| Got home from the game... 02:08 - Jan 18 with 2107 views | radiogaga |
Tonight was a very sobering experience indeed. Stood in the away end tonight, it felt like we hit a whole new (very hopeless) low tonight, and it's rare that I've seen our fans turn on any manager as toxically as was the case when Lincoln scored tonight.
Tonight was simply unacceptable from top to bottom. A drab, spineless "performance" that lacked even the bare minimum you would expect to see for £10, to watch a team supposedly worthy of being a cup scalp. No leaders, too many "good honest pros" went missing when they needed to stand up and be counted, no ideas, no plan and absolutely no quality. I refuse to defend McCarthy on the grounds that he has had limited funds, since a non league team that was assembled at a fraction of the cost of our wagebill has outplayed us twice in a matter of days (and credit to them btw - justice was done in the case of both teams). Tonight exposed us for the limited footballing team we are.
This team has lost its identity and lost its way completely, and tonight further strengthens my beliefs. We were taught a footballing lesson by a team who, in spite of being 3 leagues below us, were better than us in every department. Our lack of squad strength (particularly our lack of urgency in the summer) has now unravelled to the point that we are playing Leon Best as a lone striker, signing strikers that non league clubs are prepared to sell for nominal sums, a player released by Barnsley playing at Centre half due to injuries, and pinning too much of our hopes on 2 injury prone players who have been too frequently unavailable over the last couple of seasons. To think a couple of seasons ago, we had Murphy and Sears leading the line and causing defences nightmares regularly and a defence that teams had to work to get anything out of.
A few players stood out for me. Gerken kicking 3 successive goal kicks straight into touch summed our night up in one almost. His gesturing and arms out towards fans complaining after his 3rd was the icing on the cake. Knudsen is simply not good enough to be playing week in week out. I have no qualms with his work rate or his determination, but the boy badly lacks composure or anticipation. Too many times tonight, he was too slow to 50/50s that his opposition full backs were taking control of at the opposite end. Whilst Berra got his act together in the second half, his first half performance was dreadful. Someone with his experience should know better than to take the bait of bringing down a big man backing into him, and too often was misjudging balls going towards him and getting caught out of position. Digby, who to his credit clearly gave it his all and put himself about with a few good blocks, did not look comfortable on the ball whatsoever and appears completely limited as a defender. Douglas and Skuse together simply does not work - it was not the right central midfield combination for this game at all. Lawrence had the look of someone who believes he has already made it, off the back of some good goals and rave reviews, and lacked any real fight or drive tonight. Much like in the game at Portman Road, Ward went missing and I frequently struggle to figure him out. When he first arrived, he excited us with his hat trick and early performances out wide but as the months have passed, his performance dipped and has since been deployed in more central and defensive midfield positions. It's difficult to interpret exactly what his strongest position is. Best, purely and simply, has done nothing in the last 4 months to suggest he is good enough to get in our team.
So much needs to be addressed and it is difficult to see where will be addressed first. I don't imagine (in the event of us actually offering the money clubs are asking for our "targets") that those players would be immediately sold on us on tonight's viewing. Tonight, nationwide of live TV, showed us up for the disjointed stagnated club we currently are. Inadequate squad, inadequate management, (rightly) unhappy fans and a lack of ideas as to where needs to be addressed most urgently. With 13 days of the transfer window to go, I am bracing myself for the September deadline day excuses to be requoted. |  |
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| Got home from the game... on 02:12 - Jan 18 with 2074 views | Stiffler |
What was the ground like? How did you find the quality of the catering |  | | |
| Got home from the game... on 02:18 - Jan 18 with 2027 views | Illinoisblue |
A sadly accurate assessment. ITFC is dying. We're just waiting for the funeral. |  |
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| Got home from the game... on 03:08 - Jan 18 with 1923 views | BrettenhamBlue |
| Got home from the game... on 02:18 - Jan 18 by Illinoisblue |
A sadly accurate assessment. ITFC is dying. We're just waiting for the funeral. |
Says it all really. Our club is a shambles top to bottom. We've been living off frees and loans for years and it's starting to show. I'm sure we will be going to clubs cap in hand the next few weeks looking for signings. My 2 nephews (both 14) gave up supporting Ipswich due to the boring hoofball we serve up. |  |
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| Got home from the game... on 03:10 - Jan 18 with 1923 views | BrettenhamBlue |
By the way, good on you for going. I haven't been to a match in a while due to the awful football on display. I just remember crying, bored kids and people pretending to be asleep. We have become a joke of a club. Serious change needed | |
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| Got home from the game... on 03:16 - Jan 18 with 1896 views | Johnny_Boy |
| Got home from the game... on 03:08 - Jan 18 by BrettenhamBlue |
Says it all really. Our club is a shambles top to bottom. We've been living off frees and loans for years and it's starting to show. I'm sure we will be going to clubs cap in hand the next few weeks looking for signings. My 2 nephews (both 14) gave up supporting Ipswich due to the boring hoofball we serve up. |
If M.E. insists he still cares for the club, then he's got little choice but to convince MM to either leave mutually - or bite the bullet & sack him. [Post edited 18 Jan 2017 3:17]
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| Got home from the game... on 04:51 - Jan 18 with 1788 views | Benters |
| Got home from the game... on 03:10 - Jan 18 by BrettenhamBlue |
By the way, good on you for going. I haven't been to a match in a while due to the awful football on display. I just remember crying, bored kids and people pretending to be asleep. We have become a joke of a club. Serious change needed |
You Sir are bang on and like you and a few of us now have all stopped going.
Something needs to change and it needs to happen quick . |  |
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| Got home from the game... on 05:08 - Jan 18 with 1764 views | powinswitch |
Those who come on here and argue that Evans has got to spend more, fail to realise that we have been beaten, and outplayed by Crawley Town, Stevenage Borough (twice), Portsmouth and Lincoln City in recent years. All have a significantly lower budget. All play football the right way.
The amount you spend does play a major role. But before that. Before anything is your football philosophy. McCarthys is very simple. Our first job is to stop the opposition. That is not entertaining, and is not working. We are haemorrhaging fans as a result, which then means we have less money to spend going forward.
Job number one. McCarthy to go. Job number two. Identify a manager who can deploy a football philosophy which sees his team get the ball down and play attacking football. Yes he should be mindful of the opposition, but he should be thinking about how we can impose ourselves on them. If he thinks we can't then stick a cautious team out. If he consistently thinks we can't, then get a better squad together in the summer. But still money is not necessarily the answer. Lincoln City had a better squad yesterday, and their budget is apparently 550,000. I suggest we will have a few players on more than that each year. | | | |
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