Photo courtesy Andrew Dolan (via Wikimedia Commons)
With his Ipswich Town club holding the dubious title of being the only Coca-Cola Football League team yet to win this season, it’s hard to blame manager Roy Keane for one of the tactics he’s using these days: Prayer.
One reporter had asked the Irishman if the Ipswich boss had tried asking for a favor from a higher power, as captured on film this week by BBC Sport, and Keane gave confirmation that he has indeed given it a go. “I pray all the time,” the ex-Manchester United and Celtic star said. “Obviously, the man upstairs is busy at the moment, though, as he’s got bigger issues to deal with than (Ipswich Town’s) problems.
“Listen, I’ve got great faith that things will change for us. As I’ve said, of course, when you’re not winning games, you analyze, and the danger is (that) you can overanalyze it.”
Indeed, Keane and his charges at Ipswich have been under the microscope all season long, and the further the Championship season goes along without the Tractor Boys picking up a win – they’ve drawn seven and lost six from their first 13 league matches – the heavier the pressure on Keane to turn things around.
The Ipswich faithful will hope that happens this Saturday, though, when the Tractor Boys travels down to Devon to play against Plymouth Argyle, which sits in 23rd place in the Championship – still in the relegation zone, but at least it’s one step above dead last – on account of having won two more games than its visitor this weekend.
Argyle’s only home win of the season came in its previous game at Home Park, a 2-1 win over Scunthorpe United on Oct. 3, but England’s southernmost and westernmost Football League club has lost its last two matches – a 2-0 defeat at Blackpool on Oct. 17, followed by a 3-1 loss at Bristol City on Tuesday - and Keane will be desperate to get his first win as Ipswich boss and thereby hand the Pilgrims their third consecutive loss.
If nothing else, though, Ipswich does have history on its side as it visits Home Park. The Tractor Boys are unbeaten in six matches against Plymouth, and the Greens have only won one of twelve league and cup matches against the Suffolkians.
That’s good news for Keane, then, and he’s confident that his players’ hard work will finally pay off on Saturday.
“As a manager, I look at our staff and my players, and I think that we’re doing a lot of good stuff,” he said. “We’re out on the training pitch (for purposes of) preparation, but you also need a little bit of a break, and hopefully that might come tomorrow.”
For division-by-division analysis of the weekend’s other action in the Football League, keep reading after the jump.
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