| An interesting night in the stands 09:09 - Jan 21 with 8903 views | homer_123 |
I've posted before about the group in front of me that spend the entire match on their phones betting - well, they were not there last night.
However, a fair few fans around where we sit were quite vocal last night and what they were talking about I overheard two or three groups bemoaning on the way out after the game.
Now, this comes with the caveat that we could have gifted a goal to Brizzle last night quite easily, so in some regard I 'can' understand their thinking.
In short, a lot of talk/ moaning about 'playing out from the back'. Slow, pedestrian, fraught with danger. Kipre in particular was coming in for some scathing criticism. As was O'Shea - now that's obvious because when we play out - it's these two.
A fair few were just wanting us to hit it long, get the ball up the pitch ASAP. In addition, one chap was almost losing his marbles over the fact that we attack down the wing (left or right), can't progress so we come back and recycle - he was going apoplectic.
The final comment, and this was the comment I heard two other groups mention on the way out, in addition to the above, was this: "I'm here to be entertained, that's not entertainment!".
I understand we all views things differently but it does amaze me, still, that people seem to not understand how and why we play the way we do.
I was sat there hearing the chap behind me shout at Kipre to 'hit it long' (like Kipre is going to hear it or follow his advice) - and I'm wondering if he's watching the same game. We have Clarke hugging one touchline, Burns the other - both with chalk on their boots. Azon in the middle (ie nowhere near each other) against a back 5 (first half this was). Add to that both Matsi and Jens were deeper (as we are looking to play through the line) - so, again, not near the front three at the time Kipre has the ball.
What, exactly, would the point be to hit it long at that point. Burns nor Clarke were running in behind and if we played to Azon, who's he going to bring into play?
Now, I've got nothing against a nice long ball (see Burns to Azon cross field ball, lovely and Azon unlucky with his shot) and it's important to be able to mix our play up and I think we have got better at this.
I posted the other day about expectations and how we, as fans, need to temper them. We aren't going to roll everyone over every week, we aren't always going to play great football (first 15 last night, I thought we were sloppy with our passing for example).
But how could anyone come away from PR last night and not be entertained. Two really well worked and taken goals, could easily had a couple more. Decent opposition who didn't make it easy but we also didn't give them too much of a sniff.
Maybe I'm being harsh or just focusing on the negative (these were a minority of fans I will say) but if you can't go and enjoy that at PR last night, I'm not sure what the point is? [Post edited 21 Jan 11:25]
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| An interesting night in the stands on 12:10 - Jan 21 with 985 views | BasingstokeBlue |
| An interesting night in the stands on 11:40 - Jan 21 by Pendejo |
Starlink or Huawei |
Yes, they're easily spotted as they carry one of these each.
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| It's pathetic on 12:18 - Jan 21 with 960 views | Vic |
| It's pathetic on 09:29 - Jan 21 by Dyland |
I don't enjoy being a misanthrope, but too many of our fellow humans are simply dickheads.
Important point about the opposition, who are and were qute decent last night. There's always another team on the pitch, and sometimes they are going to have a go too. That's the point of football.
The "entertainment" these jellyheads want may be more easily found at a panto.
As I've written ad nauseam on these pages, my fellow fans' exececrable takes, febrile bile and weird spoilt behaviour will be the reason I stop going. |
Have an uppie for getting 'misanthrope', 'exececrable and 'febrile' into one post. Top work my man!
You make an excellent point as well. |  |
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| An interesting night in the stands on 12:29 - Jan 21 with 945 views | Blue_Moses |
| An interesting night in the stands on 09:17 - Jan 21 by StochesStotasBlewe |
Same here at the station waiting for my train. A chap I’ve known a long time had a face like a slapped arse. Hadn’t seen him in a while and said “excellent performance fella, we’re purring and it’s great to see “ and all I got back was how boring the matches are nowadays.
No pleasing some I guess. |
Maybe boring in the sense that the opposition can't lay a glove on us? I was entertained and I love the fact I'm expecting us to stick 2 or 3 past every team |  | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 12:34 - Jan 21 with 928 views | BouncebackIpswich |
I think anyone who is moaning needs to get a reality check. Earlier in the season yes the games were dire, the attack was totally disjointed and the defence was suspect and it felt like possession for the sake of it. I can understand complaints then and I was guilty of it myself.
But now we are carving teams open at will, sometimes with really good fluid passing moves defence is rock solid. The team looks settled and gelled. Portman Road has become a fortress again that's six home wins in a row. And the table looks healthy, promotion back to the Premier League (where Ipswich have spent just one year in 23) is starting to look more likely than not.
It must be the lack of jeopardy with the team controlling games that is making people moan. Because there's not much more that McKenna and the team could be doing to keep people happy right now. 2-0 wins aren't as exciting as 4-3 wins but they are a hell of a lot sustainable.
Maybe these people will be happy when we're back in the PL clinging on for a 0-0 at home to Brentford.... Thought not.... |  | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 12:35 - Jan 21 with 924 views | Vic |
| An interesting night in the stands on 11:22 - Jan 21 by aeazb1 |
Good analysis and I think you've hit the nail on the head, chaos is fun to watch and the lack of it is why people don't feel entertained even though objectively the guys are doing a great job on the pitch.
I admit I do feel frustrated and a little bored at times when we take the risk to break the press at the back only to turn around in midfield and recycle it back but eyes on the prize of promotion and we look well placed. |
Trouble is that chaos ultimately doesn't win things. It's fun, edge of the seat, but the consistently successful teams are those that play with a consistent methodology.
The promo season was fun, but as others have said we sneaked a few games in the last minute (not a bad thing!) but when we went up we just weren't good enough. This season we are starting to look more solid, with less drama (fun?), but my hope is that if we go up we'll prove to be stronger and better equipped than last time.
Long way to go though & I'm nervous when i read people being so confident of us doing it! | |
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| An interesting night in the stands on 12:37 - Jan 21 with 930 views | EJP |
| An interesting night in the stands on 11:31 - Jan 21 by The_Romford_Blue |
For the lads stood all game betting, can you ask them how they get reception please as I’ve genuinely never once been able to connect to anything when inside the ground.
Cheers |
idMobile … I moved to it in October and get texts, can browse the internet at FPR.
Feller next me to at Bournemouth at home last season and was getting constant updates whilst my O2 connection did nothing, so I asked him what network he was on! |  | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 12:48 - Jan 21 with 912 views | rickw |
I can only assume that those who moan about us playing it out from the back can't have seen many games of our the last few years otherwise they'd had seen us score loads of goals through doing this, or maybe they have very short memory's and when we score forget how the move started. This doesn't mean I don't still get nervous when we play it out under a lot of pressure, but you have to trust the players and coach!
I enjoyed last night but it wasn't as thrilling as a lot of games 2 years ago, but that's because it was comfortable for us - we were too good for them and there was never any real jeopardy. 2 years ago our expectations were lower but so were our opponents view of us, back then if we went ahead they'd go all out to get back into it, now I think opponents are scared to really have a go at us as if they do we could pick them off and score 5.
Also if anyone thinks Matusiwa is sh1t then they are an idiot or 5 years old and don't understand the game yet!! |  |
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| An interesting night in the stands on 13:07 - Jan 21 with 864 views | stonojnr |
| An interesting night in the stands on 09:31 - Jan 21 by Reuser_is_God |
Some* of our fans are utter morons.
It absolutely baffles me that people are still moaning about us playing out from the back, what have they been watching the past 5 years?
*I say some but it’s probably more like 80% |
Well you might well think what have they been watching the past 5 years, suspect in alot of cases it wasn't Town | | | |
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| An interesting night in the stands on 13:18 - Jan 21 with 858 views | SWLondonBlue93 |
Some of the games earlier this season were a tough watch, but moaning about what we saw last night is just bizarre. The only away game I've done so far this season is Leicester, it really startled me how quickly some of the people around me flipped once we went behind. I don't think we are a group of fans that handles expectations particularly well. There are also wider societal factors at play that others have discussed previously. | | | |
| "I can understand complaints then and I was guilty of it myself" on 14:27 - Jan 21 with 795 views | Dyland |
| An interesting night in the stands on 12:34 - Jan 21 by BouncebackIpswich |
I think anyone who is moaning needs to get a reality check. Earlier in the season yes the games were dire, the attack was totally disjointed and the defence was suspect and it felt like possession for the sake of it. I can understand complaints then and I was guilty of it myself.
But now we are carving teams open at will, sometimes with really good fluid passing moves defence is rock solid. The team looks settled and gelled. Portman Road has become a fortress again that's six home wins in a row. And the table looks healthy, promotion back to the Premier League (where Ipswich have spent just one year in 23) is starting to look more likely than not.
It must be the lack of jeopardy with the team controlling games that is making people moan. Because there's not much more that McKenna and the team could be doing to keep people happy right now. 2-0 wins aren't as exciting as 4-3 wins but they are a hell of a lot sustainable.
Maybe these people will be happy when we're back in the PL clinging on for a 0-0 at home to Brentford.... Thought not.... |
The team haven't suddenly clicked by magic though, it's been a learning process, hence the sometimes pretty rubbish efforts to begin with.
I don't get why fans don't get this. We can argue how long it should take for a team to gel/click/whatever but anyone who thinks professional footballers, even at the elite level, should immediately understand a system and their new teammates is totally divorced from reality.
It's why the abuse during the bumpy learning curve was (and enervatingly remains from some quarters) is ignorant, annoying and frankly pathetic.
Last sentence not aimed at you :) |  |
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| An interesting night in the stands on 14:36 - Jan 21 with 786 views | Vaughan8 |
I definitely think we need to learn better when to just hit it long, especially if we are going to go up. Sometimes its like Walton will be fined if he hits it long!  .
Playing out from the back is the "modern" way and we all should be used to it by now. But we are allowed to clear it long if and when we are in danger, which I think we don't always do.
A better championship team probably scores one of those gifts last night and 1-1 is a totally different game.
Regarding entertainment, this season clearly isn't as entertaining as our previous championship season which i guess is the reason for not being entertained?!?
Last night was enjoyable, but Bristol barely creating anything themselves last night, the game just kind of floated to the end, so for me, not the most entertaining, but definitely not the worse game (even this season). | | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 14:39 - Jan 21 with 771 views | SamWhiteUK |
| An interesting night in the stands on 10:58 - Jan 21 by Lesta_Tractor |
Not a criticism of the way we play, it's obviously working for us given where we are in the league, but I do find games a bit boring now.
I think that's just modern football rather than anything we're doing though. |
Compared to which era? Because the football at the moment is by far the most entertaining we've had for years, in my opinion. McCarthy, Hurst, Cook, Lambert... |  | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 14:47 - Jan 21 with 757 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| An interesting night in the stands on 12:37 - Jan 21 by EJP |
idMobile … I moved to it in October and get texts, can browse the internet at FPR.
Feller next me to at Bournemouth at home last season and was getting constant updates whilst my O2 connection did nothing, so I asked him what network he was on! |
I'll second this. I have dual SIM, one O2 (for work) and one Three (who iDMobile use). I get a perfect data connection with Three, but O2 is always completely inoperable. | | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 15:16 - Jan 21 with 721 views | Vaughan8 |
| An interesting night in the stands on 14:39 - Jan 21 by SamWhiteUK |
Compared to which era? Because the football at the moment is by far the most entertaining we've had for years, in my opinion. McCarthy, Hurst, Cook, Lambert... |
I get your point regarding our team, but I think the point is more general.
I see Premier league teams spend minutes, passing around their back 4, when they are losing...…and even in injury time.
I used to never watch Man City when they were really good because it was boringly predictable. The best team in the country at the moment, Arsenal, are actually quite boring to watch. | | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 15:19 - Jan 21 with 705 views | jasondozzell |
| An interesting night in the stands on 15:16 - Jan 21 by Vaughan8 |
I get your point regarding our team, but I think the point is more general.
I see Premier league teams spend minutes, passing around their back 4, when they are losing...…and even in injury time.
I used to never watch Man City when they were really good because it was boringly predictable. The best team in the country at the moment, Arsenal, are actually quite boring to watch. |
Yes but KM has a very distinct style that is all about passing through the pitch. So whilst we do build up from the back we are a million miles away from some other sides. We're not really possession based.
KM has always been about breaking lines and vertical football. We attack with speed and purpose.
I thought last night was entertaining. Great football. |  | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 15:20 - Jan 21 with 698 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
Lol fans “I don’t like McCarthy-ball we just hit it long and don’t pass”
Also fans “I don’t like McKenna-ball we just pass it around and don’t hit it long” | | | |
| Agreed on 15:41 - Jan 21 with 665 views | Dyland |
| Arf, that is brilliant on 12:01 - Jan 21 by Steve_M |
"Basically, he wants the season before last. It will never happen again"
Well, quite. Few clubs get to have two seasons in a row as good as 22-23 and 23-24 and it was obvious to me on the afternoon of the Huddersfield game that this might be as good as it ever gets.
FWIS, last night was far more comfortable than bits of Saturday's second half where we made a few too many errors and I could understand people getting frustrated. |
I think my button was pressed by these fans being cross about what they perceive to be boring, ineffective or whatever the hell they're "thinking" it is, AFTER the game. The one we comfortably beat a pretty good opposition two nil. Totally moronic.
"I want to be entertained but in a different way to more easily winning games." It's the McCarthy Paradox all over again, but with a manager and team who are literally delivering the goods whilst unequivocally playing pretty football at times. Maybe "at times" is the problem for these imbeciles who expect no mistakes and perfect play the whole game? Go play a computer game then. | |
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| badabing (n/t) on 15:42 - Jan 21 with 658 views | Dyland |
| Arf, that is brilliant on 11:20 - Jan 21 by Guthrum |
People forget also that the two promotion seasons were exciting because of what happened in the last few weeks of each - amazing winning runs and last-minute victories (not to mention other teams' disasters) allowing us to scrape into 2nd place in a fierce competition where we were very much the underdogs. Even the thumping victories mostly came in the period from February onwards.
This time around, after a slow start, things are building steadily with no real dramas. Everybody expects us to dominate. We haven't had our usual winter slump to set up the tense run-in. Even our greatest rivals, Coventry, were smoothly doubled. That same tension and jeopardy is not there, just a faintly expenditure-entitled expectation that we should somehow be even more sparkling.
We could win every game between now and the end of the season and some people would still feel slightly hollow, as if it were the minimum which could be expected under our new circumstances, not a cause for exceptional rejoicing. |
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| Agree with that too tbf (n/t) on 15:47 - Jan 21 with 642 views | Dyland |
| An interesting night in the stands on 15:16 - Jan 21 by Vaughan8 |
I get your point regarding our team, but I think the point is more general.
I see Premier league teams spend minutes, passing around their back 4, when they are losing...…and even in injury time.
I used to never watch Man City when they were really good because it was boringly predictable. The best team in the country at the moment, Arsenal, are actually quite boring to watch. |
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| An interesting night in the stands on 15:50 - Jan 21 with 634 views | longtimefan |
| An interesting night in the stands on 09:45 - Jan 21 by homer_123 |
Guy losing his marbles was early to mid thirties I'd day.
The others 40's and 50's maybe. |
The guy near me who always complains about passing it around at the back is probably late 30s, early 40s. His football knowledge is somewhat lacking though as he was appealing for offside when a Bristol player received the ball direct from a throw in  | | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 16:08 - Jan 21 with 601 views | Lesta_Tractor |
| An interesting night in the stands on 15:16 - Jan 21 by Vaughan8 |
I get your point regarding our team, but I think the point is more general.
I see Premier league teams spend minutes, passing around their back 4, when they are losing...…and even in injury time.
I used to never watch Man City when they were really good because it was boringly predictable. The best team in the country at the moment, Arsenal, are actually quite boring to watch. |
Absolutely this.
I used to love watching Ronaldinho era Barca, always great entertainment. The game seems to have lost a bit of it's "off the cuff" edge and become a little sterile.
KM is doing a great job and has us playing good modern football [Post edited 21 Jan 16:15]
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| Agreed on 17:01 - Jan 21 with 558 views | Steve_M |
| Agreed on 15:41 - Jan 21 by Dyland |
I think my button was pressed by these fans being cross about what they perceive to be boring, ineffective or whatever the hell they're "thinking" it is, AFTER the game. The one we comfortably beat a pretty good opposition two nil. Totally moronic.
"I want to be entertained but in a different way to more easily winning games." It's the McCarthy Paradox all over again, but with a manager and team who are literally delivering the goods whilst unequivocally playing pretty football at times. Maybe "at times" is the problem for these imbeciles who expect no mistakes and perfect play the whole game? Go play a computer game then. |
I posted somewhere yesterday, and see Guthers has made a similar point, but I think it's a form of nostalgia, remembering the good bits of the promotion seasons rather than the entirety. Even of individual games, Bristol City and Southampton come to mind, where the dramatic finishes cancelled out some bits where we really weren't that good.
The same thing happened in 2001-02, thinking we had won games easily when we had had to battle against the likes of Charlton, Everton and Leicester at PR. |  |
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| An interesting night in the stands on 17:14 - Jan 21 with 536 views | Libero |
the blokes who sit behind us have been bemoaning playing out from the back across the league one promotion, championship promotion and premier league relegation season - I’ve just come to the conclusion that they don’t like *that* kind of football and/or don’t hold a particularly high footballing intelligence.
They get very cross when Darnell Furlong isn’t able to ping a 45 yard cross field pass to Leif Davis over in space on the opposite side of the pitch- it’s surreal. |  | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 17:24 - Jan 21 with 504 views | billlm |
Can't please everyone, I was frustrated earlier but McKenna has a long version and it's paying off,
That's why he's the manager and not me,
This team will fair better in the premiership than the last one and we still have a lot of room for improvement, |  | | |
| An interesting night in the stands on 18:33 - Jan 21 with 471 views | BlueForYou |
From the games I've been to in person this season, it seems to me that we've gained a lot of possession from long balls upfield, the opposition not controlling the ball, & we get a toe in & get possession, & away we go. I've seen Clarke, Matusiwa, Philogene, Clarke, & others all do this. So it is perfectly possible for the long ball upfield to work, but as in a lot of football tactics, you can't get away with that every time. Faffing about with it brings a press which opens up space behind, as we all know. The problem with faffing is that we often aren't very good at it & ultimately it's bloody embarrassing & unnecessary to give away goals in that fashion. It takes more than one tactic to win a football game. I would faff with it no more than 20% of the time. |  | | |
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