IS Ipswich Town manager Roy Keane unsuitable or unlucky?

Elvin King

IS Ipswich Town manager Roy Keane unsuitable or unlucky?

The answer will be known inside the next three weeks after home games against Swansea and Watford and a trip to Plymouth on October 24.

While vultures are circulating to pick at the carcass of the legendary footballing figure, Blues fans are standing behind him with exceptional support in Saturday's 2-1 Championship defeat at Barnsley that has left Town bottom of the table and five points away from escaping a relegation position.

For the second game running a late goal ruined an impressive away display to suggest that Keane must have walked under too many ladders or broken too may mirrors.

There is no doubt that the former Manchester United star has not enjoyed the best of fortune in the Ipswich hot seat this term, and if his defence had played out a further 30 seconds at Oakwell he would today be hailed as engineering a recovery.

But bad luck does not explain fully the gaining of just five paltry points from the opening 11 league matches.

Has Keane assembled a squad good enough to compete at this level - with League One beckoning with increasing vigour?

Are his often talked about man-management methods proving counter productive?

The next three games after the international break will provide the answers - and anything less than six points will make it hard to defend the argument that Keane is unsuitable.

And he is beginning the show the pressure that managers given a 'pep talk' by their superiors often fail to hide.

He ranted at the referee, had a go at the media and talked about livelihoods being on the line.

A weekend story suggesting FC Twente coach Steve McClaren is to replace Keane at Portman Road is absolute twaddle, but Ipswich being in the midst of a tough relegation dogfight is bound to lead to speculation about his future.

It was perhaps a desperately wrong decision by Town owner Marcus Evans to appoint Keane and put the club in the national spotlight that increases with every dropped point.

On the other hand, it may still prove to have been a wise one.

By the time the clocks go back we will know the answer.