SOCCER:ROY KEANE has admitted he could be on the managerial scrapheap before Christmas.

The Ipswich manager is in the midst of a terrible run that has seen his side lose their last five English Championship games.

That sequence of poor results has left Ipswich 17th in the table, which prompted the board to give the dreaded vote of confidence recently.

Today the former Manchester United captain faces his old team-mate Darren Ferguson when they play Preston, knowing a defeat could bring an end to his 18-month Ipswich tenure.

“I’ve had the vote of confidence, so that probably means I’ll be gone next week,” Keane said.

“If I don’t do the business – and I’m not doing it at the moment – I’ll have to pay the price. That’s life.

“When I see other managers out of work, like Martin O’Neill, Gordon Strachan and now Chris Hughton, I have to count my blessings. There are a lot of good people out of football and they have done a lot more in the game than I have.”

He added: “I know I have to do a better job or I will be on the sidelines with them. We’re going to do our best on Saturday whether I have a week or a year left. And if I do leave next week I will have no one to blame but myself.”