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We have to start again 21:45 - Mar 16 with 2490 viewsSomethingBlue

Look, we might yet make the play-offs, that's very possible in this division ... but beyond that, does anyone really think it's happening for us this year? That was really terrible, as bad and uncompetitive as I've seen from us, even taking the conditions into account. It's a nice team full of nice footballers who don't know how to win, or to turn the tide on the many occasions when they are losing. Wish them all well but wouldn't really lose sleep over any of them. Cook has one hell of a summer ahead.

And obviously Marcus Evans didn't lose this match for us (on the night at least) — but it's abundantly clear that we need a reboot, a cultural shift, a fundamental change in mentality at all levels. Cook will help with that to an extent. But this takeover has to happen.

Blog: The Way Back From Here Will Be Long, But There is a Way

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We have to start again on 21:47 - Mar 16 with 2454 viewsLeoMuff

The worry is we do need a huge clear out, and we really aren’t much cop at getting our permanent transfer targets in the door.

The only Muff in Town.
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We have to start again on 21:48 - Mar 16 with 2442 viewsSomethingBlue

We have to start again on 21:47 - Mar 16 by LeoMuff

The worry is we do need a huge clear out, and we really aren’t much cop at getting our permanent transfer targets in the door.


That might change if certain fundamentals around the place do.

Blog: The Way Back From Here Will Be Long, But There is a Way

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We have to start again on 21:50 - Mar 16 with 2393 viewsRadlett_blue

Disagree about the takeover, but agree this season looks lost, although we are only just outside the play offs. I'd almost prefer us not to reach them as I can't see this team winning them, much less surviving in the Championship next season. Best hope is losing nearly all the out of contract players & hoping Cook can build a promotion winning team in the next 2 years.

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We have to start again on 21:54 - Mar 16 with 2351 viewsKieran_Knows

Let’s just pray this takeover does go through. We need it.

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We have to start again on 21:58 - Mar 16 with 2306 viewsFixed_It

We have to start again on 21:48 - Mar 16 by SomethingBlue

That might change if certain fundamentals around the place do.


Do you think 'change' is still possible/likely?

Ready! Steady! Cook!
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We have to start again on 22:01 - Mar 16 with 2285 viewsSteve_M

Indeed, failure is writ through this club and has been for years. McCarthy changed that for a while but he's been the only one to come close in 13 years. Cook on his own might get us promoted next season but it won't change the culture of the place, a club that's been run on the cheap everywhere outside the first-team squad and allowed to decline by an owner not interested or engaged enough to be the sole decision maker.

The takeover really needs to go through for the long-term good of the club; that is not without risk but I'm not really sure that ITFC can go on as it is under Evans for too much longer either.

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We have to start again on 22:06 - Mar 16 with 2246 viewsSomethingBlue

We have to start again on 21:58 - Mar 16 by Fixed_It

Do you think 'change' is still possible/likely?


Not much to add from my end at this point, to be honest.

Blog: The Way Back From Here Will Be Long, But There is a Way

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We have to start again on 22:09 - Mar 16 with 2221 viewsFixed_It

We have to start again on 22:06 - Mar 16 by SomethingBlue

Not much to add from my end at this point, to be honest.


Thanks. Fingers and everything crossed.

Ready! Steady! Cook!
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We have to start again on 22:38 - Mar 16 with 2169 viewsBluedanW

We have to start again on 22:09 - Mar 16 by Fixed_It

Thanks. Fingers and everything crossed.


It would be nice to know what Lambert was getting at when he said the club needed an overhaul? Also Evans needs to explain the reason he got rid of lambert. I was happy to see the back of him, however Evans said the reason was because of differences in moving the club forward. What were these differences?
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We have to start again on 03:10 - Mar 17 with 2061 viewsjeera

We have to start again on 22:38 - Mar 16 by BluedanW

It would be nice to know what Lambert was getting at when he said the club needed an overhaul? Also Evans needs to explain the reason he got rid of lambert. I was happy to see the back of him, however Evans said the reason was because of differences in moving the club forward. What were these differences?


Without wishing to go all conspiratorial, are ex-managers bound by NDAs?

Hurst was awful, no doubt, but complained about the need for fundamental changes, as did Lambert, and, if we want to go back a bit, Keane said similar.

They were all misfits in my humble opinion and all that, but nonetheless it would still be at least interesting, if not enlightening, to hear what they each meant when they made those comments.

That's not to go all Bond villain Evans stroking a cat reminding them of their responsibilities whilst they stand there sweating over a pool of sharks.

But are ex-managers duty bound by contract to not say too much?

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We have to start again on 03:15 - Mar 17 with 2059 viewsdominiciawful

Good post.

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We have to start again on 07:36 - Mar 17 with 1908 viewsHerbivore

Unless Cook can work a miracle on the training ground in the next few weeks when we have a little bit of let up in the fixture list then I think this season is a write off. As you say, our run in and the generally poor quality of the division gives us a chance of making the play offs but it's hard to see how we win them.

Once again the issue is that Evans hasn't been remotely proactive enough. It was clear before Christmas that Lambert was done here (it was clear over a year ago, but there we go) so why not sack him then and give a new manager a few weeks to work with the players and bring in a couple of loanees (and send a couple back) during the window? Instead we kept Lambert on and signed four players who have done nothing to improve us. Harrop and Thomas in particular look a total waste of time and money.

We're now stuck with a bloated squad that has some good players but because of the previous manager's utter incompetence it's a sqaud that isn't hugely easy to get a functioning side out of. Too many neat and tidy footballers who are much of a muchness. Too many attacking midfielders who haven't really been coached effectively to play the kind of set up we're trying to employ. Chambers is still our first choice right back despite being a 35 year old CB. And as Cook points out, trying to coach this huge and unwieldy sqaud isn't easy.

I've seen one or two comparing Cook to Lambert which is rather ridiculous. Lambert put this squad together over a 2 year period but failed to build anything at all. No partnerships. No patterns of play. Not even a formation they are all comfortable and familiar playing. That is utter failure on a huge scale. Cook needs to be cut some slack trying to get a tune out of an instrument that is currently in pieces on the floor.

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We have to start again on 07:52 - Mar 17 with 1879 viewsX0Y0

Last night was dire, however there is still a quarter of the season left to play. That will clearly go by fast, however it is long enough for Cook to find his preferred 11 and instill a style of play, and top 6 should be within sight given the fixture list.

Top 2 is out of reach, but I had always believed that to be the case. The main thing we can hope for is to be hitting form come the end of the season. Top 6 should be achievable, and ultimately finishing 3rd - 6th won’t make a huge difference on whether we go up.
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We have to start again on 07:57 - Mar 17 with 1854 viewsBluedanW

We have to start again on 07:52 - Mar 17 by X0Y0

Last night was dire, however there is still a quarter of the season left to play. That will clearly go by fast, however it is long enough for Cook to find his preferred 11 and instill a style of play, and top 6 should be within sight given the fixture list.

Top 2 is out of reach, but I had always believed that to be the case. The main thing we can hope for is to be hitting form come the end of the season. Top 6 should be achievable, and ultimately finishing 3rd - 6th won’t make a huge difference on whether we go up.


I'm not sure what people are seeing as an easy run in? 8 more away games that if we play like last night and Gillingham in, we will get zero points
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We have to start again on 08:17 - Mar 17 with 1800 viewschicoazul

I have it on good authority the takeover is dead and all parties have moved on.

In the spirit of reconciliation and happiness at the end of the Banter Era (RIP) and as a result of promotion I have cleared out my ignore list. Look forwards to reading your posts!
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We have to start again on 08:25 - Mar 17 with 1780 viewsitfcjoe

We have to start again on 22:38 - Mar 16 by BluedanW

It would be nice to know what Lambert was getting at when he said the club needed an overhaul? Also Evans needs to explain the reason he got rid of lambert. I was happy to see the back of him, however Evans said the reason was because of differences in moving the club forward. What were these differences?


The differences were once Lambert kept failing on the pitch he started blaming the structure of the club which whilst to some extent effect things, he's basically got what he needed as a manager - including a further 4 signings in January
[Post edited 17 Mar 2021 8:26]

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We have to start again on 08:26 - Mar 17 with 1772 viewsKieran_Knows

We have to start again on 08:17 - Mar 17 by chicoazul

I have it on good authority the takeover is dead and all parties have moved on.


That would be a real shame.

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We have to start again on 08:55 - Mar 17 with 1724 viewsX0Y0

We have to start again on 07:57 - Mar 17 by BluedanW

I'm not sure what people are seeing as an easy run in? 8 more away games that if we play like last night and Gillingham in, we will get zero points


If you look at the average league positions of the remaining fixtures, average points per game of remaining fixtures or number of sides left to play in the top 10, then across all of those metrics Ipswich have clearly the easiest run in.

Of course it doesn’t always play out like that, but we’re clearly more likely to pick up points against teams lower down in the division.
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We have to start again on 10:03 - Mar 17 with 1658 viewsDarth_Koont

I think we need to give players the chance to be part of a better team first. I know that’s chicken and egg if the players aren’t up to it but I don’t believe there’s a squad of players that can’t be forged into a much more effective team.

I think confidence and momentum are the two areas that have been in shortest supply over the past few years – and the two feed off each other. And I think it has as much to do with our massive squad as anything else. Players can go from starting to being third or fourth choice and well outside the match squad and I think in a team looking for shape, to build partnerships and generally be forged through battle it feels like we’ve missed that.

Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Cook has his eye on a few key individuals during the Summer but he at least must be getting a strong idea of who he wants to build the interim team out of and perhaps the limitations in his favoured formation. With Gillingham and now Fleetwood you’d hope that he’d recognise we need to start by being harder to play against before we take on the next challenge which is being much better in the attacking third.

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We have to start again on 10:27 - Mar 17 with 1603 viewsX0Y0

We have to start again on 10:03 - Mar 17 by Darth_Koont

I think we need to give players the chance to be part of a better team first. I know that’s chicken and egg if the players aren’t up to it but I don’t believe there’s a squad of players that can’t be forged into a much more effective team.

I think confidence and momentum are the two areas that have been in shortest supply over the past few years – and the two feed off each other. And I think it has as much to do with our massive squad as anything else. Players can go from starting to being third or fourth choice and well outside the match squad and I think in a team looking for shape, to build partnerships and generally be forged through battle it feels like we’ve missed that.

Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Cook has his eye on a few key individuals during the Summer but he at least must be getting a strong idea of who he wants to build the interim team out of and perhaps the limitations in his favoured formation. With Gillingham and now Fleetwood you’d hope that he’d recognise we need to start by being harder to play against before we take on the next challenge which is being much better in the attacking third.


I think this team has a weak spine, both individually and as a group. Indivdually, too many of our players seem to shrink during games when pressure mounts or we lose a goal. Instead we need characters who can seize control and wrestle momentum from the opposition, and only Downes appears capable of this (when he's not getting a needless red card). As a team, we have lacked a steady spine of experienced players in the centre of the pitch, from front to back, who know their responsibilities and style of play, which would enable them to dictate the game.
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