| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals 16:30 - Dec 23 with 2127 views | Mullet |
Pathetic. Disastrous. Gutless. Shapeless. Haphazard. These are a few of the dangerous things Ipswich became at times today.
There was nothing wrong with the lineup, but plenty with the team at half time. Even at 2-0 down, there was an argument that this was a narrow top of the division scrap we were on the wrong side of.
Leeds took their first goal well. Hladky makes a great save, their man gambles. These things happen. The fact there'd been a foul so obvious in the buildup and Leeds shouldn't have had a corner was not lost on anyone either.
There'd been a good tactical battle. I've never seen that James fella play well, he's always looked like Forrest Gump somehow sired a kid with One Direction. Today he turns up of course. The overlap with their right back was causing us all sorts of problems. Broadhead could have done with Mick shouting down some coaching on the defensive side of the game it seems.
What all this did though, was leave Burns on the far right up against a left back so right-footed he played like the Zoolander of second tier football. Every time we switched the ball and ran at him, you felt Burns was a speed boat racing a tanker. Unfortunately, Wes also needed to have the firepower of a battleship to do much with it. He did not.
I didn't think it was a penalty in real time. Davis had already given away an own goal from a fairly standard counter attack. ITFC might have been all over the place but got back into position so well, and so quickly it just needed a speculative low ball to smash off the former Leeds player and go in. When he was then adjudged to have fouled a player who he should have let shoot, when he got the ball, it was impossible not to feel nothing was going our way. I couldn't see the little man he sent flying, as he was the wrong side of me, and Leif was the right side of him.
Amazing tekkers to smash it into the net - that's the most Premier League thing about today Leeds' attack. They finish everything.
I had hoped that we might salvage something in the second half, a goal or maybe two. The game was lost, because at 2 down we've seen ITFC under McKenna comeback in ways so unlikely even Barrymore would be surprised. But not at 3 down, not today.
Great feet from Piroe for the 4th. Tuanzebe who'd started prowling through game like some sexy defensive leopard, ended up cutting out the ball and then sitting on his arse Panda style, as the striker went past his colleagues and ended the rout. His body language summed today up.
There was nothing wrong with the subs McKenna made either. But they were effectively place holders. As with Farke, you can see how much poorer the teams were once one removed £100m worth of firepower and we removed everyone misfiring.
Morsy did not deserve to be let down like that today. He was his usual self. But that also meant he was almost desperate to get booked. Removing him and allowing Dom Ball to take one for a challenge so fair, Medieval bards would have written lute tunes about it, made sense.
The away end was crap. Dunno why. Nobodies fault. Massive price for sh1t seats. Same for those who went by train probably at stupid'o'clock. But when you've got all the usual Delia/Saville/"banter" stuff and gloating daytrippers in front of you, you're gonna have the kind of atmosphere of a moon as distant as Leeds are from us in the table still.
Neither side today will look like this again this season. Transfers, injuries, suspensions, natural justice and astrology dictate as much. I'd hate to be Mrs McKenna and the kids this weekend. The only thing getting opened will be that iPad of his. You'd not roast a thing on our heatmaps today either but they'll be all over the gaff and pored over while the pudding awaits its custard. But you can bet today will be a turning point where McKenna will not allow this to happen again. For good or for ill.
It was a stark lesson in how close we are to Premier League football with absolutely no right to be. It was also a good maths lesson in terms of how far off so many of our numbers remain in being able to compete at that level.
You can sense the nerves and embarrassment crackling across the Leeds fanbase like electricity. Especially today. That was a free hit and we gave them our chin and went spiralling. We still walk away with a gap so big they'll not catch us yet for weeks.
The narrative will always say "when" but those with any fight will, like the great Spartans of old simply retort "If". |  |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 17:38 - Dec 23 with 1884 views | cbower |
Talking to some mates at work who are Leeds fans, I wanted us to go at them early doors, maybe grab a goal, dampen the crowd. I explained that could leave us a bit open and they smiled somewhat wryly. However, it seemed to me that Leif was actually 10 yards more advanced than in home games, pressing beyond Broadhead and leaving James with 50, 60 yards of ground to run into, drawing Burgess across, pulling Tuanzebe and Clarke across in the process and leaving space wide down our right side.
The opener was poor. Foul on Chaplin aside, Hirst showed more of last week's more interested in the man than challenging for the ball guff and didn’t get off the ground and though it sounds peevish considering how good he's been, a more confident and dominant keeper would not have remained glued to his line as Vaz did. Pace did us for the second and Clarke was badly exposed. The ball just hit Leif. Obbviously Chaplin was unlucky to hit the post but by now, I think McKenna should have realised we were far to open for this particular opponent, especially down our left and Leif needed to become more defensively positioned for the prriod up to half time so we could regroup. Shot wide aside, Broady was poor and offered little cover down the left and was wasteful when in possession. Oddly, Mass was anonymous and Hirst was not able to get anything to stick at all. As you noted, only Burns and Morsy looked anything like. As the half progressed, Tuanzebe looked exposed to pace. It was a penalty, Leif went across with his wrong foot. Less said about the second half, the better. You mentioned our heat maps. That's what worried me the most. There was no response, no heart, no "running towarrds adversity". That 2nd half was dismal in all aspects. Above all, big question marks against Tuanzebe and when he came on, Williams just could not be ar$ed. Morsy was kept on 10 minutes too long as was Broady but for different reasons. I would start Hutchinson against Foxes myself.
A bad day all round but as both manager and skipper have said, analyse, learn and move on. 7 points is very healthy still. Happy Christmas Mr Mullett. |  |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 17:46 - Dec 23 with 1849 views | TractorWood |
'It was a stark lesson in how close we are to Premier League football with absolutely no right to be. It was also a good maths lesson in terms of how far off so many of our numbers remain in being able to compete at that level.'
So true. My long held belief is that McKenna is getting absolutely every drop out of a capable but ultimately a group with a pretty obvious ceiling. If he gets this squad up, he's a genius. |  |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 19:02 - Dec 23 with 1668 views | Mullet |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 17:38 - Dec 23 by cbower |
Talking to some mates at work who are Leeds fans, I wanted us to go at them early doors, maybe grab a goal, dampen the crowd. I explained that could leave us a bit open and they smiled somewhat wryly. However, it seemed to me that Leif was actually 10 yards more advanced than in home games, pressing beyond Broadhead and leaving James with 50, 60 yards of ground to run into, drawing Burgess across, pulling Tuanzebe and Clarke across in the process and leaving space wide down our right side.
The opener was poor. Foul on Chaplin aside, Hirst showed more of last week's more interested in the man than challenging for the ball guff and didn’t get off the ground and though it sounds peevish considering how good he's been, a more confident and dominant keeper would not have remained glued to his line as Vaz did. Pace did us for the second and Clarke was badly exposed. The ball just hit Leif. Obbviously Chaplin was unlucky to hit the post but by now, I think McKenna should have realised we were far to open for this particular opponent, especially down our left and Leif needed to become more defensively positioned for the prriod up to half time so we could regroup. Shot wide aside, Broady was poor and offered little cover down the left and was wasteful when in possession. Oddly, Mass was anonymous and Hirst was not able to get anything to stick at all. As you noted, only Burns and Morsy looked anything like. As the half progressed, Tuanzebe looked exposed to pace. It was a penalty, Leif went across with his wrong foot. Less said about the second half, the better. You mentioned our heat maps. That's what worried me the most. There was no response, no heart, no "running towarrds adversity". That 2nd half was dismal in all aspects. Above all, big question marks against Tuanzebe and when he came on, Williams just could not be ar$ed. Morsy was kept on 10 minutes too long as was Broady but for different reasons. I would start Hutchinson against Foxes myself.
A bad day all round but as both manager and skipper have said, analyse, learn and move on. 7 points is very healthy still. Happy Christmas Mr Mullett. |
Happy Christmas mate, hope things are ok.
I said elsewhere that the issue with the left was Luongo couldn't go across into the left and fill the gap because Ampadu was running things for them in the middle. Seemed a bold gambit to provoke James like that when things went so wrong.
Nothing Hirst did came off. Every touch and pass went where it wasn't intended to be. With Scarlett going back I wonder if Freddie still goes too? Maybe Stansfield will be done quickly, but we'd need one more.
How ambitious we are going to be, who knows? | |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 19:06 - Dec 23 with 1649 views | Mullet |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 17:46 - Dec 23 by TractorWood |
'It was a stark lesson in how close we are to Premier League football with absolutely no right to be. It was also a good maths lesson in terms of how far off so many of our numbers remain in being able to compete at that level.'
So true. My long held belief is that McKenna is getting absolutely every drop out of a capable but ultimately a group with a pretty obvious ceiling. If he gets this squad up, he's a genius. |
Still feels like when not if to me. There's lots of points to play for still and the pressure isn't on us - we'd be well clear at the top most seasons by now which is just baffling.
As above I'm intrigued as to what GC pump in this January and how much change that brings. Selling the dream to players and paying over the odds are two challenges we have to overcome that others don't. | |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 19:13 - Dec 23 with 1608 views | cbower |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 19:02 - Dec 23 by Mullet |
Happy Christmas mate, hope things are ok.
I said elsewhere that the issue with the left was Luongo couldn't go across into the left and fill the gap because Ampadu was running things for them in the middle. Seemed a bold gambit to provoke James like that when things went so wrong.
Nothing Hirst did came off. Every touch and pass went where it wasn't intended to be. With Scarlett going back I wonder if Freddie still goes too? Maybe Stansfield will be done quickly, but we'd need one more.
How ambitious we are going to be, who knows? |
Thanks for asking. Start chemotherapy sometime in Feb when testosterone levels are low enough. 6 rounds over 18 weeks then radiotherapy. | |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 20:11 - Dec 23 with 1403 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 19:13 - Dec 23 by cbower |
Thanks for asking. Start chemotherapy sometime in Feb when testosterone levels are low enough. 6 rounds over 18 weeks then radiotherapy. |
Wishing you all the best. |  |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 20:32 - Dec 23 with 1332 views | MK1 |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 19:13 - Dec 23 by cbower |
Thanks for asking. Start chemotherapy sometime in Feb when testosterone levels are low enough. 6 rounds over 18 weeks then radiotherapy. |
Merry Christmas and wishing you all the best for the New Year. You are in all of our thoughts. Take Care and enjoy the festivities. |  | | |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 21:26 - Dec 23 with 1179 views | olimar |
I came here looking for this and I was not disappointed.
I particularly liked this line- "But you can bet today will be a turning point where McKenna will not allow this to happen again. For good or for ill", as it has a touch of defiance about it. |  | | |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 21:53 - Dec 23 with 1096 views | Churchman |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 20:32 - Dec 23 by MK1 |
Merry Christmas and wishing you all the best for the New Year. You are in all of our thoughts. Take Care and enjoy the festivities. |
Agree with MK1. You most certainly are in our thoughts. |  | | |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 09:19 - Dec 24 with 747 views | Mullet |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 19:13 - Dec 23 by cbower |
Thanks for asking. Start chemotherapy sometime in Feb when testosterone levels are low enough. 6 rounds over 18 weeks then radiotherapy. |
Brilliant news in terrible circumstances I guess. Wishing you all the best mate. | |
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| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 09:45 - Dec 24 with 718 views | OldFart71 |
I think how close we are to Premier League football was summed up against Fulham. O.K. we had the best part of a second eleven playing, but were totally outclassed. Their players were quicker and first to the ball. Their first goal was a case of a player attacking down the side, putting a ball across the area and someone at the far post sticking it in. We would all love Premier football next season. Question is do we want to be beaten every week ? and I can't see us having the money available for half a dozen new players. | | | |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 10:04 - Dec 24 with 666 views | Mullet |
| Merry Christmas ya filthy animals on 09:45 - Dec 24 by OldFart71 |
I think how close we are to Premier League football was summed up against Fulham. O.K. we had the best part of a second eleven playing, but were totally outclassed. Their players were quicker and first to the ball. Their first goal was a case of a player attacking down the side, putting a ball across the area and someone at the far post sticking it in. We would all love Premier football next season. Question is do we want to be beaten every week ? and I can't see us having the money available for half a dozen new players. |
On your last point I disagree. That pension fund is deep. If we get up they're gonna want to make their asset as saleable as possible.
Do I want Prem football? No not really, I've not been interested in it for decades. Do I want us to go up? Torn, but fundamentally it has to be a yes because otherwise what's the point? We've suffered so much under Hurst, Lambert, Cook etc and even the Keane and Jewell years at this level were consolidation of that.
The key will be how we navigate that better class of problem. Which sort of players do we go for who will want to come here? Once we get to the Prem they will flock to us wanting a payday so it changes the game dramatically for Ashton et al. | |
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