 | Your
Report | Bristol City v Ipswich Town Your Report added by Pilgrimblue at 22:07:02
Bit late for Bish to make an impact but still PL gave El Miz a chance so it looks like he's trying to blood younsters in the last few games. Still lack striker to put away half chances so not expecting much more in the last few games |
 | Your
Report | West Bromwich Albion v Ipswich Town Your Report added by Mullet at 20:26:25
A slip road beyond the Bescot, in a car park outside a Greggs, a few statues listened to a pub band on a small stage murder Smells Like Teen Spirit. 1200 or stood behind the goal minutes later, following a club already doomed. A simple expectation beyond our imminent exit at this level, here we are now… entertain us.
Bart had Kenlock, Knudsen, Chambers and Bree as a new look back four. Skuse sat and Nolan and Bishop scurried and streaked ahead. Edwards on the right, Judge on the left and Quaner the focal point.
West Brom had a line up where only Townsend had been linked with us in the last decade and Livermore had been on loan. Such is the gulf in squads. It was hard to know exactly how or where Moore fitted a front line of Phillips, Rodriguez, Gayle in the middle and Murphy into any kind of formation. The Baggies were so shapeless, and full of other people’s cast offs it really came as no surprise. But it should be.
Only four minutes were needed for Town to be behind. Kenlock heading backwards and centrally, just about. Wafting down to the turf, Knudsen had little choice to bring his man down. There was more cover, and more yards to cover than the one which saw him see red last time out.
If anything summed up our season today, it began with the first goal. Loanees Gayle and Johansen stood over it. The Cottager driving home via the shankiest of deflections past a stranded Bart. The Pole could not stay erect, nor could he be expected to predict the cause of such jubilation to a team desperate for a win.
From then on in, it seemed to be all Town. The perfidious Albion would merely do their part, and do it badly.
Quaner showed he has good feet, but they are some distance from his head. Close control and the ability of Bishop, Judge and Nolan to support him, meant Ipswich had options. Reliant on the running and spark of Bree and Edwards up against Murphy and Townsend shots came in thick and fast, mostly towards Johnstone.
Ipswich were unlucky when a neat move saw the Welshman Edwards cut inside. Charged down, his dynamite failed to ignite, and the shooting star man’s effort bounced away from goal and behind. Chambers had seen the white, stabbing over from his left foot and the edge of the box, but the best of Town’s moves and efforts at the far end fell to Quaner.
A long pass behind one of the lumpiest and most static backlines we’ve seen all season (including our own) the Terrier took the ball across the box and face of goal. Shooting from just too tight of an angle he forced a block from the keeper, but maybe deserved more. Especially as both he and Judge had tested Johnstone’s grip with shots that masqueraded as backpasses.
The home side had their best moves down the flanks. A free kick from Gayle swung wide and low from a similar position to where they scored. It was this sort of in-game narcissism which cost them and him. A spurious penalty claim at the hands and feet of Nolan was waved away, when a card should have been instead. Such was the wastefulness of the Magpie who could not even get one for sorrow past the imperious Bialkowski.
Murphy forced a great tip past the far post, onrushing Gayle and Rodriguez. His run beyond the missing Gwion and overstretched Bree deserved better. That only came from our keeper determined to keep us in the game.
Despite being down and dumped upon, the Town fans were choking on the abundance of atmosphere. Acrid and burning, blue smoke filled the away end and floating amongst it was the anthem made famous by Blue Action. It was everywhere, it was hectic, it was proper naughty.
This was all in response to Gayle driving low and quickly into the net. Unfortunately for the Baggies boinging up to celebrate a second, it was the wrong side of the post. Meanwhile, the Blues continued to bounce and believe that Paul Lambert is as Blue as we are.
The half ended with another period of Bishop driving past players, dancing like a popstar but not quite hitting his stride or shot to change the game definitively. It was quite the show, and that’s all he, Nolan and Judge did. For the ball, the for the yards forward, for a chance of an equaliser that kept us ticking waiting to go off.
Skuse had his moment on the far side of the box. A corner scrambled out and away, like a cider-breathed Makelele, he stroked and then drove the ball back, but defensive instinct kicked in and a home arm stopped an away foot from doing the same. It was the kind of penalty you hope to get when behind. It was the kind which you are guaranteed to get when you’ve got VAR and those beyond Birmingham behind you.
When Town emerged from the break, Andre and Emmanuel had their shorts out and finished their warm up. Jackson had his out and his drill top off to take Quaner’s place up front. It was a marked difference from his Wigan bow. But before the house would come down in puttering Black Country frustrations, West Brom would try and dominate right after the interval.
Edwards again seemed uncomfortable coming back and caused a foul and took a card. The effort was there from us, but not them. Never bothering the goal, Ipswich showed them how it was done. Rampaging up the other end towards us, we sucked the ball in and with it the players to our hearts.
Judge and Edwards cut angles through the glacial defender, coming back out to the right via a block, Bree swept up the crumbs of misdirected possession. Looping to the back post, up rose Nolan like a beacon. A quick swivel of spine and spirits and the alarm sounded too late for Johnstone. Crashing to the floor as the ball nestled in the bag. The midfielder emerged from the moment beating his head in pleasure as we behind them threw up hands, shouts and pinned one another to the stadia walls in intimate release of relief. Town were back in it, literally and not just morally.
Ipswich’s ascendency was replete with smart passes, and smarter runs. It was unfortunate neither Judge nor Jackson could find each other or Nolan when it mattered. Caught short and slow at the back, Bree, nor Kenlock nor Knudsen were nowhere near as Chambers stood up Gayle once more as his colleagues were equally absent. Once more, both men should have done better and didn’t.
Both Bartley and Dawson looked like old men behind the equally aged and middle of midfield. West Brom’s spine is the football equivalent of a boyband, now an ever diminishing manband, back on tour and the take thanks to tax issues. Stumbling and dithering throughout their core, it was only the bullets of the widemen that threatened to strike us down from any sort of distance.
Meanwhile Johnstone was charged down by the hungry and far more dangerous looking Jackson. The striker was being fed the right sort of opportunities today. Getting in on the shoulder and shadows of stranded defenders and struggling returns to Johnstone it seemed only a matter of time before one miscontrol might swing it back to us and put the visitors ahead.
Kenlock to Kayden down the left flank allowed him to smash a shot at the legs of the keeper with no one else near it or him. Town’s corners seemed to suggest the game would not remain all square for long. Judge lofted and lifted the ball and spirits with his deliveries. Heads in either colour shirt struggled to deal with them definitively.
Both teams changed their midfield with Johansen tiring and well past the point of pulling anything but an orange shirt. Bishop came off for the bulky looking Dawkins. Running out to the left Judge was pushed centrally to reconfigure the lulls and winds of play buffeting both defences.
Jackson was getting all kinds of shots off thanks to the movement outside of the box and inventive passing into his path rather than onto his head. Dawkins chested the ball down from another cross nodded his way. His second touch did not have the electricity of his first, from bosom to back of the stand in one shift of posture.
Ipswich meanwhile were partying from front row to back. More flares, so as you’d have thought our 70’s heyday was back, such was the cacophony and carnival from thermos to flat cap to thunderous claps between songs. We serenaded our leader and Lambert duly raised his hand in austere and loving terms from the dug out before going back to his Ian Curtis moves as he sought to bring back joy to either side of the division within the wider fanbase.
Town have wandered for nearly two decades in this desert of a division. Magpies, Bluebirds, Canaries, Swans, Robins and today throstles; have all flown above and below us during this time. The searing heat of expectation, the mirages of success, the dirt kicked upon as the vultures now circle might see those footsteps all wiped away when they finally drag our corpse down to the third division. However, today felt like one last gasp of life.
Neither team looked like themselves right now, they looked like what they always seemed destined to be. Midtable second tier teams, who sometimes mix it with the biggest and best.
Oh well, whatever nevermind.
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 | Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Reading Your Report added by harlingblue at 04:15:44
Very poor team selection for the first half.
What are Bishops strengths, running at defenders and then creating. To play him alongside Quaner in attack?
I had hoped that Chalobah would have been the player to cause havoc up front alongside Quaner, with Skuse replacing him in centre mid, and Bishop and Judge as suppliers.
Jonus a left sided player, out for a game, Collins, good but a walking injured comes in to change the whole of our defence. Surely any professional footballer can use both feet and head and pass?
I suggest that PL starts watching our U23 team, see the players that can use both feet, and benefit the 1st team. |
 | Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Reading Your Report added by Nthsuffolkblue at 22:34:56
Reading were poor and were there for the taking. The fact we were even worse is why we are finishing rock bottom of this league.
There was the good, the bad and the ugly. Collins wasn't at full fitness but was our best player until he went off. Oliveira was rightly booked for diving early on but he got the last laugh by scoring the goal that gave them the lead for most of the match. How he didn't get a second yellow for celebrating provocatively in front of the home fans I am unsure. I think ref's conversation with him was probably along the lines of "that was a booking if you hadn't already had one". His pirouette from Nsiala's foul on him ended his afternoon early and while his team mates did their best to give away the game, our ability to do that outshone theirs.
Chambers was twice caught out for the goals and capped it all by putting a free header on the edge of the six yard box wide. Nsiala looked no more lost playing up front than he does in defence but that isn't a compliment to him. Quaner is supposedly a striker. His ability to control the ball looks Premier quality. His ability to stay onside, make decisions and do something positive with it afterwards is a different class altogether. For him to miss a similar free header to Chambers' at the death belies the fact he will never be a prolific goal scorer at any level.
Bishop and Judge tried their best as did Kenlock but it showed that he had less quality. Edwards came on and showed he has ability but that only serves to frustrate even more how little of it he has shown with any consistency.
To start the game with only Quaner up front was poor. To finish it with Jackson still on the bench and Nsiala partnering Quaner just goes to show how far short we are up front. Surely Edwards could have been given a go there if Jackson could not be. |
 | Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Reading Your Report added by Meadowlark at 19:00:04
Two poor teams. They were marginally better and thus take the points.
It is so frustrating being a Town supporter this season. So much promise, but the final pass/shot/header is invariably misplaced or poor. Aimless headers from defence when not under pressure. Simply put, we are not good enough and I hope Skuse and Chambers do not feature again. They epitomise the lack of skill. |
 | Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Reading Your Report added by Eiffel78 at 17:48:46
And that's our season in a nutshell. No shortage of effort but missing that cutting edge up front. Key player lost to injury. Let down by referees when we need the big decisions (how blatant does a handball need to be for a penalty?). Despite all that, we somehow give ourselves a chance then shoot ourselves in the foot. |
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Report | Wigan Athletic v Ipswich Town Your Report added by Mullet at 19:44:16
Ipswich travelled to the DW stadium still rooted to the foot of the table. Tangible hope filtered through an away support, bolstered by free tickets for the young and the improved performance against Stoke last week. If anything, the sense of changing fortunes was mirrored by the changes to the line-up. Deciding on a 3-5-2 masquerading as a 3-4-1-2 of Bart, Pennington, Knudsen, Chambers, wingbacks of Bree and Kenlock, inside them Chalobah and Nolan sitting and Judge free to run behind Keane and Quaner was how Town looked to win away.
In absentia from the dugout, Lambert sat on halfway and high up, earpiece in and surveying. Touchline bans seemed no obstacle as the Blues in the orange away kit shone the brightest. Inventive pressure and pressing meant that we had early cause for optimism. Down the right flank, Bree was having time and space to pick out and runners and Nolan burst through to head wide with our first meaningful probe.
In retaliation Wigan moved more centrally and their first effort also went behind, thanks to a Bart tip. Town charged down the corner and broke thanks to Judge’s poise. Instinctively, the out of position Naismith earned a booking for bringing down the Irishman mid move. Despite the advantage waved, Town failed to capitalise.
If the lead was going to come, it seemed to be from an orange shirt. Town pushed the Latics and pulled all the strings through geometry and neat passing. Into the box from the right flank again, Keane fired wide first forcing a save. It was then the turn of Chalobah who received permission to fire a shot that was made by Keane’s delicate touch. Deflected past the post by the outstretched Jones, the L plates clanked against the bumper and ball against the sidenetting, as the Chelsea kid was unlucky to claim another goal.
It was that chance that led to another. Town’s Irish maestro pinged the corner to the back post. Towering defenders and charging forwards all failed to connect with the ball. Instead it was the alone striker Keane who saw it hit his standing foot more than the one he swung towards it. Deflections again denied a clear chance to move ahead.
Ipswich were then dealt yet another controversial hammer blow. Town’s shape had been impeccable all game and repelled a Wigan side whose main outlet was also their right back, aiming crosses at lone striker Clarke. Incisive and over the top, that was just the ball from Morsy which sent the striker through towards Bart. In slow motion Jonas, who turned back to cover tugged the striker back with yards and a touch or two to go before he could shoot. Down went Clarke and out came the red card as Chambers went from running back to cover, to running straight at Probert.
Ill-discipline? Terrible judgement? Instinct? Defeat?
It didn’t matter as the free kick pinged off the wall and out. Town dealt with the corner. In the following minutes it was the movement of Quaner to lone striker and Keane to the left of midfield which redefined our intent. Defending with bodies behind the ball and breaking the next few minutes saw the game turn quicker than any of our creative players.
Intelligent runs seem rare from the big German Collin, but he lulled in centre back Dunkley’s periphery just enough to draw him in. Tentative fingers from behind. Impact with the turf from a penetrative run into the box. Disaster for Wigan as Probert knew he had to level things up.
It was perhaps a flying elbow on halfway from Morsy, earlier which had so incensed every Blue in the ground. That and the sending off had painted the referee in a suspicious light. In view of everyone, Quaner took the first opportunity he could to reduce the injustice. Dunkley was merely the dummy on the spot which meant the ref had to point to it even if there were some doubts where the foul took place.
In the lead, the ball pinged from post to post as Keane fired hard and low from 12 yard. Town celebrated wildly as the home fans matched the weathered, greying surrounds. It was the least we deserved on the balance of play. Doubtful in its origins the goal may have been, but the game was now well and truly alive.
Ipswich had looked impressive but imbalanced all game. The presence of Nolan was not enough to stop in the inversion of Pilkington and the overlap of Reece James. In the face of their shearing runs and extra space they now had, Kenlock was struggling to keep the number of crosses down and it was the young Chelsea man who allowed Windass to flick another good chance away from goal when Wigan probably should have scored. Damned by boos on all sides at half time, the referee just shrugged at us and the home team scampered off pretending they were not the intended targets of some of the discontent.
In the dressing room, it was not Lambert who would likely be lambasting the Dane unless via Skype. Taylor perhaps relaying praise to most of the team who had dug in and gritted their teeth. In taking the lead against the odds and officiating the away team had stifled Wigan’s fairly impotent build ups. Displays like this are why you travel to games.
It was to be the end of Quaner too now, the German had done a lot of running, but little else. Taking the pressure off the beleaguered banks behind him, he was replaced by Edwards. It forced Town into a more spartan 4-4-1 with Keane now taking the free role. Down each flank was Edward and Judge.
In the opening attack, winger found winger and then the referee was found wanting. Town pushed down the right and Edwards was about to fire. In from behind the already booked Naismith slid. Down went Edwards, free kick and no leveller from Probert.
Insignificant as the foul might have been, those who sat nearby with notepads had tangible evidence that the 12-10 disadvantage needed checking. Town took a wonderful swing from the boot of Judge. Doubling the lead was not likely when Pennington headed with his guts not his brain and blasted the ball wide of the post as if he was at the other end.
Indifferent to our plight as they have been all season, the footballing Gods were left unimpressed. Tearing through on goal, there was neither enough room to shoot or enough contact to force a second spotkick. Keane took Judge’s through ball to Jones’ oncoming body but came off second best. Definite as the contact might been, we were not going to strike twice in similar circumstances.
Ineffective finishing had kept Town ahead. The centre of the pitch was congested so Wigan passed and planted ball after ball, out wide. In came crosses, but out went shots and headers as Clarke and Pilkington both failed to score when missing was harder. Defenders from right to left earned applause and roars of approval as their captain moved brow and armband in appreciative encouragement.
If we were to smash and grab a second then it was around the hour mark where the game pivoted. Town found themselves in acres of space. Infectious running from Chalobah, to Keane, and back out to Judge defined a splendid move. Down past the far post went a curling drive, when a simple shot might have been enough.
It was again Judge who cut in from the right side this time. Tipping a curling shot wide, Jones looked at his defenders incredulously. If they had the numerical advantage it was not showing. Despite this, Kenlock lost his man on halfway and Windass really should have supplied the equaliser as he broke into the box, Clarke again somehow missed an open goal from inches not the yards past the post he put the ball.
Immediately the changes of Powell and McManaman for Dunkley and Pilkington told us everything. Town has seen Swansea do this in their only victory under Hurst. Turning to extra width and bodies higher the pitch. It was less a system more a mindset that put Morsy as a defending midfielder. Dropping back to make 3 a 4 if necessary, they obviously feared the march of time and orange kits coming their way.
In another twist of ill fate, Keane who had put on perhaps his best performance in a Town shirt pulled up. Travelling at pace, he suddenly arced and dropped to the grass clutching his hind quarters. In came Kayden Jackson to reshape our attack and plot a new trajectory for both the service and success of our front line. Devastated, the former Red Devil shared the pitch with his former colleague Powell for barely a minute as he was consoled by him during his limp back to the dugout.
It’s common knowledge that the one flaw in Morsy’s game is poor discipline. The Egyptian didn’t so much walk into the book, but flew into the back of Judge in a nasty fashion. Tempers flared, fingers wagged. Deliberate and indefensible was the challenge, but so was the home fans repeated booing at any of our players who needed treatment.
Improbable as a win might have seemed. Town were producing some of their best football all season, even with ten men. It was the loss of Keane and then Judge for Downes which really sealed our fate. Demoralised by the combination of pressure and disadvantages coming our way it was the poor touch of Jackson which made nothing stick long enough to curb Wigan’s dominance.
Immovable as Chambers and Pennington seemed, Bart too was tipping and claiming everything all game. That was until the unfunny Lee Evans fell over thanks to his own poor touch, and the momentum of our challenge releasing the ball into space. It was the first of two poor free kick decisions which were well taken. Dinking a post-modern wedge-footed effort over the wall and centrally, James seemed to be the one-man team on which home fans relied for parity.
It marked a different approach to moment when Morsy had to remove Jackson from the face of Fox. The defender had left Kayden crumpled on the touchline cynically after he and Edwards had moved the ball past him into the channel. Implicit from his body language, again Probert tried to make amends way after the incident, but served only to raise the sense of hatred towards him from the visitors. Dallying before playing on was a common feature.
In came Garner for Windass. Toughness for flair. It’s this season where we have been counting the cost of missing Joey’s goals and combativeness. Doubts began to creep in, as the battered bodies of Ipswich could only marvel as Bart plucked a Powell header out of the top corner, instead of out of the net.
If a leveller was coming, from who else would it be? Town’s left side had been buttressed, but it was always going to be breached by the impressive James. In came his cross. Down went Garner, header, bounce, hysteria, 1-1.
In the six minutes of injury time, Edwards had the best half chance to to seal the game. Trademark, volley-flick and turn. Indecision took the best of him. Downes was charging in, but neither shot nor cross went way wide as with it the deserved three points.
Ipswich are relegation certainties it seems. Teams like Wigan would go down most years if it wasn’t for our own catalogue of misery and hubristic self-pity. If all we can do now is laugh at the odds. Death must be made to tremble in taking us.
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| Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Stoke City Your Report added by Pilgrimblue at 08:48:38
The trouble is we've not got a natural goal scorer to partner Keane. Thought Edwards made a difference and would now pick him to start in say 5 man midfield. It does look like the new defensive line up works so just need to find a way to score more than two goals and keep the ball. Thought Chalobah made too many mistakes and may now need a rest. |
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Report | Ipswich Town v Stoke City Your Report added by harlingblue at 03:47:20
Yet another well selected team, and wholehearted display, against credible, money made opposition.
Now to keep the same system against teams we need to beat while in this form.
Our next two fixtures, both winnable, will define our season once and for all, two wins and we are back in the mix? anything less and we are bound for League 1 football. |
| Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Stoke City Your Report added by itsonlyme at 20:49:49
Very disappointed for the second time this week that we did not collect all the points. Any neutral supporter would be surprised at our attacking football. Shame we lack the quality to get out of trouble. League 1 is a definite but with luck we can return fairly quickly. |
 | Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Stoke City Your Report added by Bluesky at 20:38:58
Stoke we never going to win this but Town avoided winning by gifting a daft goal. I haven't rated the visitors accurately because I wasn't interested in any of them. None of them shone and their attack was toothless. We were earnest throughout but failed to put the finishing touch. Judge was our most creative but Bishop is growing in confidence all the while and the two of them made some exciting runs - as did Gwion when he came on. Quaner worked hard, frequently robbing the opposition of possession. Knudsen kept the forward feed going but was frighteningly slow at times to respond to their right wing runs. His part in their goal was mysterious but I think he was trying to reach the byline. Bree and Pennington solid, the former quite inventive. Chalobah made too many loose adolescent mis-passes; tired from Derby game? Nsiala didn't know why he'd been sent on but disrupted the defence perfectly to enable Keane to take his pinpoint header and give the minimum deserved result today. |
 | Your
Report | Ipswich Town v Stoke City Your Report added by DerryfromBury at 19:50:42
Like Derby on Wednesday, a very enjoyable game. Lets stick with the youngsters for the rest of the season. Best football seem at PR for a very long while. Wednesday night and this afternoons games felt like wins. I don't think anyone who witnessed both games can say they watched a bottom of the league team. We held two very good sides to draws, and almost took a win from both.
If only we could have the old Bart back from 2016/17 season.
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