Five weeks ago, this Ipswich Town side was coming off consecutive defeats, capped by a shock 3-0 home defeat to Charlton. Social media and internet forums were swamped with negativity and fans questioning whether this team was - despite the money spent - actually any good. Fast forward to now, and we’re coming off an impressive run of form. Four wins and two draws in the last six games, with 12 goals scored and only three goals conceded. As a parachute payment club, expectations are rightly high. All season, we’ve been naturally comparing this squad to the legendary side that achieved back-to-back promotions only two years ago. Although a lot has changed, some things have stayed the same. Walton has been impressive and deserves the number 1 spot even when Palmer is back fit. While Davis is nowhere near as explosive as he was a couple of years ago, he has considerably improved defensively. Jack Taylor, the midfielder who came in from the cold, has impressed ahead of more expensive, arguably more talented alternatives in midfield. Hirst, slightly maligned this season, is still the first choice centre forward. What’s most surprising is two of those four names were not first team regulars the last time we got promoted. And some things have changed. This is a squad with incredible depth and talent on paper. It feels like a team that maybe could make more of an impression in the Premier League. A side less green and perhaps less daunted by what the top flight contains. O’Shea has been impressive as centre back and captain, reflecting a more solid defence over the past five weeks. Matusiwa has been our best midfielder and, whisper it, arguably looks like an upgrade on Morsy. Philogene and Jack Clarke, the flying wingers, have been in excellent form with goals and assists - whether by starting or coming off the bench. Even Egeli, a big money signing, looks like he’s starting to adapt to life in England and improving week by week. Unlike last time, this isn’t a team that wins end-to-end contests with an innate sense of inevitability, it’s not a team that has yet to fully endear itself to Ipswich supporters, and it isn’t a team where we keep the pressure on with a treble attacking change. But is that completely true? While few games this season have been entertaining, end-to-end contests - perhaps there is a sense of inevitability about this Ipswich team? More defensively solid - especially so this month - we have showed a lot more control and dominance in this division. Second half goals, often after bringing on some attacking substitutions as against Hull, are changing games. While Portman Road is a more muted crowd this season - nervous with the unusual sense of expectation and quicker to show its frustration - is still behind the team with sell out crowds, both home and away. We’re experiencing a culture change from Burley, Royle, and earlier McKenna sides - which were all successful sides (Royle aside) that were more fun to watch. It’s a massive change from the not-so-distant McCarthy, Hurst, and Lambert years, where we set up as the scrappy underdogs railing against a shifting Championship where sides with recent Premier League experience had the talent and the money. Friday night’s opposition, Oxford United, are in a similar bind to those Ipswich teams of the 2010s. Not wealthy enough to compete with the big boys and, under Gary Rowett, they are primarily set up to be difficult to beat. Sometimes it works. Recent draws to Norwich, Middlesbrough, and Millwall - all Championship regulars - are good results. But one home win all season makes for poor reading and this week, they have finally slipped into the relegation zone. With Sheffield United, Portsmouth, and Swansea directly above them, is it a matter of time before those sides start pulling away from the bottom three? This is a must win game, for me, if we realistically want automatic promotion. One we’re more than capable of doing, even if we see a bit more match day rotation. 2-0 Ipswich win.
Thanks Gaffer. Spanish will be thrilled I can still write several big paragraphs on the phone, even without my work laptop
Good assessment Nuggets,I think there are also comparisons with KMc's early days here when his initial priority was to make us difficult to beat.When that stability was established he then developed the more gung-ho aggressive side we all so enjoyed.Fingers crossed for some more good wins,home and away! 3-1 Town. COYB!!!
Good summary Nuggets. We are definitely on a good run of form. Can't say the overall performances match up to this though. In recent games however we have looked far more solid defensively and appear to be doing what alot of teams did to us last season. Staying solid and our quality from the bench eventually breaks them down. I can't tell whether tactically we have been better defensively or whether it's the Walton factor, technically whether he's the best goalkeeper at the club or not I cant argue, however his decision making both in terms of distribution and sweeping things up is second to none and this offers a real calming presence to the back line. I think we even saw this when he came into the team last season. I think we always look better as a unit defensively with him in the team. For me that is what was so good about McKenna's "first" team he built the ability of each player to bring the best out of others and something we have been missing so far this season. Not sure if it was because of Hladky's superb ability on the ball that Waltons ability was criticised but I like what he does on the ball, feels he has the right balance for a GK and knows when to hold on to it and when to release it quickly, he reminds me somewhat of Richard Wright in that aspect. As you say Big Al it does feel a little like those earlier days (before we took off) under McKenna characterised by a solid defense and possession football and slightly more static forward line with us taking too many touches and not moving the ball quick enough because the balance wasn't quite right and fluidity wasn't there. I like Matusiwa but him and Morsy are different players for me I think Matusiwa was Luongo's replacement and probably an improvement especially athletically and in aggression. He's the player that breaks up play, does a lot of the dirty work and allows others to shine as in particular both Davis and Morsy did when Luongo came into the team. Matusiwa is far more aggressive that Luongo was like a lot of the replacements of the double promotion winning team where defensively we held our position, intercepting the ball far more the current team who are more aggressive in winning the ball back (which sometimes means we get caught out of position but we have more pace than we used to to recover). For me we still miss someone alongside Matusiwa like Morsy as a playmaker who can control the tempo of the game. I'm not sure we have that at the moment and assuming that's why we showed interest in Hackney who is a good playmaker and also decent defensively. Other than Matusiwa we dont really have any midfielders who naturally do that. I still find Clarke and Philogene immensely frustrating both talented but both run into trouble far too often and hold onto the ball too long often slowing play down. But equally both able to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
With Nunez in the side I see Clarke and Phologenes' roles are more to run at defenders and draw fouls in dangerous positions.
For me, Walton has made that first team spot his own. I’d be interested to see the stats, but it feels like he’s facing fewer shots on goal than Palmer did in the early part of the season. I think the defensive performances have improved - partly down to Walton’s reassurance with distribution and partly down to further time on the pitch to strengthen those on-field understandings. As you say, Walton is a better passer and has better composure on the ball. His main Achilles heel - a strong tendency to get beaten by low shots - has improved recently. Whether that’s through more coaching or facing less quality than the Premier League remains to be seen. If we do get promoted, then I think we need to make another attempt to upgrade that position. You touch on a key point around playing to players’ strengths. McKenna’s promotion-winning Ipswich teams definitely did that - bringing out the best of the likes of Hdlaky, Burgess, Davis, the midfield duo, Chaplin, Burns, and Hirst in particular. The system and formation was designed around their abilities, some of them unique. The fact that most the departing players are struggling to make Championship starting elevens (Hdlaky, Woolfenden, Chaplin lately, Broadhead) possibly further reinforces the benefits of that McKenna system. It felt like he attempted this in the Premier League, but when it wasn’t working out tried several different variations of essentially the same system. Even the experience with “three-at-the-back” looked like it was just pulling the right back across and making our attacking right winger into a right wing back. As Big Al says, we’re built more for a possession-heavy, caution-first type approach. It might be to accommodate the several new players in the starting eleven. It might be because McKenna feels we should play that way as one of the better squads in the division (similar to that League One side). It may also be with half an eye on a Premier League season where confidence and composure on the ball are essential requirements to survive. Hopefully it’s just a question of when the forward line will explode, as it looks like our half of the pitch is a lot more solid.
