IPSWICH TOWN: The Blues began a new era at Stamford Bridge yesterday in shambolic style.

Humbled 7-0 by a Chelsea side that has been off colour in recent weeks it was clear how much work needs to be done to turn the tide.

Roy Keane’s reign was a frustrating and miserable one for Town fans and his sucessor, who is expected to be Paul Jewell, faces a hefty workload.

The new man faces a stiff baptism against Arsenal in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday when another massacre could be on the cards.

This current team doesn’t look strong enough for Championship survival and Town chief executive Simon Clegg says that the pressure was getting to Keane by the time he was dismissed last Thursday.

Clegg also confirmed that some of Keane’s squad found the manager too demanding and they certainly looked in no condition to take on a side of Chelsea’s calibre.

Expanding his comments made at the press conference that confirmed Keane’s departure, Clegg revealed at the weekend: “Roy’s reaction to a group of supporters after the Nottingham Forest defeat last Monday pointed out to me that the pressure was getting to him.

“He normally didn’t react like that. I think that was him venting his frustration at the situation, not at the fans, but at the general situation that he found himself in.”

“Roy is a demanding individual and some of his players found him particularly demanding.

“At our level we were able to operate very effectively as two professional individuals, but I recognise that the training ground was totally his domain.”

Clegg also insisted that 20 months was enough time for Keane to have settled into his job of taking Ipswich towards the Premier League.

“We always said that we would review the situation at the halfway point of the season.

“I can’t believe that there are any other clubs in the Championship or indeed across the whole of English football that could have started last season and gone 13 games without a win and supported the manager the way that we did.

“I hope in the best tradition of this club we have done so.

“We believe in backing our manager and giving him as much support as we can to allow him to deliver.”

Clegg doesn’t thing the Blues would have been relegated if Keane had stayed, explaining: “I’m convinced that the squad we have is above relegation form, but I don’t believe that we were optimising the squad.

Clegg confirmed that Keane was told by Evans by telephone early last Thursday evening, and he added: “Roy indicated the news came as a surprise to him as he was preparing the team for the Chelsea game.

“The nature of our owner is that he does spend a lot of time internationally therefore a lot of the conversations Roy has had with him over the last 20 months have either been done through myself or over the telephone.”