Roy Keane sacked by Ipswich: Tractor Boys dismiss boss after promotion promise falls short

By MEL HENDERSON
Updated: 03:17 EST, 7 January 2011

Roy Keane has been sacked by Ipswich to bring to an end his turbulent 20-month reign.

Keane was dismissed by owner Marcus Evans with the Tractor Boys sitting 19th in the Championship after a run of seven defeats in nine games.

Chris Hughton, sacked by Newcastle last month, is in line to succeed Keane.

Former Derby boss Paul Jewell, out of the game since leaving the Rams two years ago, is also in the frame, as is Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill and Alan Curbishley.

Ipswich are expected to confirm Keane's dismissal during a press conference at 11am this morning.

Down and out: Keane

Manchester United legend Keane was confident he would secure promotion to the Barclays Premier League, as he did with previous club Sunderland, but he managed just 28 wins from his 81 games in charge.

Ipswich’s start to last season, when they failed to win any of their first 14 league games, was the worst in their history.

Despite a more promising start to the current campaign, when they were undefeated after five games, they slid down the table after suffering six straight defeats.

Keane spent £8million in an attempt to assemble a side capable of winning promotion but few of his buys paid off.

With the club showing no sign of improvement it was no surprise that multi-millionaire Evans wielded the axe.

But the decision came just three days before the club’s FA Cup third round trip to Chelsea.

Keane also steered Ipswich into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and a two-leg clash with Arsenal, the first of which is at Portman Road next Wednesday.

But despite those money-spinning clashes Keane’s failure to turn Ipswich into promotion contenders is what has cost him his job.

Keane seemed to sense he was on his way, his comments in recent weeks revealing he clearly feared the worst.

After Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest he said: 'I’m doing my best and if my best isn’t good enough, then I’ll take the consequences.

'I don’t expect you to be giving me phone calls if I do lose my job. It’s the nature of the game.

'Even managers who win football matches lose their job, let alone managers who don’t – George Burley last week, Darren Ferguson, Lawsy (Brian Laws), Big Sam (Allardyce), blah, blah, blah. Don’t let my position keep you awake at night. What will be, will be.'

What's going on? Keane has been dismissed after his promotion promise fell woefully short

Keane was unveiled in April 2009, four months after he quit Sunderland, and his appointment represented quite a coup for Ipswich.

The club insisted Keane had their 100 per cent backing at last month’s annual general meeting.

Chief executive Simon Clegg said: 'The owner and I are absolutely joined at the hip regarding Roy. If we weren’t supporting Roy he wouldn’t be here now.

'There’s no timescale on it at all, other than the fact that Roy’s contract is up at the end of the season.

'We all know that Roy is a very driven individual, a very focused individual not used to accepting failure and if there’s anyone who can turn it around, Roy Keane can.'

But those words had a hollow ring to them last night when Evans’ patience snapped and he decided Keane’s time was up.