NEWS ROUND-UP:IPSWICH TOWN manager Roy Keane has dismissed newspaper speculation he is set to lose his job at Portman Road.
Town have had a disappointing season under Keane and are set for a mid-table finish, way short of the play-offs, and the former Republic of Ireland captain has been said to be close to the sack in the media over the last few days.
But Keane said: “I don’t feel I am under any more pressure and I certainly don’t take any notice of what the newspapers say. I never read them.
“If you think I am fearful of losing my job then you are wrong. If I lose my job then I lose my job.
“We want to aim for consistency between now and the end of the season but if the club wants to move me on they will move me on.”
Chief executive Simon Clegg has insisted the club remain “fully committed” to keeping Keane in charge at Portman Road. He said: “I’m still fully committed to Roy Keane. It has been a disappointing season but Roy is still building his team. I understand there have been some speculation stories but Roy is just starting out to get us where we want to be.”
Meanwhile, as many as 40 fans were being questioned yesterday following a match between two bitter rivals.
The East Lancashire derby between Burnley and Blackburn at Turf Moor on Sunday resulted in the arrests, made up of both sets of fans.
A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “A major policing operation has been in place throughout the day to prevent any disorder.
“Unfortunately we have had to deal with some disorder inside and outside the ground. However, the operation that is in place has enabled us to successfully deal with those pockets of disorder rapidly.”
He said police used an intelligence database as part of the operation to make a number of pro-active arrests as a preventative measure against further disorder within specific groups.
“I would like to point out that the vast majority of fans have behaved appropriately,” he added. “Unfortunately, a minority have chosen not to behave in the same way which has led to a number of arrests.”
The English FA have started the process of looking into the disorder that broke out.
