Mick out ..... Fans are voting with their feet , under 10k per game next season if SDM ( stubborn Dinosar Mick) is still here! 😡

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Town returned to winning ways in midweek, and their upward trajectory had taken them up to the Toon today In better mood but worse shape. The heavy price of victory saw Mick's agricultural boys line up in front of the Magpies with the now usual back five, a midfield five of Douglas where Skuse usually is, Grant and Ward either side of him and Lawrence and Sears besides them. Best returned to another a former club within a week as a lone striker.

Newcastle also played one up top in the form of Gayle, and Perez in their hole, but it was the midfield magic of Jonjo Shelvey who undid the blues inside of a minute. Unshackled in the centre, from deep he spotted the chance to double up on Chambers and as the captain received two men, the ball and no time to think the big blue barricade across the goalmouth only spat the ball as far as Perez who crashed into the box and the goal scoring charts with a decent finish.

The talk of defensive fortitude reduced to hubris as again Town crumbled in the face of such awesome force. The game became an exercise in Newcastle letting us run out our legs, with the body blow already landed it didn't take much. The difference in class, quality, experience and simple touches told.

As Sears rotated with Lawrence and then Douglas the dull point of the midfield triangle inverted it by hovering in front of either D without the threat of penetration, Town's tactical puzzle was more like a Rubik's cube and all the squares were blue. Soon enough it was clear Mick moved into a more attacking 442 as the lone striker was abandoned in more ways than one. Ward and Lawrence remained narrow wingers on a big pitch, Grant and Douglas pushed and prodded while the Magpies were happy to volley and rush until the moment a yard of space became available.

Gayle was allowed to find enough freedom to fire over when once again the Blues were unable to stop themselves from competing or committing in game where ground was rarely given up by the home side.

Best would nearly upset former employers, but not quite. He benefited from a well worked corner that saw a run to the near post drag out defenders and his heavy touch was doubled as he drilled a teasing shot off his chest then the bar. If Town never stood a chance all day, Darlow didn't then and there at least.

It was hard to see what a weakened away side would do once that move was over. You sense there was a reluctance to move away from the nil-nil mentality with the lead already lost. Bart was one of two keepers that spent a lot of time shielded into collections from through balls and moving short passes around across the back. Town's aerial bombardment reduced to ten yard lobs and lifts bar the odd decision from Webster to try and bend in an attack from behind the last man.

The young centre back who caught the imagination of the Ewood 500 a week ago with long runs forward, proceeded to make like Bramble and burst what seemed the length of the pitch nearly unchallenged. A nasty check from Shelvey was waved on rather than away, as the Blue bent one way past the post you felt a more seasoned head would have dived for clod and cover. Earning the easy set piece and clear booking that never came.

In fact Town's best work seemed to come when Newcastle were caught unawares. Colback another link between the two clubs hacked down Sears from behind as the attacker latched onto a neat knock down from Best midway into the home half before being scythed from behind.

His neat work off the ball and use of tireless running into the corners saw some of Town's brightest moments. Whether it was a neat one two with Jonas, or a tight arcing pass from Lawrence, McCarthy's starlets twinkled off in the distance rather than shining a light on any potential frailties the Geordie defence might have.

Town defenders were left rubbing their heads on more than one occasion before the half came to a close. If Newcastle were letting us punch ourselves out in the corners, they were happy to let the referee hold sway on the contest. Gayle was not only miles offside when Bart took the ball off him at his feet, but laughably dived over Polish hands. It looked certain the referee might be sold again cheaply but this time he opted to abstain and not do his duty for us or them.

Soon after Knudsen was booked as this time he was the victim of a quick overlap, but seemingly happy to shuffle out a 50-50, his man Yedlin lost his balance and a booking was forthcoming thanks to frantic flagging. Berra's sarcastic and heartfelt mime was an artful commentary on the decision.

Panic rang out before the game, and with the lineup changed again at half time, I wondered to myself. Best had broken down twice on the halfway line as the first period ended. He didn't return and neither did Knudsen, for whatever reason. Instead McGoldrick and Emmanuel both earned much called for bows, in unfamiliar settings. It only took a minute an accidentally nasty challenge on Lawrence that had the Welshman pounding the turf with his hands and not his feet. His left knee clearly hyper extended in the crash to the ground, and Mick for a second time this season looking at all three subs forced early due to injury. Thankfully the left winger carried on.

Town flirted with a newer iteration of 442 and the unfamiliarity was not mitigated by any certainty of so much youth now in the side. Douglas again could not decide which side of the young central pair he should be. As it was, Shelvey who had opted to step back and pull at Suffolk heartstrings from deep led him to be a pointed reminder of what happens when you lose your shape, his raking passes often coincided with switches in midfield thanks to mishaps and shuffling moves that left gaps.

Ward and Douglas both expected the other to collect one looping hoof that came from somewhere near Gateshead, only to let it find neither of theirs and bounce forward pushing Town back. If both keepers had been collecting crosses and little else all day, it was Bart who would be forced to get his gloves dirty near the hour as Ritchie met one of several excellent moves on the volley.

Town meanwhile moved nearly as well, not nearly enough and found the build up more fruitful than the hanging balls Darlow would easily pluck two handed and unchallenged. In the vast gantry 3000 as mixed and make-do as the side beneath stirred into life as the game seemed to settle again. Neat flourishes across the park stopped any accusations of us simply parking the bus, but Newcastle would crash home a second in similar style to the first.

Again Perez popped up a late cavalry charge enough to cut Mick's weary foot soldiers asunder. A smart move that saw a driving run complete the rout by meeting a low pass and firing past Bart with aplomb. If these are the champions elect, their campaign may well be a simple one and finish long before anyone else's.

With both sets of fans raising their voices in a rare moment to salute the King of all that unites two clubs a literal country and metaphorical world apart. One Bobby Robson, thousands of voices, millions of goosebumps.

It was no surprise as Rafa swept changes once, more having already removed Gouffran, he waited for his side to completely clean out Town with the move of the match. This time Ritchie gratefully received from Perez and made it three with a devilish finish that left our Scottish international reeling, and theirs reeling away from goal. A clever run inwards, a threat of an overlap allowed them in once again to complete the victory in grudgingly impressive style.

Town meanwhile had to make do with more excellent build ups and little end product. When McGoldrick danced into the box, having moved past several players from the right flank, he was always going to struggle on his left foot and the finish was wayward.

Emmanuel at left back never looked in danger, but when he was happy to get forward and support it merely compressed Newcastle so that they might spring into action at will, and likewise with Chambers who linked up with Ward neatly to yield a decent cross more than once, ultimately Town never came close to a consolation. When Sears ran himself out with ten minutes left, a whole half with no target man had yielded a spell that was far from aimless but never going to leave a mark on a team so much better equipped and comfortable. Williams for all his exciting, head down hijinx was never enough.

While there was a legitimate fear of a thrashing, and a sneaking suspicion Town would do well to sneak anything past Benitez's golden men, it is clear Town's place in this division is as secure as Geordie promotion hopes. The gulf so vast, that a side as fluid and yet to be forged as the one we fielded today will always fear a hammering. The best hope we might take from this is that so many young players did not disgrace themselves.

A few waited until the contest was over to hold up a now defaced bed sheet bearing the slogan "In Mick we xrust". If that's true, then it was mostly young blood today adding to any decay. Once we wipe ourselves down and see what's left, I feel we might see the making of many of them.

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It has been some years since I have been able to watch Ipswich play and during this time my only real contact with 'The Blues' has been twtd. I learnt a great deal at St James's Park, yesterday. Mullett clearly saw the same match that I did. From today, I will read his reports more carefully and value them more highly. I am even more saddened by the high proportion of negative and pessimistic comments I read on this site. Yes. Town were outplayed yesterday and were well beaten. But they were not disgraced. Newcastle scored three excellent goals. Bialkowski could've saved none of them. The Ipswich defence, which has a good record, was beaten three times by pace, excellent, accurate long passes, by footballing skill and guile, and perfect finishing. Best and Webster might have scored for Town (read the excellent report, above), but it wasn't to be.
A few particular observations. I read, regularly, about 'the long ball upfield', and the frustrations this inevitably causes. I didn't see this 'overdone' by the defenders, yesterday, but Bilakowski's strategy, with one or two exceptions, was to kick deep into opponents' half. 9 kicks out of his 10 were trapped, taken down, or headed as a pass, by Newcastle. Throwing or rolling to a defender kept possession...and when Ipswich DID start passing, they looked so much better, started playing so much better, and with more confidence. There are some fine young players, Webster for one. And when he came on as a second-half sub, Emmanuel played with confidence, not overawed by the large partisan Newcastle crowd. Will they be part of a table topping Ipswich team to come? Or, in the financial grotesquerie that now bedevils football, are they seen as monetary investments, to be sold on for big profits in the no-too-distant future? I hope not.
So often I see negative comments about Town players (Chambers in particular!), but I reckon these guys, all of them, were doing their best, but it just wasn't good enough. against a table-topping side

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Editing issue. The final sentence of my report should have appeared after '...disgraced.' at the end of line 7. Apologies.

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