| You do it to yourself 16:12 - Oct 20 with 1361 views | Mullet |
A second ever visit to Accrington Stanley in a matter of months, and our first in the league. Straight off international break, moved to a godforsaken time for Sky and a number of injuries for Town. As the rain spat on us in the open terrace, there was no point looking up just yet, and no excuse to look down the much-changed home side and ask, “who are they?” We’d soon find out.
People spent the end of each half bemoaning the decisions of yet another contender for the weekly “worst ref we’d ever seen” Keith Stroud commemorative award, but if the hour prior to kick off team-sheet tweet didn’t raise alarm bells, then the final whistle did. Town walked off to a mix of applause and apathy, the referee the kind of unadulterated scorn only matured at ungodly hours in motorway service stations.
Yet few stopped and asked, "were Lambert’s decisions worse?"
Holy in goal, Woolf, Chambers and Nsiala across the back. Two wingbacks with little defensive intent or idea in Garbutt and Edwards. An amorphous front end that saw Skuse and Dozzell sit in between, Nolan off a front two of Jackson and Judge.
After 10 minutes the near ancient library of bad decisions being written today saw us checking out shanked kicks from Holy, headers back inside from Woolfenden and Toto once again reprising his role of wronged and loveable oaf whilst an opposition forward lay sprawling on the turf with a clear sight of goal.
By the time Stanley took the lead, it had looked like Ipswich had mounted a case to remain encamped around their goal. It lasted from about the 10th minute to the 15th. Down the right the attacking instincts of Edwards, Jackson and Judge saw Garbutt whipping the ball in from a free kick. However, it was followed by a continuation of a series of deep crosses, and a 7ft keeper staying even deeper and choosing not to collect them that cost us.
Edwards was probably fouled by Bishop as he over came all that was Holy for the first time. A lack of appeals from the pitch side of the incident maybe tells us everything. But it seemed odd the manner with which Ipswich just accepted going behind.
There seemed to be a competition of who could play the more asymmetrical football, as both full backs seemed to be outnumbered by home players, and both nominal strikers for Town seemed scared of the box. Not since Pandora has one looked so empty of threat and danger.
Dozzell took a verbal beating, in another game where he looked not to get involved. But both he and Judge were never getting a fair hearing when either one was expected to pick out players, neither in their correct position or Stanley’s goal. Or challenge in the air against giants and win out. Andre is a deep lying midfielder but not a defensive one.
Everything he wants to do is push Town forward. But when pushed back, he was having to be shooed towards his man time and again as no one around him picked them up either.
Both luxury players could have come off at half time, or any time. Both could have had a player nearby who did more than slow it back down, after they turned possession into something for all but a flash or glimpse of mixing our pattern of play up.
When Toto reprised his old role of “who me?” as the opposition argued over the stonewall penalty he’d just facilitated for the first time this season, and hundredth time in his Ipswich career, it was clear he wasn’t going to emerge for the second half. But given the subs available in Huws and Keane, Town’s lack of physicality or guile, and the fact that our wingbacks were not of the calibre Wolves had when they utilised them so well, it was a wonder as to why we were sinking so quickly and Lambert merely looked out of his technical area at the horizon.
No sooner had Holy got a weak hand to Bishop’s penalty and the deficit doubled, then doubts on the pitch spread to the stands. Town’s favourite pianist got a ten man and his drum encore as the final few minutes of the half ticked by.
Dobra warmed up at half time in full kit. It was clear he was coming on and with him so did Rowe. Toto and Dozzell made way, both to accusations of incompetence and ineffectiveness. Town switched to what was intended to be a 4411. Dobra sat off Jackson and Rowe and Judge went back to early season roles as inverted wingers.
If the long balls, aimless runs and skittling challenges that saw both teams clutching their injured limbs and screaming for more cards to be shown were atypical of our season so far, they were typical features of the one before.
Dobra looked lively and his understudying days in the cup looked to have provided him with the moment to take centre stage in his league bow. Driving at players, deceptively quick with and without the ball you can see why he was the perfect super sub for 20 minutes later then when he came on. In these circumstances, he drew worried glances from red shirts, and more red shirts back to defend a comfortable lead.
Town just didn’t look happy shooting wherever they found any modicum of space or sight at goal. Jackson coming from inside late in the half had perhaps the best opportunity to test the keeper, but instead it was Rowe who had one trickle wide to derision that summed up our day on front of goal.
It was hard to keep track of who was being booked and bludgeoned on either side, as players fell foul of a referee happy to take names and the lens of the TV cameras in his stride. Even when it was way behind play.
Nothing summarised this ineptitude more than Luke Woolfenden finding himself on the goal line like a latter day Mogga. The ball coming off him, and over the line, but not according to any official in the ground. The defender didn’t appeal and the one who hooked it away must have smiled to himself. Only he had moved in the whole passage of play.
Accrington still kept coming at us though, and it felt like the ill wind and dropping temperatures might be enough to seize up Town’s already immobile and misfiring engine room. When Georgiou finally replaced Judge, it was presumably to stop them pouring in on Garbutt, and getting off crosses easily, but that damage had long been done.
The Spurs loanee with one good run toward goal, managed to get another corner from which Town would merely nod away what Accrington couldn’t. Any shape or rhythm Lambert had looked to instil in his players spilled out from the tactics board and into the drain.
Throughout the game Edwards, Nolan, Dobra had all received reckless challenges and time on the deck. They’d reciprocated and joined several Stanley players in the book. When the gigantic Sykes tangled with Dobra off the ball, it wasn’t the mutual clash that saw Chambers bandaged like Butcher in the first half. The little man had his mouth stuffed with Lancastrian fist. The ref adjudged both to have thrown one each and awarded a red card apiece.
The disbelief behind the goal and from the Albanian was palpable. So was the sense someone else would join them as neither captain nor official could contain the protests and outrage. If both players receive a 3 game ban, it will be interesting to see who and which team it hurts most. It says it all that Chambers was MOTM by virtue of doing his job, but Dobra was the only positive for barely half an hour or so.
For all our talk of depth, and the dream start we’ve made, for a wake-up call like this to hold off until Halloween is nigh, is commendable.
But once again, the nightmares of last season and same old failures crept in. How many of the players looked at ease in the roles they were asked to play? How many looked like they could control the game for any concerted amount of time? How many knew where their teammates were planning on putting the ball or themselves as we broke down and the opposition weren’t?
Today was everything this league promised it could be. Inhospitable surrounds, terrible officiating, terrible spectacles and basic approaches to games that don’t require complicated passes and pirouettes to overcome them. With our lead cut, it’s critical all hope doesn’t bleed out. We are still top of the league, and with games on Tuesday that threaten that further, this might have come at the perfect time.
If Town are looking to remain at the summit, then we can come into Rotherham and give the home fans a performance that blows away today’s mishap. That might be the best proof of our champion status, while it remains at best, theoretical for many months still.
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| You do it to yourself on 16:34 - Oct 20 with 1279 views | cbower |
Holy, all 6feet 9 of him rooted to his line for a loopy lobbed cross headed in from 5 yards out. Inexplicable for me. Nsiala should not play on the left side of a three. His clumsiness is so badly exposed out there. Edwards has zero delivery and Judge just continuously makes poor decisions in possession. Andre simply anonymous and deserved to be replaced. He really does not go looking for the ball. Appears to me he looks like he wants it but never makes the clear and proper angle for our players to give it to him. You can only disppoint so many times before belief really is questioned. Huws must be so far off it in Lambert's eyes when Danny Rowe gets the nod to replace Doz for 45. Ditto Will Keane. Didn't see the Dobra incident but he was so clearly elbowed in the face seconds before. Yes, the ref was very inconsistent. Seemed to take every opportunity to brandish a card to Town players whilst the men in red committed similar offences with no card. They were better than us, no question. Only Skuse, Chambers and Nolan come away with any credit. Go again midweek. |  |
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| You do it to yourself on 16:57 - Oct 20 with 1243 views | Mullet |
| You do it to yourself on 16:34 - Oct 20 by cbower |
Holy, all 6feet 9 of him rooted to his line for a loopy lobbed cross headed in from 5 yards out. Inexplicable for me. Nsiala should not play on the left side of a three. His clumsiness is so badly exposed out there. Edwards has zero delivery and Judge just continuously makes poor decisions in possession. Andre simply anonymous and deserved to be replaced. He really does not go looking for the ball. Appears to me he looks like he wants it but never makes the clear and proper angle for our players to give it to him. You can only disppoint so many times before belief really is questioned. Huws must be so far off it in Lambert's eyes when Danny Rowe gets the nod to replace Doz for 45. Ditto Will Keane. Didn't see the Dobra incident but he was so clearly elbowed in the face seconds before. Yes, the ref was very inconsistent. Seemed to take every opportunity to brandish a card to Town players whilst the men in red committed similar offences with no card. They were better than us, no question. Only Skuse, Chambers and Nolan come away with any credit. Go again midweek. |
I've been really impressed by the work Walker has done with Holy, I thought by now Norris would have displaced him. But that was a display of the Holy we bought, not the one we've been improving behind a confident defence all season.
Perhaps therein lies the answer? Toto was doing nothing but remind me how appalling Hurst is as a judge of character. You could make the case this time last season he was in a team absolutely obliterated by Hurst, but he's doing the exact same thing, in a side that is the opposite of that.
A budgie was very quick to tweet me, he punched the guy, but I've seen no highlights of anything yet. The ref dug his own grave, and it made it all the worse that he failed to book players for stuff he'd carded earlier. I think there was at least one two footer apiece that didn't see red.
I'm very concerned that in the way Mick overdid the defence sometimes, and Jim overdid the midfield Lambert is doing the same. We were overrun by an awful team in an area we should have bossed no matter what. I really want to see us dick Rotherham and put to bed any doubts. | |
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| You do it to yourself on 17:41 - Oct 20 with 1178 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
A fair reflection of what I saw on TV. However, on TV Woolfenden clearly did appeal (to deaf ears) and it was not clear whether the ball did cross the line from the only angles they showed. |  |
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| You do it to yourself on 18:27 - Oct 20 with 1104 views | StNeotsBlue |
| You do it to yourself on 17:41 - Oct 20 by Nthsuffolkblue |
A fair reflection of what I saw on TV. However, on TV Woolfenden clearly did appeal (to deaf ears) and it was not clear whether the ball did cross the line from the only angles they showed. |
It looked about a foot over the line from at least two of the angles that were shown. |  | | |
| You do it to yourself on 18:49 - Oct 20 with 1066 views | Mullet |
| You do it to yourself on 17:41 - Oct 20 by Nthsuffolkblue |
A fair reflection of what I saw on TV. However, on TV Woolfenden clearly did appeal (to deaf ears) and it was not clear whether the ball did cross the line from the only angles they showed. |
Fair enough, it looked clear from behind the goal. The bloke had all but fallen into the net and from the Sky angle it clearly hits him in the hip, which is way over the line at impact and he's travelling back.
That being said, to have that as a contentious issue and no other moment where we truly looked like scoring against a side that bad is horrendous.
We once again didn't run the ref or the game and lost out far too often because of it. | |
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| You do it to yourself on 19:11 - Oct 20 with 1038 views | GlasgowBlue |
| You do it to yourself on 18:49 - Oct 20 by Mullet |
Fair enough, it looked clear from behind the goal. The bloke had all but fallen into the net and from the Sky angle it clearly hits him in the hip, which is way over the line at impact and he's travelling back.
That being said, to have that as a contentious issue and no other moment where we truly looked like scoring against a side that bad is horrendous.
We once again didn't run the ref or the game and lost out far too often because of it. |
With twenty minutes to go, 2-0 down and a supposedly superior group of players, we should have been camped on their penalty area.
Instead we barely managed a decent attack and they looked more likely to get another goal. As you said, the game was crying out for Will Keane. |  |
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| You do it to yourself on 19:53 - Oct 20 with 981 views | Mullet |
| You do it to yourself on 19:11 - Oct 20 by GlasgowBlue |
With twenty minutes to go, 2-0 down and a supposedly superior group of players, we should have been camped on their penalty area.
Instead we barely managed a decent attack and they looked more likely to get another goal. As you said, the game was crying out for Will Keane. |
Good to see you again today.
What I don't get is why we persist with Jackson in a role that doesn't suit him, and pair him with Judge in a role who doesn't suit him. Then expect the wingbacks to support them when neither are very defensive and Nolan is meant to link to the attack.
As I said on twitter at half time, how many players played in their natural position today? Holy, Chambers, Woolfenden, Skuse. Beyond that you can make arguments that the selection and formation meant no one else truly was. Certainly the roles people were taking up seemed not to suit them.
It had the feel of Lambert thinking he could just turn up today, but I hope that's wrong. However, if he felt he could risk a poorer team today to make sure that he has stronger selections for the home game against a more direct rival, that's a troubling strategy too. | |
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