| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window 12:04 - Dec 29 with 2650 views | IPSWICHFANITFC |
I thought I’d give a brief but honest review of our summer signings and the season they’re having as we’re 5 months into the season and with the transfer window about to re-open, I expect we will be looking at a few more through the door.
Aro Muric - Done ok for me overall. Made some good saves that have kept us in games, but has made a couple of errors which have seen us drop points. Good shot stopper, dealt with 1v1’s quite well, very good at claiming crosses but feel like his decision making and lapses in concentration are costly and something that he has to polish up on quickly. 6/10
Ben Johnson - Looks better as a right midfielder than a right back. A good free transfer. I expected a little more, not quite sold on him defensively and he’s not as athletic as I thought he would be. A handy squad player, but I’m not sure that’s what we signed him for. 6/10
Conor Townsend - Always brought in to provide cover for Davis. Limited league minutes as expected.
Dara O’Shea - I’ve been happy with him. Dominant in the air, not afraid to put his body on the line, defends the box well, nice turn of pace and good on the ball. 8/10
Jacob Greaves - Started the season strong until the injury set him back a bit. For me, not a lot between him and Burgess defensively or on the ball, but a good long term option. 7/10
Kalvin Phillips - Steady start, took him a few months to bed in. Sometimes been careless on the ball and a bit safe going sideways instead of forwards, but he’s been getting better as the season has progressed. For the money we’ve paid for him, I do want a bit more, but it’s never easy in a team that’s struggling. 6/10
Jens Cajuste - Comfortable on both feet. He does remind me of an upgraded Luongo which is what we needed for this level. Knee issue has prevented us from getting more minutes out of him, which is probably the risk we took. Key piece of the puzzle if we want to stay up. 7/10
Jack Clarke - He’s struggled with the step up and been very underwhelming. Looks a bit lightweight for me and is lacking confidence. Needs something to click for him in the second half of the season like it did for Hutchinson last season. 3/10
Sammie Szmodics - I think he’ll feel mixed emotions. Happy with how he’s contributed but maybe feeling like there’s more to come from him. Runs har and works for the team, but I’m not sure he’s happy playing off the left. £9m has been good value though and he’s been fairly consistent. 7/10
Omari Hutchinson - Inconsistent, though common with young players. Need to remember it’s his first full season starting games regularly. Our best player against Spurs & Man Utd. Been quiet recently. Maybe not helped by lack of quality with the other attackers meaning the expectation falls more on his shoulders to drag us up the pitch. Very good ball carrier, but can’t do that role by himself. 7/10
Chio Ogbene - In and out of the team, not sure we saw the best from him when he was fit. Got back in to a defensive shape well, not sure he had the creativity/threat going forwards. Hopefully his injury hasn’t ruined him when he does return - very tough injury to recover from.5/10
Liam Delap - He’s been brilliant. Great size, powerful, plays on the edge. Scored some good goals this season and rightly so, attracted interested from higher up. Developing really well here considering the expectation pinned on his shoulders. Needs help in January, but I think he will get double figures for goals by the end of the season. 9/10
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| Think people need to give Jack Clarke a bit of a break and some context on 12:14 - Dec 29 with 2541 views | unstableblue |
With regard your ratings would tend to agree on most
OShea and Delap have been excellent
Omari, Greaves, Cajuste, have been good overall
Szmodics and Muric are doing well, and need fan support
Phillips has had great moments… I’d give him a run in the team now
Johnson has been mixed
Ogbene is a huge loss
Jack Clarke has had very little game time, people seem to forget this, he’s also new to the Prem and when he comes on, apart from a few home game, there have been very few Town attacking players around him to feed. Of course his effectiveness is not there, and he’s failed to release the ball at times, and deserves some criticism. But he has delivered some good, albeit few, deliveries.. and of course the corner for Taylor’s Wolves goal. It’s a step up, he’s ghosted past Premier League players on multiple occasions. Give him a break and some support please |  |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:20 - Dec 29 with 2506 views | NthQldITFC |
I'd say you (and others) are harsh on Jack Clarke - he's not hit the ground running, but he's adapting from a very different role at Sunderland into our way of playing. 6 being par, I'd give him a 5.
Also Cajuste has been consistently excellent for a couple of months now - on a par with Delap for me, a 9. |  |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:35 - Dec 29 with 2442 views | SE1blue |
I agree with most of this but I’d give Delap an 8 at the moment.
For someone so young, he’s been very, very good and pulling the weight of two men for too long. He needs to reduce the number of overly-clumsy challenges and get the ball to stick to himself more (we might see less people complaining about his lack of passing then) to be a 9 for me.
3 is very harsh on Clarke who has barely featured. Hope he gets a full run out in the FA Cup. |  |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:39 - Dec 29 with 2409 views | MK1 |
I'd agree with that. Very fair assessment. |  |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:45 - Dec 29 with 2375 views | MK1 |
| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:35 - Dec 29 by SE1blue |
I agree with most of this but I’d give Delap an 8 at the moment.
For someone so young, he’s been very, very good and pulling the weight of two men for too long. He needs to reduce the number of overly-clumsy challenges and get the ball to stick to himself more (we might see less people complaining about his lack of passing then) to be a 9 for me.
3 is very harsh on Clarke who has barely featured. Hope he gets a full run out in the FA Cup. |
I like Jack Clarke a lot and think he will become an excellent signing, just that the OP has done it so far this season, not on what will be. So far Jack hasn't produced what we all hoped he would. Still learning the way McKenna wants him to play, (as I said earlier) but when on the ball, I do expect more. In time it will come, but as of now, thought he would have brought more than he has. | |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:50 - Dec 29 with 2359 views | Churchman |
Muric 6/10. Agree.
Johnson 6/10. Agree.
O’Shea 6/10. Not entirely convinced. Plenty of good attributes
Greaves 8/10. Looks a Premier League quality player. Would score higher but for injury and rustiness
Phillips 3/10. Quality Premier League player but not the lynch pin I thought he’d be. Plays well in games but not for 90 mins of them. Not played enough either. The most disappointing signing for me but that may be because my expectations were all wrong. Hopefully he will improve
Cajuste 5/10. Lots of talent, can look our best player. But looks a bit lightweight, not played enough and doesn’t appear robust enough for the PL. I’m probably wrong, but I’m hoping post settling in for more second half of the season. He’s very talented.
Clarke 4/10. Top Championship player. Not played in his best position or too regularly. Lots to learn but very talented. I’d hoped for more and hope for more second half of the season.
Szmodics 8/10. A pest of a player. A real 100% merchant who has worked the pressing game. Very noticeable when he goes off.
Hutchinson. 8/10. Massive threat to the opposition and consistently our best player, if not always the most effective. Feeding off a poor midfield he stays at it. Still learning, Omari will be a top player one day.
Ogbene. 2/10. Before his injury I saw pace but no output. I wasn’t convinced. It’s not his fault that he’s barely settled in before that horrendous injury. But reality is we’ve paid a lot of money for zero contribution this season. Hopefully he will recover and make up for it next.
Delap 10/10. Outstanding.
Townsend - can’t offer a view as he’s not played.
Assessing players always carries bias and is very subjective. The above is just my initial thoughts. |  | | |
| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:56 - Dec 29 with 2319 views | Nutkins_Return |
Decent assessment but crazy harsh on Jack Clarke. 6/10 for me. Hasn't done enough to nail a spot but he hasn't been bad. He's also one for longer term and just needs to learn a different role.
Ogbene is harsh as well 6/10. But I personally don't score down for injury as that's just unlucky.
O'Shea and Delap are stand outs and I'd have Delap level with O'Shea. Rest I agree with so very aligned overall. |  |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 13:19 - Dec 29 with 2230 views | Churchman |
| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:56 - Dec 29 by Nutkins_Return |
Decent assessment but crazy harsh on Jack Clarke. 6/10 for me. Hasn't done enough to nail a spot but he hasn't been bad. He's also one for longer term and just needs to learn a different role.
Ogbene is harsh as well 6/10. But I personally don't score down for injury as that's just unlucky.
O'Shea and Delap are stand outs and I'd have Delap level with O'Shea. Rest I agree with so very aligned overall. |
Interesting that you don’t score down for injury and I of course did. You are in many ways right as of course in that injury is unlucky and certainly not asked for - especially the horror one Ogbene got.
I guess I scored it purely on actual contribution which included games played. There are different ways at looking at something so subjective. | | | |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 13:50 - Dec 29 with 2100 views | StockholmBlue |
Agree with much of that. My view:
Muric, 5/10, can´t find a consistent level, high ceiling, but also low level when low. My biggest concern is his decision making and poor feet. Needs to cut out the misstakes.
Jonson, 5/10, not strong enough defensively for me. Not good enough in attack. OK, not more. Squadplayer.
Townsend, have not seen enough to grade.
O´Shea, 7/10, one of the bright spots so far. Still room for development, but like what I have seen of him. Think he will have a strong finish of the season.
Greaves, 7/10, started really well, then had a couple of games when he was OK without shining. Think this is one of the best business of the summer for us, and he will be a very good player for years to come.
Phillips, 6/10, like many have said, I expected more. Not bad at all, but not as good as I hoped/thought he would be. Might come back to his best given time, but might not as well. So far OK.
Cajuste, 7/10, very happy with what I have seen so far, and believe there is mor to come as he recovers from the knee injury he is carrying. If he stayes with us, he will prove to be very good business.
J. Clarke, 5/10, has had limited time on the pitch (for a reason), has not taken his chances yet, but can see glimpses of a bright future. At the time being he is behind Szmodics and Broadhead in that possition. Seems to lack self confidence.
Szmodics, 6/10, started well this season, faded a bit for me. Biggest concern is that he has missed quite a few big chances that could have changed the outcome of some games. Works hard, like him. Needs to take his goal scoring opportunities.
Hutchinson, 7/10. Our most creative player. Like him a lot, but sometimes need to work on his decision making - probably explained by his age. He will improve with time and willl either be sold for good money, or be very important for us in the next 5-7 years.
Ogbene, 4/10, never thought he contributed much in the attack. Seemed to choose to slow down play and pass it (safely) back the field at almost every oppurtunity. Worked hard in defense though.
Delap, 8/10, well he started with a 10/10 in the first 8-9 games, but has had a dip in form and maybe been a 6/10 last few games, so will give a 8/10 overall this far. He is the brightest spark this season though, and think there are much more to come. Hope he finds his initial form soon again as he is extremely important to our future success (?) [Post edited 29 Dec 2024 13:55]
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| Ipswich Town FC since 1981 |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 09:47 - Dec 30 with 1514 views | IPSWICHFANITFC |
To add some context to my Jack Clarke rating, I expected better.
I can accept he's joined a new club having to adapt to a new style of play and with that, some need more time than others, but for me he's been careless on the ball and not added a spark when he's been on the pitch. He's not the only player who has made the step up from the Championship to the Prem for the first time (excluding his Spurs move where he didn't really play), but considering he was one of the standouts in the Championship, he's not got going at all here.
I see him get dispossessed quite a lot, or he gives it away cheaply. He may be lacking confidence, but once the ball gets turned over, our attacks break down. For £15m, I expect more and better quality. | |
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 11:30 - Dec 30 with 1332 views | PioneerBlue |
This pains me to say but it’s the right thread given it’s a halfway review of performance.
I don’t know what anyone has seen of Jack Clarke to rate properly. I’m hugely underwhelmed for such an expensive acquisition.
I can’t think of another player in first team squad who’s made such little impact pound for pound. Even AHH is doing more in sub cameos and he was never acquired with the PL in mind. It’s quite devastating really, that’s the money that needed to keep us in the league with assists and goal contributions. I really hope it’s only a slow burn, I really want to see the best from him second half of season or even next season but he looks a shadow of the player we saw in the EFL and good players don’t becomes poor players overnight not in our development culture - it’s all very odd. [Post edited 30 Dec 2024 11:34]
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| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:29 - Dec 30 with 1188 views | billlm |
| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:45 - Dec 29 by MK1 |
I like Jack Clarke a lot and think he will become an excellent signing, just that the OP has done it so far this season, not on what will be. So far Jack hasn't produced what we all hoped he would. Still learning the way McKenna wants him to play, (as I said earlier) but when on the ball, I do expect more. In time it will come, but as of now, thought he would have brought more than he has. |
He's a good player for sure,
Lack of game time hurting him,
We must all give him a chance |  | | |
| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 12:35 - Dec 30 with 1156 views | IPSWICHFANITFC |
| Reviewing all summer signings ahead of the January window on 11:30 - Dec 30 by PioneerBlue |
This pains me to say but it’s the right thread given it’s a halfway review of performance.
I don’t know what anyone has seen of Jack Clarke to rate properly. I’m hugely underwhelmed for such an expensive acquisition.
I can’t think of another player in first team squad who’s made such little impact pound for pound. Even AHH is doing more in sub cameos and he was never acquired with the PL in mind. It’s quite devastating really, that’s the money that needed to keep us in the league with assists and goal contributions. I really hope it’s only a slow burn, I really want to see the best from him second half of season or even next season but he looks a shadow of the player we saw in the EFL and good players don’t becomes poor players overnight not in our development culture - it’s all very odd. [Post edited 30 Dec 2024 11:34]
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We share the same view.
For £15m, we can't sit around and hope he comes good. We need him to be good now. When he has been in the starting line up, he hasn't shown why he should stay in the team either. If you compare to Broadhead right now, he's looked lively and been a positive spark and whilst I don't think he will start tonight, I do think he will on Sunday at Fulham. This is the type of banging at the door impact we are not seeing from Jack Clarke. | |
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