Make no bones about it, Saturday I'm as disappointed as the rest of you. However, I cannot say I was surprised by the game being a draw based on what I saw vs Bristol City. We seem at present, from what I've seen home/ away utterly unable to dictate a game at home with the 4-4-2. Away I'm a lot more optimistic as we have pace and can hit sides on the break, however being without Fraser is such a massive blow. Him + Sears have been the main two positive lights for us this season. Our mini-wobble post Brighton has been weird. We bounced back well from the Reading disaster at Leeds, which was a good response from Mick and team alike. No major changes were made when everyone was calling for wholesale changes, and the players responded well. However, post Leeds we haven't bounced back and have been bloody awful frankly. This is definitely proving to be Mick's trickiest period with us - certainly expectation has increased this season after us over performing somewhat last season. Upfront Mick really needs to come up with a partnership and stick with it. I have a funny feeling it'll be rotated again and be Murphy / McGoldrick at Hull....... Whether people like Douglas / Skuse in the middle - from what I've seen against both Bristol City + Reading hasn't impressed me he's stuck with it. He's allowed the two to make the positions their own, they clearly haven't and Douglas in particular from reading the games I've not been to appears on very borrowed time........... People calling for Bru in the middle I think are going to be wasting their time somewhat - When Mick plays 4-4-2 with wide boys, which he did with Niles + Oar, he likes the " firm base " in the middle - clearly the firm base isn't working, but I cannot see Bru starting games right now due to this. I would say IF Mick is going to stick with this, both Tabb + Coke deserve a go...... Not saying I wholeheartedly agree with this but this is likely to be Mick's thinking - he's the boss, I back him ( despite clearly now being unhappy times ) Mick also said he's LIKELY to play 3 formations in the next 3 games - this from my perspective is quite alarming. That smacks of " I really do not have a clue what my best side is at present " If 4-4-2 isn't going to work for us, despite on paper me thinking we have a good side ( 100% with Spanish on Yowerth I wanted him given a go and with Emmanuel mumbling about going on loan, I'm not amused but I don't make the calls ......... ) I'd go 4-3-3. Tough game Hull away though, cannot help but feel this with our current situation is an absolutely horrible Tuesday night away trip. Not feeling positive about this one at all really, 2-1 Hull I'll go. Think we can bounce back Saturday but we need a Leeds performance. At least we kept a clean sheet vs Huddersfield on Saturday, people can say what they want but it's a start. The defence has been a leaky bucket so that's a start. Team for Tuesday/ thoughts? COYB.
Sadly, I cannot see us winning this game. Hull are a good side, they've retained the core of their team that got relegated from the Premier League, and they'll be realistically competing for promotion come May. Our club, on the other hand, are in poor form in terms of both results and performances. I think the Reading result really affected this team and, more pertinently, McCarthy's tactical approach. Yes, the defeat was poor, however we were ruthlessly counter-attacked and the scoreline certainly didn't reflect the overall performance. A few of us on here, including myself, were fearful that such a big defeat would force McCarthy to revert back to stuffy conservatism and long-ball tactics. Sadly, that's precisely what has happened. Look at the home draws against Bristol City and most recently Huddersfield, the latter being arguably the dullest game of football I've seen us play for years! It's a shame because at the outset of the season there was a lot of optimism about Portman Road. We genuinely played exciting, attacking football and that created some momentum. All that hard work has been undone by a reactionary tactical shift, some misfortune with injuries, and the failure the invest in reinforcements during the summer transfer window. Mick then made the stupid mistake of essentially criticising us, the supporters who help pay his wages. When we chanted for Kevin Bru or David McGoldrick to come on, he stubbornly refused to do so, even if it was, on paper, the right moves to make. Attendances spiked at the start of the season but now we've reverted back to this style of negative, boring football, expect the average figure of 17,000 to fall even further. Having an ignorant manager who has admitted he won't do whatever the crowd say because he thinks they're wrong, is further going to deter and alienate supporters. I doubt McCarthy will resign, or Evans will fire him. Despite my criticisms, I believe Mick can get us challenging for promotion and I appreciate the good work he has done for the club over the past few years. It's just a shame to see Mick turn on supporters and regress back to a playing style that effectively came undone in the latter half of last season. 2-0 Hull.
2-2 draw. I would like to see Toure on the right instead of AMN, who is not supplying any end product after starting well for us. I think it may help Chambo out as well, Toure being a bit stronger and more athletic than Ainsley...although not as quick obviously. Up front I would go with Sears and McG.
Sadly I can't see anything other than a Hull win. Obviously hoping for a classic Mick away day performance and we nick it 1-0 at the end but I really think that we are going to get a stuffing here. The team don't look like they are playing for Mick at the moment. More annoying than this bad run of form we are in is just the state of the sheer boring football we are now playing. When I went to watch Town against Sheffield Wednesday at the start of the season, it was a really fun game to watch. We had pace on the wings and Sears looking lively in attack. Now, we are boring fans to death again. We miss Bru and Bishop and now we are without Fraser. I would switch to a 433 for the next game. You need to play the formation that suits your players and our best players are at the top of the pitch. Our defence is useless, we concede far too many basic goals. Really thought we were on an upwards slide and now I am getting slightly depressed we are heading towards *another* season of mid-table mediocrity. It's fine though, I am really happy with spending 15 years in the same division!!!
Nuggets amen a hell of a lot of sense and we're on the same page here. Oar + Tabb out now. Gotta feel for us with Oar/ Bishop / Fraser all out..........not helpful at all. For what it's worth I think on the basis Mick is UNLIKELY to use Bru often now we've gone more direct in the middle especially away from home, kind of game I would have liked Tabb to be given a go in the middle.
3-0 Hull Nothing to get excited about boys! It always feels like we are going to Hull and back every frickin game!!!
With such a pedestrian mid field who are incapable playing balls into feet for Sears and McGoldrick we have to rely on the long ball hoof from the back and hope someone gets a head on it etc, in other words we have no creativity in the middle of the park. The best player we have to provide creativity is Bru who although fully fit again does not get on the pitch and when fans call for him MM says he is even less likely to play, why is that Mick? Whats the point youre trying to make? how does that attitude help the team when a fool can see the problems? Chambers is having a nightmare of a season at Right Back so why didn't we get one with some of the Mings and Cressy millions? If Hull are on form we are in for a torrid time at the KC at the best of times but if we play the same line up as the past few games a hiding could be on the cards. I don't know why its gone downhill so far this season, perhaps Murphys goals disguised our weaknesses last season, perhaps last season was a fluke, Einstein said the definition of insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing but expecting a different outcome, perhaps we are just not as good as we hoped we were.
5-0 Hull Our stubborn manager will stick with same back 4, same CM pairing. Hull will piss all over us and Mick will still stick with same ****!! Was gonna go on about how i want Mick out but pointless as you all know how i feel.
Not a lot of optimism on here, unsurprisingly. Firstly, there's a wide consensus on this forum, and indeed among the wider fan-base, that Gerken is not competent enough to be a first-choice goalkeeper, for a side with promotion ambitions. Bart is the better keeper, I believe, although I'd argue it's an area where we could improve. So what on earth has Bart done to warrant such a prolonged period on the bench? I know he had personal issues a couple of months ago, but I presume he's ready to play regular first team football, as he started against Manchester United in the League Cup. Has he had a falling-out with Mick? Considering the personality of our manager, that doesn't bode well for the future as I doubt Bart will get much of a look-in. As several others have commented already, we have problems in defence. To be fair, we've had problems in defence stretching back to pre-season when we were shipping goals against inferior opposition. I guess the clean sheet against Huddersfield was one of those scant few positives to take from what was a dull game of football. Over the past several games, Berra has been error-prone, and I can't help but feel a little concerned his head is elsewhere. Our failure to bring in an established right-back is certainly looking like a miscalculation, considering Chambers' poor form and our lack of options in that area. Knudsen seems to be settling, but I can't help but feel Jonathan Parr would offer greater security down that side against the likes of Hull and Forest. Our midfield is really disappointing, particularly in comparison to the first few games where they looked to have gelled effectively. Our reversion to long-ball tactics has completely nullified the creativity we do have down the wings (Fraser, Niles, and Oar are good, creative players that we've bypassed recently). Skuse and Douglas are an overly-cautious, stale partnership in the centre, that strikes me as very unbalanced. If Bru isn't going to start (which he should be) and Bishop is still out injured, then who do we bring in to partner Skuse? I haven't been overly impressed with either Toure or Coke (although they haven't had much playing time), and Tabb should, ideally, be nowhere near the starting eleven. We do have quality up front, at least on paper. The issue is a lack of creativity, which results in those players not getting the opportunities to score. I see Pitman as more of an impact player, or a back-up should one of our strikers pick up an injury, not a first-team player. Thankfully Mick is playing Sears up front and has ditched playing him on the right wing. These are all issues that most of us have identified, but nothing is being done to rectify those problems and our form is suffering as a result. It really annoys me because I, and many others, were feeling optimistic and pleased with the side after those initial few games. I just hope McCarthy wises up and starts implementing a few changes that are desperately needed. We're only four points off the play-offs, and it's early days, but something needs to be done otherwise we're going to regress. Sorry for the rant!
Nuggets, not a rant at all.I think you've voiced very well what a lot of the fans feel. For some reason it's off MM's radar or he is just too stubborn to take on board(given his regretable statement at the weekend it is the latter, I fear). Let's hope we get back on track soon.
Hopefully bigal, but I can't see us getting much in away trips to Hull and Forest. Hope to be proved wrong though. What's your score prediction for tonight?
I gave up trying to predict scores years ago.Like betting, it's a mugs game According to a mate who was listening to BBC Suffolk commentary on Saturday, five minutes in Wooly Bremner stated "No way is this game ending goalless!!"
Spanish you want Mick out at all times anyway - that said I'm glad we're not a sacking club and can build a little continuity. It takes a lot to get sacked as manager, I remember Jewell losing 5/6 on the spin. Keane we kept faith with after 13 or so without a win at the seasons start. McCarthy is around for quite a while yet I think it's fair to say. I do not see us losing 4/5/6-0 or anything - that's very unlikely, for as bad as we are at the minute Hull don't dish out them kind of results to anyone ever. Or once in a BLUE MOON. I think Forest away ( i'll be there but may not be going again for quite a while ) is very winnable. Should we get a point tonight it's a good point - three would be exceptional considering how we are. What I will say, is away games are likely to suit us more. Murphy + McGoldrick in please. Sooner Oar/ Bishop + Fraser are back, the better. " Knudsen seems to be settling, but I can't help but feel Jonathan Parr would offer greater security down that side against the likes of Hull and Forest. " I did think exactly the same until I saw Parr at Man Utd and first half he was bloody awful. Made Darren O'Dea for us on loan appear good by contrast.
I agree Westy, all Knudssen is "settling into" is complete mediocrity .The one thing he does seem to be increasing, however, is his abilty to hoof the ball forward at the least opportunity,I wonder who's encouraged him to "develop" that side of his game?!
Well bigal, Mick did say that Yorwerth tries to play football and that they are teaching him to not play football and be more direct ffs!! So i guess he has done the same with Knudsen!
Well that's an interesting as hell lineup tonight. Coke, here's your chance son, step up to the mark. Parr, same to you. Bru, the same. McDonnell, could come on second half. Does this lineup look - bloody awful, or could it JUST work? Seems bizarre. McGoldrick added to the growing pile.......
451 Now theres a shock, all attacking pace on bench, f me i would rather Skuse than Coke and for me to say that....
