smudger63

Ipswich have the experience of having the pressure of last seasons promotion to call on too. So this isnt new to them. If its on pure quality of footballer, they would be no where near us or Leeds, but its about more than that. They actually only lost 4 games last season, the same as we did, when we were promoted from league one, so they have lost only 8 of their last 76 league games, thats pretty impressive, even if 46 of those were in league one.

Weakest defence in the top 4, but only lost 4 games, and are still only 3 points behind us.

Depends very much on whether the team are playing for Enzo in his way or Pearson in his.

The only mitigation being that we have been trying to stay within the rules. I can't see that cutting much ice if I'm honest, if we have broken the rules, that we ourselves were part of the collective that voted for, then we will be punished accordingly.

Yep, seemingly the big club bias from the commentary box is alive and well in the ladies game as well.

I would go with Nacho too, but I highly doubt he will close down well, or block passing lanes. What he might add, is a bit more creativity, and even a goal or two, if he's in the right mindset. We are pretty much screwed in the right hand high eight position, until Ndidi or Ricardo are back. Especially with Praet now out as well, so Nacho is worth a go. I don't think Enzo will do that though. He will either move KDH over, and use Akgun in KDH position, as he did yesterday, or if McAteer is available, he will use him.

That's what they said when the Titanic hit the ice berg. "Nah we'll be fine, we're unsinkable".

I keep hearing "we are still top of the league, we will be fine", but I was hearing that for the two seasons we spent in the top four, with similar points advantage, to that, that we are currently blowing, and it went pear shaped. Last season, was the same, " oh we have too much quality, we will be fine", but that quality still wasnt enough to keep us up, even though it should have done comfortably. So I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm still scarred by those collapses, and this season is rapidly heading the same way. We still have time to turn it around, and we can, but momentum is a big thing, and we need to swing that momentum back the other way immediately, before it's too late. What concerns me, is the amount of late goals we've conceded that have cost us points, when under pressure in the final minutes of games. That suggests a lack of mentality to deal with pressure situations, and we are now in a situation where the nearer to the end we get, the greater the pressure, and we have to be able to handle that, if we don't, we ain't going up, it's that simple.

I'm not against what you say or your team, but he won't pick a flat back four. Not sure that Faes would be a great full back either, although he could play Doyle in that system. He won't though, it will be the inverted full back again. I think I would bring Coady in for Nelson, we need some experience and leadership, play Faes in the centre again, even though he is a massive downgrade on Vestergard in that role, And I think I'd bring Doyle in for Justin, who's performances have tailed off recently. The inverted full back, is another problem though. Again i agree, Hamza needs a rest, but im struggling to think of anyone else who is fit, who can play that role. This is not the time to chuck one of the kids in, so maybe we would have to play Justin. The rest i agee with, although my worry with Nacho playing in one of the eights, is that he won't want to close down or block passing lanes, for too long. Ndidi, Ricardo being out especially, and even the loss of the ok but not spectacular Praet, is a massive problem in the system that Enzo will play.

If we don't go up this season, regardless of who the manager will be, there is going to be a massive overhaul, and probable drop in quality, because most of the players are either out of contract, or just not going to want to play another season in the championship. Coupled with what seemingly is going to be a bit of a financial catastrophe if we don't go up. We could easily find ourselves going the way of Stoke, and many more ex prem clubs, who languish in this league and lower for years. That's why going up this season, is/ was imperative. With key injuries to Ndidi and now Ricardo, a lack of creative spark from whats left, and wingers who are now blowing cold rather than hot, and the insistence on playing a Striker who can't kick straight, and has very little technical ability, in what is a system, and way of playing that requires those abilities, then things are looking decidedly dicey. Having a manager that is so welded to his way, and his system, that he refuses to see any other way, is also proving problematic. Can we turn things around, now that momentum seemingly has started to swing against us, I have grave doubts. I hope so, but yesterday we looked like a team that had ran out of ideas, spark and belief.

Justin was even more at fault for their first goal, committing himself and letting their guy get away to create the chance. He had done the same thing 5 minutes earlier, and got turned, and had to commit the foul to stop the same problem arising. He should have learnt from the first time! Justin had an absolute shocker, and should have been hooked for Doyle. Having said all that, and despite Nelson, in my opinion, being the only player to come out with any credit today, I do agree that Coady needs to come in, and should have played today, because in both the Boro and Leeds game, we lacked experience and leadership, which Coady has in abundance.

We can make top two, but I feel likes it's going to take some turning round now. The Sunderland and Hull games are crucial, and must win for me. We need that winning momentum back. If we don't go up automatically, from the position that we were in, there is no way these players are going to be able to turn it round and go up in the play offs. I dont even think we would get to the play off final, such will be the demoralisation within the club.

It was! Another weekend ruined, I'd almost forgot what it was like to be pissed off on a weekend.

Both wingers were poor. Mavadidi wasn't worth his place on the park, and Fatawu for all the ball he had, was so wasteful with it. They wasn't on their own though, probably with the exception of Nelson, who I thought done well, the others were no where near the levels they need to be. The most concerning thing today for me, was that we didn't even create any real chances. The Boro and Leeds games, at least we created, and should have won the games. Today we created jack shite, and lacked any creativity at all.

Anyone who has read Alan Youngs book will know how much he despised Melrose. I reckon it was because Melrose took his childhood mate Martin Hendersons place. He certainly doesn't have a good word to say about him, whatever the reason. I liked Melrose personally as a player, and was fuming when Milne swapped him for Tommy English.

One of those games that forever live in the memory, and yes, It was there too. There was an amazing atmosphere, and Ii was an amazing game. They wouldn't have scored their goals if Bates hadn't nobbled Wallington. He should have come off straight the way, but when he did come off, and we were 2-1 down, I thought we were done. It wasn't shown in the highlights, and yet I'm sure Lynex made a decent save, during his brief stint in goal. I was in pen 4 on the day, and when we scored the 5th, a guy next to me was shouting "we've done it, we've done it". I honestly thought we were going to go on and win the Cup. Even though we were drawn to play Tottenham in the semi, and being in the second division, we were massive underdogs, i was convinced we were going to win, because we had beaten the same Tottenham home and away, the season before when we were relegated. As it happened, we really didn't turn up on the day, and it was a bit of a turgid game as I remember. I also think that the Cup run cost us promotion, because although in a good position in the league, we were playing catch up in terms of games and points, by the time we got knocked out. They were happy days though, when the FA Cup was the thing you most wanted to win.

73 minutes, when Roberts came on. They took off Firpo, moved Gray to Left back, and brought Roberts on to play right back. We took Mavadidi off on 78 minutes when we still in front.

We clearly targeted Archie Gray on Friday, so Fatawu didn't see alot of the ball in an attacking area. Admittedly, he didn't make much happen on the ball when he did have it though. When Leeds switched Gray over to their left side, to give him a rest, because KDH and Mavadidi were running him ragged second half, I would have liked us to start targeting Gray on that side too, with Ricardo and Fatawu. Especially after we took Mavadidi off, because that took away our attacking momentum. I don't think it was any coincidence that Roberts who was brought on to play right back, to try and stop the threat of Mavadidi, then scored their goal, after finding himself in our penalty area, and I do wonder if Mavadidi had still been on the pitch, if Roberts would have felt brave enough to be there, and leave Mavadidi free.

I know Leeds beat us, helped by our legitimate goal being disallowed, and two deflected goals, within a frantic last 10 minutes, when we lost control of a game we should have been 4 or 5 up in, but out of interest are Leeds always that average, or did we just make you look that way. I'm interested because I don't watch your games, i can't really be arsed, but in the two games that we've played you, I thought we were both poor in the game at Leicester, but the result could easily have been the other way, or even a draw, and the game on Friday night, either we played you off the park in your own back yard, or it was because Leeds are really a bit average, and made us look better than we are. Also that young Archie Gray, is he always that crap, or was it a one off? To be honest, I was disappointed when you switched him over to the left, to save him from more ridicule, that we didn't start playing more down the right side with Fatawu, and let him rip Gray a new one too. Massive weak link he was for you, I was just wondering if he is always that crap, and if Leeds are always that average.

Absolutely this!!

Cannon is no where near as quick as Daka, but seems to me at least, that most of the shots he gets off, are on target. I think as time goes on, we will find that Cannon is a far better finisher than Daka, but what we gain from his finishing, we lose in pace, and at the moment, the link play of Daka, which is really important in the way that Enzo wants to play.

Felt sorry for Ricardo last night. He was outstanding, especially given that he was ridiculously given an early yellow card for a great ball winning tackle early on, and was going to have to be careful with any challenges from there on in. If there was one player on the pitch that didn't deserve to be on a losing side it was him.

We did cut then open with ease, but they won't be playing us again, I don't think they will be too worried defensively, with the rest of the shite in this league, that they still have to play. That said, it's highly doubtfull they won't drop any points between now and the end of the season somewhere. Same with us though, we just have to make sure we don't drop 6 points more than them.

I'm not so sure. It's like when a team starts regularly letting goals in from corners, there seems to be an uneasiness amongst the players, not just the fans, when there is a corner to defend. For a while now, we have let in quite a few late goals, that have cost us, when we seemed to be in control, starting with Sheff Wed away. In more recent times, Ipswich home and away, and Cov away. As soon as Leeds scored last night, as a fan, I'm thinking "oh no, I know what's coming next", and while yes, the players will be playing the moment, it's only human for the players too, to think back to recent games when it's all gone pear shaped at the end. Not helped by so many of those late goals taking deflections. Faes's face after their second goal last night, had that resigned look on it, as if to say, here we go again!

It wasn't that Daka missed the chance, it was just how woeful it was. He hit it, like a not very good at football kid in the playground. He also missed an equally simple header to put us one up against Boro last week too. I actually thought his overall play, and his link play was excellent last night. The best I've seen from him since he's been here, but he has got to do better with his finishing, because it's costing us points. I know it's not all down to him, but primarily he is a striker, and that is what he is going to be judged on. I actually think we do look more of a threat when he is in the team though, and it was a shame Vardy was injured, because he would have been a massive threat coming off the bench last night.