Tom Oldfield
Roy Keane is most certainly back. Having walked away from the Sunderland job in December, in despair at the complacency that had taken over the Stadium of Light, the Irishman is bringing all his character and drive to Portman Road.
There is already huge expectation on Keane’s shoulders. He is a winner, a leader and a perfectionist. He expects the same tireless will to win from his players. At Sunderland, he rejuvenated a group that had lost their first four league games of the 2006/07 season, lifting them to the Championship title in a remarkable demonstration of the importance of inspirational leadership.
Now, though, he faces a fresh challenge at another club with a rich history. Ipswich decided to part company with manager Jim Magilton in late April and, in Keane, the Tractor Boys have found a man with a point to prove. Ipswich’s stylish 3-0 victory away to high-flying Cardiff last weekend, in his first game in charge, summed up the kind of impact that the Irishman will have on his players. Had he taken over a month or so earlier, a playoff spot might have been achieved.
It has certainly not taken long for Keane to dominate the back pages again with his straight talking. In his first few days in the new job, he told the media that in his opinion none of the Manchester United players from the 1993/94 side had been successful managers so far.
He said: “Until an ex-team-mate of mine from ’94 goes on and really achieves something, then I would not agree about them being a successful manager. You need a bit more than some of those managers have achieved yet. Who are the good managers you are talking about? Sparky (Hughes) and Brucie have not won a trophy have they?
“They have potential and Steve Bruce has had a good season. But Steve Bruce has been manager how many years? Sparky has done a brilliant job at Blackburn but is facing different challenges at Man City. We are all facing different challenges.”
So where does that leave Keane? Well, he outlined his target in his early press conferences. It is simple – he wants promotion to the Premier League. But it will be a tough task, make no mistake about it. The Championship is as competitive as ever and he will need all his motivational skills to push the players forward. He must instil the same spirit that bonded his Sunderland squad together to the point that they believed that they could not be beaten.
And he has plenty of promising players at his disposal as he plans over the summer. The current squad boasts the likes of Richard Wright, Owen Garvan and Pablo Counago while, with a number of players out of contract at the end of the season, he will have some leeway to rebuild the squad.
Keane told the media: “I truly believe I am joining a club that has the potential, ambition and infrastructure to once again be a Premier League side. Three or four weeks ago I thought, if the opportunity came up, I was ready for it. I would like to try and do it (win promotion) in one year, if I was not up for it I would be walking my dogs. I think my dogs needed a break.
“My gut feeling, the ambition of the club, the history of the club. It’s a proper football club. I think I’ve been very lucky with the clubs I’ve been involved with and I’m very lucky to get this job. It’s a massive challenge trying to get the club back in the Premier League. I enjoy working with ambitious people. There’s enough people out there with no ambitions who are happy to go through the motions in life.”
One thing is for sure. It will either be Keane’s way or the highway. He has wasted little time in revealing that interference from a key figure at Sunderland contributed to his exit and, in turn for agreeing to move house to Suffolk, he will demand total control of team matters. Ipswich Football Club is in for a major shake-up but it would take a brave man to bet against Keane’s inspirational character driving the club into the Premier League next season.
