HONEST Roy Keane is the first to admit that his Ipswich Town team are yet to gel this season.

Carl Marston

HONEST Roy Keane is the first to admit that his Ipswich Town team are yet to gel this season.

The Town boss knows that his new-look side must start winning soon, to avoid playing a fruitless game of catch-up for the rest of the season.

To that end there will be a few more changes tonight, for the visit of Nottingham Forest, as he strives to find that right blend.

“We're not quite a team yet,” confessed Keane.

“We've made changes and we need to get a more settled team. Three lads came in for their debut on Saturday. I wanted to throw them straight into the team.

“New players have been coming in, and lots have left. There are new ideas and different training methods.

“We are trying different things on the training ground. I'm a young manager and sometimes you can't put your finger on it.

“There may be a few changes (this evening). I usually make one or two when we have another game within the next three days. A home game means a different challenge for us.”

New recruits Carlos Edwards, Grant Leadbitter and Liam Rosenior all made their Town debuts in Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough, and all are in line to make their first home appearances tonight.

There were no new injuries from the clash at the Riverside, so Keane has options - the trio of Lee Martin, Alan Quinn and Tamas Priskin were all introduced as substitutes just after the hour mark, while Liam Trotter, Jon Stead and Tommy Smith are champing at the bit after sitting on the bench for 90 minutes.

Looking at the bigger picture, Keane continued: “I knew that everything wasn't going to smell of roses everyday. If you want to be a manager for 20 years, it's not going to be like that.

“This is a test, and it has come earlier than I'd have hoped, but it's all part of management.

“I think you learn more about players during a sticky patch. You need characters, and I found out one or two more things on Saturday. You want players to come to the forefront.

“I've been trying different players and different systems. You have to give your new players a chance to settle in, and hopefully that won't take long, just three or four weeks rather than a few months.

“We're lacking a bit of confidence, but one victory would turn that around.

“We desperately want to get that first win, and this can affect the players.

“There can be a lack of confidence, and we can be a bit edgy.

“When you're in the habit of winning, sometimes you can't see yourselves losing. But it can go the other way as well,” concluded Keane.