DETRACTOR BOY; Only 4 games gone and Keane says: We're not good enough for top two.

Byline: GRAHAM HILL 

WEST BROM 2 IPSWICH 0

ROY KEANE has admitted that his dream of automatic promotion is dead after just FOUR games.

Keane still hopes he can repeat what he did at Sunderland three years ago - and turn around a desperate start to reach the Premier League.

But realist Keane reckons it will have to be via the play-offs this time rather than winning the title after seeing Roberto Di Matteo's West Brom dominate the Tractor Boys.

Keane suggested Town's automatic promotion hopes had disappeared before the end of August after a terrible display that left Ipswich in the bottom three.

But the Irishman insisted he was simply telling it like it is - and challenged his team to secure a top-six place.

Keane has just one point from four games so far. But he knows this is a different challenge to Sunderland who did not have Keane at the helm to start with. He arrived after the Black Cats had lost their first four games and then guided them to the top of the Championship. But Keane believes that goal is almost impossible for an Ipswich team hit by injuries and in need of more players.

And after getting rid of more than a dozen players in the summer and signing up several new men , Keane (right) is now having to solve his own problems not someone else's.

"There are differences to when I came in at Sunderland, the expectations were different," he said. "I steadied the ship, but here, I've been talking the club and the job up, if you don't meet those expectations I suppose it puts you under pressure.

"I had a lot of players at Sunderland and we obviously need one or two more. This wasn't in the plans, of course not. We certainly wanted more points after four games but this shows what a massive challenge this is. But we're not panicking, we have to do better though."

Baggies fans taunted Keane by telling him he'd be waking up to the sack.

The ultra-competitive Town boss is made of tougher stuff and kept his players back in the dressing room after the game. And he insists a play-off bid can happen even though Ipswich will have to improve dramatically.

"Automatic promotion, no," said Keane. "But with the playoffs, everyone has a little bit of hope, we have to hang in there.

"If I'm the manager of a football club and I say we can't have a good season, then I'm in trouble. But I also live in the real world.

"There's usually a team that sneaks in at the end. That might have to be the path we go down. That can be a target. When I walked into this club, I knew it would be tough, but you have to believe. If you don't do that then you shouldn't be in the game."

West Brom would have won by a landslide if it hadn't been for the brilliance of Ipswich keeper Richard Wright, who pulled off a string of saves and kept out a Luke Moore penalty.

Wright's team-mates weren't as reliable though and goals from Youssouf Mulumbu - his first for Albion - and Robert Koren sealed the points before the break. And rampant Baggies showed they do not miss their former skipper Jonathan Greening who joined Fulham this week.

"He was a good servant, but it's like splitting up with your girlfriend, you have to move on," added Di Matteo, who will be taking former Villa striker Moore off penalty duties after his miss.

"Wright made a good save. But will I be looking for another penalty taker? What do you think?"

The Albion boss is convinced that Keane will still be a threat this season: "I don't think they are a poor team, but they've had a poor start. There's a long way to go," said the Italian.

CAPTION(S):

GOAL! Koren wheels away after scoring Albion's second goal and killing off the game