IPSWICH Town boss Roy Keane was on the wrong end of some abuse from a few fans, following Saturday's dismal 4-0 defeat at the hands of all-conquering Newcastle.

Carl Marston

IPSWICH Town boss Roy Keane was on the wrong end of some abuse from a few fans, following Saturday's dismal 4-0 defeat at the hands of all-conquering Newcastle.

But Keane was in no mood to complain - he understands the frustrations of the Portman Road faithful.

“I had a few people shouting at me at the end, and rightly so. I'd be surprised if not,” insisted Keane.

“Fans have every right to voice their opinions. That is all part of the challenge.

“It's not easy for me to watch, but it's exactly where I'm meant to be. We have our pride, and that has been massively dented this afternoon.

“We hope to put things right over the next few weeks, but then I've been saying that for a few weeks now!

“It's apparent that there are no magic wands here.

“One or two supporters showed their feelings at the end, which is understandable. Expectations are high,” added Keane.

Once again it was the manner of the goals conceded - Town have now leaked 19 goals in nine league games, and 24 in 11 fixtures in all competitions - that is giving Keane most cause for concern.

“We gave some bad goals away. It was poor defending,” admitted Keane.

“The game was dead and buried once we had conceded those three goals in the first half, especially with Newcastle not conceding many goals this season and playing so well.

“Talk about making it hard for ourselves!

“The boy (Kevin) Nolan will not score an easier hat-trick in his career. He had a free header for the first goal - he must have thought that it was Christmas!

“That first goal was particularly bad. We did not defend it (the free kick) properly. And for the second goal we allowed him (Nolan) to turn on his right foot. These are the basics of football.

“I don't think the occasion (Sir Bobby Robson tribute) got to the team. It was conceding those goals so quickly that dented us.

“The players were not drained, nor were they side-tracked. They had lots of energy to start with, but we keep giving teams a helping hand.

“Their goals could have been prevented, but then I've been saying that for most of the season,” added Keane.

Town did not manage a shot on target until the 88th minute, and they had very few goal attempts throughout the match. Too often, players seemed to dither and then pass the ball, rather than shoot, whenever the opportunity arose.

Keane confirmed: “Perhaps they were reluctant to shoot, but trust me, we teach them to shoot in training.

“It's a lack of confidence, but we have people capable of shooting. The confidence will come with that first victory, and we should have got that last weekend (3-3 draw at Doncaster).

“We picked up another injury today. Alex (Bruce) has a groin injury and he will be out on Tuesday (away at Sheffield United).

“We need one or two more players, and there has been an element of progress, but they'll be no one in before Tuesday or probably even next weekend.

“Sheffield United will be a big test of character. They also lost this weekend (at Swansesa) so they will be licking their wounds,” concluded Keane.