Having recently invested in a new return key, I bring you the first in my series of home match reviews for this season, complete with paragraphs, bells and whistles.
On what seemed an almost fortnightly occurrence last season, I headed down to Portman Road not full of the hope or expectation that had accompanied my walks towards the stadium for as long as I could remember, but almost out of habit, like a robot programmed to attend with little ability to think why or determine what else I could be doing instead.
It always helps when the sun is shining, but for the first time in as long as I can remember I impatiently bounced into the stadium like a kid opening the lounge door on Christmas Day, but as importantly left my seat just short of 5 o'clock without my hope for the season punctured by reality.
Yet for all my retained excitement post match we weren't brilliant against Blackburn. We were a long way from it. There were some patches of good play, some individual brilliance, but largely it was a disjointed performance that would have done little to calm the nerves of the minority that are worried about Hurst's almost exclusive lower league transfer recruitment.
I for one feel re-energised though. We have a new manager who openly admits it will take time to understand the system he wants to introduce, a squad of players that is missed between those brought in for this system and those struggling to get away from what they've been taught in the last five seasons and some obvious holes that need filling this week.
Blackburn are not mugs. A strong, physical team, well organised and more importantly used to winning. That can carry you a long way in this division for the opening month or two if you don't get taught the sort of lesson Brentford were handing out to fellow newcomers on Saturday.
You could see what Hurst was trying to do and I am a big fan of his system. It was painfully obvious that without a number 10 we had to make do a little with what we could. Hurst is never going to employ Sears in that role in a million years but needs must. The side that heads to Yorkshire on Saturday will, I feel, look completely different.
Gwion Edwards had one of those debuts you'd file with Grant Ward, Finidi George, Steve Whitton that will be remembered for some time. The flick and run in the second half was one of the best 'bums off seats moments' I can remember seeing at FPR for many a year. What a player we could have on our hands there.
Harrison was an utter pest and didn't let his head drop even against two good centre backs used to having their own way, with very little support at times. Chalobah looked absolute class when you consider its his first professional game. He gave the ball away cheaply and panicked once or twice but that's as a result of not being used to the pace of the Championship. When he knew he had pressure he was neat, tidy and skilful. His undoing was thinking he had more time on occasions. That will come.
Donacien looked out of his depth, but when you consider he's stepped up two levels, known his team mates for a few days and then played out of his strongest position it's no surprise. He really impressed once he moved to his favoured position and unless we have an injury crisis or something dramatic happens with Nsiala I don't think we'll have to see him at centre back again any time soon.
Edun looked similar to Chalobah in terms of not realising initially how much quicker you need to be to move the ball, although he was muscled off the ball at times easily, something Chalobah certainly was not. But his energy and work rate alone was hugely encouraging.
We may be worried about where the goals may come from, but have already netted twice. I looked back at the latter stages of the McCarthy reign and in the final 20 games of Mick's tenure we only scored twice in a game in 3 of those 20 (Millwall at home and Sunderland and Sheff Wed away). In 10 of those 20 games we didn't score at all.
I'll miss Waghorn too, my favourite player, but I am very excited by the side we are building. A core of experienced players in Bart, Chambers and Skuse, players who have been performing highly in the lower leagues and a great smattering of our own talent. Actually a bucket load of it.
I don't feel you can ever judge a team until 10 games into a season. We might take slightly longer given the number of new players we have in a new system, under a new manager, but I felt entertained on Saturday. Even before we equalised, which I felt we deserved.
We will get more solid at the back as we get the right signings in place. We will get a better understanding of the system going forward. I think Blackburn will be very comfortable in mid-table and I think we may see they were far more organised than most. Forget not that Mowbray knows Hurst and his system very well, something that won't be evidence every week.
We also have a fantastic chance to get our first away win on Saturday. Rotherham may be a much better team than their performance suggested, but I can't see they are any improved squad wise than the perennial strugglers we've come to see at this level? They'll be desperate to make amends, but if it clicks for us then this is as good a place as any to have to visit early in search of points.
I'm still annoyed by the relegation favourites tag. I appreciate we are having somewhat of a revolution but I do have every faith in Hurst and feel we'll be nowhere near the teams that battle relegation for most of the season. I think we'll hand out a few 3-0 beatings and take a few. I don't think we'll come away from off days with a 1-0 loss in Mick's days after shutting up shop, we'll concede more, but I also think what we saw Saturday at 1-0 up was a team still going forward and trying to get a second, something else that rarely happened with McCarthy.
One final word on Mick. I hated the atmosphere at the end of the season, I was sick to my teeth of the bloke and desperately wanted him out. I felt he was stubborn, belligerent and really laid into the fans when it was and was not deserved. But I have to say that he will always have my respect for what he did here initially, there is no doubt he is an absolutely lovely bloke. You could see what ITFC means to him in his analysis on Soccer Saturday, which I watched back and as much as I have issues with his style of management and where it took our club eventually, any negative thing I do say on Mick the manager is always with a level of debt, gratitude, appreciation and fondness for McCarthy the man. [Post edited 6 Aug 2018 9:59]
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