Keane's a bit of an animal, says Carlos
By Elvin King (Green'Un24)
IPSWICH Town's Carlos Edwards today confirmed that manager Roy Keane can be an animal in the dressing room after games.
“But in a nice way,” said the 31-year-old Trinidad and Tobago international.
“If the team has had one and we deserve it then he can be an animal.
“On Saturday after the 0-0 home draw with Bristol City it was his shortest speech.
“The draw was up there with the Watford stalemate as the most frustrating game of the season because of the way we dominated after the interval.
“But when the team performed as it did there was no choice other than to pat the lads on the back and shake the hand of the opposing keeper, who was without doubt man of the match.”
The only back-to-back wins Town have had this season were against QPR in the final match of 2009 and at Blackpool in the FA Cup in the opening game of this year.
Keane takes his side to Bloomfield Road on Saturday, and Edwards knows the importance of three points against the Tangerines with four of the following five games then being at Portman Road.
“I can't explain why we haven't gained back-to-back league wins,” added Edwards. “It's very strange and I've no answer.
“It's something that's been on my mind and I've discussed it with my team-mates.
“And who knows, once we get two league wins on the trot we could go on and put six or seven victories together.
“And that would move us well away from any relegation fears.”
Edwards sees the lack of a regular marksman this season as one of the main reasons for the current lowly league position.
He went on: “The manager may have to go looking for a prolific scorer to improve matters next season.
“We have the talent in the squad but we have not punished teams for their mistakes as they have punished us.
“There is a great playing and coaching staff at the club, and I'm sure we'll finish above the bottom three places.
“But we might have to reflect at the end of the season with some relief on escaping relegation and put right what we did wrong this campaign.”
Being unbeaten for the last 11 home matches should put Town in good heart for their run of games at Portman Road coming up.
But Edwards says that there needs to be an injection of confidence.
“Perhaps from the players, perhaps from at home, perhaps from the staff, but we need a belief that we can go forward.
“Having a run of home games can be a blessing, but without making excuses there are one or two who are maybe a little scared of the spotlight. We have to believe we can do it.”
Meanwhile, striker Kerry Baptiste has returned to Trinidad after a week-long trial with Ipswich. The Joe Public front player is an international team-mate of Carlos Edwards, who said: “I wish him well. It's a shame Ipswich did not get the chance of seeing him in a game, and I don't now if he'll be invited back.”
Star's plea: Get us a goal-scorer, boss
Carl Marston (Green'Un24)
CARLOS Edwards reckons that manager Roy Keane's No. 1 job, for this summer, might be to unearth a new striker.
The marked absence of a regular goalscorer has been Ipswich Town's main downfall this season, leaving them still flirting with the prospect of relegation.
A meagre six goals, achieved by both skipper Jon Walters (including a couple of penalties) and Jon Stead (currently on loan at Coventry), represents the best of Town's individual contributions this term.
Edwards thinks that Keane might have to act during the close-season, to make sure that there is no similar flop in front of goal for next term.
"We haven't had a prolific goalscorer. The leading scorer has just six goals, and that's very unacceptable," insisted Edwards.
"Everyone else is chipping in, but come the off-season, that's something we will have to reflect on.
"Maybe the manager might have to go somewhere, maybe, and get a prolific striker.
"We've got the talent at the moment, but it's just that we haven't managed to punish teams when they make mistakes," added Edwards.
Although Edwards is an out-and-out winger, whose priority is to create goals, he is also conscious of his failings in front of goal.
The 31-year-old, who has clocked up 78 appearances for Trinidad & Tobago, scored goals at a healthy rate earlier in his career.
Not least during the 2006-07 campaign, when he bagged a total of 11 goals for Luton and Sunderland. His five goals for the Black Cats in just four months helped them to win the Championship title.
But Edwards' obsession with trying to regain his scoring touch - he finally netted his first goal for nearly three years with the winner at Sheffield Wednesday last month - has had a detrimental effect on his game.
"Knowing what I'm capable of, it's just so disappointing and frustrating that I haven't been scoring goals," confessed Edwards.
"It was just over two years to get my first goal, and for me and my standards, I think that is very unacceptable.
"I'm always a positive-thinking person, but I think it took away a lot from my football.
"I was concentrating too much on trying to get my first goal, and not concentrating on playing football and helping myself gain the fitness and momentum that I had when I was playing for Sunderland.
"That's done and dusted now, because I've got my first goal and hopefully I can notch a few more during the remaining games of the season.
"I had a little break - Sheffield Wednesday was my first game in just over a month - and I'm now feeling more like the Carlos Edwards that was at Sunderland.
"It's just around the corner, and I hope on Saturday that I can get another start and hopefully punish Blackpool."
Edwards, and his team-mates, have been on the wrong-end of a few ear-bashings from the manager this season, following below-par performances.
But Keane was almost lost for words after last weekend's goalless home draw against Bristol City, when visiting keeper Dean Gerken played a blinder to keep a marauding Town at bay.
"Looking back, it was the manager's shortest speech after a game," revealed Edwards.
"The gaffer is a wonderful lad. He can be an animal, but in a nice way. Obviously he does what any manager can do, voicing his opinion when the team is having a bad day.
"But when you perform like the way we did last Saturday, you have no choice but to put your hands up and pat the lads on the back," concluded Edwards.
Keane's men are at play-off chasing Blackpool tomorrow, hoping to secure a hat-trick of wins over the Seasiders following their FA Cup success at Bloomfield Road and league victory at Portman Road.
