I actually do worry about relegation. It's not as easy to say just because we've parachute payments it'll be easier...in lots of ways it can make it challenging as we've seen with Luton even when they've kept their manager. I think we'll lose McKenna and have to make a number of changes to the squad. I also think their motivation will be difficult to maintain...those who have proven they can play at this level will want a move those who were perhaps already here will have probably felt they've already peaked in terms of their professional careers and it will be tough for them to maintain that again.
It’s so obvious that Hutchinson and Szmodics are ineffective, not through ability, but confidence. Broadhead, Chaplin and Taylor all look sharp and confident so start them instead. Johnson is our best man wide right. He should not be in the right back role because he can’t stop a cross. The first XI more or less picks itself, and yet McKenna isn’t picking it.
I think you’d be mad to, but I wouldn’t be surprised if your owner sacks McKenna within the next 2-3 games if you don’t win one. Your owners haven’t spent that much money on planning for a return to the Championship. It depends if you have January funds or not and possibly who is available to replace him Owners of clubs are a fickle bunch who all have unrealistic expectations
I do partially agree to this and what I said with McKenna dropping players who are showing decent form. On the ball Szmodics hasn't done enough in that position but I also don't think that's his game he's not suited to that left sided role and Hutchinson really doesn't look comfortable in that central role, very poor decision making. Plus very easy to lose confidence against the teams/players we're playing against, last season you can be one of the fastest players in the division and this every player is just as fast as you. We've seen it with Burns as well although he looked to get a bit more confidence in recent appearances. Despite their not contributing enough on the ball, off the ball both Hutchinson and Szmodics are decent in the press and Hutchinson energy levels have been very good all season...he just keeps going and going. We need to get the balance right all over the pitch. Currently central defense looks our strongest area however again I do think we lose something on the ball with Woolfenden out of the team, his short passing is superior to any other of our CBs. For me the balance uptop hasn't looked quite right all season, I think we looked best in the Brentford game with Hirst and Chaplin uptop but think we're going to need to start getting some consistency there. Chaplin has probably looked best in the 10, Hutchinson wide right and the left has been no one really, maybe time to give Broadhead a go but think we also lose alot off the ball without Szmodics there.
Fortunately, we have owners that are long term planners so I don’t think there is any chance of McKenna being sacked. If we do go down, there is a chance of an established premier league club coming in for him and I think he would find that hard to resist. The squad itself is fairly young with only Morsy and Luongo (who I think will leave at the end of the season no matter what) in the twilight of their careers
Feel a bit for Luongo but clearly particularly going forwards Cajuste is a step up but to be fair like all the players from last season who have been left out we do miss elements from their game. Luongo was superb at covering the LB space when Davis goes wandering plus he played some great balls over the top down that left hand side which I haven't seen from Cajuste. For me CM is a position we need to strengthen, as 2 of our players are on loan, as I've said before I'd send Phillips back and look to buy a long term partner/competitor for Morsy. If we're relegated I'd say it's unlikely we'd keep Cajuste or Phillips (i think it's unlikely we keep him whatever league we're in).
I think the most depressing thing is that the 3 promoted teams occupy the bottom 3 places in the Prem, so even with parachute payments for 2 of those Clubs it hasn't improved their chances of staying up so far, it seems the gap between P L and Championship gets wider every season.
Evening, I don’t believe we would sack him. We are probably a year ahead of what the club hoped for. On a side note I think you are nailed on for automatic promotion this season.
So the big question is do we think our present squad is capable of keeping us in the Prem ? If the answer is no do we buy in January to try to stay up or do we accept our fate and strengthen in the Summer and try again next term with a stronger squad ? Any thoughts.
Farke has been given a great set of players two seasons running, if he can’t finish top two this season then he’s failed. Your transfer activity was hugely questionable, I think I said at the time, it was like a kid in a candy store, did your board snap up random players who were available or were they backing your coach. If they were all McKenna requests then he has to surely go if things don’t improve.
I took some comfort from this part of The Times report on Friday night’s match,given that it’s from a neutral source. “Ipswich are three points from safety but yet again produced enough hard graft and ebullience to indicate that McKenna’s team might yet escape relegation. They were largely outclassed and enjoyed little in the way of possession but were stoic in defending set pieces where other more expensively assembled teams have struggled to cope. They were physical and determined, maintained their shape and their optimism and are evidently very well coached. They kept trying to forge a breakthrough right up until the final whistle which made the three points taken by Arsenal seem all the more significant.“
The transfer policy was questionable, for me, in that we didn’t or couldn’t attract players with sufficient Premier League experience. Some of the incomings were in the same boat as our existing squad, with no prior first team Premier League experience. The likes of Muric and O’Shea had some, but with relegated clubs. I think saying we got “over-excited” is a bit harsh. I think it’s more that we’ve gone two or three years ahead of schedule, and the summer was the best time to improve the squad - looking at the strong possibility we’d get relegated. The likes of Greaves, Jack Clarke, and Delap certainly fit the profile of young British players arguably too good for the Championship. Ashton and McKenna probably had them on a wish list. Szmodics is another player who looked too good for the Championship last season. They were stand out players in middling sides. Agreed it was risky expecting most or all of those lads to really step up though. Muric was an enforced signing as Hladky departed. Johnson, O’Shea, Phillips, Cajuste, Ogbene were signed for their top flight experience but mostly fit the profile. I would’ve also liked us to have signed a few more players from abroad. Teams typically get better value, but our scouting isn’t well embedded and Ashton does seem to have a strong priority on domestic signings.
Walton’s reputation is only high because he is not playing, the last time he had a run of games was in league 1 I’m confident that McKenna is well aware of this and his abilities.
Everyone knows that Walton is not a top keeper or a long term prospect but most supporters want to roll the dice because Muric has had half the season to settle in and cost us so many points.
I fail to see how choosing the starting line up by ‘rolling a dice’ is ever going to be sensible. It’s the argument of the foolish that say ‘can’t be any worse’ I think a lot of fans need to really think about what they were honestly expecting us to achieve this season.
They also say the definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.
