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Ipswich Strikers XI
Written by Ole_Pablo_Ole on Tuesday, 8th Jan 2013 20:56

When I heard that Ipswich had signed an eleventh striker I joked "you could play a whole team of them", which then led me to think how that eleven would line-up if we were to start every single one of them.

So for purely trivial reasons I will be stating how I would line-up a team of Ipswich strikers. Obviously I know that not all of them are purely strikers but give me a break, it is just for fun!

Goalkeeper- Nathan Ellington

This was a hard one to decide but Ellington just about earned the job of putting the gloves on for this team. Partially because he is one of the fattest out of the lot so he stands a decent chance of keeping the shots out, but equally because he would be completely useless anywhere else.

Left Back- Aaron Mclean

I have put the Hull forward in here because he looks like he has a bit of strength and wouldn't be afraid to get stuck in. Of course when you have a team of strikers the back line is always going to look a bit crude but McLean could probably add a bit of class to the role in addition to giving the opposition a good kicking.

Centre Back- David McGoldrick

At just over 6 foot McGoldrick would certainly have the height to put in a decent shift in central defence. Apparently he has a bit of pace about him too which would help him keep up with his fellow forwards.

Centre Back- Daryl Murphy

The Irish forward is the tallest player in our team of strikers, standing at a mighty 6ft 3in. That makes him a decent partner for fellow big man McGoldrick and I can’t see many teams beating those two in the air. Murphy may not be the quickest but hopefully his fellow centre back would be able to cover for him if need be.

Right Back- Ronan Murray

I know what you are thinking; he is a bit on the scrawny side to be in the defence? Maybe you are right but the young lad has a bit of pace about him and I can see him bombing down the line making plenty of overlapping runs. Putting him at full-back would probably end in tears but that said, it is a team full of strikers and you can’t stick them all upfront.

Left Wing- Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

JET would be mine and I am guessing everyone else’s first choice here. Nobody is quite sure as to whether he is better upfront or on the wing but he has played here before so it makes sense to give him this role. He might have to do a bit more tracking back than usual with Aaron Mclean behind him but JET would be his usual self going forward in this position.

Central Midfield - Jason Scotland

At 33 years of age it is fair to say that Scotland’s legs may not be quite what they used to be. A role in central midfield would be ideal for the Trinidad international as long as he has someone else to do the running for him. I've always thought his passing was pretty decent too so he would be the top choice here in my eyes.

Central Midfield - Michael Chopra

Poor old Chops has been left with the job of doing all the dirty work in midfield. I’m not sure if this role would suit him well but it is hard to find a striker who will put himself about a bit. Maybe we would see the best of Chopra if he was given a place in the team where expectations weren't quite as high though. He would no longer be dragged down by the pressure to score goals and may just be the perfect fit.

Right Wing- Paul Taylor

A lot of strikers have been converted to wingers in the past and I’m sure it could be done here. I haven’t seen much of Taylor to be honest but I've heard he isn't all about the goals which would suggest that he would handle a right wing role pretty well.

Striker- DJ Campbell (OK, he's gone for the moment but Mick says he's still after him)

The easiest position to fill out of the lot, it wouldn't be right to put Campbell anywhere else. He is the perfect poacher at Championship level and is having a great season so far. It is fair to say that this team would concede a lot of goals so it is important to have someone who can score over 20 goals a season in this position.

Striker- Frank Nouble

The young striker hasn't made many first team appearances and it wouldn’t be fair to throw the new guy out of position. Nouble might not be completely ready for the first team and probably has a lot to learn, so putting him up top with DJ Campbell would be great for him. He is also a bit of an unknown quantity so you would want to see what he can offer upfront before putting him anywhere else.




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theobald1985 added 21:39 - Jan 8
any idea what odds i can get on this being towns line up at cardiff
3

BackToRussia added 21:41 - Jan 8
Not a bad team! Scotland could be like Dwight Yorke at Sunderland.
3

Tractorog added 22:17 - Jan 8
I wonder how many of them would still be at town on February 1st?
Nice fun blog though.
2

Nthsuffolkblue added 22:33 - Jan 8
The only flaws to your post that I can spot are:
1 DJ Campbell is not at the club and so there are only 10 strikers on the books instead of the 11;
2 Paul Taylor is out for the rest of the season so will not play with any of the loanees unless they sign permanently;
3 Ellington is clearly not considered in the club's plans and is available on loan;
4 Murray is obviously not considered ready at this level or would have been more involved and so you have to wonder if he has a future at the club at all;
5 This leaves a maximum of 7 strikers and since at least 4 of these can play out wide it does not seem such an unreasonable number, especially when you consider 3 of these are on loan;
6 I am sure that if Town get the chance they will sign DJ Campbell he will join taking it up to 8 strikers but still 3 short of an eleven;
7 A squad needs 5 subs so we would need 5 more strikers (or actually 9 more);
8 With the transfer window still open there is every chance of outgoings as well as incomings (and it is refreshing that MM is bringing players in before moving others out);
9 Injuries and suspensions will likely mean not all of these will be available at the same time;
10 I am struggling to find another argument but then you struggled to find the 10th and 11th strikers;
11 Refer to point 10.
;)
-10

Ole_Pablo_Ole added 23:30 - Jan 8
Nthsuffolkblue: I was fully aware of all of those factors when writing this up but it was just a bit of fun. It was always going to be bit of a stretch to get 11 'strikers' in, but I'd like to think people enjoyed it.

BackToRussia: I think that Scotland could do something in central midfield, would be entertaining to see him there at the very least! I also think that Murphy could be half decent at centre back, again would be funny to see.
5

Radlett_blue added 23:50 - Jan 8
Nathan Ellington may be no worse in goal than up front.
2

Edmunds5 added 01:05 - Jan 9
Nice blog gave me some laughs, thought I would give a bit more info about certain aspects of the team...

Type of football= offensive
tactic= Gung-ho
Strength of the team= Can score from all over the pitch
Weakness= Shambolic defensively with the worst goal difference ever recorded
The fans mood= Team selection causing general bemusement
targets= To get the backline working collectively
1

DurhamTownFan added 08:00 - Jan 9
Anyone remember Neil Gregory in goal? Best sub ever-keeper and shot-shy striker all in one!
3

ThatMuhrenCross added 11:46 - Jan 9
I quite enjoyed that! ha. If only Bilel Mohsni was still here! He played as a striker for Southend quite a lot, but started as a centre-back.
2

JewellintheTown added 14:27 - Jan 9
Great stuff, LOL - stranger things have happened. You might get a surprise with big Mick buying so many strikers.

Maybe if we had a full squad of strkiers we might score 10 but let in 8, - so 2 goals up each game. Quite literally "forward" thinking.

Funny article, thanks Ole_Pablo_Ole. Well done. Maybe your next one should build on it by chosing the best all time Ipswich 11 strikers.
1

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 15:24 - Jan 9
Nthsuffolkblue - did u get out of bed the wrong side ?
0

mannos6 added 15:56 - Jan 9
Nthsuffolk blue you do understand its all abit of fun??
Ole_pable_ole thought it was very fun blog to read and enjoyed the explanations for putting them in positions shame others couldn't take your team less seriously.
0

Nthsuffolkblue added 16:06 - Jan 9
I did actually think my response was a bit of fun trying to find 11 reasons but I guess the feeling wasn't shared by quite a few. I also wanted to point out to anyone that actually had thought there were 11 strikers at the club (as the blogger pointed out it had been stated on the forum) that there are far from it too.
Sorry if that makes it sound like I was taking a silly article seriously.
0

Nthsuffolkblue added 16:10 - Jan 9
and Durham: I recall Matt Holland replacing Richard Wright in a game I believe we beat Oxford 5-1 or something similar.

I also have vague recollections of Micky Stockwell in goal but that might just be because he played everywhere else! I certainly recall him playing up front at Leicester with David Lowe.
1

beerhelps added 17:28 - Jan 9
Trevor Wymark at CB in a cup-semi at Villa Park, anyone......or am I imagening it?

Lack of ale, you know......
0

murraybrunning added 08:50 - Jan 10
Nthsuffolkblue-- I remember that game. Think it was 5-2. I believe that may have been the day Marlon Harewood missed the ultimate sitter- the ball was going in anyway. Happy times
0

oioihardy added 10:21 - Jan 10
Neil Gregory is my manager , at stowupland falcons!
0

fifeblue added 12:54 - Jan 10
Back in the day, Eddie Spearritt played in every position at Ipswich, including goalkeeper. And he was probably better in each of those positions than anyone we have in the team now. We need 11 Eddies.
0

Marcus added 19:54 - Jan 29
I remember Neil Gregory being used as the substitute keeper during an injury crisis. He came on a couple of times and put in one of those performances that you could give 5/5 for effort and 0/5 for achievement. He earnt a lot of respect for trying.
0
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