I think on paper we should walk it. Ipswich have lost to Northampton and Hull at home in their last two matches. They did beat Bristol City, but I have real fears for Brizzle as they really do look a weak outfit, and got hammered again at the weekend I believe. I think Brizzle gave them a massive hepling hand with 2 of the goals on the opening day. I think the main issue for Ipswich is their back four. Being down here, I've seen a lot of them and the way I see it is: Stockdale is a class keeper and wont give us the freebies that Fulop was dishing out at the end of last year! Creswell is a good player, out of league one, solid, pacey, decent signing really, but aside from that the defence is not looking good. At centre-back you have Deleany who is a big fella and solid in the air, I rate him, but I would expect a good battle with Lambert. Should Ingimarsson be fit, I imagine he would play, but think he might be injured. In any case, he is 33 and not a world beater and not nearly as match sharp as, say, David Connolly. That leaves Tommy Smith and Jack Ainsley who have been shown up by Northampton and Hull and are really not up to it. At right back is where I think we will hurt them - Carlos Edwards or Jamie Peters will play there, both makeshift and poor positionally, also poor in the air. That drags their centre backs out of position and can see them being torn between Lallana and Lambo. In midfield there is Bowyer, who should really lose out to Deano and Cork in the same way that a Michael Brown would do. The class, engines and bite of those two should win over. Leadbitter passes sideways but can hit a nice crossfield ball now and again which I would expect our fullbacks to look out for. I dont know if Keith Andrews will play, again, more of a battler than a real threat - the sort of thing Cork and Hammond are set up to deal with well. JET flatters to decieve - can beat a man very easily but there is never any end product. Very frustrating player to watch as can glide past players looking world class, and then dump a cross into a defender, overhit it etc. Needs an eye keeping on him though. Lee Martin should be a walk in the park for Richardson compared to Gradel - I think the key is not to give him any confidence early on, and he drifts out of the game. Again, threatening player if you let him run at fullbacks though. Josh Carson is probably their best winger - Iv watched him twice and been impressed - quick and direct, very small though! Up front Chopra is a poacher who Fonte knows all about from previous meetings. He isnt hugely fast or strong, but knows where the goal is, and I think if we cut off the supply line and frustrate him he will also drift out. Scotland is genuinely awful, Ellington not much better. As i said I think our left wing is where we will get the joy, as well as making sure we win the battle in the middle. Centre backs should struggle with marhsalling Rickie as well as the cunning of Connolly. I dont want to knock other teams support, but get an early goal and the ground will go so quiet you can hear a pin drop, so I hope we bring a decent amount of fans! So all in all I expect a win......on paper. Nothing is sure with Saints!!
There was a bloke sat behind me at the Leeds game in a John Deere baseball hat. Do you think he was an Ipswich spy? All I know is he kept saying a startled "bloody hell" whenever Adam had the ball and sounded as if he was more than a little scared!
Would love to see a Saints win but would happily take a draw, Ipswich are a good side and I can see Chopra being dangerous. Heart: 3-1 (Lambert (x2), Lallana ; Chopra) Head: 1-1 (Lambert ; Chopra)
who thinks nige will freshen things up for tomorrow nights game? I expect Connolley to be rested, maybe fox to make debut although harding was impressive on sat, wouldnt be suprised if this was the team Davis, Harding / Fox, Fonte, Seaborne, Richardson, De Riddler, Cork, Hammond, Lallana, Guly, Lambert Both Seaborne and Harding looked good on saturday, hoepfully we can see more of de ridder!
davis richardson fonte seaborne/martin fox deridder cork hammond lallana guly/connolly lambert I THINKS
Shouldn't this be in the Ipswich V Saints thread? http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/75653-Ipswich-v-Saints-thread
I'm going to this game (one of my 'local' away games). Town have a strong squad, so I don't think their recent results are reflective of this. I'd be delighted with a win, but content with a draw.
They have a couple of decent individuals but the squad is pretty bare and certainly defensively they are down to the bare bones! Think +ve!
I am now going to this game,can't wait.Costing a fortune but hopefully worth it.Does anyone know where the best or nearest place is to park?
I'm enjoying this moment bein top as I don't think we will be after full time. Hearing the last 15min of Barnsley game we were "on the ropes" and lucky to keep the win! KingslandSFC prediction: Ipswich 2-0 Saints
I know where you're coming from but i gotta say that the only reason we were hanging on was because of the red card,before that barnsley didn't have a hope,we were easily holding them,from where i was sitting it was very comfortable and it should of been more than 1 - 0,all in all though i still think this game will be harder for our defence which is why i'm going for a 2 - 2.
Everywhere near the ground will be pretty busy, there is no shortage of car parks - http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=734 .....if you dont mind a walk - there is a big car park near the docks which should be a bit emptier (aim for Anchor St and you cant miss it). That way you pass the away friendly Lord Nelson on the way to the ground. Aside from that, London Rd Park and Ride is probably the best option - you hit that just as you get off the A12, assuming you come up M3/M25/A12
Thanks.Am picking my girlfriend up from work at 3 in southampton town centre so i'm hoping everything is gonna be ok traffic wise,especially on the m25 but it might be a tight squeeze and a bit of a rush to get there early,haven't been to ipswich before so it's all a bit of a risk and ideally i'll need the nearest place possible.Thanks for the info.
Tough game to call and a test for us but there's no reason why we can't win. Ipswich have lost their last two home games so their fans will be a bit impatient, and if we can get off to a good start and go a goal up then they will get on their players' backs. If Ipswich play 4-5-1 then its important that we win the midfield battle and starve Chopra of the ball as he is a good finisher, which I'm confident we can as we did exactly the same against Leeds. The players have so much confidence at the moment and will be desperate to continue the winning run, so I'm going for a 2-1 win (although a draw would be a decent result).
So the fact that the Barnsley manager admitted that Saints were totally dominant for all but the 10 minutes, after Chaplow was sent off, and that his players gave everything for those last 10 minutes, while we calmly batted them away [apart from the one incident which everyone has concentrated on] and in fact, did quite a bit of attacking too [Hammond, Lallana], is completely laid aside, is it..? Keith Hill said his side didn't deserve anything from the game and would have been a bit lucky if they had nicked something. I would hardly call that on the ropes. Indeed, as Saint_Lambden has pointed out, a bit negative.
