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Comment | Hull City 3-0 Town - Match Report
at 20:08:25
So 1 win in the league since mid August which was a lucky win at Leeds. We had just under 500 brilliant fans who headed up to the dive (Hull) on a cold Tuesday night to find a shambolic starting lineup: -
1.First major mistake was Gerken in goal. Poor Bart last played a league game against Preston in August, which led to us achieving 3 wins on the bounce. Bart then suffers a family bereavement, and MM decides he is gonna teach Bart a lesson by sticking with one of the worst goalkeepers in the league (Dean Gerken) regardless of the countless mistakes he makes in games, the amount of times he literally stands still and watches a ball go past him in his goal, his inability to command his defence and awful goalkeeping traits in general. If anyone out there can make a good case for Gerken playing, please explain!!
2. A defence of Chambers (RB); Smith (RCB); Berra (LCB); Knudsen (LB). We have two very very poor full backs as our number 1 choices. I was thinking back to our 2000 play-off victory season, and George Burley frequently implemented a 3-5-2 formation to accommodate Mark Venus, Tony Mowbray and John McGreal. MM clearly rates his three centre-backs even if we don't, so why not play the wallies in positions they will feel far more comfortable in. Chambers plays as the RCB, Berra as the CB and Smith as the LCB. No need for them to edge past the halfway line, just defend!! Then, make use of Knudsen as a LWB and Parr as the RWB. Parr is not a midfielder, he is an attacking full-back and would fit well into a wing back system as would Knudsen.
3. Back in 2000, we had a midfield trio of Matt Holland (goals), Jim Magilton (creator/deep lying playmaker) and Jermaine Wright (box to box player). An excellent combination of midfielders which we can now only dream of forming. Our three main midfielders were Bru, Douglas and Coke yesterday. The only one I would keep in the starting 11 would be Bru who sits in front of the defence. I would then add in Bishop along with McGoldrick to add attacking flair. Up front, I would have Sears and Murphy.
We would surely be more of a threat with a 3-5-2 formation, but MM has so many tactical flaws, it is unheard of. How only he sees Chambers as a right back is beyond me, and why he believes Gerken is the stronger goalkeeper astounds me. People talk about Chambers being the personality of the squad. I happen to believe MM is now too good pals with Chambers and his defensive gang, that he hasn't got the balls to drop him. I guarantee we will all be discussing the same issues on Saturday after another defensive cock-up. I just pray our fortunes change soon, or the personnel has to change and that means the manager!! |
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Comment | McCarthy: Bad Habit Must Stop
at 09:40:15
"Bad habits must stop". Couldn't agree more MM. The problem is the bad habit is playing dean gerken, luke chambers out of position and two left footed centre backs in the same team!!!! When are you going to get it into your head that Luke chambers is rubbish!! Why can't you see that Tommy smith doesn't have a right foot? Why can't you see gerken has the authority of a rubbish maths teacher! If anyone on here can defend my points above I welcome it because you are obviously under the MM hypnosis. MM has done well since joining the club but he has reached his end point in my opinion. To spend 3 years at a club and still not have players who can pass a ball between them is not good enough. He does not know his best team, we can all speculate who should play. The only thing he sees as a certainty is his favoured goalkeeper and defence, which most of us rightly disagree with. How many more errors will it take before he realises this back line will get us nowhere near the playoffs. Why did he let yorwerth go to Crawley??? Stick him in next to Berra and allow him to thrive at a good level rather than the cruddy league 2. HOW can he possibly believe the skuse-Douglas partnership is worth persisting with? He has Kevin bru available and yet he prefers dads army!!! I sometimes wish managers would have a read on fans forums, his backroom staff obviously don't dare question his decisions. He needs a wake up call after the international break because by the time he approaches his anniversary month he could be a manager under severe pressure and he only has himself to blame! |
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Comment | Leeds 0-1 Town - Match Report
at 10:15:12
I have to say that is a big 3 points for town. I have this feeling the 5-1 thrashing could be the making of this promising team. I was extremely critical this week of MM for his persistence with chambers and smith, and I won't change my mind about their defensive frailties however what i cannot criticise either of them for is the fact they never shy away from any game. They never go to MM looking for ways out of matches. Week in week out Tommy smith gets plenty of stick from us all, me included, yet just when you think he might give in, he pops up with an assured display and you can always guarantee 6-7 goals a season from him, so I'll hold my hands up and say fair play to MM and especially to Tommy smith.
What none of us can be be critical of this season is the excellence of our attacking play. Ryan Fraser is an absolute gem that we somehow were loaned from Bournemouth and AMN seems to defy the years with his displays. I think with bru and bishop returning just as skuse gets injured, it will be interesting to see if one or both of them can step up and show MM they are the main centre midfielders at the club. I can feel a 5-1 win coming Friday night. Let's see what happens.... |
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Comment | McCarthy: No Knee-Jerk Reaction
at 14:13:54
Tractorintheloft, our defence has become stagnant. Whilst I agree it has been successful in the past, the league has moved on now in terms of attacking quality and our current defence cannot cope with the pace and guile that so many of the championship clubs possess. Believe me I'll back MM with his team selection as he is one of the top 3 managers in the league but there are only so many times a centre back can be ousted to right back and a solely left footed centre back can play at right centre back. One clean sheet in 17 games is not good enough. |
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Comment | McCarthy: No Knee-Jerk Reaction
at 10:59:29
So I'm guessing we can expect a MM lineup against Leeds:
Gerken; Chambers; Smith; Berra; Knudsen; Skuse; Coke; Fraser; Tabb; Murphy; McGoldrick
Personally I would go with:
Bialkowski; Emmanuel; Malarczyk; Berra; Parr; Skuse; Coke; Fraser; Toure; Murphy; McGoldrick
The likelihood of my lineup is 1000/1 due to MM stubbornness and unconditional love for his current captain. Whatever the team I'm sure it will be a vast improvement and I can see a town 2-1 win. Let's see if we are all posting positives or criticisms at 10pm tonight. |
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Comment | McCarthy: Gerken Starts, Sears a Doubt
at 23:05:28
Brilliant Mick, same old predictable loyalty to the deadwood in the squad. So we are going to be missing our top goalscorer against a decent Leeds team, and alas we are retaining a goalkeeper who only touches the ball when he picks it out of the net or our hideous non-football playing defenders and centre midfielders pass the ball back to him because they haven't got the ability to pass forwards.
Take a look at the top clubs ahead of us this season- Brighton have Stockdale in goal, Cardiff have Marshall, Boro have Konstantopoulos, Birmingham have Kuszczak, Burnley have Heaton, Hull have McGregor and QPR have Green and Smithies. Ipswich have Gerken and Bialkowski!!! They are a country mile behind those goalkeepers in terms of quality. When we are under the cosh, I can barely remember times where I've come away from games and thought Gerken/Bialkowski earned us that point or 3 points. A good goalkeeper can help a successful team to gain an extra 8-10 points per season, and our goalkeepers just don't cut it.
"I don't believe in knee jerk reactions"- hang on a minute MM. The defence hasn't just been a shambles since Friday. Smith and Chambers have been a liability for the last few seasons. You just cannot play Tommy Smith at right centre back, he is too uncomfortable in possession and has no right foot. Luke Chambers is worse than Drissa Diallo was at right back and for some mad reason, MM fails to see the underlying problem. We will be so predictable tomorrow and beyond with a defence of Chambers, Smith, Berra and Knudsen. Every team playing us will take advantage of the right side of our defence, and it just seems so many teams have really quick left wingers who will continue to mug off Chambers week after week.
I see no quick fix to our goal conceding unless MM either makes Chambers take some anabolic steroids to enhance his speed around the pitch, or there is a switch around in the back four which I have given up on hoping for. I've watched the likes of Fulham, Brighton, Charlton, Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham all spend decent fees on defenders during the transfer window. There was over £100m spent by Championship clubs in the transfer window and we contributed a measly £358,000 to the total on a left back who currently only seems useful for a long throw a right sided centre back who could well be a decent prospect, but is unfortunately fighting for a position against MM's two favourites. Ironically those two favourites are the very reason we will not get promoted this season if they remain in the team. |
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Comment | Reading 5-1 Town - Match Report
at 22:36:42
What an absolute shocking performance tonight. We may well score 60+ goals this season but we are guaranteed to ship just as many due to our shambolic defence.
A combination of Gerken, chambers, smith, Berra and Knudsen accompanied by the lacklustre skuse and Douglas just won't cut it against the best teams in this league. Luke chambers is rubbish, simple as that. He might be a brilliant motivator and team player but he is not a good football player. Jonas Knudsen looks distinctly average, and it is just so painful to watch Berra and smith on the ball. They make the word uncomfortable feel umcomfortable. The three left footers in the back four just doesn't work and it's been going on for months now!!
Dean Gerken- oh dear! Sorry gerken fans but does he ever make a save? I'm pretty sure in all the games he has played this season, he has just picked a ball out of his net. He lacks authority, positional sense, command of the area and zero anticipation of what the opposition may do. I welcome anyone to disagree with me on this one!! We should have splashed out on a strong goalkeeper but again, micks devotion to 'good characters' got the better of him.
Cole skuse and Jonathan Douglas aka dads army. They are basically the same player with the same faults and basically their composure on the ball is desperate. The sky commentator mentioned about the centre midfield failing to get themselves on the half turn when they receive the ball off the defence. If we get the ball over the half way line we can at least breathe easier, but a skuse-Douglas combo is not the way forward. I'm hoping bru and bishop are back asap.
Our shining light is the fact we at least have goals in the team. Mcgoldrick was decent on the ball and Sears poached another goal. Fraser is stronghold going forward but does leave Knudsen exposed. We will have more than Murphy to rely on this year which is positive.
Overall I'm just so angry at our inability to defend simple situations. Clearly terry Connor is doing a cracking job with the strikers but who the hell is coaching the defenders and as for the keeper, well I'm just fed up pointing out what a liability both of them are to the team. The sooner McCarthy notices it the better!
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Comment | Quiet Final Day Expected at Town
at 21:59:24
"Slambo"- I can highlight a few examples of mistakes from the goalkeeper and defenders this season. Bialkowski against Brentford in the 96th minute wasn't great decision making, Smith and Chambers caught out with the ball over the top for Brentford's first goal, lack of defensive cohesion for the Preston goal, and then on Saturday, Gerken's positional sense for the 1st goal was poor whilst Chambers chased back like a carthorse, the second goal was a very good ball into the box but Gerken and the defence should have held their defensive line at least a few metres further forward in order to give Gerken more chance of seeing the inswinging ball, and then even for the 3rd goal Gerken's reactions to the header wasn't great. I am more than happy to delve into errors from last season too..... No top goalkeeper= falling short every time. |
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Comment | Quiet Final Day Expected at Town
at 16:10:06
Without a shadow of a doubt, we have a decent team this season. I like our team going forward- Sears, Fraser, McGoldrick, Pitman, Murphy, Maitland-Niles all have goals in them. However, McCarthy has missed a glaring problem with our team- the goalkeeper situation!! QPR signed Alex Smithies from Huddersfield for around 1.5m. The likes of Hull, Cardiff, Brighton, Wolves, Burnley, Brentford, Derby etc all have strong goalkeepers in place yet we sit with two distinctly average goalkeepers. Bialkowski and Gerken would slot into any League 1 team and look very good, and the bottom half of the Championship would probably welcome either of them. If we are to get promoted, we need our number 1 to know he is THE NUMBER 1!!I honestly don't think McCarthy knows who is better and that is because they are both error prone bang average keepers who do not show authority over their defence. We can score 80+ goals this season, but with these two between the sticks, we will concede at least 50 goals which just is not good enough.
My second issue is the standard of some of McCarthy's signings. I have seen Wolves sign Nathan Byrne for 1m (perfect fit at right back for Town); Fulham have signed Richard Stearman; Bristol City sign Nathan Baker and Liam Moore on loan. All of them have Championship quality. Ipswich sign a Polish bloke for £8,000!!! If you receive a combined £10-12m for two left back over 2 years, why are we not rolling the dice and just going for it!!!! Spend £2m on a rival quality defender like Fulham have done by stealing Stearman from Wolves. This commitment to Chambers and Smith is getting boring, and until we have defenders comfortable on the ball with a good goalkeeper behind them, we will come unstuck time and time again. A defence of Knudsen, Berra, Stearman and Byrne would have been quality accompanied by Dan Bentley from Southend in goal.
What I cannot complain about is the goals being scored. When we get Bru, Bishop. Murphy, Hyam etc back it will enhance the chances we create even further, and I firmly believe we will always have a chance of success due to our attacking flair amongst the squad.
I just wish Marcus Evans would recognise that Mick is the best manager we have had in a long time. Yes, he chucked cash towards Keane and Jewell but they were useless in the transfer market. Seeing an Australian winger as our final signing was slightly underwhelming when I see Derby buying Jacob Butterfield, Burnley getting Andre Gray, Boro getting Nugent or our next opponents Reading getting Vydra and Piazon. I honestly think we can compete against anyone in the league, but I also feel other clubs continue to be 2 steps ahead of us with their squads. I know certain teams are gambling and others have parachute payments, but surely selling a player for 8m could have led to a high profile player joining Ipswich permanently. Only time will tell if my points are valid. Believe me, I do hope I am completely wrong!! |
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Comment | Norwich City 3-1 Town (4-2 on Aggregate)
at 20:11:34
Proud, frustrated, what could have been, optimistic! Just some of the thoughts in my head once the final whistle sounded today. Whatever we might think about some of the tactical and managerial decisions MM has made this season, he has finally given us all something to cheer about after 10 years of mediocrity in this most punishing of leagues.
We must all put things into context. Begrudgingly, Norwich have a better team on paper and on the field in general. Just looking through their team today: -
John Ruddy; Steven Whittaker; Russell Martin; Sebastian Bassong (2m); Ryan Bennett (3m); Martin Olsson (2.8m); Nathan Redmond (3.5m); Jonny Howson (£1m); Wes Hoolahan (250,000); Alex Tettey (1m); Bradley Johnson; Cameron Jerome (1.5m); Gary Hooper (5m); Lewis Grabban (3m).
Just based on those player figures, Norwich have spent over £20m forming such a squad. We have spent £110,000!! It is impossible to match up the two figures. It just proves how a couple of seasons in the Premier League can truly set you up for a big future.
I now feel we are very close to where Marcus Evans has wanted this club to go for the past few years. The problem is, we need Marcus Evans to now realise this, dip into his bank balance and back Mick next season. He gave Keane and Jewell funds which they really did waste. If Mick was told by Marcus Evans tomorrow morning that he was willing to give him £3-5 million to acquire a classy goalkeeper, creative midfielder and another defender, I honestly believe next season could be our year. Burnley aren't a team to fear next year, QPR will be in dire straits and Hull aren't great either. Then, you have Derby, Middlesbrough/Scum, Wolves, Forest, Brentford plus a few others. I truly believe with a couple of useful acquisitions to our team, we can do some damage next season. The trio of McGoldrick, Sears and Murphy is crucial, Bishop, Bru and Skuse look strong in midfield but may benefit from an added creative midfielder and a quality winger, then you have the defensive conundrum. I do like Chambers and Smith, but both are vulnerable. We need another Berra style authoritive composed defender to come into the right side of defence. Mings will learn from this season. A great start followed by complacency and a clear £8m price tag that almost seemed to overwhelm him from January onwards. This poor form may work in our favour as I believe he is capable of being a special player. Only time will tell! Mick's biggest dilemma should focus on getting in a classy goalkeeper. Bialkowski and Gerken are 5 out of 10 goalkeepers at best. John Ruddy is quality, there is a reason Chelsea are interested in him. Watford had Gomes, Bournemouth had Boruc etc. There are quality goalkeepers in our league, reserve goalkeepers in the Premier League as well as a few useful ones in Leagues 1 and 2 and it is something MM must act on if we are to push on next season.
Without a doubt, this season has seen its highs and lows, peaks and troughs. Daryl Murphy has been unbelievable, Freddie Sears has shown enough in 4 months to persuade me he will be prolific next season, Berra has been a revelation in defence and the emergence of Mings and Bishop makes me feel far more optimistic than I have ever felt in previous seasons. If McGoldrick's body can hold up past February 2016 we may find ourselves in a brilliant position. I plead with all fans to keep the faith and continue supporting the boys into next season!!!
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Comment | Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Town - Match Report
at 22:03:52
I have watched Ipswich a few times at home this season, as well as putting myself through a few dire performances on Sky. Results on Sky include: -
Ipswich 2-1 Fulham; Ipswich 0-1 Norwich; Wigan 1-2 Ipswich; Charlton 0-1 Ipswich; Ipswich 0-1 Derby; Norwich 2-0 Ipswich; Middlesbrough 4-1 Ipswich; Ipswich 1-1 Bournemouth; Wolves 1-1 Ipswich. So, 3 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws and a mediocre 11 points out of a possible 27 on TV. Every single game had one thing in common- we could not pass a ball to a teammate 2 or 3 times on the trot. The only game I can think of this season where I actually thought we attacked with confidence was against Leeds at home where we won 4-1. We were flowing, assured on the ball and prepared to take risks and it led to us scoring 4 goals!!
MM- if we get ourselves into the play-offs, we have to start passing the ball far more accurately and a lot quicker. Whenever I'm sitting on my sofa or in the pub with a beer, I'm literally put into a coma by the sideways passing and predictable long ball into Murphy. We have Cole Skuse in the middle who is a very intelligent footballer, but he is surrounded by players allergic to a decent first touch. Whether it was Jay Tabb, Jonny Parr, Luke Chambers and Tyrone Mings in particular, all of them are so cumbersome with the ball at their feet. I cannot believe Mings has been quoted as an 8 million pound player. Less paying off his mums debts and more time on the training pitch working on the first touch and actually running without looking like he has a broomstick up his backside.
There do seem to be more negative rather than positive comments on the news-feed. I did post after the Bournemouth game saying I expected us to beat Blackpool and Cardiff, but bottle it against Wolves. I'm glad to say I was wrong about bottling it, but as so many people say on here, we are being bailed out by 2-3 players. Christophe Berra has been a colossus the past 6 weeks, but he is having to carry the other 3 defenders significantly. He can't be the 9 out of 10 defender every week. Further ahead, Freddie Sears' work-rate and crucial goals has dragged us up to 75 points. I personally think a win over Forest will get us a confirmed play off spot, I can see Sears scoring again and I can see Chris Wood finally coming to the party with a goal too. He looked far sharper when he came on today.
I just feel that Ipswich are missing a very important ingredient within a truly successful Championship side- PACE! Sako, Dicko, Afobe, Van La Parra, Iorfa. That is just a list of Wolves players. Bournemouth have Ritchie, Wilson and their rampaging full backs, Norwich possess the likes of Redmond and Grabban, Watford have Anya, Vydra, Ighalo and Deeney, Derby have Ince and Lingard, Brentford have Pritchard and Gray, Middlesbrough have Adomah and Bamford. Ipswich have Sears and Jay Tabb (haha)......
Two games to play, a couple of tough ones against Forest and Blackburn. A 2-1 win against Forest coupled with a draw at Blackburn will see us over the line. I reckon it will be either Norwich or Middlesbrough for us in the play offs. If we do get there, we MUST sort this 100% long ball route. I know from watching us against Leeds that we can pass a football in short, tight situations. It is about time the boys started having a bit more faith in their own ability. Town have done brilliantly to get where they are despite being the worst footballing team by some way in the top 8. However, this style will get found out in the play offs against any of the top 4. MM- Make use of Jonny Williams. As much as I do think golden boy Jay Tabb does a decent job for you in midfield, Jonny is a class above and can drive us to the play off final even if he cannot play in the showpiece! Here is to a nerve-shredding few weeks ahead. We are all in it together regardless of our differing opinions!! COYB!! |
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Comment | Town 3-2 Blackpool - Match Report
at 15:57:02
It is a miracle that Ipswich are still in with a great chance of making the play-offs however it is an opportunity that may fail to come our way again for a while, so we need to fight and scrap in these final 4 games. We have a captain who fist pumps better than any of Derby, Brentford or Wolves captains, so we are almost guaranteed a play off place anyway!!
Cardiff are on a roll with 4 away wins in their last 6 away games and no defeat in that time. There is little to fear in terms of presence up front from them, but my concern is Cardiff possess some skilful intelligent players who could give our cumbersome defenders a bit of a nightmare. It is quite obvious that whatever any Ipswich fan says, Tommy Smith is going to start every game until MM passes away. With that in mind, why isn't Berra the one reverting to the right hand side. Berra is our most experienced defender, and it will allow Smith to keep the ball on his left foot and most importantly away from his wayward right foot. Also, MM seems obsessed with Parr playing on the wing. How about bump Mings to the left wing and put Parr at left back. Mings has the ability to glide past players, yet has this relaxed state of mind that he fails to recognise danger in his own penalty area.
The Ipswich midfield is one that I'm just not sure about. Sometimes I think we possess a number of quality players in midfield- Bishop, Skuse and Bru being the strongest three as a combination, but then again, I feel we need the width in midfield to fully utilise Daryl Murphy's qualities. Our problem is Paul Anderson seems to have spent more time refining his beard than impressing MM with his footballing ability. As for the other wingers, they clearly aren't doing enough to impress. Jay Tabb runs a fair amount and will give it everything, but I just don't rate his as a player. A fit Jonny Williams would be a great late Easter gift- a diamond midfield of Bru, Bishop, Skuse and Williams could be the way forward for the rest of the season.
My final conundrum is our goalkeeper. Whilst Bialkowski is a decent shot stopper, he lacks the authoritive nature of a strong goalkeeper. The defence seem confused with his decision making. He rarely comes for crosses, his kicking is shocking, and the most frustrating part is that when teams maybe have 1 or 2 shots on our goal all game, he seems to always concede one of those shots. Good goalkeepers are ready to make vital saves even when they are not busy throughout the match. I think Bialkowski could help to define his qualities over the next 4 matches, and hopefully beyond that period!!
As for Sears and Murphy, fantastic and relentless!! Freddie Sears is what we have not had for many years up front, and I think he can fire some key goals over the next few games. Well done to Murphy for his player of the year award!!
Any of mine and everyone else's opinions will be ignored by Mr Stubborn McCarthy. We will see how we fare on Tuesday! COYB!! |
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Comment | McCarthy: We Were Very Poor
at 21:38:12
"Very poor"- story of 2015 Mick!
Bialkowski; Chambers; Smith; Berra; Fryers; Skuse; Tabb; Chaplow; Murphy; Varney; Wood. How many of those players would seriously get into the top 7 teams?? Chris Wood looks about 2 stone overweight, Tabb/Skuse/Chaplow all too similar and zero creativity, I can't even talk about the defence as it angers me too much.
McCarthy is the 3rd longest serving manager in the Championship. Without a doubt, he has done a superb job with limited financial backing. My problem stems from his narrow mindedness, his failure to cope with players that may present egos, and his general style of football that will only ever see us finish in mid table land. There are aspiring young managers around the country who could push us to the next level. Building the team around Bishop and Sears is a must, and I just hope that Marcus Evans awakes someday soon to at least give Ipswich a chance of competing at the very top throughout a season. |
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Comment | Town Drop to Eighth
at 21:20:00
Tuesday 30th December- Ipswich 2nd place on 47 points. Norwich and Wolves in 7th and 8th place on 37 points. The Premier League looks like a possibility!!
2015 (Played 17- Won 6; Drawn 3; Lost 8- Points Tally: 21 points out of possible 51): -
Derby- Lost 1-0; Millwall- Won 3-1; Brighton- Lost 3-2; Wigan- Drew 0-0; Rotherham- Lost 2-0; Sheffield Wednesday- Won 2-1; Fulham- Won 2-1; Reading- Lost 1-0; Birmingham- Won 4-2; Norwich- Lost 2-0; Leeds- Lost 2-1; Brentford- Drew 1-1; Middlesbrough- Lost 4-1; Bolton- Won 1-0; Watford- Won 1-0; Bournemouth- Drew 1-1; Huddersfield- Lost 2-1.
Current position- 8th place (68 points) while Wolves sit in 6th place on 71 points and Norwich sit in 2nd place on 76 points. Where did it go so wrong!!
This new year form has been nothing short of a shambles and a significant degree of stubbornness from our manager. Ever since Tommy Smith messed up against Derby in our first match of the year, we just haven't seemed to recover at any point. I have watched the likes of Bournemouth, Watford, Norwich and Brentford this season, and their composure on the ball puts our team to shame. I would say the two Bournemouth centre backs are more accomplished with the ball at their feet than most of our attacking players. The two Bournemouth full backs attack like true attacking full backs unlike our cumbersome Mings and Chambers double act. The other 7 teams who are now deservedly above us in the league table build calmly from the back and are able to create chances and score bundles of goals. All Ipswich seem capable of doing is hoofing the ball to Daryl Murphy and praying that he knocks the ball down to someone else or carries the team as he has all season.
Our midfielders need to hang their heads in shame with their goal return record. I see no sign of a Bradley Johnson from Norwich or a Harry Arter from Bournemouth in the Ipswich team, and this is a problem we have suffered from for years. I recall the good early 2000 days of Tommy Miller poaching 10 goals a season, Matt Holland notching key goals, but I've got more chance of scoring from the North Stand lower than Cole Skuse has on the football pitch. I know he is more defensive minded, but at the same time, he needs to at least contribute with some assists. Teddy Bishop is a young lad who has so much potential. Why is he too tired to play 2 games in 4 days???? I played 2 school games in 2 days and if I had told my PE teacher I was too tired for the 2nd game, he would of launched chalk in my direction. Blimey, Mick is quick to take Sears and Bishop out of the starting 11 (our two key players for next season) yet continues with Tommy "No Right Foot" Smith week in week out. Where is the pace in our team? Why has he continued to ignore Paul Anderson, Cameron Stewart, Alex Henshall etc? I'm pretty certain Elliott Hewitt wasn't all that bad as a right back. Certainly more composed than Chambers, who only remains in the team for 2 reasons- his passion and his captaincy. All I have learnt in the 2nd half of the season is that Mick McCarthy has his favourites at Ipswich- Tommy Smith, Luke Chambers, Jay Tabb, Cole Skuse.
It may well be in 10 days time that Ipswich have secured 6 points out of 6 against Blackpool and Cardiff, however with Wolves our next away game on Sky, I can only see us crumbling under pressure again. Unless McCarthy's mind-set and game-plan adapts, we will finish in 7th or 8th place which I would have taken at the start of the season. Unfortunately, it will only fill me with disappointment come May.
My team for next season: new goalkeeper; new right back; new centre back; Berra; Mings; Bishop; 2 new centre midfielders; McGoldrick; Murphy; Sears.
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Comment | Watford 0-1 Town - Match Report
at 17:57:02
Absolutely massive result today! In my opinion, a bonus 3 points to our tally considering Watford's form of late. I do think we could be most effective unleashing Freddie Sears from the bench in the run-in. With McGoldrick to hopefully return in 2 weeks against Bournemouth, and with Varney and Wood doing well today, we are in with a great shout of at least the play-offs. 2 tough wins on the bounce gives us momentum, Derby are struggling, Brentford are vulnerable against the weaker teams, and the top 3 seem to always be playing each other.
I think it might be a blessing Mings being banned for 2 games. Parr is more solid all-round and less vulnerable to silly errors, especially against the stronger teams. Bournemouth game is going to be very interesting now!
We have been in the Championship too long!! COYB!!!
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Comment | Middlesbrough 4-1 Town - Match Report
at 15:47:31
What an absolute shocker from the whole Ipswich defence. It does not take a genius to see that Luke Chambers is quite possibly worse than Drissa Diallo was at right back. He is a RIGHT FOOTED centre back who should be playing alongside Berra. That brings me to the calamity Kiwi Tommy Smith who made Patrick Bamford look like Lionel Messi!! His anticipation is shambolic, he cannot pass a ball 5 yards, and ever since he made the mistake against Derby, his confidence has just depleted. My main disappointment in the second half of the season is Tyrone Mings. Where has that pace gone bombing forward? His crossing is so poor, and as for his defensive abilities, non existent!!
We must build the team around Teddy Bishop. He has flair, confidence on the ball and the ability to push us on to the next level, as long as MM actually plays him consistently. Why is Jay Tabb always in the team when he gets bullied off the ball each game?? Why does he persist with Cole Skuse who provides limited assists and is a banker for getting 0 goals each season. The sooner we can test our quality with McGoldrick just behind Murphy and Sears, the better for us! The problem is we will continue to struggle if McCarty continues to be stubborn and narrow minded. He is guilty this season of having favourites, and is failing to see or believe what is wrong with the team- 3 centre backs in a back four does not work! If he loves the 3 of them that much, he needs to adapt his formation to a 3-5-2, and play Mings and Parr as wing backs.
Bolton on Tuesday is a must-win game. Watford away becomes a must not lose game next Saturday. If we can get to the Bournemouth game with 4 points out of those two games, we give ourselves a chance of getting in the play offs. Our only saving grace is other teams around us playing one another. It is about time Mick swallowed his pride, dumped Smith, and picked players in their right positions.
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