i dont think anyone can argue that we are in a dire situation atm and a couple more losses in the next two games and PJ is more than likely to get the boot. if you asked me after the doncaster game i would have said he still needs time etc but after the manner of the last 3 games my opinion has turned. not to the extreme where I thinks he needs to be ousted now as there is still hope but a loss against watford and barnsely might be a straw too far. so how can he change it? PJ isn't an idiot and will know that a couple more defeats and he's pretty much gone. For me he has to take a gamble, drop the under performing over hyped near to retirement has beens and gamble with youth and players who havent been given much of a chance! bowyer, collins, leadbitter, bullard, edwards, ingimarsson- drop them all! can you give me one reason why any of them should be in the team? my team for watford: stockdale wabara sonko delaney (others havent done any better) creswell martin hyam andrews carson JET Chopra Surely PJ cant stick with the players he has been picking week in, week out purely on reputation. drop them all and they might get a well needed kick up the behind. results are needed now and its clear something has to change. if possible i would recall drury, murray, peters and o'connor and get them all in ahead of those who have go us in this position! what are your thoughts for selection on saturday???
No nothing about Joe Whight. Perhaps Hyam is worth another go, but come on, you just can't be serious about Peters, Drury and O'connor. Allthough these players are commited and honest, they are completely out of their depth in the championship. Peters has plenty of pace, but his marking is terrible, his general reading of the game is the worst I have seen at this level. For goodness sake, he couldn't even get in the Bournemouth squad on Saturday. Am just wondering if you watch our reserve and youth teams sometimes, because obviously these players would have been shown in a different light when they played for them.
i see your point truth seeker but my point is that we cant keep putting out a losing side. they have no confidence atm, and for me one of the most shocking aspects of our squad is the lack of mental strength PJ continually refers to. One thing you would expect from an experienced group of players is that they have this mental strength and can drag others through tough periods and see out games. There is no sign of this so why on earth should we stick with them? PJ could carry on as he is, picking the same players who will eventually get him the sack or he could take a gamble, something which good managers will do. If it backfires then so be it but at the very least PJ realised his errors and tried to change. And no i dont watch reserve team games but I have seen enough of Peters, Hyam, O'Connor in the first team to realise that they are no worse than what we have and would add a bit of pace, dynamism and hunger to the side which is so lacking
Agree, was at the Northampton Town v Crawley match a few weeks ago, Drury looked a class above everyone else on the pitch, first touch was excellent, every corner, every cross he put in, every freekick he took put Northampton under pressure (if memory serves, the Crawley winning goal was the result of a Drury freekick) never quite understood why he wasn't given a proper chance, and we loaned him out...
How is the “manner” of the last three defeats any worse than Doncaster? 3-0 down at half time against the bottom team? At least two of the goals making Laurel and Hardy seem like pretentious French art house film material? And this after Millwall, Blackpool, Peterborough, Hull, Southampton, Northampton? Christ on wheels. This golden age under PJ when we went on this scintillating run of four games without defeat (that included a massive two wins) that had Europe trembling in our wake – how many of those were genuinely good performances? Coventry at home, wasn’t it? Plus West Ham away we actually gave a good counter attacking performance, if a little lucky to grab a late win. Then before that there was a lucky home win against Leeds, plus the very first day of the season a win away against Bristol City who, since they’ve had the foresight to get rid of a deatbeat manager, have been improving and would surely waltz past us now easier than if we were the local primary school girl’s team. Saturday would simply have to be design a functioning formation around your best eleven, but due to the genius squad building talents of our most recent clown managers, what can you do with that bunch? Defence - Under Keane and briefly under PJ we’ve seen how disastrous young central defenders like Smith and Ainsley can be. We know Delaney is shocking, generally speaking. We know Ingi, Collins and Sonks can’t be trusted. At left back we have Cressie who can’t do it on his own and whose talents are better going forward and with set pieces. There’s White who might go the same way as Smith/Ainsley if we throw him in too soon and who PJ won’t give a chance to anyway (despite Cressie probably being a good left midfielder in the making). Right back – we haven’t got any!!!! Midfield – the only hope out of the whole lot is Carson, and he made the mistake of coming back from the summer break in “less than great shape”. Oh dear. Better leave him out for months then. Up front? Deadbeats (mainly fat ones) and a gambling addict who’s so mentally strong he has to scamper off to emotional crutch lessons instead of go training. What’s the point of assembling a functioning team out of that joke of a squad?
the loss against doncaster was no better your right. but i wasn't going to come out and say he should be sacked after that result because he shouldnt have been. however time has moved on and its do or die for PJ. I have to say Jonah i dont think your piece there on michael chopra is needed at all, very ignorant i must say
Aaaahhhhhhh, how sweet. A pious pc response was guaranteed. Stupid, obsessive, self-destructive behaviour is NEVER the fault of the person concerned is it. Just those naughty chemical imbalances and wicked societal pressures. So much more deserving of support and sympathy than the well adjusted, law abiding, self-disciplined and hard working - those nasty perpetuators of an evil society. If only we lived in a Marxist wonderland where everything was perfect. I feel much better after that - I can go and parade my pc halo at my next dinner party now can't I! Won't have a single sensible thing to say, but whatever I do say will confirm to wimp liberal shibboleths.
Delaney? D E L A N E Y ?????????????? NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO and not JET either, when your going through a bad phase you really cant afford to play JET. He goes missing too often and is either brilliant or shockingly bad and you cant really take the risk. its not a team I would really want to play but mine would be (which ever keeper is fit) Ainsley - Sonko - Smith - Cresswell Hyam - Bowyer Edwards - Bullard/ Andrews - Carson Scotland Ainsley - difficult call but we cant play Edwards there and Ainsley has played there before. Edwards cant play fullback but hopefully can add decent cover to a fullback Smith - difficult to call but has done well for us in the past and really cant be any worse than the other options, can he Bowyer in the centre should add some bite and energy and Hyam knows the position well and looked superb when he played for us. Scotland is nowhere near the striker that Chopra is but seems a bit more interested in getting the ball. Chopra hardly touches the ball when things arent going well.
Agree Tractorbhoy how ever bad it gets we should not play Delaney. I also agree I cannot understand why we keep playing JET over Martin really in the situation we are in, especially on the wing, JET is not a winger. If we do play him though we need to give him alot of the ball because eventually something will come off. I really don't know who I'd play tbh I'm at a loss. I don't mind who plays in goal because they haven't let us down and Sonko has to start but other than that I don't know, we need to get Carson and Martin on wings and either play Andrews or Hyam in the DM role. and JJ that response was completely inappropriate, clearly you've been digesting the daily mail for too long.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a betting scam going on! I mean three consecutive 3-2 defeats is a tad unusual! Perhaps Chopra and his syndicate of players have put a load of wedge on 6 consecutive defeats! The way the players have been playing over the past 6 games I wouldn't be surprised.
JJ - I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. This liberal view of life in geeneral is what is ruinining this country. Chopra is a gambling addict, and the sooner he grows some balls, the better it will be for him in the long run. Coming from one gambler to another addict, wrapping him up in cotton wool, and feeling sorry for him will not do the trick. He needs to get his head down, work hard in training, pull his finger out, and start earning his living again. He needs to pay back the honest people who have supported him over the years, and give something back to the fans who pay his wage. If ou want to be "nice" and liberal, then bugger off to Switzerland!! We need the likes of Cloughie back in the game, who would take Chops to one side, give him a clip round his ear 'ole, and tell him not to be so bloody stupid, and get on the pitch and score some goals. On a seperate note, how disheartening must it be for these youngsters who can't get in a team that is playing so bad?? They surely must be chomping at the bit to get some first team games. There is obviously some underlying issues going on back stage if they are not given a chance. And i agree woth someones post (can't remember who, and can't be arsed looking for it) that we need to recall back some of our players and get them in the team. I will be at the Crawley v Redbridge game on saturday (have a mate who plays for Redbridge), so i will see (if he plays) if Drury is playing well (although you cant really compare playing against Redbridge and playing the likes of West Ham) which is probably why he looks so good at the moment. But Murray, Hyam, Ainsley, Whight, O'connor...play them..cant be any worse than we currently put on the pitch.
Not that I want to defend Jewell, but he might not be playing the younger lads to protect them. If he throws them in and we keep losing games, fans may well get on their back and cry that they are not good enough for our team and should be sold or whatever and ultimately damage their morale and confidence. I know I'd get on at them, because the old adage of 'If you're good enough, you're old enough' works both ways in my opinion. However, we wouldn't be in this position if he had got players who could do the job and help take the pressure of the young lads in the first team. So it's PJ's fault if he feels he can't play the young lads for fear of the fan's wrath!
JJ I had a gambling problem and used to have to visit GA in Colchester once a week. I have to agree whole heartedly with your comments! It was nobody elses fault but mine, it was stupid and fortunately i managed to get myself out of the hole i was in. The thing is, its not as if its his first time, maybe then we could have a little more compassion, he has had a problem for a long time (apparently) and needs a kick up the ass. To be honest i can't understand it, i used to gamble to try and get more money as i wasn't exactly paid a fortune and had loans/credit cards etc. You can't tell me that the likes of Chopra need to gamble to get more money. Will power is all thats needed!!
Spanish - Im in the same boat as you..There is no one but Chops to blame for his actions, but, as we both know, gambling addictions are not purely financial. There is a whole heap more than money at stake here. But, he has to be man enough to "accept the things he cannot change". What's done is in the past, and now that is out in the open, hopefully he will get his life back to some kind of stability, and kick the habit. I wish him luck, not for Ipswich, but for his own sanity. We've seen lately how fragile the mind is. If you don't open up, and share your troubles, then it could have disasterous results, be it taking your own life, or ruining your life with an addiction.
As with all addictions yes it someones choice to keep doing it whether they feel it is or not, but there are always other reasons behind it especially when your in the depths of addiction and sometimes a loving arm is going to help you more as opposed to the clip around the ear which might bring you back down. An arm around the shoulder is not the same as telling him his addiction isnt his own fault, its helping him believe he can solve it. In basic if training is going to be a unsupportive/hostile atmosphere for Chopra then he's not going to train to his best ability which is detrimental to the team as a whole. As far as the best 11 goes, through this awful patch we've desperately been missing Sonko i feel, that steel in the back line that can actually deal with high balls into the box ive always said that and if hes fit for saturday i beg of him not to prove me wrong. This is what i feel was to blame for forest and reading not the system jewell chose for the majority of the game we had been winning, therefore go back to the team we fielded for those games with the exception of replacing the worst performing defender with Sonko. Thats what i'd do/want to see anyway
He might very well have performed well, in the match you watched. However this is the championship, an enormous gulf. Have also watched him, in our league, and can tell you he was well out of his depth, like a fish out of water.
I think a team I'd go for today would be similar to this: Stockdale Wabarra, Sonko, Collins, Kennedy Edwards, Andrews(DM), Bullard, Cresswell Chopra, JET/Murphy I think Kennedy has to be in the team because he's a player who shows some sort of leadership on the pitch, which we definitely need today. It also makes us a bit more shored up down that left hand side with hopefully Cresswell putting some decent crosses into the box. The situation would be similar down the right hand side with playing both Wabarra and Edwards. Andrews has to play DM and not further up the pitch, he's good at the simple passes something which he forgets about when he gets further up the pitch and keeps trying ridiculous flicks and actually isn't bad defensively. I've reluctantly put Bullard on the pitch but couldn't really think of anyone else to play unless that young kid comes in, although played further up the pitch he hopefully will show what he can do. Also if Jet plays, don't put him on the wing, I think he could form a decent partnership with Chops through the centre, if he's given alot of the ball and dependant on how things are going he could drop deeper into midfield.
