| Move to the music, like you know that it's over 00:20 - Oct 25 with 2031 views | Mullet |
An icy blast greeted us as we left the portal out of Elland Rd. into the real world. Winter is here. The season where everything freezes and dies.
Seven changes for Town, but everything stays the same. There were times tonight where the gallows humour of “Ipswich Town we’re bottom of the league” was retorted back to Leeds as they reminded us of their vantage point atop the second tier. “Sacked in the morning” echoed off silent bodies in the binary approach to support and resignation. It felt like one step closer to Hurst’s end, the drop inevitable the verdict long passed, the question of when not if it ends all there is.
It’s hard to know if Town were playing 4-4-2 or a version of 4-2-2-2 where Bart returned and so did Knudsen, in from the cold of Russia and beyond, they have travelled far since the summer, only to wind up with one eye on the departure lounge come January you suspect.
Pennington went from right back to left-sided centre back, Chambers on his other shoulder and Jordan Spence from some dim and distant teamsheet returned. Skuse and Downes sat as central columns, Edun and Nolan neither wingers, neither central, neither sure of themselves had Sears and Jackson as the only attacking outlets.
Leeds played with a far more subtle shape and oozed confidence as well as clever runs around our narrower form. If the club has been leaking like a sieve of late, the team were more of a colander. Rigid and still full of holes, the hot water of the Bielsa way of playing submerged us all too often. Town were left to wallow not bathe in it.
When Hernandez eventually broke free thanks to a simple stab from Saiz, the Leeds players knew exactly where to go, and where he would too. A crumpled triangle off the ball saw Roofe crash down upon us and nod a powerful header between Chambers and Pennington rom close range. A strong hand from Bart only punched it into the net, like Leeds had crossed us on to our heels with steamhammer force.
Once Ipswich go 1-0 down, that is usually enough this season. Clearly some supporters had had their fill as Leeds matched us in terms of bookings and not much else. Saiz had drawn an early chop from Nolan, Beradi did the same to even up the cautions before collapsing and using it as an excuse to bow out after barely half an hour. It was the crucial change for everything. Sleight of hand from the Chilean magician, but enough to cast his spell over Hurst.
Leeds replaced Beradi with Dallas and went to a 3-4-3 with double wingers on either flank, and one centre back in the form of Kalvin Phillips, who is really a midfielder. Playing the ball from deep, he was flanked by full-centrebacks Ayling and Cooper who had room and runs to make when necessary. Such was our depth of retreat, such was the little threat we were judged to possess.
In one dugout stood a broadside of tactics and confidence, across the technical area, a toothpick in comparison. Silently musing and mustering little else but a glance out at what was unfolding. By the time we got under the stand to the warmth, there was little glowing in our first half account.
Leeds had really been at their best when forcing us to palm the ball away, or hook and head it usually into set pieces they then wrought another scare from. Given the scoreboard displayed a possession stat of 67%, passes numbering 200 to our century and shots on target as one apiece, it was corners where Leeds’ half a dozen to our zero hinted at the dominance to which we had succumbed.
Bart might get a hand to one or two efforts, Chambers might smack the ball away, but that would too often be followed by a look around for team mates and then forward for the second wave of attacks.
When the second half started, Town tried to. Edun clearly handled on the edge of our box, but the referee waved play on. Town cantered forward into stiff resistance. Winning a free kick the Cottager whipped the ball towards with his feet this time, and at the back post Chambers was near naked such was the degree to which his marker had his shirt in his hands. The linesman was not for flagging. A clear penalty, it was the best hope Town would have to level, and almost fitting to see it brushed off however unjustly.
On the hour Leeds made subs 2 and 3 in between throw ins or so. Saiz who had been a sort of number 10 drifting in from the left, gave way to Forshaw. Sitting deeper he had acres of space thanks to receding line Town had drawn in front of the box. The Harrison was removed as a second winger, for another one in the shape of Pearce. It gave Leeds more legs with which to trample us slowly.
Hurst had seen us deflect and watch shots and switches of play whistle past the post or the whole open-mouthed goal Town were defending. So, he took out Edun and from the left and put on Ward who moved to the right and Nolan switched. Again, neither seemed to want, or be allowed too close to the line. They were jogging all night in a marathon they seemed destined to never finish.
Hernandez would again look to undo Town with a few dallies of his pastel coloured boots. A strong shot, a strong save from Bart. A short corner and he was again providing like the Lord, as little blue sheep dizzied themselves, penned into the 6 yard box as Cooper rifled home a second just inside the 18 yard line and far post. It was a great strike to be fair to him, but he was their nominal centre back defending on the front foot, in the wrong box.
Something was rotten in the state of our man marking, but likewise Town failed to push forward against a Leeds side who like so many others this season just kept us at arm’s length. Town aren’t even a tune up fight for most sides in the division, we are a bag, thudding and swinging at the whim and wishes of whatever men are stood in front of us.
Alioski who had caused us many problems in the same fixture a year ago with his instinct to cut deep runs into soft areas did so again. His slashing shot bouncing off the still white post like a knife hitting a rib, when the heart of the mismatch was so close to being exposed yet again.
Sears had done enough talking before the game as this week’s media man, but he had little in the way of action to show for 80 minutes of running. As he trotted past Edwards for Town’s second change, all we did was put one more diminutive man between two defensive giants to spectate upon the carnage at the far of the field.
Forshaw moved from deep to receive the ball just outside the box. An island of white amidst a sea of blue shirts, a launched a missile that might have beaten Bart with a little more precision. It was an example of many times the ball moved faster and with more purpose than anyone on the Ipswich sideline.
Chalobah came on for Skuse to see out the last few minutes. He ran a lot, he tried a lot, he got abused for his hair for the first time this season. But for a man with a “birdsh1t on his head” he had no luck either. Leeds delighted in the final warm down or what seemed like a pre-season exercise to break up their October schedule. Town fans meanwhile dreamt of far off places, like midtable or Walsall.
If Evans refuses to act, then it is hard to see similar pantomime and bad reviews that brought the curtain down on Mick coming at more appropriate time of the year. Town are as poor as we have seen under Evans, not just in terms of value for this summer’s investment, but on the field too. He now rules over an empire of dirt, soon to ravaged by mudslinging and the inevitable tide of hopelessness. Town aren’t just on the brink of difficulty and misfortune, we’re at the edge of the map. Looking at the abyss of League 1 and whatever is right or wrong about the monsters no longer in the distance, it is only the darkness of relegation looking back up at us.
You should hope that it is in fact the shadow of a new man across the threshold of Portman Rd.
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 01:43 - Oct 25 with 1930 views | Eireannach_gorm |
You are to be commended for your perseverance in chronicling our chronicness. |  | | |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:23 - Oct 25 with 1783 views | Mullet |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 01:43 - Oct 25 by Eireannach_gorm |
You are to be commended for your perseverance in chronicling our chronicness. |
It was really bad. I think Hurst might be worse than Jewell now. He sat between him and Keane in the pecking order but last night..... we just have no fight. | |
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:38 - Oct 25 with 1741 views | Stadiumofdark |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:23 - Oct 25 by Mullet |
It was really bad. I think Hurst might be worse than Jewell now. He sat between him and Keane in the pecking order but last night..... we just have no fight. |
When their player went down injured, all of our players trotted off to our bench for a drink. We'd not long before gone one nil down... but PH never moved. He stood there without even acknowledging the players. It was Chambers who was giving them all a lift, and encouraging them.
Apart from picking the team names out the hat... I'm not sure what else he does?
It's now 5 games too late |  | | |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:47 - Oct 25 with 1722 views | Mullet |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:38 - Oct 25 by Stadiumofdark |
When their player went down injured, all of our players trotted off to our bench for a drink. We'd not long before gone one nil down... but PH never moved. He stood there without even acknowledging the players. It was Chambers who was giving them all a lift, and encouraging them.
Apart from picking the team names out the hat... I'm not sure what else he does?
It's now 5 games too late |
I just noticed this. I adored Hunty but seeing him hurting along with so many other ex pros is telling us everything. Johno, Holland, Osman, Mills, Butcher all these different eras coming together tells us everything.
My impression from the last month is that Chambers manages the team once the warm up starts. The players seemed to get no direction from Hurst at Swansea, Doig was barking at them. Last night Hurst was a mannequin.
As I said above the contrast between him and Bielsa was stark. I was like seeing Maldini mark Dele Adebola. | |
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:52 - Oct 25 with 1698 views | Stadiumofdark |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:47 - Oct 25 by Mullet |
I just noticed this. I adored Hunty but seeing him hurting along with so many other ex pros is telling us everything. Johno, Holland, Osman, Mills, Butcher all these different eras coming together tells us everything.
My impression from the last month is that Chambers manages the team once the warm up starts. The players seemed to get no direction from Hurst at Swansea, Doig was barking at them. Last night Hurst was a mannequin.
As I said above the contrast between him and Bielsa was stark. I was like seeing Maldini mark Dele Adebola. |
yep.
and again, it will mean more changes for Saturday. | | | |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:53 - Oct 25 with 1692 views | DanTheMan |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:47 - Oct 25 by Mullet |
I just noticed this. I adored Hunty but seeing him hurting along with so many other ex pros is telling us everything. Johno, Holland, Osman, Mills, Butcher all these different eras coming together tells us everything.
My impression from the last month is that Chambers manages the team once the warm up starts. The players seemed to get no direction from Hurst at Swansea, Doig was barking at them. Last night Hurst was a mannequin.
As I said above the contrast between him and Bielsa was stark. I was like seeing Maldini mark Dele Adebola. |
I think that's Chris Skitt. |  |
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 10:55 - Oct 25 with 1624 views | Mullet |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:52 - Oct 25 by Stadiumofdark |
yep.
and again, it will mean more changes for Saturday. |
I felt a bit for Spence because he played fine in relation to the rest of the side. But again it makes me wonder what Donacien has done or why he was even signed.
I look at the side and accept it's a busy schedule with a day less rest so changes for Millwall are inevitable, but seven of them? Christ. If he does that again, if he's even still here, what' the point? | |
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 10:56 - Oct 25 with 1614 views | Mullet |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 09:53 - Oct 25 by DanTheMan |
I think that's Chris Skitt. |
It is, which it might be unfair to take out of context or lambast him too much but I thought Hunt's tweet was really illuminating.
Can you imagine what it'd be like to have him in the side again, and in the dressing room. I bet you never had anyone shying away back then. | |
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 11:00 - Oct 25 with 1593 views | DanTheMan |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 10:56 - Oct 25 by Mullet |
It is, which it might be unfair to take out of context or lambast him too much but I thought Hunt's tweet was really illuminating.
Can you imagine what it'd be like to have him in the side again, and in the dressing room. I bet you never had anyone shying away back then. |
We'd need a few of him. No lack of trying from our players but their outmatched skill wise and we've got so few seasoned professionals that digging ourselves out of this hole will be a hell of a mission.
We need to get rid of Hurst now. Sod the money (I know that's easy for me to say) and get someone in who knows these circumstances. | |
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 11:02 - Oct 25 with 1583 views | PJH |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 10:55 - Oct 25 by Mullet |
I felt a bit for Spence because he played fine in relation to the rest of the side. But again it makes me wonder what Donacien has done or why he was even signed.
I look at the side and accept it's a busy schedule with a day less rest so changes for Millwall are inevitable, but seven of them? Christ. If he does that again, if he's even still here, what' the point? |
I wonder about Donacien too because to me he has looked ok (nothing more) if he plays at RB but gets shoved into all sorts of exotic(that is not a typo) positions and then left out completely.
I think last night's changes were just done in desperation and hope that somehow we might steal a point and I have no idea what the team will be for Saturday and until he puts the names in a hat and pulls eleven out nor does Hurst.
This assumes that Hurst is still here on Saturday. |  | | |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 14:45 - Oct 25 with 1472 views | Mullet |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 11:00 - Oct 25 by DanTheMan |
We'd need a few of him. No lack of trying from our players but their outmatched skill wise and we've got so few seasoned professionals that digging ourselves out of this hole will be a hell of a mission.
We need to get rid of Hurst now. Sod the money (I know that's easy for me to say) and get someone in who knows these circumstances. |
Sounds like we'll hear tomorrow. | |
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| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 16:55 - Oct 25 with 1408 views | Mullet |
| Move to the music, like you know that it's over on 11:02 - Oct 25 by PJH |
I wonder about Donacien too because to me he has looked ok (nothing more) if he plays at RB but gets shoved into all sorts of exotic(that is not a typo) positions and then left out completely.
I think last night's changes were just done in desperation and hope that somehow we might steal a point and I have no idea what the team will be for Saturday and until he puts the names in a hat and pulls eleven out nor does Hurst.
This assumes that Hurst is still here on Saturday. |
I agree. Donacien looks like he has real potential though, but then I wonder about Josh Emmanuel and how far apart they are right now.
Last night was shambolic from a tactical perspective and just showed all of the issues we have. Those aren't players who are sure of themselves, who play as a team or for their manager.
The only thing better than the lot under Jewell is they are mostly young and mostly Ipswich players and there's no evidence they're not playing for the badge. | |
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