Ipswich Lost to Norwich, I Think They Will Take It Out on Us - Notes for Burton Friday, 27th Oct 2017 11:00 by HarryFromBath HarryFromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s game at the Pirelli Stadium by delving into their forums. “Our aim is clear, to climb out of the bottom three before May”, “We know it’s going to be a long tough season but we have got enough about us to stay clear of that bottom three come the end of the campaign, even if it takes until the last home game of the season against Bolton in April.” These are anxious times for Brewers. Since beating Fulham 2-1 in September they failed to score in any of their five subsequent league games and slipped into the bottom three. Hard-fought 0-0 draws away to Bristol City and QPR have been mixed with 4-0 drubbings at home to Villa and Wolves. “A win right now is vital. The goal-scoring we know is very poor and we have scored just one goal in the last six matches”, “Last season I didn’t leave a single game disappointed. I always felt we could or should have got something from the game. I can say I haven’t felt that for a few weeks.” Brewers are realistic about the odds they are facing. “Let’s get real about who we are and what we can achieve”, “We’re lightweights in a heavyweight division and we have to enjoy the challenge”, “We need to stick together and understand both our limitations and what we are competing with.” “Enjoy watching the Albion competing at the Pirelli at this level while it lasts”, “Many said it would be a bumpy ride this season, so come on lads and lasses. We will get through the stormy waters and reach the sunny skies again”, “We cannot fail. We never expected to be here in the first place.” Nigel Clough“This is a time for sticking together, understanding the huge odds against us and more importantly trusting the manager as we are bloody lucky to have him”, “I have faith in Nigel Clough to keep us up and I’m not sure who else could do it if he can’t”, “It’s a big ask, but if anyone can do it, Nigel can.”  Nigel Clough “The club is under the right manager and has a plan to try and survive at this level on an ongoing basis.” Brewers have absolute faith in the 51-year-old who returned to the Pirelli Stadium in 2015 having successfully managed the side in their earlier non-league days between 1998 and 2009. “Clough puts his all into managing that team”, “I have no doubts that we won’t last at this level and will end up in League One or League Two again without him in charge”, “He is making the most of a difficult situation and nursing Us through to the January window”, “He lives and breathes the club.” “If he keeps us up this season he will have performed another miracle”, “Clough out? God help us if that ever happened. Who else would accept the poisoned chalice of operating on a budget that is a mere fraction of the average for this league. He is performing miracles and we owe him so much.” Another Yellow Brick Wall“The Yellow Brick Wall is our strength and our pride”, “On our day we give little away”, “We put in a brilliant defensive performance at Bristol City and it showed our Yellow Brick Wall mentality”, “We restricted a very good Bristol City side to two half-chances and a couple of long-range pot-shots.” Brewers have praised the team’s industry, but many would like the team to show more fight and be less defensive-minded. “My concern is that if we continue to park the bus 25 yards from our goal, we are 75 yards from theirs with few players in front of the ball. We won’t score goals playing like that.” BywaterBuxtonMcFadzeanTurnerBrayfordMurphyAllenWarnockScannellAkinsDyer
The starting line-up (above) for Saturday’s 2-0 defeat away at Forest had the experienced backline of Jake Buxton, Kyle McFadzean and Ben Turner flanked by John Brayford and Stephen Warnock. This defensive unit helped to grind out hard-fought goalless stalemates away to Norwich and QPR. “Far too many opponents concentrate on the centre-halves either side of McFadzean.” While they rate their backline, fans noted how Wolves and Villa isolated the lack of pace in both Buxton and Warnock in the wider centre-back roles when they lost the protection of their wing-backs. “We certainly need someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in central midfield and take charge.” The midfield unit is seen as offering decent protection to the backline with Luke Murphy dictating the shape, but Brewers would like to see Jamie Allen make a more attacking contribution. Not Enough Ambition Up Front“Up front we are going to struggle. That has been the case for a few years now without any natural finisher doing his job on the pitch”, “It’s going to be tough to get out of the bottom three unless we start to become a bit more ambitious in our attacking play”, “I don’t feel we can snatch a goal.” Burton have plenty of Championship experience up front but their overall quality is seen as an issue. The loss of 27-year-old Northern Ireland international striker Liam Boyce with a knee injury has hit the side hard. He arrived this summer from Ross County and for many fans was a marquee signing. Former Blue Luke Varney is seen as a good supporting striker who offers hard running but he lacks both goals and pace. Marvin Sordell is viewed as a pacier striker but is also not clinical enough while Joe Mason is the best finisher but is seen as anonymous unless playing in the number 10 role. “Jackson Irvine [now with Hull], Michael Kightly, Cauley Woodrow and Lasse Vigen Christensen [all loan signings] from last season’s team all scored match-winning goals”, “The attacking players this season seem to get in the box and dance around with the defenders until they finally lose the ball.”  Michael Kightly v Christophe Berra“We haven’t got the players to allow us to play ambitiously. Doing this resulted in two 4-0 reversals at home. We need to play to our strengths and deploy the Yellow Brick Wall”, “Until January all we can do is just keep it tight and try to nick and goal, and that is what we are setting up to do.” Nottingham Forest 2 — 0 Burton“I saw very little to be happy about today. Yes, we should have scored and could have had a penalty but other than that we were useless”, “Forest were there for the taking in the first half but we just invited them on”, “Nine league games from 13 without a goal. That, my friends, is relegation form.” Lloyd Dyer had the best chance for the Brewers in an uneventful first half but saw his shot blocked by Forest defender Eric Lichaj. Barrie McKay gave Forest the lead on 58 minutes, reacting quickly to Stephen Bywater’s punch and Lichaj added a second 20 minutes later to secure victory for the Reds. “At times in the first half we looked the better side. We had three or four chances but we didn’t put them away. We lacked creativity after the break”, “Forest scored their goals, we didn’t”, “When we went behind we looked more frantic and lower on quality, By the end we looked a really poor side.” Bristol City 0 — 0 Burton“Bloody well done, Brewers, happy with that”, “An excellent result and full marks to all. It’s not easy in our position to come back with a battling display against an in-form team”, “The Bristol forum is in a right meltdown. You know the drill, non-league Burton, shouldn’t be in the league, etc. I love it.” Burton secured what was a third straight goalless away draw under the Friday night floodlights at Ashton Gate. They restricted the hosts to few chances in a hard-fought encounter. Keeper Stephen Bywater was praised for two good stops made to deny the Robins’ Marlon Pack and Josh Brownhill. “A great result. Clough clearly knows the team better than us. A 0-0 draw at Bristol City is a really good result, especially after seeing us getting battered 4-0 twice. Hopefully we’re back on track”, “It was a good defensive performance, but we should be trying to offer more at the other end of the pitch.” BywaterBuxtonMcFadzeanTurnerAkinsMurphyAllenWarnockAkpanVarneyMason
The starting XI (above) saw Lucas Akins switch to the right wing-back replacing the injured Brayford. Varney and Mason up front primarily relieved pressure on the defence. “The back 10 were brilliant with Akins filling in out wide. The midfield was niggly enough but avoided the referee stepping in.” Burton 0 - 4 Wolves“I really can’t sugar-coat today. We weren’t very good at all and made far too many basic errors”, “It was like a knife through butter. We gifted four goals. They didn’t have to work for them”, “The score flattered Wolves a little, but we were punished for our mistakes”, “It has been a miserable week.” “We seemed to cave in too easily. Our heads went down and we lost focus.” Diogo Jota exploited a lack of pace and movement in Burton’s defence when he fired home after five minutes and Romain Saiss added a second for Wolves six minutes later after keeper Bywater failed to collect a freekick. A clever near-post finish by Ruben Vinagre made it 3-0 to the West Midlanders on 41 minutes after Albion’s defenders allowed him time and space to get his shot away and this killed the game as a contest. Leo Bonatini’s strike on 62 minutes confirmed a second 4-0 defeat for Burton in five days. “Gift goals to any team in this division and you are chasing the game”, “Don’t shoot the goalie or half the defence just yet. Bring on some less formidable opponents and I’m sure we will be quickly back to normal, picking up just about enough points to continue competing for survival in this league.” BywaterBuxtonMcFadzeanWarnockFlanaganMurphyAllenAkpanDyerAkinsScannell
“Our lack of pace at the back was exposed by through balls to quick forwards. We were exposed by the combined pace and skill.” Wolves were able to use their quick interplay and movement to isolate the Albion centre-halves with wing-backs Lloyd Dyer and Tom Flanagan often left further up-field. Goalkeepers and Central Defenders“You can’t make the kind of error Stephen Bywater did against Wolves.” The 36-year-old former Ram and one-time Town loanee “gets players on their way quickly with great throws”, “His organisation is intelligent and his distribution is quick. He’s a confidence player and this is lacking at present.”  Stephen Bywater playing for former club Millwall“The keeper position needs reviewing but I did not appreciate our fans chanting [reserve keeper] Connor Ripley’s name after Bywater’s mistake against Wolves. Although it was very brief, Stephen did hear it and turned to them looking very crestfallen. If he’s on the pitch, give him your support.” “Kyle McFadzean is turning is some brilliant performances. I have no issues with him defensively.” The 30-year-old ex-Milton Keynes man “has great composure and is a solid all-round centre-half”, “He needs to stop giving the ball away and putting us under pressure when we are struggling.”  Leon Best shields the ball from Kyle McFadzean “Nigel, please stop playing McFadzean as a ball-playing centre-half and definitely not a ball-playing midfielder. We must do all we can to keep the ball away from him unless he heads or kicks it clear”, “Whenever I see him play this season my heart has been in my mouth whenever he has the ball.” “Tom Flanagan can play anywhere across the back five.” The 26-year-old is also an ex-Milton Keynes man. “A massive asset to us, tall and relatively quick, he’s a predominantly right-footed centre who spent mast year playing at left-back, no easy task”, “He’s commanding, assured and good in the air.”  Freddie Sears v Tom Flanagan“Flanagan has more strength and presence than Buxton and Warnock”, “He seemed to be in energy-saving mode against Wolves. The way he strolled back for their third goal said it all.” Some Brewers have their doubts after he havered over a new contract this summer. “He doesn’t want to be here.” “Ben Turner’s distribution isn’t great at the best of times but defensively he’s solid.” The 29-year-old former Coventry and Cardiff man “leads by example and is a powerhouse”, “With size, strength and leadership he makes such a massive difference to our defending. He was huge for us last season.” “Bristol City’s Aden Flint thought that playing Burton would be another good night for him but he was wrong. Big Ben Turner sorted him and he didn’t like it”, “The ideal man to lead the team on the pitch, he’s our best centre-back. He’s not afraid to shout orders and he organises us from the back.” Jake Buxton“I am concerned by the mobility of our Conference hero”, “Jake is good in a physical battle against a slower centre-forward but he is far too slow now and is getting exposed.” The 32-year-old ex-Derby man played for the Brewers in 2008/09. “He makes some vital blocks but he’s a yard off the pace.” “Buxton looked shaky from the off at Forest and wasn’t great apart from winning a few clattering headers”, “He looks like a player whose career at this level is coming to an end despite him giving 100 per cent effort”, “He may still have a role to play, coming on to protect a result at the finish.” Wing-Backs and Wingers“Stephen Warnock gives his all but gets caught out and struggles to recover.” The 35-year-old one-time Liverpool, Villa and Leeds man arrived this summer from Wigan. “He’s a clever left-back but he doesn’t have the energy levels to play further forward now”, “It looks like this level is beyond him.” “Warnock is experienced but not as quick on the turn and maybe not as physical as he previously was”, “He is okay on the ball but is far too slow and gets exposed”, “He uses his experience well and will be useful in a large number of games”, “He’s poor as a central defender playing in a back three.” “Can someone explain to me why Sean Scannell makes the team?” The 27-year-old Huddersfield loan signing “hasn’t looked like the player we desperately need him to be”, “He has neat touches and plenty of pace. He finds good positions but could do better with his finishing or his final ball.” “I keep waiting and hoping Scannell shows a flash of brilliance. I though he was all about work-rate and quality. So far, the majority of what I have seen from him is running into dead ends, making the wrong decisions and looking bereft of composure in good positions, which he does quite often.” “Lucas Akins is my favourite player because he cares.” The 28-year-old former Stevenage man has covered in forward and midfield positions and many expect him to start on the right flank with John Brayford injured. “He is very difficult to play against, especially close up, defending from the front.”  Lucas Akins scores against Town“Akins sums up how we play, 90 minutes of effort, hassling, running, covering and closing down”, “He is not blessed with lightning pace but he can be very effective”, “I like his strength and his ungainly running”, He’s much better on the ball this season. His passing and crossing are good.” Lloyd Dyer“Dyer is a model professional. I love him.” The 35-year-old former Leicester, Watford and Burnley winger “causes teams all manner of problems down that left-hand side. He has looked dangerous this season and supplied some great chances”, “We know this already but, blimey, how quick is he?”  Luke Chambers v Lloyd Dyer“Using Dyer as an attacking wing-back leaves the slow centre-backs exposed when they are pulled wide”, “He has great feet and he has higher energy levels than Warnock as a wing-back but he is weaker defensively in that role”, “I forgot he was on the pitch in the second half against Wolves.” Central Midfielders“Hope Akpan seems to be playing in lead boots.” The 26-year-old former Reading man arrived at the Pirelli Stadium this summer from Blackburn. “He offers little other than a physical presence. He has to be careful with his lunging challenges as he could have been in trouble several times this season.”  Freddie Sears v Hope Akpan (Blackburn)“Akpan breaks up the opposition play alongside Luke Murphy but also has a good range of passing”, “On his game he is confident on the ball and has good, quick, first-touch distribution”, “He uses and keeps the ball very well, but he got it from both barrels from fans for his display against Wolves.” Many Brewers would like to see more of former Ram Tom Naylor. The 26-year-old “has great energy levels, a nice bit of aggression and is decent enough with the ball at his feet”, “He has been unlucky not to have been involved and could cover on the right of midfield if Brayford remains injured.” “Matty Lund looks the most likely to take on the goal-scoring midfielder mantle as long as we play him in the centre with Murphy doing the leg-work.” The 26-year-old ex-Rochdale man picked up an ankle injury in August. “He reminds me very much of Darren Fletcher in the way he ghosts about.” “Jamie Allen was the ray of light in the Wolves and Villa defeats.” The 22-year-old also arrived from Rochdale this summer. “He has been compared to Paul Scholes more than once. He likes to keep the game simple but has some astute killer passes”, “He can tidily retain the ball and control the game.” “Allen is diminutive but always wants the ball in tight situations. He can pick a pass and isn’t afraid to put his foot into tackle. He has the licence to get forward and have a go at goal”, “His pace against Villa was lightning at times. He gets on the ball in around the opposition area and creates things.” Luke Murphy“Our defence owes a lot to Murphy.” The 28-year-old is on a second loan spell from Leeds, having played for the Brewers in the second half of last season. “He takes the ball off defenders, looks after it and pick out a pass. He protects the backline and also gets us going by playing on the half-turn.”  Tom Lawrence v Luke Murphy“Murphy shows great composure on the ball, which helps him pick a pass rather than force one”, “He does the simple stuff well. He impressively breaks up the opposition moves, turns it around and gets us going forward”, “He is outstanding both protecting the back five and playing the simple ball.” Strikers“Joe Mason has a very good scoring record and loads of pace.” The 26-year-old ex-Bluebird is on loan from Wolves until January. “We have hardly seen him and he has been anonymous, not looking the £3 million player he once did”, “He looks sharp enough, making occasional runs off the last defender.” “Poor Mason touched the ball less than half-a-dozen times at Bristol City”, “He is a really composed finisher. He finds the corners and seems to place his shots rather than blast them”, “A good inside forward and a direct player”, “He could get 10 to 12 goals from a number 10 role if things go well”, “ “Marvin Sordell tries hard, but one moment of magic every 10 games isn’t enough for me.” The 26-year-old former Colchester and Coventry striker “run his socks off”, “Marvin is sharp, strong and full of movement”, “He has a good first touch which allows him to go on a run after receiving a long ball.” “Pairing Sordell and Mason is a good idea”, “Marvin has been running into dead ends but I’m not too worried as he took time to get going last season, then pow!”, “He has done well overall but he hasn’t scored prolifically”, “He has a fantastic work-rate and he keeps on going when running on empty.” Luke Varney“I enjoy Varney coming on and getting stuck in. He’s not the answer but is the closest thing we have got at the moment”, “I like his work-rate and ability in the air, but I agree that he’s not a goalscorer. He’s a striker I would bring on when we are trying to see out a game, winning headers and flicks.”  Luke Varney“Varney has deceptive pace. He’s a lot slower than he actually looks.” The 35-year-old former Leeds striker arrived from Town last January. “We use him for his, ahem, pace up front”, “He works hard, but when he comes on I don’t think it enhances our chances of scoring a goal in the slightest.” Brewers’ Views on ITFC and the Game“Ipswich next, they beat us twice last year. Just saying”, “Hopefully Ipswich will go well, but it’s not an easy game at all”, “I really hope we win. We really need it. It's getting a bit bad.” “We could do with the first goal to give us any sort of chance of picking up points”, “It feels a bit like crunch time.” Burton play host to Barnsley on Tuesday night and these two home games are viewed as pivotal for many Brewers. They see these two fixtures as an opportunity to kick-start their campaign with many of their games this season having been against the division’s leading sides. “Both Ipswich and Barnsley are not in the greatest of form so are there for the taking ordinarily. However, they will both fancy their chances against us at the moment with our lack of goals and inconsistent defence. We could do with the first goal to give us a chance of picking up some points.” “These two games are now quite critical”, “This first three months of the season will, in a sense, be defined by the outcome of these next two home games. It would be just fine to end October outside the bottom three”, “I approach both of these games now more in hope than expectation.” “I actually fancy us against Ipswich more than Barnsley as I think we still have an element of surprise to spring against them if we catch them on one of our good days”, “Ipswich and us are similar teams and Fulham recently passed them to death. I expect them to be battling down the bottom end.” “I’m very nervous about Mad Mick and his band of giants. We need to take them by surprise. We just need a spark and hopefully an early goal. I would love to send McCarthy back to Suffolk with a long face”, “What, the same one he came with?” Joking aside, there was praise for our manager. “McCarthy's lot did a job on us last Easter when we were in a good spell”, “For the neutral and Ipswich fans it was a great game to watch. For us, it wasn't much fun, was it? Mick McCarthy had got them very well drilled and for once, a team looked like they had a better battle plan than ours.” “I think it came down to Mick McCarthy outsmarting Nigel”, “I thought Ipswich were really up for it and it was obvious McCarthy was targeting this one as the one win needed to ensure safety. They were prepared to do anything to get the win and they looked a yard or so quicker and fitter than us.” Brewers hope Varney will score in the correct goal on Saturday. “I would actually start Varney and play him for about 60 minutes in this one with Sordell partnering him. Varney will get stuck in and be determined to score against his old club”, “As long as he doesn’t do the same as he did last season.” WebsitesThe busiest Brewers’ message board is the friendly and knowledgeable Brewers Talk.
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