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Aluko: A Bitter One But We'll Bring Fans Happy Times
Sunday, 12th Sep 2021 11:35

Blues full league debutant Sone Aluko admitted Saturday’s 5-2 home defeat to Bolton Wanderers was a bitter one to take but believes better times will come.

Aluko was one of Town’s best performers on an afternoon which was largely a huge disappointment as the Trotters ended a near 20-year wait for a league win at Portman Road.

“It’s a bitter one, it’s a tough one,” he said afterwards. “I don’t know what to say, to be honest.

“We got off to a good start. And that’s our weakness, when we score a goal, the next five minutes for us is crucial and we keep getting that wrong, but that’s what we’re trying to fix and we will fix.

“The only way out of this is to work hard and keep going and we’ll grind it and it will get better.

“There are very good players in that team but we’re a new team. It’s not an excuse, it’s a fact, we’re a new team, we’re still learning and it will improve.”

Why does he believe that the Blues are letting teams back into games in the five minutes after scoring? “A bit of naivety. We’re making mistakes and we’re getting punished, every mistake we make they seem to score, sometimes teams miss and let you off the hook.

“But we need to focus, we need to concentrate on winning games and the level of mistakes we’re making individually and as a team, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot, that’s got to stop and it will stop.”

Despite the Blues having dropped to 22nd in the table, 10 points off second and 12 behind leaders Sunderland, the 32-year-old says there’s no alarm.

“We’re a long way off panicking, it’s a long season,” he said. “There’ll be lots of ups and downs between and the end.


“When you build a whole new team it’s going to be a bit of a rollercoaster, especially in the early days, I think you’ve got to be patient.

“But, like I say, it’s tough, but it will change, everyone’s working very, very hard, the coaching staff, the manager, the players, we’re grind away at it.”

Are there enough leaders in the squad? “For sure, I had my full league debut today, George [Edmundson] and the goalkeeper [Christian Walton] made their debuts, there are still players still coming in, Santi [Bersant Celina] will come in, he’ll add something to the team, Sam Morsy, we’ve got experience in the team and we’ve got good young players, so there’s a good blend.

“It will get better, I’ve no doubt about that, it’s just today is a rough day and we take it on the chin, you roll with the punches and go again.”

The fifth Bolton goal and final whistle both led to boos from the home support and the Nigerian international sees why.

“It’s understandable,” he admitted. “We can’t get beaten 5-2 at home and expect fans to do anything else but the reaction they gave us at the end. But we’ll give them some happy times as well and they’ll get behind us.

“We still feel it in the games when things are going well they get behind us and they let us know when it doesn’t, and we’re as disappointed as they are.”

Asked whether he was happy with his own performance, he said: “I’m not sure you can be happy when you lose 5-2. It is what it is. I try to contribute. I thought I was unfortunate in my first game here that I got injured and I’ve been out of the team since then.

“I had a brief appearance [from the bench against Wimbledon] and then in the last two weeks I got the chance to get my fitness up so it’s been coming, I’ll improve and the team will improve.”

Aluko made his Town debut from the start in the Carabao Cup tie against Newport in which he picked up an injury.

“It happened so early in the game. I was thinking, ‘I can’t come off on my debut’, so I just played through it, which with hindsight probably wasn’t a great decision.

“But I feel good now and the fitness will improve, the team’s fitness will improve, a lot of players came in late in the window, didn’t have great pre-seasons. We’ll get better.

“They’re all factors, I don’t want to make excuses but they’re all factors that leading to our concentration, leading to mistakes, that’s football.”

"Aluko spent most of pre-season with Derby having left Reading at the end of last season and says he thought a move to the Championship Rams was all but sorted.

“I thought I was Derby, it was pretty much close to all being agreed,” he said. “That didn’t didn’t happen, Ipswich had contacted me not long before that. I knew about that, so as soon as Derby [broke down] I got in contact with Ipswich and said let’s try and sort something out.

“It was very, very appealing, they’ve signed very, very good players, more players were coming in after me and it’s been good.

“[Apart from] today I’ve enjoyed it, really good, [going] in the right direction, it’s a big club, at the first game of the season there were 23,000 or something here, that’s incredible.

“It’s good, there’ll be happy days here, good times are coming and hopefully I’ll be part of that.”

He added: “It’s my first time outside of the Championship or Premier League. But I know the ambition of the club.

“First of all I wanted to stay in the Championship, that was the aim, but coming to League One, coming to Ipswich, I knew they wanted to get back in the Championship as soon as possible, they’ve not hidden that, I’ve not hidden it, I’ve said we want to get promoted, that’s the aim of the club. We’re all willing to work as hard as we can and do whatever it takes to get there.”


Photo: Matchday Images



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Billysherlockblue added 20:22 - Sep 12
Cook will come good but has to show more tactically. This squad could play any system but the system chosen u need certain type of midfielders and we dont have them. Ive even given evans a lot of grief but he is one dimensional .. ie plays the way he faces and is too slow for 4231 but with a different system i think he would excel. Harper is young and a serious talent but not game after game. Hes only a kid but needs to up his workrate and agression. Evans has this but is more a middle of a 3 midfielder that covers the other 2. Here i think cook needs help with tactics. Good cop bad cop so to speak. He has got good players in because they like to follow him but he needs a plan B. Ie a different system. Rem. The great ipswich side 433 with mariner . Up top. This system was more solid with a lot of flair out wide and full backs. We have that here at present. Is cook not the best tactically i dont think so but he has to be adaptable and even try different things. He has the balls ie demolition man and he was correct to do so. We had become like children and like spoilt ones. Of all the players that were left go they had become too old and spoilt. I would not have kept any. None. They left us the fans down and worse than that they left themselves and familys down. Basically they downed tools. Good riddance and forgotton. Now we have a team to be proud of even though weve won no game yet. But the guys look gutted after every match not laughing and taking the p..s. lets give cook till xmas he deserves that and his chance. He is a good football man and human being. I hate loseing but everyone deserves a fair chance and we cant use last year because all the former players were happy to stay in league one and collect their easy wages. They did not want to go up because they knew they were no good. This team has ambition just needs a little TLC. I luv this club and we as fans deserve better but were not ones to call for people's jobs after 6 games come on brothers and sisters of Ipswich town were better than that. Xmas then we can have our say. And then rightly so. Do ye think im right everybody??? Super blues forever 💙
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 05:47 - Sep 13
I don't think it's a question of ”working harder.” In fact, I'd be happy if we calmed down a bit and tried a bit of measured build up through the middle without committing the full backs up the wings every time and then leaving ourselves completely open at the back for the counter attack. You can see the same pattern repeating itself time after time, and you just know what's going to happen. While I'm sure he's got some good motivationsl qualities, I'm getting worried about Cook's ability to vary tactics and formations. ”Flogging a dead horse” comes to mind. We have players with ability, but we need to use them properly. Just my view - I'm not a manager after all.
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bluesman added 09:45 - Sep 13
The defence didn't play badly at all on Saturday considering how exposed they were. You can't play two holding midfielders unless a) they are exceptional and b) they are well supported by a team that presses as a team. Neither of these are realistic atm and the formation is just naive. We need a midfield of Carroll, Morsy, Evans and Harper. Then they might stand a chance. Spoiled for choice up front lol
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Billysherlockblue added 09:58 - Sep 13
To me the midfield is the issue as holding midfielders they are not protecting the full backs spaces. Then the centre half s are widely split . Then boom . Were in trouble. What a side we could have 433 like liverpool and press high we have the subs to come on when we tire. Cooks system of 4231 in theory is good but we dont all press as aTEAM and DEFEND as a team. Plud our midfield 2 are not doing their jobs. Evans slows the game up for this system but would be brill in a holding 433. Just my thoughts. Super blues forever 💙
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JewellintheTown added 10:03 - Sep 13
OK, we're all unhappy at the way we lost, yet again! We can all agree we wanted to see a win today is an obvious.
This isn't going to be popular but needs to be said that but booing and shouting at our team at such and early stage of the season after everything that's happened only serves to destroy their confidence and plays in the hands of the opposition. Were you expecting them to suddenly score four because of boos, like they're intentionally playing rubbish? They know the message that's being sent, it doesn't need rubbing in ALL the time. Can we all just grow up a little and assume for now that they're wanting to get wins and better and support them?
I for one am sick of hearing the obvious. Throwing win/ lose stats without context of what's happening in the club only serves the pessimists who are happy to see our club destroyed because they're just miserable barstools who call themselves "supporters" and "love the club" so justify acting like spoilt brats in the name of "only want what's best for the club". Your lack of support isn't helpful. Cook isn't going anywhere, neither are the players. Games don't change with booing, players under these circumstances actually DO need time to get used to each other and desperately needed but unavailable or injured players aren't pulling sickies for fun. They want to play!
I for one am more fed up with the entitled supporters not supporting than all the losing! At least we're scoring goals now! Think positives!
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Billysherlockblue added 10:24 - Sep 13
I agree that booing is wrong but its only a reaction when at the game to more and more disappointment . Thats years of pent up frustration. Yes we all expect better and yes the team needs time to gel etc. But other sides brought in loads of players and are doing ok. My opinion is not to get too excited till xmas but thats my limit. I cant understand why we keep doing the same thing expecting different results. A change to 433 or 442 is needed till cook has all the players he needs to play this system. I hate booing but its a way of expressing an opinion at that time. And its telling cook players staff that this is not acceptable and it isnt. But calling for cooks head no way. Way too soon. Prob not even this season but ill wait till xmas before i get passionate. Only my opinions! Super blues forever 💙
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Edmundo added 11:54 - Sep 13
A reaction like that from supporters is just the same as whe the cameras are on a player or manager after the whistle: it's emotional and raw, not logical and measured. You can't blame supporters, we are there, we are in the fight trying to support a team which quite frankly on Saturday was overrun. It was a massacre. Aluko and Bonne were the only bright lights.
On reflection, there is work needed. But I stand by my initial reaction: Cook needs better coaches to challenge him. No YES men allowed.
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Marinersnose added 11:57 - Sep 13
Cook has got rid of last season's squad and he has purchased a complete new squad with some real quality players and some average players. In my opinion he appears to be more concerned with the players than how they ply their trade tactically which is a huge problem. Whilst I think Morsy is a decent player he's not the answer to winning games. Cook shows a real tactical ineptness in the way the team are setup and also his poor substitutions. He's bought as new keeper after the mistake against Wimbledon and he's bombed out Woolfenden after an MOM performance against Wimbledon. He's brought in another keeper who let in 5 goals and new defensive pairing who looked like big stoppers with little football ability. My point is that Cook doesn't address the obvious problem which is in midfield. We never win second balls and we have no protection in front of the back four. Is Cook just stubborn or naive. He has a great record but he appears well out of his depth. He made the team worse last season once appointed and that really took some doing. I'm not sure he's a motivator. Still excited by the takeover but the teams I thought would be strong are at the top and we're at the bottom with an expensive and good quality squad
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