| Ipswich Town - August Review Written by willrigs16 on Sunday, 16th Sep 2012 18:10 It has been a mixed bag of results and performances from the Tractor Boys at this early stage of the season. Note - This was meant to be published before Saturday's game so please take that into consideration when you read it. The league table shows Town sitting in 18th place, accumulating five points from a possible 12. And although I’m sure you will agree that this is not a great return, Paul Jewell’s men have had some difficult opening fixtures and have only lost one of these four games. The Super Blues kicked-off proceedings with a comfortable 3-1 win over a poor Bristol Rovers side in the Capital Cup. Despite the Pirates taking a shock lead midway through the first half, Town rallied to turn in a professional performance in front of their own fans. They then opened their league campaign with a 1-1 draw against a strong Blackburn Rovers side. Despite going a goal down, the Blues showed resilience and determination to get back into the game late on. A point was the least they deserved for their efforts. This was followed by a rare win over bogey side Watford. Prior to the fixture, Town had failed to beat the Hornets in 15 attempts, losing the last five. But Jewell’s men put that behind them as they recorded a well-deserved win with Michael Chopra popping up in stoppage time to seal all three points. And with Town occupying a play-off position prior to the trip to Blackpool, optimism was high among many supporters for both this game and the season. However, just 90 minutes later and these fans were abruptly brought back down to reality after watching a 6-0 demolition of their side. Add to this the concerning and rather embarrassing 2-1 defeat to League One side Carlisle in the second round of the Capital Cup just three days later and it was clear to see that Jewell and Town were just papering over the cracks with their early performances. If any Town fans had been sitting on their high horse before these two equally humiliating defeats, then they were firmly kicked off it afterwards. What concerned me and most of the fans was not only the manner of the defeats but also and in particular reference to the Carlisle game, was that we fielded our strongest possible line-up and were quite simply outplayed, by a League One side. No disrespect to Carlisle but that is just simply not good enough for a club of Ipswich Town’s nature. It was no secret that we needed new signings prior to this, preferably defenders (which we still need Mr Jewell!), but this just highlighted the desperate need for additional players further. With the transfer deadline just three days away, Ipswich fans, like a domino effect, suddenly woke up to the realisation that new and more players were a necessity. And almost immediately, Town were linked with every defender under the sun. And with Damien Delaney exiting the club to leave just Tommy Smith and Luke Chambers as Town's only recognised central defenders; fans must have thought that Jewell surely had replacements lined up? Well, we’re still waiting Mr Jewell. Add to this the accepted joint bid for Peterborough duo Paul Taylor and George Boyd just two days before the deadline, only for the pair to reject a move over personal terms and things started to look very perilous indeed. Fortunately, Taylor did eventually sign and looks a very promising piece of business. Rumours are still circulating as to whether Boyd could still make a U-turn over his decision and join Town initially on loan, with a view to a permanent move in January. The flamboyant winger is currently transfer-listed at London Road, and has made his intentions clear that he wants to play for a bigger club. Guirane N’Daw and Daryl Murphy also joined on loan, adding much-needed experience and physical qualities to the squad. This was all before an entertaining 2-2 draw with newly-promoted Huddersfield Town, who had just parted company with a striker called Jordan Rhodes if any of you Town fans have heard of him? Town came from behind against the Terriers, only to then concede again late on before giving away an even later penalty which Scott Loach tipped onto the post before the ball agonisingly rolled across the goal-line before being cleared to safety. I’ve just got a feeling it’s going to be one of those seasons at Portman Road... Will Ridgard I hope you enjoyed the read and if you did feel free to visit my blog - http://willridgard.wordpress.com/ and/or follow me on twitter - https://twitter.com/WillRidgard I have just been appointed as the Ipswich Town writer for http://thefootballleague72.wordpress.com/. Keep a look out for monthly blogs I will post on there about the Tow'un. Any/all feedback welcomed. COYB. Many Thanks. Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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