Note: I did not attend the game so this view comes from the comfort of my living room.
As derby days go, that was surprisingly comfortable (obviously not quite as comfortable as the last couple!)
City never even got close to getting out of 2nd gear and frankly they didn't need to against an abject Town side for whom the term 'passing football' appears a distant dream. Never have I seen an Ipswich side play such atrocious football - it was, in all honesty, embarrassing to watch and it was almost as embarrassing that City didn't rack up the goals and put the game to bed with plenty of time to spare.
They certainly had enough clear cut chances to do so! Meanwhile, John Ruddy spent much of the game as a spectator. The only real moment of concern coming early in the 2nd half when Murphy missed a golden chance to equalise. It 'could' have been different had that gone in but it didn't and some of the chances we missed were gilt edged. Grabban should have had a hattrick while Lafferty missed two clear chances. A repeat of the '5' from 2011 was a possibility.
Overall the game was scrappy, not untypical of a derby, but to be honest, I think a lot of Championship away days will be like this and the only important thing is that we take a positive result home with us - and that's exactly what we did today. It wasn't pretty but we dug in, defended better than we did at Wolves and took the only chance that was required to get us over the line. Keep doing that and we'll be promoted come May 2015.
Still much to improve on but the squad depth looks great, we have some excellent options on the bench and we are creating chances. My only concern (other than Redmond's form) is the back line - injuries and suspensions are not helping but the balance isn't right. But having collected 9 points from a possible 12 (in four very tricky matches) plus an away win against the auld enemy, I think Neil Adams and his players - and us the fans - should be absolutely delighted with our start.
Well done everyone and OTBC
Who's the Pride of Anglia?
As derby days go, that was surprisingly comfortable (obviously not quite as comfortable as the last couple!)
City never even got close to getting out of 2nd gear and frankly they didn't need to against an abject Town side for whom the term 'passing football' appears a distant dream. Never have I seen an Ipswich side play such atrocious football - it was, in all honesty, embarrassing to watch and it was almost as embarrassing that City didn't rack up the goals and put the game to bed with plenty of time to spare.
They certainly had enough clear cut chances to do so! Meanwhile, John Ruddy spent much of the game as a spectator. The only real moment of concern coming early in the 2nd half when Murphy missed a golden chance to equalise. It 'could' have been different had that gone in but it didn't and some of the chances we missed were gilt edged. Grabban should have had a hattrick while Lafferty missed two clear chances. A repeat of the '5' from 2011 was a possibility.
Overall the game was scrappy, not untypical of a derby, but to be honest, I think a lot of Championship away days will be like this and the only important thing is that we take a positive result home with us - and that's exactly what we did today. It wasn't pretty but we dug in, defended better than we did at Wolves and took the only chance that was required to get us over the line. Keep doing that and we'll be promoted come May 2015.
Still much to improve on but the squad depth looks great, we have some excellent options on the bench and we are creating chances. My only concern (other than Redmond's form) is the back line - injuries and suspensions are not helping but the balance isn't right. But having collected 9 points from a possible 12 (in four very tricky matches) plus an away win against the auld enemy, I think Neil Adams and his players - and us the fans - should be absolutely delighted with our start.
Well done everyone and OTBC
Who's the Pride of Anglia?
