IPSWICH Town's new recruit David Healy knows what makes manager Roy Keane NOT tick.

Carl Marston

IPSWICH Town's new recruit David Healy knows what makes manager Roy Keane NOT tick.

And that, according to the Sunderland loanee, is just as important as knowing how to keep the Town boss happy.

Healy and fellow front-man, Daryl Murphy, are set to make their Town debuts at home to mid-table Middlesbrough tomorrow.

Both have the advantage of having played under Keane at the Stadium of Light, so it's not taken time for the double act to settle into their new surroundings.

“We know what makes Roy Keane tick, and more importantly we know what makes him not tick,” said Healy during yesterday's official Portman Road press conference.

“I've worked under Roy, and played with him for a short time at Manchester United, so we know each other's qualities.

“Roy is his own biggest critic. If things are going wrong, he looks at himself first to see what's going wrong, rather than at the players.

“He's given himself two years to get this club into the Premier League, and for me it was an easy decision to come to Ipswich.

“I didn't need to speak to the other lads (ex-Sunderland players), although I did look on my Sat Nav to see how far away Ipswich was. I thought I got it wrong at first!” added a dazed Healy.

For the record, Sunderland to Ipswich is a distance of 279 miles.

Keane is still pondering whether to start with either, or both, Healy and Murphy against 'Boro. Much will depend on how they shape up in training today, in terms of match fitness, because neither player has enjoyed much action in the Premier League for Sunderland this season.

Nor surprisingly, both are champing at the bit to play, and Northern Ireland international Murphy, who is his country's all-time leading goalscorer (35 goals) looks a good bet to start tomorrow.

“I hope to get some minutes under my belt, and add some competition for places,” explained Healy.

“You could say that we both might be rusty for a game or two, but we've not been completely in the cold at Sunderland. We've been coming on in games.

“It might just take us a game or two to get fully match sharp, but we are here for three months.

“We want to show people why we have been brought to this club. All strikers enjoy playing and scoring goals, and the two of us want to add goals to the team.

“Confidence is all about scoring. If you score a few goals, then your confidence hits the roof.

“The sooner me and Murph are back playing, week-in week-out, the better.

“We both spoke to the manager (Steve Bruce), and it was thought best that we go out to get some game-time.

“It's been frustrating at Sunderland, training from Monday to Friday and then not playing on Saturday. It gets you down at times.

“We had both talked about getting away, and ironically we have ended up coming up here together,” concluded Healy.

Front-runner Healy, 30, has plundered 83 league goals during his career, but he has not started a Premier League game for Sunderland since his �1m-plus move from Fulham during the summer of 2008.