Ipswich have announced several players who are finding their Ipswich careers at a perhaps premature end. Frank Weston assesses Roy Keanes decision to release seven players, whilst trying to fathom why one of them hasnt been granted a stay of execution.
I used to think it was but I am not so sure anymore. I might even stop requesting it in raffles. Yes, I know all about the fact that it supposed to be a lucky number and the Seven Wonders of the World and all that but let us not forget the seven deadly sins and the fact that there are apparently seven basic kinds of catastrophe. One of them has sent seven Town players to future football damnation or redemption - depending on your point of view. Now I am not trying to suggest that some of them did not have to leave. In truth, when a new man comes in it is inevitable and Roy Keane has been sweeping clean from the moment he set foot in Suffolk.
My only real bone of contention concerns Billy Clarke and this one I just cannot seem to get my head around. More about him later but firstly let us look more closely at the other bag packers and try to work out why it didn't work out for them.
Jai Reason and Kurt Robinson have never even threatened to get close to the first team picture this term and although both players have undoubted promise sadly that has all its been and their exit was to be expected.
Chris Casement still gets regular call-ups to the Northern Irish B squad but this is hardly surprising. It tells you more about the dearth of talent available to their National team coach more than anything else. The odd game Casement has played in Town's first team has hardly filled anyone with too much confidence. He is error prone and his passing and his lapses in concentration leave a lot to be desired.
Ivan Campo showed us glimpses of his former self. He wanted to stay another year but was this because he realised that he was on the rapid decline and it would be down hill from here or because he still had the hunger every player needs? Personally I suspect the former and although he helped the younger players to imagine a future in the game his future had already passed him by and the end was nigh, as Roy Keane walked through the saloon door with all guns blazing.
Tommy Miller must have looked for cover but there was no escape. He had been shot down before when he was a Sunderland player so he must have known what was about to happen. Some people will argue that he did not deserve this. He had re-kindled some form of late and kept Velice Sumulikoski; an international player with over fifty caps for Macedonia, out of the team for months on end. Others might look to his goal scoring feats in his second incarnation in a Town shirt and say he was no longer a serious goal threat unless it was from the penalty spot this time around. He also had a tendency to disappear in some matches. When Roy walked in he was destined to disappear for good.
Dean Bowditch started out as the wonder kid and at fifteen, on the advice of his father he signed for Town and rejected overtures from smaller clubs like Manchester United.
This was a real coup for Town at the time and he soon was soon scoring goals for fun at all levels of football. Who could forget his first Championship game at Portman Road when he became the clubs youngest ever hat-trick hero in a 4-1 trouncing of Watford!
No wonder United wanted him so badly we thought... But that was way back in March 2004 fully five years ago and like a shooting star he raced into the record books like the speed of light, only to burn out almost as suddenly as he had arrived. I still believe he will come again and maybe sooner than people think. There is no doubting his ability and maybe when he is finally detached from the umbilical cord called Ipswich Town he may find his footballing feet once more. He is only 22 so he can still have a bright future in the game somewhere I feel. Town have too many promising strikers now with Jordan Rhodes, Ronan Murray and Connor Wickham all knocking loudly on the first team door. His contract was up so it was perhaps the easiest of all decisions for Roy to make.
Which leaves us with Billy Clarke. Now this really is a bit of an enigma. He was sent out on loan initially by Jim Magilton to gain more experience and play games. It soon became apparent however that magic had a hidden agenda. Once out of the building he bolted down the hatches and sent poor Billy to English footballs equivalent of Siberia.
He was finally transfer listed on the 8th August 2008. This did not deter the young man though and he went from strength to strength, scoring freely for three different teams that gleefully used his services. For his first loan club Darlington he scored 9 goals in 20 appearances and he followed this up with 3 goals in 5 for Northampton Town and 6 in 9 for Brentford! The fact that Clarke has scored close to twenty goals for three different clubs this season did not deter Mr. Keane from his ultimate quest and although I think Roy probably thought long and hard about it, once he made his mind up, we knew it would be final.
I have a theory about it too, which goes some way to explaining why Billy had to leave. It has nothing to do with his attempts as a 15-year-old to impress his idol by knocking on his door in Ireland and telling him that he would be a professional player too! (He had just signed for Ipswich that day apparently and was over the moon.) It also has nothing to do with his attitude or time keeping either which was good. It was simply a case of Billy being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jim Magilton was often accused of favouring his Irish buddies. Almost ever player Jim seemed to be interested in seemed to be of Irish extraction and although this was not always the case, the mud stuck. Roy is probably aware of this and if not, he will remember suffering similarly at the hands of the press and supporters at Sunderland. He was not going to exercise these vulnerabilities again and run the risk of recruiting another Irish player who had been shown the door by Jim before.
Unfortunately for Billy he was also from Roy's home Town, Cork. If you put yourself in Roy's shoes for a moment you can quickly see his predicament. If Clarke was to fail then everyone would say Keane only employed him again because he was from his home Town and Irish! He also had to make a decision on Shane Supple the reserve keeper and whilst Roy has an abundance of promising young strikers, good young keepers are a bit of a rarity. Shane is also Irish and was sent packing too by Jim. Saving the careers of two Irishmen in one fell swoop would be too much to bear so to some extent his hands were tied. Shame Shane was not Australian then Billy may have survived.
Keane also relied on the backroom staff to fill him in on Billy's potential, having not seen much of the kid in action. Perhaps he had ruffled a few feathers. He was an intense lad and not afraid to speak his mind.
Only the future will tell us whether this was shrewd judgement or Roy Keane's first big mistake?
Showing posts with label Rivals- Frank Weston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rivals- Frank Weston. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Dream Ticket or Re-occurring Nightmare?
Much has been made on the similarities between Towns outgoing manager, Jim Magilton, and the new incumbent, Roy Keane. In his first column, Frank Weston looks at the similarities from a different angle.
As the editor has already indicated there is not a lot to choose between the two of them. Both are of Irish extraction. Jim Magilton hails from Belfast in the North and Roy Keane from Cork in the South but whichever way you look at it, they have Irish blood running through their veins. Other similarities include their age, their experience - or lack of it at managerial level and their personalities and playing careers; when they both captained their clubs but all of this has been thoroughly examined before so let us boldly go where no other journalist has dared to tread! It is their Irish heritage that fascinates me most and whether being of Irish blood may enhances one's chances of getting a new contract or just getting into the team?
Under Jim, Town were thinking of changing their name to Ipswich Irish, which sounds great for a rugby union team but not so appealing for a football club somehow. Jim was accused of recruiting too many of his own and perhaps he did but will this change under Roy Keane one wonders? I have a fond affection for the Irish myself I might add and have lots of Irish blood running through my veins. My grand parents on my mother's side were both Irish. One was from the North and one for the South so I think I can take on this particular subject matter more liberally than most.
Now when Jim Magilton lost his job the opinion polls were unanimous in their belief that he had to go. In one poll conducted for the East Anglian Daily Times more than 95 % of supporters were of the "Show him the door" point of view. When he took on the job, amidst much acclaim I might add, almost the same percentage of fans felt he was the right man for the job. Therefore, the fickle nature of a football follower is critical in determining the life expectancy of the man at the helm. If an ill wind blows it can soon turn into a thunderstorm of epic proportions in next to no time at all. Once the seeds of doubt are sewn into the minds of a supporter it does not take long for a deep depression to set in and poor old Jim succumbed to the elements. A tidal wave of distrust enveloped him and once the footballing version of a tsunami struck, he was already a beaten man.
I was one of the few who still believed in him. Yes, he made mistakes and the team undoubtedly under-achieved. Yet it was thanks to Jim that Richard Wright and crowd favourite Pablo Counago returned to the fold and the team that has won its last two games is not too dissimilar to the team that beat the Canaries just a few short weeks ago. Jim wore his heart on his sleeve. He was a Town player for seven years and he earned other players respect in the game, as captain and motivator. No one will ever forget his achievements in that epic play-off semi final at Portman Road either, when he almost single-handedly took Town to the Twin towers! In management too, his honesty and his wholehearted endeavour was undeniable. Some may even say his downfall? What Jim did not have a lot of though was the luck of the Irish. He first campaign started disastrously with three defeats in eight days! When the team finally got their season off the ground they were already too far behind the leading pack and the first hints of discontent became apparent.
Finishing just outside the play-offs the next season and playing some great football in the process gave everyone a renewed sense of optimism. It was however a false dawn and injuries to key players such as Jon Walters and Luciano Civelli at the most critical stage of the season put paid to any lingering hopes of a play-off place. Again, we must remember these were players that Jim recruited and if they go on to bigger and better things, we should not forget who brought them here. I am still of the opinion that Jim will succeed in management and will be better for the experience. We may even rue the day we showed him the door, in the same way the Sir Bobby was removed from his post at Fulham all those years ago only to follow in Sir Alf footsteps by managing England and getting a well-deserved knighthood later in his career. All we know for the moment however is the man the supporters named affectionately "Magic" was re-christened "Tragic" when the storm clouds gathered above his head. He even shipped Shane Supple and Billy Clark out on loan and they were both Irishmen so you could sense he was beginning to lose the plot.
Now the new kid on the block Roy Keane does share many characteristics that our Jim possessed. He has passion that is for sure. He is very focused too and can blow a fuse relatively easily. Journalists will still have to tread carefully. Replace the catch phrase, "At the end of the day," with "Listen" and you can see where the two of them are coming from. Roy is perhaps under even more pressure to produce than even Jim was. When you tell the press that a two year contract is more than enough because you believe you can get the club promoted in your first season, "Why not?" he once remarked, then you are really walking a tight rope and remember, supporters never forget these things. We all hope he is right. We all desperately want him to succeed and he certainly has the pulling power to get attention. Gate receipts already suggest that great expectations are now back on the agenda at Portman Road. The desire is undoubtedly there and so too is the will to be a winner. All footballers look up to winners and let us face it; Roy Keane is as much of a superstar in Ireland as David Beckham is in England so this could auger well.
Sadly, apart from a play-off Championship medal with Town, Jim Magillton's trophy cabinet lies empty and in football terms, credibility counts for a lot. Sir Alex wanted Roy to succeed him as manager, which speaks volumes I would suggest. He certainly has the pedigree to go all the way as a manager but does he have the temperament and does he have the luck? Like Kevin Keegan he is not afraid to walk out on a club and he must be treated with kid gloves by the powers that be at Board level one would suspect. Two wins in his first two games is a satisfactory start and the fact that he has already taken one club up from the Championship to the promised land is further proof of his credentials. Keane is also keen on lots of Irish blood in the team, as was witnessed at Sunderland. He may even bring Shane and Billy back into the fold and there is no doubting Owen Garvan's admiration for the man. He is virtually a fan himself!
Ultimately however, it could all boil down to one thing and that is the luck of the Irish. Jim didn't have it but perhaps Roy has?
As the editor has already indicated there is not a lot to choose between the two of them. Both are of Irish extraction. Jim Magilton hails from Belfast in the North and Roy Keane from Cork in the South but whichever way you look at it, they have Irish blood running through their veins. Other similarities include their age, their experience - or lack of it at managerial level and their personalities and playing careers; when they both captained their clubs but all of this has been thoroughly examined before so let us boldly go where no other journalist has dared to tread! It is their Irish heritage that fascinates me most and whether being of Irish blood may enhances one's chances of getting a new contract or just getting into the team?
Under Jim, Town were thinking of changing their name to Ipswich Irish, which sounds great for a rugby union team but not so appealing for a football club somehow. Jim was accused of recruiting too many of his own and perhaps he did but will this change under Roy Keane one wonders? I have a fond affection for the Irish myself I might add and have lots of Irish blood running through my veins. My grand parents on my mother's side were both Irish. One was from the North and one for the South so I think I can take on this particular subject matter more liberally than most.
Now when Jim Magilton lost his job the opinion polls were unanimous in their belief that he had to go. In one poll conducted for the East Anglian Daily Times more than 95 % of supporters were of the "Show him the door" point of view. When he took on the job, amidst much acclaim I might add, almost the same percentage of fans felt he was the right man for the job. Therefore, the fickle nature of a football follower is critical in determining the life expectancy of the man at the helm. If an ill wind blows it can soon turn into a thunderstorm of epic proportions in next to no time at all. Once the seeds of doubt are sewn into the minds of a supporter it does not take long for a deep depression to set in and poor old Jim succumbed to the elements. A tidal wave of distrust enveloped him and once the footballing version of a tsunami struck, he was already a beaten man.
I was one of the few who still believed in him. Yes, he made mistakes and the team undoubtedly under-achieved. Yet it was thanks to Jim that Richard Wright and crowd favourite Pablo Counago returned to the fold and the team that has won its last two games is not too dissimilar to the team that beat the Canaries just a few short weeks ago. Jim wore his heart on his sleeve. He was a Town player for seven years and he earned other players respect in the game, as captain and motivator. No one will ever forget his achievements in that epic play-off semi final at Portman Road either, when he almost single-handedly took Town to the Twin towers! In management too, his honesty and his wholehearted endeavour was undeniable. Some may even say his downfall? What Jim did not have a lot of though was the luck of the Irish. He first campaign started disastrously with three defeats in eight days! When the team finally got their season off the ground they were already too far behind the leading pack and the first hints of discontent became apparent.
Finishing just outside the play-offs the next season and playing some great football in the process gave everyone a renewed sense of optimism. It was however a false dawn and injuries to key players such as Jon Walters and Luciano Civelli at the most critical stage of the season put paid to any lingering hopes of a play-off place. Again, we must remember these were players that Jim recruited and if they go on to bigger and better things, we should not forget who brought them here. I am still of the opinion that Jim will succeed in management and will be better for the experience. We may even rue the day we showed him the door, in the same way the Sir Bobby was removed from his post at Fulham all those years ago only to follow in Sir Alf footsteps by managing England and getting a well-deserved knighthood later in his career. All we know for the moment however is the man the supporters named affectionately "Magic" was re-christened "Tragic" when the storm clouds gathered above his head. He even shipped Shane Supple and Billy Clark out on loan and they were both Irishmen so you could sense he was beginning to lose the plot.
Now the new kid on the block Roy Keane does share many characteristics that our Jim possessed. He has passion that is for sure. He is very focused too and can blow a fuse relatively easily. Journalists will still have to tread carefully. Replace the catch phrase, "At the end of the day," with "Listen" and you can see where the two of them are coming from. Roy is perhaps under even more pressure to produce than even Jim was. When you tell the press that a two year contract is more than enough because you believe you can get the club promoted in your first season, "Why not?" he once remarked, then you are really walking a tight rope and remember, supporters never forget these things. We all hope he is right. We all desperately want him to succeed and he certainly has the pulling power to get attention. Gate receipts already suggest that great expectations are now back on the agenda at Portman Road. The desire is undoubtedly there and so too is the will to be a winner. All footballers look up to winners and let us face it; Roy Keane is as much of a superstar in Ireland as David Beckham is in England so this could auger well.
Sadly, apart from a play-off Championship medal with Town, Jim Magillton's trophy cabinet lies empty and in football terms, credibility counts for a lot. Sir Alex wanted Roy to succeed him as manager, which speaks volumes I would suggest. He certainly has the pedigree to go all the way as a manager but does he have the temperament and does he have the luck? Like Kevin Keegan he is not afraid to walk out on a club and he must be treated with kid gloves by the powers that be at Board level one would suspect. Two wins in his first two games is a satisfactory start and the fact that he has already taken one club up from the Championship to the promised land is further proof of his credentials. Keane is also keen on lots of Irish blood in the team, as was witnessed at Sunderland. He may even bring Shane and Billy back into the fold and there is no doubting Owen Garvan's admiration for the man. He is virtually a fan himself!
Ultimately however, it could all boil down to one thing and that is the luck of the Irish. Jim didn't have it but perhaps Roy has?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)