didn’t hold the ball up well and when you do that you make it a long 90 minutes. I think if we’d played ‘til midnight tonight we wouldn’t have scored.”
When asked if he had any plans to sign any of the home side’s players, his answer offered little solace to fans of the financially imperilled club. “No, not at the moment anyway. Credit to Cork, they have some fine players, but no we don’t have any particular interest in any of them at the moment."
Pressed further on the matter, Keane was asked if he had any intentions to hijack his former international team-mate Colin Healy’s move League One side Hartlepool United: “I know Colin’s strengths and weaknesses well, but I can’t say he’s a player we’re after the moment. Obviously I wish him well, he’s a good player, but at my own end I’m having to wheel and deal so no”.
“I’d like to strengthen the squad, perhaps bring in two or three players but then every manager in the Football League will tell you the same. We’re waiting on calls back, but I’m mindful of the fact that I’ll need to move some players on to make room”.
Keane was asked, as a Corkman and a former League of Ireland player how he felt at the financial problems engulfing the league, not least of all at Cork City. “Shocking... it’s horrible” was his response. “I don’t know the ins and outs, but today we saw that Cork City are a good team; for them to just disappear would be an absolute disaster. Please God something will fall into place for them. We saw the support today, it obviously means a lot to the people of this city”.
When the questioning moved on to Keane’s new recruits at Ipswich, the former Manchester United star was upbeat. Remarking that it’s important not to over-analyse pre-season he went on to state that he was pleased with how his new recruits were bedding in. “The team is exactly where I expected it to be at this stage. We’re obviously trying to implement a new training regime and bring in some new ideas. In the next couple of weeks I’ll have a better idea of the starting line-up and team shape, but yeah... I’m happy.”
Keane was asked if he thought his players enjoyed the pre-season as much as he had in his own playing days. “I think you should appreciate every day in this game, every game you play whether it be pre-season or otherwise. I remember in my time if I had five weeks off I’d be like a madman wanting to get back, and the players need to be like that too, chomping at the bit to play football. We didn’t play well today at all, but that’ll be sorted.”
One reporter asked Keane if he still expected to take the tractor boys up in the two year time-frame he’d set upon taking the job. “After today, I would have thought it might be closer to 22 years!”, he joked. “But of course, I’m ambitious and I want to be up there challenging.”
Quizzed on whether an assault on the automatic promotion places or the play-offs was the goal for the coming season, Keane refused to be drawn. “I’d be happy just to go up no matter what route we take”. When asked if his record in taking Sunderland to promotion added further pressure, his curt response was “Who knows?”
Would taking Ipswich up represent a bigger challenge though? “I don’t necessarily agree with that,” he answered. “But the next challenge is always the biggest one.”
“We started today a little bit sluggishly, and didn’t hold the ball up well and when you do that you make it a long 90 minutes. I think if we’d played ‘til midnight tonight we wouldn’t have scored.”
When asked if he had any plans to sign any of the home side’s players, his answer offered little solace to fans of the financially imperilled club. “No, not at the moment anyway. Credit to Cork, they have some fine players, but no we don’t have any particular interest in any of them at the moment."
Pressed further on the matter, Keane was asked if he had any intentions to hijack his former international team-mate Colin Healy’s move League One side Hartlepool United: “I know Colin’s strengths and weaknesses well, but I can’t say he’s a player we’re after the moment. Obviously I wish him well, he’s a good player, but at my own end I’m having to wheel and deal so no”.
“I’d like to strengthen the squad, perhaps bring in two or three players but then every manager in the Football League will tell you the same. We’re waiting on calls back, but I’m mindful of the fact that I’ll need to move some players on to make room”.
Keane was asked, as a Corkman and a former League of Ireland player how he felt at the financial problems engulfing the league, not least of all at Cork City. “Shocking... it’s horrible” was his response. “I don’t know the ins and outs, but today we saw that Cork City are a good team; for them to just disappear would be an absolute disaster. Please God something will fall into place for them. We saw the support today, it obviously means a lot to the people of this city”.
When the questioning moved on to Keane’s new recruits at Ipswich, the former Manchester United star was upbeat. Remarking that it’s important not to over-analyse pre-season he went on to state that he was pleased with how his new recruits were bedding in. “The team is exactly where I expected it to be at this stage. We’re obviously trying to implement a new training regime and bring in some new ideas. In the next couple of weeks I’ll have a better idea of the starting line-up and team shape, but yeah... I’m happy.”
Keane was asked if he thought his players enjoyed the pre-season as much as he had in his own playing days. “I think you should appreciate every day in this game, every game you play whether it be pre-season or otherwise. I remember in my time if I had five weeks off I’d be like a madman wanting to get back, and the players need to be like that too, chomping at the bit to play football. We didn’t play well today at all, but that’ll be sorted.”
One reporter asked Keane if he still expected to take the tractor boys up in the two year time-frame he’d set upon taking the job. “After today, I would have thought it might be closer to 22 years!”, he joked. “But of course, I’m ambitious and I want to be up there challenging.”
Quizzed on whether an assault on the automatic promotion places or the play-offs was the goal for the coming season, Keane refused to be drawn. “I’d be happy just to go up no matter what route we take”. When asked if his record in taking Sunderland to promotion added further pressure, his curt response was “Who knows?”
Would taking Ipswich up represent a bigger challenge though? “I don’t necessarily agree with that,” he answered. “But the next challenge is always the biggest one.”
