| Criticisms of McKenna and drift 19:46 - Apr 9 with 6724 views | Mullet |
Well today seems like a good day and time to start them eh? Another decent away following, a good rendition of EEJB and some lovely old faces to catch up with all before we got going.
I think seeing a lino go down injured and then a stadium announcement asking for anyone with a ref qualification to step up was a first, and stark reminder of the nature of this league. We'd already taken the lead and could have a goal before then had Chaplin's header been like Norwood's and anywhere away from the keeper's hands.
It's pretty clear when we want to, this side can keep the ball away from pretty much any team. But that stoppage in play never really saw us a hit stride and our lurching from comfortable, to casual to careless seemed to be a continuous cycle.
One the game restarted we didn't look all that ruthless. Trying to find the right opening, the right shot instead of just taking whatever we were presented with is grand when you're winning. However, once we were down to ten men it was only ever an equaliser away from everything falling apart.
God knows what Burgess was doing when he saw red, he was miles up the pitch, there was no challenge to make and when you fly in like that after so many bad tackles from either side you're not getting a telling off.
It also meant the subs of Bonne and Celina had to be scrapped. So when Whalley hit his worldie, it was no surprise we'd spent the few mins between looking shakier and retreating more.
I'm not sure I'd keep Norwood, the fire is there but he seems to self-combust far too much. He probably protected Mors a bit in getting his booking but rode his luck not getting a second card. A change might do all parties good.
Penney did little to suggest he's the answer. The same issue of getting caught behind and hitting the first man with his crosses too often means he's not got long to really progress as much as needed. Thompson came in and made a couple of good interceptions and seems far more coachable, but isn't the LWB we need for next season either.
It's pretty remarkable we keep giving points away, we can't leave 9th like it's some sort of toxic partner of ours, and we can look so dominant but be so fragile. Ultimately, this isn't McKenna's team and it might not even be one he's made in his image. So worrying about the problems when the season is now stagnant is rather pointless, and makes moaning fairly redundant too.
After today I'd probably sign Bakinson and look to coach him if I was McK and really let go of Norwood and Bonne and see if there is a striker better suited to taking the kind of chances we do make than just having one of each type and throwing them on.
I'm still not sure if it's that we can't kill teams off, or we can't bring ourselves to deviate from recycling the ball so much that we miss the opportunity to have shot, to drill a low cross in to make keeper's hesitate or defenders flick out a leg and divert the ball into a scramble.
For me, there's little left to worry about other than giving minutes to those he wants to keep here and seeing what connections they make. Outside of all that, we looked pretty much on the beach already.
The pressure is creeping up on McKenna already and I think that's fair enough but he has done a lot of very good things with this team, and deserves the summer and plenty of backing before any of us worry too much. The flaws all look very superficial to me. |  |
| |  |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 13:07 - Apr 12 with 561 views | BonneNIL |
The argument for me, as this isn't just aimed at the manager, but the club, is maybe by adopting a style of play and approach which has thus far not worked well for many trying to get out of the division, we are jumping the gun a bit. Uglier teams such as Wigan under Cook, Wycombe, Rotherham, Doncaster in seasons past, even Peterborough, tend to do a lot better than the teams trying to play more progressive styles. Maybe what we are trying to do should be saved for a time when we are towards the top end of the Championship, and we should focus on trying to do the business in this league first? Coventry are the best example of a good football team doing well in this league and the league below but, they are a rarity. The sloggers on average tend to do better.
Ipswich supporters may like to see neat passing, and good build-up play, but if it's only going to score us a goal a game, it's not going to matter how neat we look, we'll drop points and finish mid-table again. McKenna at the moment reminds me of what Magilton tried to do, we might not lose many, but we won't be scoring for fun as some may expect or challenging playing that way either as proven even way back then. In the EFL sometimes it is better to play a bit of functional football before you can recruit better players and then develop a style of play. Magilton's style was better than Royles on paper, but Royle actually had us challenging for promotion, we lost a fair few games under Royle, but because we took risks we generally picked up more points, Magic was too conservative and thus we went a season where we lost at home once I think and didn't even lay a glove on the Playoff places in real terms. We are seeing a similar effect so far with McKenna, so whILE we have stopped giving away many silly goals, we are scoring way less, and games we could have won have either been losses or draws because it's just been too safe. If you win half your games, and lose half your games, it's still worth more points than a draw.
So if by next season at this point we are still seeing the same performances and results we should be rightly challenging the club on this. Right now, it's been a disaster of a season but let's give them a year to fix it, if it's still rubbish we need to be louder than we were under Evans to encourage change sooner. [Post edited 12 Apr 2022 13:09]
|  |
| |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 16:12 - Apr 12 with 485 views | Radlett_blue |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 13:07 - Apr 12 by BonneNIL |
The argument for me, as this isn't just aimed at the manager, but the club, is maybe by adopting a style of play and approach which has thus far not worked well for many trying to get out of the division, we are jumping the gun a bit. Uglier teams such as Wigan under Cook, Wycombe, Rotherham, Doncaster in seasons past, even Peterborough, tend to do a lot better than the teams trying to play more progressive styles. Maybe what we are trying to do should be saved for a time when we are towards the top end of the Championship, and we should focus on trying to do the business in this league first? Coventry are the best example of a good football team doing well in this league and the league below but, they are a rarity. The sloggers on average tend to do better.
Ipswich supporters may like to see neat passing, and good build-up play, but if it's only going to score us a goal a game, it's not going to matter how neat we look, we'll drop points and finish mid-table again. McKenna at the moment reminds me of what Magilton tried to do, we might not lose many, but we won't be scoring for fun as some may expect or challenging playing that way either as proven even way back then. In the EFL sometimes it is better to play a bit of functional football before you can recruit better players and then develop a style of play. Magilton's style was better than Royles on paper, but Royle actually had us challenging for promotion, we lost a fair few games under Royle, but because we took risks we generally picked up more points, Magic was too conservative and thus we went a season where we lost at home once I think and didn't even lay a glove on the Playoff places in real terms. We are seeing a similar effect so far with McKenna, so whILE we have stopped giving away many silly goals, we are scoring way less, and games we could have won have either been losses or draws because it's just been too safe. If you win half your games, and lose half your games, it's still worth more points than a draw.
So if by next season at this point we are still seeing the same performances and results we should be rightly challenging the club on this. Right now, it's been a disaster of a season but let's give them a year to fix it, if it's still rubbish we need to be louder than we were under Evans to encourage change sooner. [Post edited 12 Apr 2022 13:09]
|
Royle had a far better squad than Magilton, so the comparison doesn't seem fair.
I don't want to see town playing hoof-ball or adopting endless time wasting tactics, even if it might get us out of that division. If you play like that, you will also struggle to attract decent players & are doomed to become yoyo merchants like Rotherham or Wycombe.
McKenna wants Town to play passing football, but also be braver in possession as he realises that playing 10 safe passes in your own half is rarely going to produce much. With the right signings in the summer, I'm confident we will be in the top 6 & should be strong challengers for automatic promotion. |  |
| |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 21:32 - Apr 12 with 443 views | Mullet |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 23:05 - Apr 9 by Guthrum |
Great to see you and Senior today.
'... we can't bring ourselves to deviate from recycling the ball so much that we miss the opportunity to have shot ...' This was key for me today. We can pass the ball around at will, jink about with it in the opposition area, get it back with ease when lost. But nobody seems to want to actually shoot. There's a seeming obsession with putting in a pretty cross and someone getting on the end of it. Which worked once for Norwood's goal, but didn't the rest of the time - either intercepted or nobody in the right place to deliver the final blow.
Thus while we were cruising, dominating posession, the game was at the same time curiously drifting. The longer it drifted, at only 1 - 0, the greater the risk of something bad happening. Which it eventually did with the inexplicable Burgess lunge, followed by a fortuitous drop of the ball to a Shrews player, an opening in our defence and a superb, swerving shot. |
Yes mate , you and the rest of the SW posse. Been too long | |
| |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 21:34 - Apr 12 with 442 views | Mullet |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 07:00 - Apr 10 by BaltachaFanClub |
As always, you are hitting nails on heads.
However, I would keep Norwood. I think he is still quite the unique strike option, and whomever comes in would benefit in having him as a partner or even an impact sub.
For me, Jackson, Bonne and Pigott are all under scrutiny, despite KMs comments about stats aligning for Jackson to stay.
I also believe yesterdays Red card may be bad news for Burgess, who intimated during the week that all players are playing for futures. KM seemed rather angry with the towering defenders choice of tackle.
As you know, I read a lot of various football stuff, and love a good old game of FM. But in this current formation I haven’t got a clue who would fit the LWB role, Thompson won’t be staying, Penney isn’t defensive enough in that role, although he does offer a little going forward.
Our summer doesn’t need to be a big transfer window, it’s going to be a little bit of streamlining after the summer of 51 moves (in and out) we need the LWB and another striker, and for me, one option is Cambridges Ironside, he seems to be the player Pigott was meant to be.
No more loanees would please me too.
We have a small squad of youths to sift through, and some may have to leave, what will happen to Simpson, Morris, Ndaba, El Miz, Dobra, Clements, Baggott, Humphreys, (and all of KDs listed “greats”)
If I get the chance today, I will look at LWB info.
Oh, and see you at Crewe. |
SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
I'm gonna be practicing all week. | |
| |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 06:49 - Apr 13 with 385 views | BaltachaFanClub |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 21:34 - Apr 12 by Mullet |
SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
I'm gonna be practicing all week. |
Melt |  |
| |
| Criticisms of McKenna and drift on 14:07 - Apr 13 with 312 views | ericclacton |
Good piece. |  | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
