Roy the Tractor Boy

Back in management at Ipswich Town

Never a dull moment in the career of Roy Keane that’s for sure. After four and half months out of football Keane stepped back into the limelight yesterday, becoming the new manager of Ipswich Town. And no sooner was he back talking to the press then he was having a pop at various former team mates, club chairmen and owners. Love him or loathe him there can be no doubt that as far as pure footballing entertainment is concerned Roy Keane is the hottest ticket in town.

The reasons behind his move to Ipswich are fairly simple as far as I can see. He missed football and was waiting for the right opportunity to arise so that he could re-enter the world he knows so well. He’s not taking over a poor side, merely one that needs to improve next season by a marginal amount to enter the promotion scene in The Championship. I’m certain he’s been promised money to spend by the reclusive owner Marcus Evans and Ipswich fans can expect a busy summer in the transfer market. That he will be working with a serious character in Simon Clegg, who’s just ended his tenure as head of the British Olympic Association, means Keane should find himself in a dedicated working environment, the kind he’ll be comfortable in. Ambition will not be in short supply at Portman Road.

I thought it hilarious though the way he couldn’t help himeself having a pop at his former Sunderland employers Niall Quinn and Ellis Short and his former Irish team mate Tony Cascarino. The whole world knows that towards the end of his time at Sunderland he felt he’d been let down by Quinn and the new owner but that episode is done and dusted now. Surely when asked about it he could have let it slide and moved onto the next question.

The Sunderland issue is a minor point I suppose but this Cascarino affair will surely rumble on. There’s definitely no love lost between those two and with both having very public platforms on which to pronounce their views we’re probably in store for some more barbs being fired back and forth. Keane says he could let us all know why he has no time for Cas, then the trick is reversed and Cas threatens to reveal some of the skeletons in Keane’s closet. From an outsider’s point of view it’s great fun. Cas writes in The Times and you can read his latest post on Roy Keane here – http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article6159507.ece

So Niall Quinn and Tony Cascarino got it in the neck and to a lesser extent so did Mark Hughes and Steve Bruce. Pointing to the fact that neither has won a trophy in their managerial careers to date he questioned how they can be viewed as successful in the strictest sense of the word. I have a lot of time for both Bruce and Hughes but Keane is always one for stating the obvious. In many ways he’s famous for it. It’s true to say that Bruce and Hughes are potless to date but Bruce in particular has done a great job at Wigan and if Hughes is allowed to stay at Man City then I believe he’ll make a serious impact there too. The way that club is run though you’d have to think Hughes will be a goner in the summer.

All in all I’m glad Keane is back. He’s been a hero of mine for so long now that not having him in football was a shame. There was 12-1 on offer yesterday about Ipswich being promoted as Champions next season and after seeing how well he did to get Sunderland to the Premeir League at the first go then those odds definitely seem tempting. My only hope is that he buy’s better players this time around and doesn’t target former team mates like Liam Miller and Dwight Yorke, the way he did when he was with the Black Cats. Ipswich are back on the footballing map and if anyone needs reminding of what’s in store next season take a look at these all time classic Roy Keane comments – http://www.football365.co.uk/story/0,17033,8750_5227704,00.html