Forum | Player of the season rankings 2021-22 by TractorFrog

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Player of the season rankings 2021-22 19:12 - Apr 5 with 1168 views

Only includes players who played at least 90 minutes of league games.

1. Janoi Donacien - was probably our second-best player at the start of the season after Bonne, solid in defence at right-back and also providing some great assists. But it was in the switch to three at the back when he really shone through, and McKenna has effectively invented a position (CB/RB) because he's so good at playing it. Wes Burns wouldn't be anywhere near as good without Donacien behind him.
2. Sam Morsy - massively bigged up by Paul Cook before his arrival, and was one of our best performers immediately. Still wasn't really as good as we'd expected until McKenna arrived and converted him into a driving midfielder, and is now perhaps our most important player as we always struggle considerably without him. He and Evans could be the best midfield pairing in the league, and complement each other perfectly.
3. Christian Walton - solid and dependable between the sticks, and our best keeper since Bialkowski. Has made many great saves, rarely makes mistakes, and is now the goalkeeper with the record for the longest time without conceding for Ipswich. Cook probably never intended on signing him but did due to Hladky's struggles, and he has been superb.
4. Wes Burns - a fantastic player to watch, able to beat his man so easily, and second-top scorer at the club, despite playing as a wing-back. His best goal was probably against Gillingham, but his performance on Burns Night stands out as his overall best. Misses out on a higher ranking because he has been a little inconsistent. Donacien also plays a huge role in his success.
5. George Edmundson - a very consistent defender and a great signing who is unlucky to only place fifth due to other players also being so outstanding. His introduction was important to the reduction in goals conceded at the start of the year. However, he was one of the few to play less well under McKenna than Cook, but still was crucial to all the many clean sheets.
6. Luke Woolfenden - a disappointing start to the season under Cook left him out in the cold once Edmundson was fit and looked certain to leave before John McGreal put him back into the team, and has now started every match under McKenna. Has probably been the most consistent performer in that time, and is playing better than ever before. It's great to still have an academy player in the team.
7. Macauley Bonne - it is such a shame he only ranks here because at the start of the season he was so good I was wondering if he could still be player of the season if he was recalled in January, but his current scoring form has really let him down. 11 goals quickly at the start of the year made him by far the best player at the time, and his goals against MK Dons and Wycombe stand out. But the Sheffield Wednesday moment was his finest. I still think we should sign him permanently next season.
8. Bersant Celina - not as good as we were expecting, but while Celina was inconsistent he still produced some moments of pure class, none better than the goal against Crewe, but also with some fantastic assists. Like many, has improved under McKenna, who appears to want to sign him permanently next year. And so he should.
9. Conor Chaplin - it seems very harsh to rank the best finisher at the club and third-top scorer only ninth, but it just shows how many other players have been great this year. After taking a while to get into the side, he was the first player to make the number 10 spot his own, and was unlucky to lose it. His goal against Portsmouth was probably his best. Has been a little inconsistent under McKenna.
10. Sone Aluko - after most considered him to be our worst signing before a ball was kicked, Aluko changed people's minds with his brace in the Cambridge game and became a key player for Paul Cook. Started brilliantly under McKenna with some classy performances, and while he has been unlucky not to play more, he is great whenever he does.
11. Lee Evans - signed to be our captain, but after a good pre-season he had a horrible start to the season, which probably forced Cook to sign Morsy. But alongside Morsy he was a new player, scoring a hattrick against Doncaster. He was another to improve under McKenna and allows Morsy to get forward more by playing deeper, but unfortunately has been out for some time with an injury.
12. Tyreeq Bakinson - the top 11 were great but there is a bit of a gap now towards those who had 'average' seasons. I was impressed by Bakinson, who is perfect backup for Evans and plays the deeper role well. We should sign him permanently.
13. Cameron Burgess - had a great start to the season alongside and was fantastic against Lincoln, but his form dropped and was replaced by Nsiala after some poor performances. Didn't become a regular in the side for a long time due to the great form of the main three centre-backs, but since he came in for Edmundson he has found his form again.
14. James Norwood - perhaps a little generous, but after a good assist against Morecambe he barely featured again under Cook and was transfer listed, before coming back into the fold under McGreal and scoring four goals in four games. Disappeared a little again under McKenna but has rarely been played in the centre and did well when he did. I doubt he will be with us next year.
15. Dominic Thompson - None of the left-backs have really had an amazing season, but Thompson has been the pick of the bunch and is solid defensively, if not quite as good going forwards. Has made a few mistakes, but still might be worth signing next year. I suspect we will look for someone more attacking (could we get Garbutt?)
16. Kayden Jackson - After being among the bomb squad at the start of the year, Jackson did make it out and back into Cook's first team, but was only making substitute appearances and rarely making an impression. Looked set to leave in January but was kept on and came good under McKenna, with a wonderful performance against Burton and two other goals. Seems to be staying.
17. Toto Nsiala - the much-maligned Nsiala is the highest-ranked player no longer at the club after being sold in January, but during his time in the team he did a good job, and played a role in the improved defensive performances initially. But he isn't as good as his four CB counterparts so it was the right decision to let him go, and it is a shame his final two games were the two shockers at Charlton and Barrow.
18. Kyle Edwards - probably our most exciting player burst onto the scene at the start of the year and was outstanding against Cheltenham and MK Dons. But after an injury, he never rediscovered that form and after a run of games in which he produced some good moments but no end product, he dropped out of the side, and doesn't fit with McKenna's formation. But he should stay, and I could see him playing the Burns role on the left next year.
19. Matt Penney - was signed as a backup leftback but with injuries to Coulson he ended up playing a lot more than expected, and generally was very solid, if a little weak in defence. After one shocker at Plymouth, he was transfer listed before a brief renaissance under McGreal and McKenna, and has been unlucky to barely play since. Still sufficient backup for next year, and might get the last few games in the side.
20. Scott Fraser - one of the disappointments of the year was Fraser, one of the best attacking midfielders in the league last season but generally very quiet this year, rarely having much impact on games and often being played out wide by Cook, where he was ineffective. Sold in January, but we actually made a profit from Fraser.
21. Hayden Coulson - it is a shame that injuries ruined his season because on the few occasions that Coulson played for us he was very good, with the assist against Lincoln his finest moment. Now playing in the championship, and it was possibly a mistake to let him go, but his low ranking here is down to a lack of games.
22. Idris El Mizouni - again, a player who is ranked outside the top 20 because of a lack of games, but has impressed when he played, including one great goal against Oldham. It is perhaps surprising that Cook kept him in the summer cull, but it remains to be seen whether or not he is considered good enough to be the Morsy backup next year.
23. Joe Pigott - perhaps the biggest disappointment of the new signings in the summer was Pigott, who scored 20 for Wimbledon last year and seemed like a great signing, but has had a poor season in which he has scored only twice and has never found form. He is contracted for next year and should come good at some point, but McKenna may decide to sell him.
24. Bailey Clements - got a surprise run of games in the side after Cook decided Penney wasn't good enough, and his first against Oxford was outstanding. But after that he went backwards and had some difficult games before being replaced again when McGreal took over. I don't know how well he has done on loan at Stevenage.
25. Tom Carroll - has done quite well considered he was never really signed to be anything more than backup, and actually we have a great points per game record when he plays, but Carroll has almost always looked a bit of a weak link when he has played, and I would be surprised if his contract is extended.
26. Vaclav Hladky - After being signed as the first-choice keeper, he looked good in pre-season, but had a bit of a nightmare at the start of the season, making mistakes and causing Cook to sign Walton at the end of the transfer window. He still made a few appearances when Walton was injured and did slightly better, but I think he is decent backup at this level and could improve significantly under McKenna in the future.
27. Rekeem Harper - another disappointment was Harper, who looked great alongside Evans in pre-season but struggled in the first six matches before being replaced by Carroll and never started again in the league before being loaned to Crewe in January. There is potential there, and we should keep him next year, but Harper has had a poor season.

So there is my ranking of the players, with the likes of Armando Dobra, Louie Barry and Cameron Humphreys missed out due to them not playing enough to get a ranking.

[Post edited 5 Apr 2022 19:14]

	They'd all laugh at me if they knew what I was trying to do. To create a new strain of super-wine in half-an-hour with a fraction of nature's resources and a FOOL for an assistant. 'Bernard Black, he's mad,' they'd say, 'he's insane, he's dangerous.' Well I'll show them! I'll show them all!
Poll:	What hurt more?

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 19:14 - Apr 5 with 1139 views

TractorFrog

For reference, my rankings from last season are here:

Ipswich Town player rankings 2020/21 by TractorFrog 19 May 2021 16:39
My rankings of the players from 2020-21. Only takes the league into account. The number of games played is also taken into account.
1. Toto Nsiala — from our worst player last season to our best this season. The defence did a solid job in a year when the attack failed, and Nsiala was the best of the bunch. Some outstanding blocks and few mistakes. I think he deserves a starting place next season, but that is extremely unlikely given that he’s been transfer listed.
2. Luke Chambers — the outgoing skipper has had another impressive season and has always been one of our best players during his time here. Filling in at right-back once again, he was solid in defence and not too bad getting forward. Places behind Nsiala because of a poor run of form before Christmas (similar to that of Ward).
3. James Wilson — probably the most consistently good player this year but didn’t play enough games to be above Chambers or Nsiala. The fact that the top three are all defenders says a lot about our season.
4. Andre Dozzell — no goals or assists, but still a good breakthrough season from Dozzell. Was only out of the team by choice once all season, and his final game against Fleetwood was outstanding.
5. Teddy Bishop — flashes of brilliance, but inconsistent. Arguably our best player, along with Edwards, until their injuries, and wasn’t quite as good afterwards. I still think he deserves another season.
6. Gwion Edwards — similar to Bishop. He had an excellent start to the season, particularly in the Blackpool game, but then had an injury and wasn’t the same when he returned.
7. James Norwood — seemed to be our only player who could score goals in the second half of the season but played too few games. By far the best striker at the club.
8. Tomas Holy — he was quite poor during Paul Cook’s time at the club which has dented his reputation at the club and seems likely to leave this summer. But did a solid job during Lambert’s time and made many good saves.
9. Myles Kenlock — another who seems likely to leave, but I think should stay. He had a horrible time when he first replaced Ward, but his second stint in the side was excellent. That assist for Norwood’s winner against Hull was one of the best moments of the season.
10. Alan Judge — a season of two halves. In the first half of the season, he was the most hated player by the fans as he consistently put in poor performances but continued to get picked. But since the defeat of Swindon, he was excellent, and was our best attacking player (besides Norwood).
11. Stephen Ward — didn’t really live up to expectations. Was outstanding at the start of the year, then never fully recovered from the injury at MK Dons and slowly went downhill after that. His stint in the side towards the end of the year was better, but Kenlock was the better left-back this season.
12. Flynn Downes — our best player in 2019/20 but didn’t reach the same heights this season and now seems set to leave the club. His transfer request, and then injury at MK Dons meant that Downes played almost no football in the first half of the year. When he returned, there were flashes of brilliance, but more injuries meant the season never really got going.
13. Mark McGuinness — a pointless signing, as we already had enough centre-backs, but in fairness McGuinness did do a decent job for Ipswich this season. He’s error-prone, but is talented, and played more games at centre-back than any other player besides Nsiala.
14. Armando Dobra — didn’t play enough games to place any higher but was excellent when he did play. It would be ridiculous to sell him, in my opinion.
15. Kane Vincent-Young — also played well when fit but didn’t play enough. Vincent-Young is one of our best players, but is so injury prone, and had he been fit all year we might have made the playoffs.
16. Luke Woolfenden — a very poor season from Woolfenden, after looking like a future Premier League player this time last year. I still think we should keep him.
17. Jon Nolan — excellent in the first few games, then dropped off after the stupid red card and then got injured. Seems one of few to be retained for next year.
18. Troy Parrott — some good matches and some bad, but he was one of the better loanees this season. Scored the second most goals of all the strikers (with two).
19. Oli Hawkins — only one goal, but the excellent goal-scoring form of Edwards, Bishop and Nolan came when he was in the team. Another hit by injuries.
20. Brett McGavin — a similar story to Dobra in that he also can’t place higher because of a lack of games, but did well when he played, and deserves to stay for next season.
21. David Cornell — the backup keeper for most of the season was quite good when he played but did have that horrible blunder at Swindon.
22. Aaron Drinan — some fantastic moments, but not enough goals and too many mistakes. Should be loaned to league 2 next season.
23. Jack Lankester — showed so much promise early in the season and scored that 97th minute winner at Shrewsbury, but also had some very quiet games and disappeared later in the season. I think he should be kept but loaned to league 2 next season.
24. Freddie Sears — played a lot of games but has been a shadow of his former self since returning from that horrible injury. Has had a great career with Ipswich.
25. Kayden Jackson — after a great season last year, Jackson struggled in a one-striker system, and had a very poor season. Will most likely be sold.
26. Keanan Bennetts — he had the potential to be an excellent player but made so many mistakes this season. It’s surprising how often he was picked.
27. Luke Matheson — a very strange Ipswich career. One great match, followed by one shocker, and then he just disappeared.
28. Emyr Huws — what a shame that the very promising Huws never really got his Ipswich career going. Wasn’t too bad when he played but was clearly well down the pecking order of midfielders.
29. Luke Thomas — very few matches from the Barnsley winger, but also wasn’t too bad when he played. It feels bad that Ipswich are now signing players that Barnsley don’t want.
30. Josh Harrop — he played in a lot of games but just didn’t really do a lot and made too many errors, and of course got that silly red card.
31. Cole Skuse — it is such a shame that his Ipswich career ended this way because he has been one of our best players this last decade. But the truth is he only had one start, and it was that awful Fleetwood game (where Skuse wasn’t the only player to play poorly). However, his three sub appearances were all perfectly decent performances.

No rank — Tyreece Simpson, Liam Gibbs, Tristan Nydam — all three are unranked because they played fewer than 90 minutes, but all did well when they played. Gibbs looks a fantastic prospect for the future; Simpson also looks like he deserves a chance next year. Unfortunately, Nydam has been released, but will do well for another club in the future.

	They'd all laugh at me if they knew what I was trying to do. To create a new strain of super-wine in half-an-hour with a fraction of nature's resources and a FOOL for an assistant. 'Bernard Black, he's mad,' they'd say, 'he's insane, he's dangerous.' Well I'll show them! I'll show them all!
Poll:	What hurt more?

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 22:21 - Apr 5 with 1008 views

Garv

A minor point but I don't think it's fair to say Cook only signed Morsy and Walton because Evans and Hladky had poor starts. He wanted both players all summer but they weren't available.

Poll:

Pick a goal to win the derby in stoppage time...

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 10:13 - Apr 6 with 873 views

Sharkey

As I said elsewhere, maybe it's time for KVY to go somewhere he's a bit more involved.

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 10:16 - Apr 6 with 858 views

Beckets

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 10:13 - Apr 6 by Sharkey
As I said elsewhere, maybe it's time for KVY to go somewhere he's a bit more involved.

I think KVY will be on the disposal list this summer. Even with injuries he’s not making the match day 18.

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 11:30 - Apr 6 with 810 views

Superblue95

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 10:16 - Apr 6 by Beckets
I think KVY will be on the disposal list this summer. Even with injuries he’s not making the match day 18.

Or even the player of the year rankings list!

	My hobbies include being quiet during trips, clapping with songs, and diabetes.
Poll:	Englands player of the tournament

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 12:54 - Apr 6 with 754 views

clive_baker

Burns 4th and Aluko 10th? Crazy Frog.

Poll:	Will Boris Johnson be PM this time next week?
Blog:	[Blog] Team Spirit Holds the Key

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 13:14 - Apr 6 with 712 views

Beckets

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 11:30 - Apr 6 by Superblue95
Or even the player of the year rankings list!

Surely the final nail in the coffin!

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 15:24 - Apr 6 with 659 views

FrimleyBlue

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 22:21 - Apr 5 by Garv
A minor point but I don't think it's fair to say Cook only signed Morsy and Walton because Evans and Hladky had poor starts. He wanted both players all summer but they weren't available.

Garv, do you think we still would have gone for Walton at the end of the window had Hladky had a good start though?

League 2 player of the season, most cleansheets in the league etc wasnt he? do you think we'd have still binned him off if carried on that form?

	Waka waka eh eh
Poll:	We've had Kuqi v Pablo.. so Broadhead or Celina?
Blog:	Marcus Evans Needs Our Support Not to Be Hounded Out

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 16:15 - Apr 6 with 605 views

TractorFrog

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 11:30 - Apr 6 by Superblue95
Or even the player of the year rankings list!

Oops. Sorry, Kane. I will slot him in below El Mizouni, as it has been a disappointing season for him, although he was great at Wycombe. I still think he is more than good enough to be backup for Wes Burns so hopefully he will stay.

	They'd all laugh at me if they knew what I was trying to do. To create a new strain of super-wine in half-an-hour with a fraction of nature's resources and a FOOL for an assistant. 'Bernard Black, he's mad,' they'd say, 'he's insane, he's dangerous.' Well I'll show them! I'll show them all!
Poll:	What hurt more?

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 12:20 - Apr 7 with 500 views

Garv

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 15:24 - Apr 6 by FrimleyBlue
Garv, do you think we still would have gone for Walton at the end of the window had Hladky had a good start though? League 2 player of the season, most cleansheets in the league etc wasnt he? do you think we'd have still binned him off if carried on that form?

I'm pretty confident yeah. I'd imagine Phil might have a better idea and possibly be able to confirm or deny.

Hladky was L2 player of the year but Walton was in the PL and worked with Cook before. While I didn't think Holy was awful, he was never likely to be considered good enough to even be second choice was he? So I think we always wanted someone else and Walton was clearly high on the list if not top.

Same applies to Morsy. Whether we'd have a good start or not, Cook had a raging stiff one for him, right so.

Poll:

Pick a goal to win the derby in stoppage time...

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 12:42 - Apr 7 with 477 views

itfcjoe

Player of the season rankings 2021-22 on 12:20 - Apr 7 by Garv

I don't think that is the case with Hladky - you don't pay £300k for a keeper and give him a 3 year contract on £5k a week in this league to then have him as your number 2

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