Well, well, when were we last 2 up away from from home?! Wait for the ringing cheers, all is forgiven Mick, and what beautiful footie we are playing! One thing tho, we are competing with a depleted squad, and some good players still out long term.
We won Well done lads. I'm gong to pick on Knudsen and Sears today. Freddie can move on in the summer, he made some terrible passes today when in a good position. Knudsen lost the ball too often and shouldn't play at full back
That's a very decent win - had that down as a loss and really makes me feel very comfortable. 17 points ahead, 18 with goal difference and really with 16 to play we're not going to be in any danger. Our form WAS incredibly worrying going in - thought we'd struggle - great win. Now lets get back to back wins v Burton next up please. Seemed strange Sears played with Celina unused sub - however we won so whatever really! Pleased for Sears + Ward.
Pleased for Sears and Ward?? I think they are both poor players and neither add enough to our attack. Ward has started to remind of Lee Martin. He constantly runs into a dead end and doesn't have the skill to get out of it.
Good result, and like others on here I was nervous going into the game, particularly on the back of our recent poor form. But we have an impressive record against the weaker teams in this division, becoming something of a flat track bully this season. I think the criticism of Grant Ward is a bit harsh, San Diego, particularly for this match. He got an assist today and was a constant threat down the wings, my man of the match to be honest. I agree Ward hasn't had the best of seasons, although I think that's partly because he gets played in the middle this season, due to injuries, so he's had to do a lot of adapting.
I'm not a fan of Sears with us any longer and Ward hasn't pushed on - but yes - I am pleased for the two of them that they started and we won. Apparently both played well today - so fair enough. On the surface of it, rather Celina / Carayol play - however we won and won well - so not to worry. Perhaps they'll get their chance vs Burton.
I still think under the right coaching Sears and Ward are good players. Sears on the ball at the moment isn't great but his movement has always been good which creates alot of space for us as a team. He needs to be given a run of games through the centre in a team which makes the most of his intelligent runs and not just playing statically. I think we have actually got some talented players in our team including Ward and Sears, unfortunately they seem to fit the trend of the majority of players who have talent who come into the team under Mick in that initially when they come in they look very good but after a while Mick coaches the attacking talent and confidence out of them and they look bang average. Hopefully if a new manager comes in these players can rediscover some kind of form.
Sorry lads but I didn't see Ward as a constant threat in today's or any other game. He runs forward with the ball but does nothing with it except lose it. He looks like a player who doesn't see the game very well. In MMA it would be called 'fight IQ' but I'm not sure what to call it in football, vision I guess. Ward doesn't have much whatever you name it.
Ward's been very in / out this term - but agree at times I'm wondering what the hell he's offering for us - that said, Wolves A second half he was by a country mile our best attacking player - very good that day. Mr Sears..... I don't know what to say re the lad - when on a purple patch ala the back end of last term he's very good.... when the confidence goes...... I certainly don't buy into Mick ruining him. Unfortunately for Freddy we went 4-3-3 for a spell 15/16 - and him / Fraser actually looked very good wide midfield. So I don't know! Have a feeling McGoldrick..... we MAY be better without him these days. Love the guy, probably our most talented player - well he is by quite some. Issue being with a Mick drilled formation ..... McGoldrick floating at times does more harm than good. Injured, AGAIN....
Of course Mick has to take much of the blame for Sears poor run of form, he's played him consistently out of position for nearly 2 seasons now. He changed his position at a time when he was actually starting to look like our best striker on a half decent run moved him to the wing and since he's really struggled. In his first 27 games for Ipswich playing centrally as a striker he scored 13 goals, that's nearly a goal every other game. In his next 100 appearances for town where he has mainly played on the wing he's scored 8 goals, Mick surely has something to do with this? For me Sears looked best when he was played up top with Murphy, could run onto his knock ons and play on the shoulder of the last defender. Him and Fraser did initially link up very well, as Fraser was one of the only players to make the most of Sears good movement playing a number of through balls to him, unfortunately as a team this does not seem to be encouraged (that's not to say we do not have players who aren't capable). Agree about McGoldrick, I've never been his biggest fan think we should have sold him to Leicester a few seasons back, despite his technical abilities his positional sense isn't great, he doesn't move the opposition around enough nor does he take up enough of the right positions in the box and quite often he's selfish on the ball. Unfortunately Mick doesn't really develop players and encourage them to flourish. I can only think of 2 players who have markedly improved under Micks tenure and that's Bart and Murphy, everyone else comes into the team has a few good performances and then usually regresses and gets stifled by Micks tactics.
Well said ptc. I agree with your assessment of both Sears and Mcg. Mick has helped to develop some other players, unfortunately they were all loans....Fraser, Lawrence and Celina. Doesn't help us in the long term though. Could probably throw Mings in there as well.
Can't say I was a fan of Mings. He might turn on to be a decent CB one day but as a LB I thought he was dire. All I can say is well done us for getting 10 million for him
Same ITFCPTC - thank god you've said that. I also was far from Mings biggest fan 14/15 - people moan about having Tabb LM but we simply had to. Mings was all over the shop position wise and his ambling back really wound me up when we were in trouble. I'll always remember the 2-0 loss at Norwich that season, one of Smith/Berra/Chambers had an absolute fit with Mings at one point and rightly so. I was at Cardiff away that season too, the 3-1 loss. Took a couple of neutrals, one was a massive Newcastle fan.. Unfortunately Mings was having a shocker and my mate the toon fan said ' if that's the lad all the hype is about, you should be biting peoples hands off for anything at all - he wouldn't make my Sunday league side mate he's toilet ' and I wasn't prepared to stick up for Mr Tyrone. He was either a Rolls Royce or pathetic that season - sure a lot of that fee was on nationality / height / age.
