 | News
Comment | Ipswich Town 0-0 Portsmouth - Match Report
at 19:25:30
I've looked at it several times and it is clear that Jackson gets a significant push in the back, making him struggle to keep his balance as he gets the shot off, before going over. I don't condone players going over easily, but as this was the last man it makes you wonder given the outcome was an off-balanced shot and injury.
However, the officials seem unable to spot this sort of thing in L1. Despite being ineffectual at corners we get the opposition wrestling any of our back three to stop them attacking the ball more often than not, but yet to get a penalty. |
| News
Comment | Speculation on Town's Available Players Gets Under Way
at 22:27:15
The difference between Cook and Hurst is that Cook is making the decisions on who goes, to build the team as he wants it. Hurst arrived following a clearout that generated cash but gutted the team and hastened the departures of those left (eg Waghorn), who saw the lack of aspiration because of those sales, and in panic bought players who he thought could step up but failed to do so. Hurst also highlighted fitness issues, lack of commitment, taking the selection for granted as weaknesses in the squad he inherited but didn't get the support or time to fix. Cook is now doing a lot of what Hurst identified, but from a stronger starting position due to the new investors.
Let's hope the need to rebuild is better executed - and benefits from starting earlier - this time round and that we make the most of pre-season to get them to gel. |
| News
Comment | Harrison: No Extra Incentive Against Blues
at 16:56:33
Much as I question the forward line who all seem to have dried up in front of goal at the same time, I do question the service they're receiving and the lack of a goal scoring attacking midfielder in support. We don't have a 10-12 goal a season midfielder, nor have we had one for some time, and that makes such a difference.
I think Harrison was capable but we lacked a settled forward line or formation last season, and the one up front didn't work as we lacked any threat from midfield. I believe we need more creativity out wide (prefer Garbutt on left wing) and a goal threat following in behind the strikers (yes, two, and not a lone man adrift of the midfield!). |
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Comment | Lambert: First Challenge Set Tone of the Game
at 19:06:53
Early part of the season Garbutt was in midfield, being creative, and looking a class player in L1. He is average at left back and it is even more bizarre that we don't seem to have anyone as good to play left wing either. |
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Comment | Downes: On Fire in the First Half But We Didn't Get Going in the Second
at 19:59:25
Downes and Nolan were superb in the first half, together they were a class beyond the opposition, their skills giving them time to spare and dominate the game. I think they are building a great understanding, so don't post Nolan out to the wing where he has a fraction of the impact and we lose that drive through the middle! |
| News
Comment | Coventry City 1-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report
at 19:46:50
The tactics bemuse me. We wait till halfway through the second half to have two up front to chase the game, but then take off the width and play with four central midfielders to have little to offer in terms of support to the front two.
If the idea was to protect the back four it didn't work, despite four central midfielders we were totally absent, with Coventry running at will at our back four. Yet in the first half Nolan and Downes kept the back four protected. Putting Nolan out wide neutralised his ability to support the front two, when he'd had one of his best performances in the first half doing just that. Odd, to say the least!
I still think Garbutt is much more effective on the wing, he looks average at full back. Our success in the first couple of months was based on his attacking threat, we miss that with him at full back. Judge doesn't look at the races still, nor does he want to be on the wing. Begs the question as to why we signed a left winger from Spurs on loan, given he is perpetually on the bench - surely not what Spurs were expecting! |
| News
Comment | Lambert: We Were Fantastic
at 21:31:09
Every time Knudsen plays at CB, whether as a 2 or 3, he looks a better player than at LB. He's also got more pace than many of the other options, so I'd be happy for him to hold on to his place alongside one of the others. I thought his partnership on the left with Kenlock, other than the first goal down that flank, was a real positive. |
| Blog
Comment | Dear Martin Samuel...
at 22:07:34
As many have said, lazy journalism overlooking our dire run under Mick through last season which, aside from the remarkable first four games getting us 12 points, would have made us relegation candidates. This also overlooks that the fact that Mick had Garner, Waghorn, McGoldrick and Webster to call on, whilst the quality of the loanees last season was significantly better.
in 17 games in 2018 under Mick, we got 20 points. That set the tone for the problems that lay ahead, largely that our defence kept conceding goals from set pieces and yet we kept faith with the same suspects. We have since lost the four players outlined above and the quality loan players. The rot set in before Mick threw in the towel and we parted company.
The response from Superfrans is fair to all parties. It is frustrating that the national journalists, who claim to be such experts, fail to cover the Championship adequately due to their obsession with the Premier League, when they do it is superficial and, in this case, completely missing the point. |
| News
Comment | Lambert: Club Needs to Be Rebuilt, Some Players Will Go
at 16:19:20
Am I missing something, but Spence is clearly regarded by the vast majority as the worst RB we have had for some time. Yet, he gets picked every game, Donacien doesn't even make the bench, Emmanuel isn't recalled, so we have no clear alternative (unless we accelerate Crowe given how highly he's rated) and we are linked with/signing a LB, 2 x CF, an AM, GK but no mention of a RB. Neither is there a mention of a CB.
The 'defence' should be charged under the trade descriptions act, we concede at will, am I the only one who thinks we need more than Elder to shore it up? Unless something is done to reinforce the defence I cannot see how we can realistically string any wins together. Too often we've conceded a lead, we need to be able to start to hold on to them and then we have a chance. |
| News
Comment | Lambert: Club Needs to Be Rebuilt, Some Players Will Go
at 19:54:43
I think Harrison has potential, Edwards started well but has dropped in form but has shown he can cut it, not convinced by the rest. Jackson seems able to play if he is alongside another striker, which doesn't seem to be the PL model. Nolan is unconvincing and doesn't add goals as the attacking midfielder, and Nsiala and Donacien don't seem to figure in his long term thinking.
We should go back to the starting XI West Ham - young, with pace and enthusiasm, supplemented by some good PL additions. |
| News
Comment | Lambert: We Got Caught Up With the Emotion of the Game
at 20:30:06
As said before, the defence has to be overhauled now. Three years of woeful defending involving broadly the same players has finally come home to roost. Why do we keep playing the same defenders? It suggests that PL does not rate Donacien or Nsiala, and we should recall Emmanuel and Woolfenden and give them a chance. Neither goalkeeper seems capable at the moment, and I can see Bialkowski wanting out rather than play in L1, plus his wages will be a significant drain.
I think we need to use the remainder of the season to build a defence capable of holding its own in the Championship, a couple of experienced players will help guide the youngsters and shore up a leaky defence.
Many years ago (2004 to be exact) we had Matty Elliott come in and do just this for a couple of months when we were shipping in goals every week. Our defence hasn't a clue every time we are attacked, no organisation, no positioning. I assume they train to be prepared every week, which suggests they lack the ability, as the same players have failed under three management teams in the last 3 years.
I would be delighted to see someone like Kevin MacDonald from Fulham come in on loan, as I think he would help us. We then need a highly capable RB to help develop Emmanuel or be a permanent fixture for next season. |
| News
Comment | Middlesbrough 2-0 Ipswich Town - Match Report
at 18:21:02
It's been clear for some time that we will be dependent on loan signings in January if we are to stay up. The challenge is that two of our most important games - the proverbial six-pointers - are at the start of January, so we are unlikely to have new players on board, certainly for the first one, so we need to get belief into the current squad. We cannot afford to drop points to those struggling with us.
The defence has been a weakness for nearly three years, but what has changed? Spence, Chambers, Knudsen have been regulars throughout along with either Gerken/Bialowski, yet the problems persist. Clearly, Donacien and Nsiala are not rated by PL, as neither are seen as good enough to displace the usual suspects. We need to shore up the defence to stand a chance of getting wins, just as MM did when he first arrived. 2 x CB and a quality RB needed urgently. |
| News
Comment | McCarthy: We've Got to Stick Together Or It'll Really Go Pear-Shaped
at 21:32:11
Exclude the first four games (which now seem a distant memory!) and our 'form' is 33 games played, 40 points. Scored 38, conceded 43. Over the course of a season, that amounts to 56 points, and only 53 goals scored and 60 conceded.
Enough to stay up but actually only one point more than last season and five more goals scored whilst conceding two more. So the question is, are we going to settle for 16th place and mediocrity each season or is there a desire for something more?
Rather surprisingly, prior to the Hull game we had got 12 points from the last seven games. So if you exclude the first four, plus that run of seven games, we have been averaging less than 1.1 points per game, which got Blackburn relegated last season. To make sixth place the average required over the season is at least 1.6 points per game, often significantly more. We have not put a sustained run of that sort together for a considerable time, so we are clearly some way short from being a promotion contender.
So the question is, do we want to stick with being in the bottom half every season or change the formula? It will be three seasons since we made the play-offs, with no sign of that changing any time soon. Where is the ambition to at least make a go of it and compete at the top end for another season? Does the club have the belief any more after so long outside the top flight? Are we makeweights in the Championship, stuck in a rut with no appetite to challenge or try something different?
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| News
Comment | Newcastle Targeting Town Striker Murphy
at 19:01:47
Whilst Murphy gives us one of the best as a target man in the division, Pitman has a great scoring record at this level and alongside Sears or McGoldrick would introduce a more appealing style to our game. The main challenge for our strikers - other than Murphy - is supply as we rely too heavily on long hopeful balls forwards which doesn't play to the strength of the rest who need the ball at their feet or to run on to.
Ward is potentially a game changer for us in this department, giving an outlet and creativity to play our strikers in. If we could also have someone coming late into the box behind the strikers to contribute 10 or more a season we'd be entertaining and might threaten the top six this year. However, we'd have to change our style and play with more pace and guile. |
| News
Comment | McCarthy: Poor Second Half
at 13:35:23
I was talking to a friend who is not a Town fan but watched the 2nd half last night. His comments summed things up, as follows:
Q.were you missing a central midfield playmaker, like you used to have with Magilton, last night?
A. no, we don't have such a player.
Q. as a team that has a reputation for good passing football, why did the centre backs seems to panic after 3 or 4 sideways passes by lumping it down the field?
A. because we've a predictable style of Murphy as a target man.
Q. McGoldrick seemed to have to keep going deep to get the ball, why weren't the central midfielders pushing into that space?
A. because both Hyam and Skuse are more comfortable as holding/ball winning midfielders so there is a gap between the front two and the middle two.
If it is so obvious to a neutral observer in just 45 mins then you suspect the scouts of other teams will spot this and brief their manager as to these weaknesses to exploit when they face us. The fact we never change or mix things up just compounds the problem. We need to be more flexible and use players such as Taylor to give us other options either from the start or during the game if plan A isn't working. |
| News
Comment | Stevenage 2-0 Town
at 22:23:28
Surely the players coming in, especially the rather more experienced ones such as Berra, Nouble and Anderson, should have been out to prove a point tonight. I wasn't at the game, but it calls into question whether the motivation is there for the squad players to be forcing their way into the team on the back of strong performances.
Whilst Mick may know his first XI you always need competition and reliable alternatives to cover injuries and suspensions. Hopefully Mick will give them a roasting and get them to buck their ideas up rather than have them sit comfortably on their contracts and play reserves week to week. If not, we're back to the loanee gamble, which can go either way as we know only too well. |
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Comment | Drury Wants to Stay
at 19:49:48
I recall it was the relatively surprising pairing of Drury and Hyam that turned round last season. Jewell had banked on the mix of 30-somethings and Leadbitter in midfield that had got us into such a mess, and he suddenly changed tack, put his faith in Andy and Luke to give stability and legs in the centre of the park, and we went from strength to strength.
Like others have commented, Drury gives a full shift, and gets on with the job. He may not be the best player in the team, but for me he is reliable and is committed. At times we've lacked that from others in the starting XI, and I would be happy to see him get another year out of Mick. |
| Blog
Comment | Loans - Gems of the Past (In Most Cases)
at 15:06:42
Plenty of others to consider, here's a few more to add to the list - Chris Bart-Williams, Mark Fish (for all of 45 mins!), Danny Simpson, Keith Andrews, David Unsworth, David Healy, Darren O'Dea, Liam Rosenior, James McEveley, Moritz Volz, Rory Fallon - not meant to be a complete list, more a representation of the good, the bad and the ugly!! |
| News
Comment | The Ex-Files: David Sheepshanks
at 22:36:07
An interesting article, but the abrupt end of the Joe Royle era is skipped over. One minute Joe was going into a meeting with DS to discuss squad plans for the next season, then he was out of a job and we were looking for a new manager.
It all seemed a major surprise at the time, given JR had got us into the play-offs 2 years running despite having no money to play with, whilst playing good attacking football. I recall the big turnaround at QPR, where the home fans were mocking us at 2-1, then in the second half we tore them apart, winning 4-2 when we could easily have scored 7 or 8.
I know JR's final year was disappointing, finishing mid-table, but we did sell the core of the team the previous summer, and there appeared to be a plan to rebuild and signs that Joe had a vision of where he wanted to head. All seemed a little odd at the time. |
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