| Relegation. 12:08 - Jan 27 with 7444 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
We all wanted a fairytale of Ipswich winning back-to-back promotions and holding our own in the Premier League. I don’t want to be negative, I don't feel negative about it, and to still be within a shot of staying up in February is nothing to be ashamed of, however, I am resigned to the fact we will likely be relegated this season.
We are the only side in the league that’s been out of the top tier for decades and as a club least prepared (no fault of the current administration) for topflight football, so it is no surprise that we are in the bottom three but we must give the players and manager some credit for still being in it, at this stage as we could have easily ended up like Southampton, who have far more experience at this level than we do, and are doing very poorly, although not playing badly.
We haven’t played badly overall ourselves, however in games we should have picked up points we have faltered through silly mistakes, concentration issues and we must admit it, tactical failings, that have not delivered those points. Examples of those games are Leicester, Brentford, Bournemouth, and both games against Fulham. In games against City and Liverpool, while we gave them good games in the early part of the season, we were overawed by them in the recent fixtures, and some players looked like they were simply enjoying their moment playing against these sides rather than being here for the long haul. It does speak about the mentality of the squad now, compared to a few months ago. The other issue we have is that we cannot break down the poorer sides in this league, bar Wolves. We have looked our worst against West Ham, Southampton, Crystal Palace, and Everton, the teams we should be competing with, if we were to have any chance to stay up.
This may be controversial for some and will probably be an unpopular opinion, but we hear a lot about how the League One guys aren’t good enough, as if they are the issue with the squad. I disagree for the most part, I think on their day, injury-free, they have performed as well as anyone we have brought in. Better in some cases. Morsy has been a bit slow at this level, and his cause hasn’t been helped (in my view) by playing alongside equally ponderous midfielders which has accentuated the fact that Morsy is slower. Walton, Davis, Wolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy, Chaplin, Hirst and recently Broadhead have all had good games and have performed no worse than any of the players we have brought in. I feel that some of them have been quite unfairly dropped. Clarke has done okay when asked but needs another year to develop. People talk about them having a ceiling, which is true, but the idea our potential relegation rests on the fact these guys are not up to it is not true. If anything, you could argue that our transfer business hasn’t been as effective as it should have been, which isn’t a knock on all of the new players, Delap has shown his worth, but the others have been as good as the other players in the squad who had stepped up two leagues very quickly. I do think it's largely a cohesion thing, and a bit of too much change too soon in some areas. If we did stay up then a few of the new players could realistically establish themselves here and in this division.
We play Southampton next with the expectation that we will win. On paper, you would fancy us, but they are due a win, they have been playing well on balance and are unlucky to have not picked up more points. We struggled against them in the away fixture and they know us well enough to know how to stop us. This will be a tense game to watch and the crowd has to be up for this one.
Finally, while I have a lot of respect for McKenna, he is a great manager but we must realise this is a new experience for him also. He’s learning as we play, game by game, and in a tough league. There was a lot of talk about McKenna being better than Burley this season and I have to disagree with that, which is not a knock on McKenna, Burley just was (so far) a better manager for us who did it at the top-level, albeit briefly. There have been mistakes with our tactics, our inability to see out games or use a bit of gamesmanship to get the points on the board, as stated previously, some players have been dropped which shouldn’t have been in my view, and with the constant changes to the line-up, injury issues aside, has cost us consistency and cohesion which has been another reason we have not picked up those vital points.
We are doing very well for what we are, and who we have signed regardless if we drop or not. I am not feeling that negative about things, despite feeling we will drop this season.
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| Relegation. on 12:10 - Jan 27 with 6576 views | NthQldITFC |
Chin up. Three horse race, we win. [Post edited 27 Jan 12:10]
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| Relegation. on 12:11 - Jan 27 with 6560 views | Reuser_is_God |
Don’t be such a fanny.
We are one of three teams going for 17th & we have just as good of a chance as the other two. |  |
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| Relegation. on 12:12 - Jan 27 with 6531 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 12:10 - Jan 27 by NthQldITFC |
Chin up. Three horse race, we win. [Post edited 27 Jan 12:10]
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I don't feel particularly negative about it, it was always going to be a big ask and we still have as good a chance as anyone to stay up going into February. I just feel we need to be realistic. | |
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| Relegation. on 12:59 - Jan 27 with 6084 views | Pinewoodblue |
While I don’t think Spurs will be relegated have a feeling they will fill 17th spot. |  |
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| Relegation. on 13:49 - Jan 27 with 5848 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 12:59 - Jan 27 by Pinewoodblue |
While I don’t think Spurs will be relegated have a feeling they will fill 17th spot. |
I think they will change the manager before it gets to that point, their players know it and have downed tools for him. | |
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| Relegation. on 13:52 - Jan 27 with 5808 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Resigning yourself to relegation is not the way.
We are in the hunt. After West Ham, Everton, Leicester. I was certainly fearing the worst. But we are in the hunt. We have a chance at staying up.
3 Points vs Saints and we will all be feeling better. Fingers crossed. |  |
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| Relegation. on 13:56 - Jan 27 with 5753 views | _clive_baker_ |
Proper Norwich mentality that. You don't win what this club has won or punch above your weight thinking like that.
We've got a chance. We need to outperform Wolves & Leicester, we play them both, we've got Southampton next. 1 game at a time, get some wins and see what happens. |  | | |
| Relegation. on 14:57 - Jan 27 with 5426 views | giant_stow |
| Relegation. on 13:56 - Jan 27 by _clive_baker_ |
Proper Norwich mentality that. You don't win what this club has won or punch above your weight thinking like that.
We've got a chance. We need to outperform Wolves & Leicester, we play them both, we've got Southampton next. 1 game at a time, get some wins and see what happens. |
ahem, when the mighty yellows went up two seasons in a row, the 1st in the prem after that saw a 12th place finish. ya boo. [Post edited 27 Jan 15:02]
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| Relegation. on 15:02 - Jan 27 with 5378 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 13:56 - Jan 27 by _clive_baker_ |
Proper Norwich mentality that. You don't win what this club has won or punch above your weight thinking like that.
We've got a chance. We need to outperform Wolves & Leicester, we play them both, we've got Southampton next. 1 game at a time, get some wins and see what happens. |
How is that a Norwich mentality? I am just realistic, 17th would be a massive achievement and as I stated we could still do it, but we'd have to have a good run and I can't see us winning many more, and I think Saturday may be a lot harder than a few think it will be. | |
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| Relegation. on 15:06 - Jan 27 with 5337 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 14:57 - Jan 27 by giant_stow |
ahem, when the mighty yellows went up two seasons in a row, the 1st in the prem after that saw a 12th place finish. ya boo. [Post edited 27 Jan 15:02]
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Norwich did well to get several promotions over the last couple of decades, you were a much better-run club at that time and we can't take that from you. The downfall of Norwich was not being able to invest/recruit the types of players while up there to keep you there and a board that lacked ambition. Sacking a quality coach in Farke and replacing him with clowns has been the nail in the coffin for the yo-yo system your board was relying on.
I don't think Gamechanger will have the same issue, they aren't massively spendthrift but even if McKenna leaves in the summer they will have someone lined up to come in and work with the members of the squad we will keep that will give us a good chance of coming back up. | |
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| Relegation. on 15:07 - Jan 27 with 5305 views | giant_stow |
| Relegation. on 15:06 - Jan 27 by SaffronWaldenBlues |
Norwich did well to get several promotions over the last couple of decades, you were a much better-run club at that time and we can't take that from you. The downfall of Norwich was not being able to invest/recruit the types of players while up there to keep you there and a board that lacked ambition. Sacking a quality coach in Farke and replacing him with clowns has been the nail in the coffin for the yo-yo system your board was relying on.
I don't think Gamechanger will have the same issue, they aren't massively spendthrift but even if McKenna leaves in the summer they will have someone lined up to come in and work with the members of the squad we will keep that will give us a good chance of coming back up. |
Very fair / agree with most. | |
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| Relegation. on 15:19 - Jan 27 with 5206 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 15:07 - Jan 27 by giant_stow |
Very fair / agree with most. |
You guys must look at what Bournemouth did around the same time, or even Fulham, and think, that could have been us, had the board been up to the task but the ambition just was not there in my view. Norwich's best run in my view was still from 1984 to 1994, I think your club had a bit more ambition back then. | |
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| Relegation. on 15:23 - Jan 27 with 5160 views | giant_stow |
| Relegation. on 15:19 - Jan 27 by SaffronWaldenBlues |
You guys must look at what Bournemouth did around the same time, or even Fulham, and think, that could have been us, had the board been up to the task but the ambition just was not there in my view. Norwich's best run in my view was still from 1984 to 1994, I think your club had a bit more ambition back then. |
You're right again - it stings to see what we could have been, looking at other clubs who've done better. I think our big wigs have always been a little more risk averse than most. | |
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| Relegation. on 15:48 - Jan 27 with 5026 views | Broadbent23 |
You cannot compare McKenna to Burley as the Premier league is a different beast now. Back in 2001/2 the difference between championship and premier was small compared to today. The top teams have Squads valued at £1b. Our squad is probably around £200m, therefore KMc is trying to create a miracle. Burley's team were men not boys. Tactics were less complicated then; now you need a science degree to formulate a win. Yes we are in a relegation battle with a good chance of survival. Burley had a second season blimp and we fell like a stone. KMc is moulding the team for the long stay . Also the backroom are making better transfer decisions. Two decades of football doesn't allow a comparison. KMc's feats are for today and not stuck in the past. |  | | |
| Relegation. on 16:28 - Jan 27 with 4854 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 15:48 - Jan 27 by Broadbent23 |
You cannot compare McKenna to Burley as the Premier league is a different beast now. Back in 2001/2 the difference between championship and premier was small compared to today. The top teams have Squads valued at £1b. Our squad is probably around £200m, therefore KMc is trying to create a miracle. Burley's team were men not boys. Tactics were less complicated then; now you need a science degree to formulate a win. Yes we are in a relegation battle with a good chance of survival. Burley had a second season blimp and we fell like a stone. KMc is moulding the team for the long stay . Also the backroom are making better transfer decisions. Two decades of football doesn't allow a comparison. KMc's feats are for today and not stuck in the past. |
I don't know if it was, I think the gulf between the Premier League then and the Championship was quite big and many came up and down right away. If you look at the sides Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle, and co had back then, you have some of their greatest players of all time playing for them in 2000/01 and 2001/02 and Burley managed to finish 5th and qualify for Europe twice (albeit one through fair play). We were competing with Shearer, Henry, Gerrard, Scholes... we had Mark Venus and John McGreal. [Post edited 27 Jan 16:28]
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| Relegation. on 17:22 - Jan 27 with 4646 views | Steve_M |
| Relegation. on 14:57 - Jan 27 by giant_stow |
ahem, when the mighty yellows went up two seasons in a row, the 1st in the prem after that saw a 12th place finish. ya boo. [Post edited 27 Jan 15:02]
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Yeah, but that was nearly a decade and a half ago. The level of the supposedly-middling teams in the PL now is so much higher. |  |
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| Relegation. on 17:30 - Jan 27 with 4568 views | gainsboroughblue |
| Relegation. on 17:22 - Jan 27 by Steve_M |
Yeah, but that was nearly a decade and a half ago. The level of the supposedly-middling teams in the PL now is so much higher. |
Precisely this. Your chances of survival these days are also highly influenced by what went on the previous season.
Luton, Burnley, Sheff U all falling through the trap door last year has done us no favours this and if us, Leics, Soton go this year, the three coming up will struggle.
*On the flip side, Leeds, Sheff U and Burnley coming up would be a dream scenario if we go down (but not with Wolves joining us).
I'm also working on the basis that Luton are a busted flush. |  |
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| Relegation. on 17:31 - Jan 27 with 4563 views | Blue_Heath |
An excellent post, pretty much sums up how I feel too. Assuming we do go down we need to make sure we get straight back up and learn from this years failings. If we can avoid relegation will be interesting to see who we might be able to attract in the summer as at the very least we will need two centre mids. | | | |
| Relegation. on 09:56 - Jan 28 with 3778 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 17:31 - Jan 27 by Blue_Heath |
An excellent post, pretty much sums up how I feel too. Assuming we do go down we need to make sure we get straight back up and learn from this years failings. If we can avoid relegation will be interesting to see who we might be able to attract in the summer as at the very least we will need two centre mids. |
Fulham had to spend a few seasons tinkering to get up there and stay there, and we already don't look far off their team. The question will be whether McKenna stays, and if he doesn't who we have lined up to come back in. I hope we keep the core of the team and replace only where necessary with the likes of Davis, Delap and co-moving on. | |
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| Relegation. on 10:08 - Jan 28 with 3732 views | NthQldITFC |
| Relegation. on 12:12 - Jan 27 by SaffronWaldenBlues |
I don't feel particularly negative about it, it was always going to be a big ask and we still have as good a chance as anyone to stay up going into February. I just feel we need to be realistic. |
I feel we need to be bullish and confident, with good reason. Not over-confident, but confident on the terraces and on the pitch. | |
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| Relegation. on 11:40 - Jan 28 with 3619 views | OldFart71 |
You only get unless very lucky a certain standard of player in the 20 million pound range. But that's where we are. A dozen players left at the end of last season and so far a further three this. So that's fifteen players to replace in one go. The likes of the Man City's, Liverpool's etc maybe get in two or three players. Pay between 50 and 100 million for them. We have spent around £120 million plus add on's and loan fees for 15 players. Yes, we have struggled, but even a team able to keep in the Premier League for a season or two needs to gradually build up to the point where their squad is capable of giving some of the bigger teams a game and as we see with the likes of Man Utd spending 50 or 60 million or more on several players doesn't mean you are a team competing at the very top. If we were to get relegated one or two would go, hopefully for good money and we have a much better idea what we are dealing with. But that's for a few months down the line. I wouldn't hazard a guess as to who will go down Southampton apart as many times in the past teams have either found form and managed to put together a decent run of results or gone the other way and end up in the bottom three. | | | |
| Relegation. on 16:58 - Feb 1 with 2943 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 10:08 - Jan 28 by NthQldITFC |
I feel we need to be bullish and confident, with good reason. Not over-confident, but confident on the terraces and on the pitch. |
Unfortunately today we turned up with relegation written all over our faces. It was playing to pattern and not nearly the type of energy we had previously.
We’re down. | |
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| Relegation. on 18:45 - Mar 8 with 2209 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Relegation. on 11:40 - Jan 28 by OldFart71 |
You only get unless very lucky a certain standard of player in the 20 million pound range. But that's where we are. A dozen players left at the end of last season and so far a further three this. So that's fifteen players to replace in one go. The likes of the Man City's, Liverpool's etc maybe get in two or three players. Pay between 50 and 100 million for them. We have spent around £120 million plus add on's and loan fees for 15 players. Yes, we have struggled, but even a team able to keep in the Premier League for a season or two needs to gradually build up to the point where their squad is capable of giving some of the bigger teams a game and as we see with the likes of Man Utd spending 50 or 60 million or more on several players doesn't mean you are a team competing at the very top. If we were to get relegated one or two would go, hopefully for good money and we have a much better idea what we are dealing with. But that's for a few months down the line. I wouldn't hazard a guess as to who will go down Southampton apart as many times in the past teams have either found form and managed to put together a decent run of results or gone the other way and end up in the bottom three. |
I’m still at ease with relegation, today we didn’t disgrace ourselves but just not good enough to get three points or even a point out of it. It’s not long before the maths will confirm it and we can think about the rebuild then. | |
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| Relegation. on 19:21 - Mar 8 with 2056 views | Blue_Heath |
Amazed people think we are staying up, we are on current form the worst team in the country and I believe the only one not to have won a game in 2025. | | | |
| Relegation. on 19:26 - Mar 8 with 2016 views | billlm |
| Relegation. on 19:21 - Mar 8 by Blue_Heath |
Amazed people think we are staying up, we are on current form the worst team in the country and I believe the only one not to have won a game in 2025. |
Agree your not at the bottom of the current form league and suddenly become world beaters,
We were relegated when we lost to the saints, |  | | |
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