1...2...3...4...5...counting, for the vast majority comes without much thought, almost second nature, but to the kids in La Masia de Can Planes this is the mantra to which a large proportion of their football progression is built. Unfortunately not something that Ipswich Town seem to be aware of.

This blog has been spinning around my head for some time now but watching (from afar I admit) the Cardiff match has prompted me to pick up the computer and formulate thoughts into words.

We don't have a Messi, an Iniesta or a Xavi - a player whose talent transcends levels providing a key to unlock even the most stubborn of defences, but that is not what I am referring to. In my opinion what makes these teams great is not what they do in the final third but what they are doing and thinking when the opposition is in possession.

Hence the counting. It is drilled into the youngsters at Barca that they have five seconds to recover the ball once they have lost it, if they fail then they are to re-group and start again when the opposition miscontrol the ball in possession - and for Barcelona this could be as straightforward as an opposition player looking down at his feet!

By strangling the opposition, they are then allowed to control the pace of the game, the attacking flair of the team is allowed then to flourish with devastating effect but this defensive structure isn't the sole remit of the back four, it is expected of every player on the field as the opposition player with the ball is not the only player to be closed down, each opposition player in space is placed under pressure. Watch them, at times it is incredibly impressive.

So what does this have to do with Ipswich Town? I picked a point during the Cardiff match a random and counted slowly whilst Cardiff were in possession to see how long it took for our boys in blue to win the ball back. During this 49-second spell (I counted slowly), Cardiff had two shots on goal (Loach parried the ball away) before a deflection took the ball out for a throw.

During this period not one challenge went in, space was not closed down and Cardiff players were open from one side of the pitch to the other to receive a pass. Okay, in comparison I gave Ipswich an opportunity to redeem themselves. Only 11 seconds later, Cardiff had the ball back after two challenges - I didn't repeat the exercise as my head was in my hands and it's difficult to watch our defensive display when looking at the floor.

This is obvious and I am sure that you have all noticed the same, as a team we are not defending well at all but why? Players are criticised at FPR and sent packing yet reappear in different corners of planet football and seem to be comfortable and in some cases flourish.

We have settled the contracts of a record number of players who don't appear to fit into our system, but what is our system? We seem happy to bring in (and I forget the number) numerous loanees in the days and hours before a match where they take their place alongside colleagues they have known for, quite literally, only a few hours. Where on earth does coaching come into our set-up?

Only when we have won the battle to impose our style of play can we possibly dominate teams, we let the opposition dominate and hope to pinch the odd goal (but where from? I believe that might be the subject of another blog for another time).

With the exception of Lee Martin I did not see one player make an effort to chase anything.

Individual mistakes were made during this and many other matches this season, but they are highlighted because of the lack of direction and coaching from the management. I know that this is some statement but the facts are clear. With not one but two pre-seasons behind us and 18 months of development we are still surviving (barely) on last-minute loan deals.

Where is our system, what are we doing? Although a nice thought, we don't need Messi, Iniesta or Xavi to do the basics well - we need stability, structure and motivation brought about by good, solid man management that is desperately lacking with Mr Jewell and his coaching staff.

We have the players Mr Jewell, 1...2..3...4...5 I'm counting.

AndrewPC added 10:34 - Oct 8 Brendan Rodgers, Martinez, Steve Clarke, Paul Lambert: examples of the new younger generation of managers in the UK that know how to organise/coach teams. I think there is now a big question mark over the quality of coaching that goes on at Playford road. That said, there have been so many players in and out the door, is it any wonder that there is a lack of progress ?

2

DurhamTownFan added 10:37 - Oct 8 Top blog! Good ideas, and nicely put together. You make some good observations, and while its obvious that many of the goals we've given away are down to individual mistakes (those which PJ says he can't legislate for) the chances of these being made are lowered if you press the ball and get in the faces of the opposition. I felt like we dropped incredibly deep second half and let Cardiff come at us. We had all the best play and lots of the ball first half, so why didn't the half-time brief come to be 'lets put these lot away, lads, they've been rubbish all game'? I wish our coaching team was as developed at that at Barcelona, but its quite clear that at least without the ball, we're pretty soft-centred. Looking forward to your next blog!

2

mike_holmes1990 added 11:11 - Oct 8 What i would say is that while i cant argue with the point you make, defensively we need to be better, your sample time is a little biased. In the first half we were the ones controlling the play and had most of the ball and im sure you would have been able to count a longer period of time if taken from then.
-3

itfc94 added 11:44 - Oct 8 Fantastic read this, enjoyed that! Cheers I completely agree with you, and something that drove me mad in the Cardiff game was the lack of desire and drive to chase the ball down in the second half. Jewell is so tactically inept it drives me insane
3

Premiertown added 13:00 - Oct 8 Totally agree
0

whymark4lazio0 added 13:06 - Oct 8 Best serious (SE's are the funniest) blog I've read here.
0

Bluetaff added 13:18 - Oct 8 Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. Mike, you are correct and there were opportunities throughout where the statistics would have weighed heavily in our favour (particularly in the area Lee Martin was operating) however the trend in both halves remained the same, we are simply not set up to stamp our control on the game. This vast majority of loaness have arrived with serious lack of match fitness which is a factor but ultimately this is the responsibility of the coaching staff as is the way we are set up. It's pointless being controlled for 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there, if Cardiff had turned up I would have feared the worst. Whymark, I agree I miss SE1's blogs!

2

Edmunds5 added 15:52 - Oct 8 Well done, a gripping blog this, I wanted it to go on longer!, was getting into it as I enjoy the more analytical side of the game Anyway, interesting take on things and it makes me angry to think that this laziness goes on off the pitch and therefore on it. These are basics of football but I doubt Jewell has even considered anything like the method you have spoken about. Him and his coaches are old school and you have just emphasised to me how badly structured we are, If we dont use these kind of methods at least have some kind of solid base we can work of, which I'm yet to really see. Cardiff looked so well drilled compared to us, al you had to do was look at a fed up Jewell who kept spitting at the ground and a lively Malky Mackay barking out instructions, it was embarassing at times. As a fan I think its easy once we get a player on loan to just solely rate that player on ablity and say he will do a good job because of that, when really its more in depth and how well he does is really based on the tactical side of the game, problem is we dont really have any decent tactics and so the players performance will obviously suffer. We need a manager and coaches with fresh ideas and a take on the game that go hand in hand with the way football has evolved, we are not living in 1991 anymore.

1

eaii added 17:20 - Oct 8 Very good Blog and seriously paul Jewell could do with reading this. i agree with Martin trying to chase the ball but he really should be an attacking player which just about sums up the cr,p on the pitch at PR!
1

SouperJim added 09:08 - Oct 9 I think there is a fine line between waiting for an opportunity to win back the ball and diving in like a headless chicken in a dangerous area. It is clear that at the moment we are massively erring on the side of caution, but neither would I want to see the side play the way they are often urged to by the angry mob. It is also clear that the coaching happening at portman road simply isn't working. There are numerous failures which are obvious from the stands, which were present when Jewell first arrived and were still present on Saturday. Enough is enough.

0

rugbytomc added 10:16 - Oct 9 great blog. I totally agree - what is our system and set-up? A point i've raised before on this website is that Jewell historically likes to just bring players in to play in a certain way - for example, he wants a tall midfielder, so he brings one in - not he wants a midfielder to win the ball and then sit and protect the back 4 for example and is then willing to train someone to do that. No he has his formation, style of play and individual players in mind and he likes to buy those players in. This has always been his way - whether you like it or not. So why then, did Ipswich bring him in as manager and not back him in his style of management? Why not bring in the players he asked for and then judge him on that? It seems daft to me. I personally don't like the style - but that is one individuals opinion. What counts is the board (or owner and chief exec's) opinions and they don't seem willign to back him in his style and in the transfer market - so perhaps they should realise they need to bring in a manager who will fit their style - spending little and developing the players we already have. And someone here already pointed out several managers that have done that - Martinez, L:ambert, Clarke etc etc. I think a manager in this style would be more appreciated by the Town faithful as well - getting us to try and play the way we used to under Robson or Burley. It has worked for Swansea - it took time, Martinez, then Sousa then Rodgers and now Laudrup - but they are proving that you can play passing and possesion football and make a go of it in this league or the premier league. Equally - Sam Allardyce has shown that bringing players in to fit your style can also work in both leagues. So I challenge Mr Evans and Mr Clegg - either back Paul Jewell to the hilt - or bring in a manager to fit your own style. The current combination - like the previous one with Keane - just isn't working. Please act sooner rather than later as building a team takes time and we seem to have wasted goodness knows how many years already!

1

MVBlue added 12:36 - Oct 9 Does make you wonder doesn't it? As AndrewPC says there are talented younger managers out there playing a new system. Is Jewell just full of old tricks? Seems to be getting weighed down and the results just show such a poor condition of the club. Two games against Hull and Derby,no win there and its after the new George Burley, a young manager with ideas and connections we need to look.

0

Blogs 295 bloggers