Talk of the Town - an exclusive weekly look at Ipswich Town

Roy Keane inadvertently raised an interesting debating point during his post-mortem of Tuesday’s defeat against Derby County.

Sometimes you have to take post-match comments with a pinch of salt, given that managers and players are raw and charged with emotion.

Nevertheless, I thought it was fascinating – albeit oddly negative – when the Town boss insisted: “We’re not ready to cement ourselves as a top-six team.”

It got me thinking as soon as the words passed his lips. Then he said it again.

It’s an interesting point but my gut instinct would be to disagree.

OK, it was a setback to lose in midweek but surely the quality is there to produce a sustained run?

I’m certain of it and for proof you only have to look at the spine of the team.

Marton Fulop is an excellent goalkeeper, as he proved once again with a stunning save to deny the Rams’ James Bailey.

Gareth McAuley and Damien Delaney are one of the best central defensive partnerships in the division and I’ve got real faith in classy midfielders like David Norris and Grant Leadbitter.

Up front, Tamas Priskin is bubbling with confidence (long may it last), Jason Scotland is a proven goal-scorer at this level and Connor Wickham is one of the most sought-after players outside the Premier League.

At face value, in terms of squads alone, Town can definitely compete with the likes of Swansea, Derby, Norwich and Coventry.

However, where I do have reservations is with the manager and his ability to get the very best out of said players.

Tuesday, I hate to say, fuelled the doubts in my mind and much of the problem was with the team Keane selected.

I realise I’m repeating myself in saying how much I crave to see more genuine width and pace in the side.

For me, the best and most exciting, effective way to attack is down the wings.

Yet with the personnel selected, that was never going to be the case on Tuesday.

I can’t see the point of stringing four centre-halves across the back four, much as I like Tom Eastman and Tommy Smith.

Both are rarely going to cross the halfway line so there’s no chance of any bombing runs and overlaps down the flanks.

Jack Colback, who started on the left of midfield, is a central player too and clearly gets frustrated being stationed out wide.

The result is that out of the four wide positions, three of our players would rather have been camped in the middle – hardly conducive to attacking football.

It meant far too many long, hopeful balls were pumped forward to the strikers. Easy meat for the Derby defence.

Talking of which, and I know it’s easy to be wise after the event, I’d have kept faith with Scotland on Tuesday, rather than dropping him for having an off-day at Sheffield United on Saturday.

He’s scored five goals at home and looked lively as soon as he stepped off the bench, forcing an excellent save from Frank Fielding.

Keane needs to stick with a settled side, rather than punishing players for one bad day at the office.

So to go back to his original statement, I believe Ipswich do have the personnel to challenge in the upper echelons of the Championship.

My concerns surround the manager, rather than the players, and in terms of his future at the club – with a possible new contract being a new discussion point – it’s a pivotal time.

It promises to be an intriguing few weeks and, while I hope he and his players prove me wrong, I have strong reservations.