Keane appointed Ipswich manager
Roy Keane has been appointed manager of Championship side Ipswich Town.
The 37-year-old signed a two-year contract following the
dismissal of Jim Magilton on Wednesday.
Keane has been out of work since December when he resigned as
Sunderland manager, having taken the club from the Championship to the
Premier League.
"I truly believe I am joining a club that has the potential,
ambition and infrastructure to once again be a Premier League side,"
said Keane.
The ex-Manchester United captain will hold a news conference at
1600 BST on Thursday.
Ambitious Ipswich owner Marcus Evans has spent £12m on new
players since he took the club over in late 2007 in an attempt to
reach the Premier League.
Magilton, who took over from Joe Royle in 2006, was sacked for
failing to guide Ipswich to the Championship play-off places, with
assistant boss John Gorman also leaving the Suffolk club.
Coach Bryan Klug has placed in charge of the first team for
Saturday's game at Cardiff City while Keane acquaints himself with his
new surroundings.
"The club's owner (Marcus Evans) and chief executive (Simon
Clegg) impressed upon me their total focus on achieving this quest at
the earliest opportunity and I can't wait to get started," said the
ex-Manchester United midfielder.
Keane took over as Sunderland boss in August 2006 with the club
languishing second from bottom in the Championship.
He made an immediate impact, guiding them to the Championship
title that season, and Evans is confident he has lured the best man
for the job to Portman Road.
"We are completely aligned in our ambitions for Ipswich Town,"
Evans told Ipswich's official website.
"He has extensive contacts in the game and is a proven winner
who encourages his team to play the attractive football that Ipswich
Town fans have come to expect. I believe he is the right man to take
this club where we want to be - the Premier League."
BBC senior football reporter Ian Dennis said Evans had targeted
Keane weeks ago and will give his new manager financial backing for a
promotion push for next season.
"But just as crucial is the fact that 15 players are out of
contract at the end of this campaign which will allow Keane to shape
his squad straight away," said Dennis.
Former Ipswich midfielder Matt Holland, who played alongside
Keane for the Republic of Ireland, believes the new boss will command
instant respect in the Portman Road dressing room.
"Everyone must have huge respect for him, for what he's done as
a player and manager," Holland told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"He'll have that fear factor and sometimes I think you need that.
"Roy was probably desperate to get back into management and it's
a good club with huge ambition."
Ipswich chief executive Simon Clegg said Keane's appointment
demonstrates the ambition of Evans, who runs a global leadership
business.
"Roy has spent a little bit of time thinking about this," the
former chef de mission of the British Olympic Association told BBC
Radio 4's Today programme.
"It's a big appointment for him - he doesn't make the type of
commitment that is necessary to join a club like Ipswich Town lightly
and without believing in potential.
"I'm not going into details of how much money is available but,
having made the statement of intent that we have, the owner will
support both the manager and in terms of giving us the resources we
need to achieve the goal of reaching the Premier League."
Keane walked away from Sunderland nearly five months ago
following the arrival of majority shareholder American Ellis Short in
September 2008.
He made his name as a tough-tackling midfielder, playing at the
highest level with Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Celtic, as
well as making 66 appearances for the Republic of Ireland.
Ipswich are said to want Keane, who commuted from his Cheshire
home to Sunderland during his time in the north east, to move closer
to the club.
However, this should not prove to be a problem for Keane, who
said after leaving the Stadium of Light: "I'm happy to move house. I'm
not tied to Manchester."
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~As blue as i want to be~
