Stead backs Keane’s ‘get down and dirty’ game plan for Ipswich
The Suffolk club has an enviable reputation for attractive football that stretches back to Alf Ramsey and the 1950s but the latest hotseat incumbent has signalled an intention to inject some bite into the side.
They began that process last Saturday with a gutsy win against the odds away to promotion-chasing Cardiff City at Ninian Park where they soaked up sustained early pressure before claiming a 3-0 win.
“At times we might have had a lot of good individuals but maybe not a fantastic team,” said Stead who was his side’s best player. “At this point of the season we shouldn’t be so many points away from where we wanted to be.
“There are obviously things that needed changing and this is a start. We scrapped. Cardiff were much more direct than we thought they would be, especially when they were chasing the game, but we coped very well.”
Keane reminded the players in the dressing room prior to kick-off they were playing for their futures but Stead claims to have seen few changes so far from the man he played for briefly at Sunderland.
“He is still the same around the training field. We will get to see more and more of him as the games go on next season. He is a very clever man. He sits, watches and observes.”
“He is great to work with. He is out there every day on the training field, not so much taking the training sessions, that is more Tony (Loughlan’s) job but, if he feels the need to make some input there is no stopping him.”
Stead didn’t spend long at the Stadium of Light after Keane’s arrival having being loaned out to Derby County and then sold on to Sheffield United who were a top-flight side at that point in time.
Keane has already attempted to play down the significance of that move since his arrival at Portman Road and the striker, Ipswich’s top goalscorer this season, has pursued a similar course. “At the time there were changes going on at Sunderland and I had the opportunity to go to the Premiership. You’ve got to give managers credit when they give you that opportunity because quite a lot of players get held onto.”
His time at Sunderland made him a popular man late last week when news of the new manager’s appointment began to emerge but he didn’t need to remind any of his colleagues about the importance of timekeeping.
“I said if you are not on time the bus will leave you. They all know that anyway. The manager wants players who are going to work hard, come into training every single day like it is the last day of their career.
“I’ve told them that he is hard but fair. If you want a manager who is straight with you — sometimes there is a lot of beating around the bush and you don’t know where you stand — the gaffer lets you know.”
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