Roy: Town fans are best on the planet

Elvin King

ROY Keane today dubbed Ipswich Town fans as the best on the planet.

The Blues manager says that he is fortunate to have been treated so kindly by the Portman Road faithful, and in particular hardcore supporters who travel to away matches.

“To have not won for 13 games and to be applauded off the pitch as the players were on Tuesday would not happen at any other club,” said Keane.

“We have the best fans on the planet, and I have been so lucky.”

Keane, who is happily settled in Suffolk with his family and can often be seen walking his dogs along the coast, is bursting to give fans something in return for their loyalty.

And he is hoping for a similar performance to the one against Watford in Tuesday's 1-1 Championship draw in today's match at Home Park, Plymouth - but this time with goals.

“If we play as well as we did against Watford we will have every chance this afternoon,” added Keane, who refused to blame bad luck for Nathan Ellington's last-ditch equaliser.

“If you miss the number of chances that we did, and I made it 21, then it is always likely to come back and haunt you.

“It was hugely disappointing, but we had no one to blame but ourselves.

“The signs have been there in the last few weeks of an improvement, and our fans appreciated how well we played on Tuesday and that my players were all giving 100%.

“We are going into the Plymouth game with two draws behind us, but we need wins.”

Keane is an Irish catholic and a regular churchgoer along with his family, and he said in a joking way: “I am praying all the while for an Ipswich win but the man upstairs must be busy with bigger things to look after.”

He confirmed that he will decide later on the captaincy role with Jon Walters missing the trip with an ankle sprain, and that he had some 'good players who could come in.'

And reflecting on ex-Town star Paul Mariner's involvement with Plymouth, Keane said: “It will give them a boost, but I have not really thought about it.”