We were quick, slick and got the ball forward quickly with plenty of bodies in and around the box. The kind of momentum where the crowd can sense a goal is on the way. We didn’t score but if we played that way for 60 minutes over the course of a match, allowing for the other side to have spells and to slow the game down toward the end, we would be topping the table. The fact it was such a rare sight and that we could only sustain it for 15 minutes speaks volumes.
Football without purpose is not good football whether that's a Mick McCarthy team who play the percentages or Paul Lambert who keep the ball for keeping the balls sake
I remember a couple of years ago when lots of fans said they wouldn't mind relegation if it meant more entertaining football, I hope they are happy now.
I havent been either entertained or happy for years with our manager, style of play, Club and performances!
I have stated that I would watch Ipswich play in any division if they play the kind of football that I want to see. Since I’ve been watching the team (going to show my age here) we’ve had good - Lyall, Burley, Royle & Magilton but we’ve also had bad - Mcgivern, Keane, Jewell, McCarthy (last 2 seasons) and now Lambert. Cant comment on hurst as he was given no sort of time. I know over time, football has become a business but it is supposed to be a form of entertainment. I know some people aren’t bothered with style, they just want 3 points each week but when I go to a game or watch 1 on tv, I want to enjoy it
I don’t agree field. Think about our Cup Final win. We swarmed all over Arsenal but kept hitting the woodwork. We played well without scoring. Liverpool didn’t become champions over night and Bobby Robson didn’t lead us to glory over night either. From where we are we should be looking for progression, not the finished article. We are in fact not even standing still but deteriorating. If the owner was watching for signs of progression instead of waiting for an unmitigated disaster then McCarthy would have gone a year or two sooner, long before we were in trouble and Paul Lambert would have gone by now too.
I know we can't go to matches at the moment but when I used to go to Portman Road I know 9 times out of 10 even if we lost I'd see a good game and entertained. Genuinely the last game I went to where I was entertained by the football on offer was Jim Magiltons last game and the last time we beat Norwich. I think that says it all for me. I'm not a big fan of Lambert but I do think a) be has a difficult job on his hands and b) based on the past 13 years of ME ownership will it actually make any difference?
I agree with Hampy regarding our first half performance against Crewe. Okay, so the end product wasn't exactly there - but we looked good on the ball, we had tempo (when was the last time we could genuinely say that?), and the game as a whole was actually entertaining to watch. When was the last time we could say that? In my opinion, it provided a notable improvement on what we've recently been watching. However, the second half was a complete contrast. If Lambert had said at half time 'what are you lot doing?! We need to be more defensive and cautious on the ball! A goal-less draw would be great!' then I would not have been surprised. Crewe had more of the ball and were fashioning opportunities. We looked sluggish and slow. As soon as Crewe scored, we failed to string anything together. Our goal was fortunate and came from a defensive error. Unfortunately, it appears that a defensive blunder at the back (and there's usually one big gaffe in a League One game) is our main chance to score. I think I read somewhere that 'Own Goal' is our second or third top goalscorer this season. As for style over results, I very much believe that entertainment and style is more important for a club like Ipswich Town - where we don't have a realistic chance for silverware every season. Personally, I make an exception for Leagues One and Two. I don't believe we should be settling for third division football, and - worst case scenario - I'd happily see us grind out enough wins to get promoted, as long as it meant we got out of this division.
Interesting point there Nuggets. Would the players perform better if Lambert wasn’t there at all and someone like Chambers was managing the side from the pitch? I suspect the answer is yes. As for style - Wimbledon played good football and until recently English football was direct by comparison to La Liga or Serie A but still good quality. You can’t get results playing poorly so we need to play good football. That doesn’t mean farting around at the back all the time. An accurate long ball and having the forwards execute a knockdown and finish is not all that easy.
To be fair our performances at the start of the season were very good (even better than last season). We had a couple of unlucky moments in matches and a few more injuries and it went quickly downhill. I've only seen the highlights of the Crewe match and it looked like we were a little unlucky in terms of the key moments, as it definitely looked as though Woolfenden was fouled in the build up to their goal and maybe I'm being a bit old school but I thought Bishops second yellow was a little harsh (unless he had been persistently fouling). Do people think if Downes, Norwood, KVY and Edwards would have been fit all season we would be in a different position? In terms of style of play, I've always been a big advocate of encouraging teams to play good technical football as I think the level you can reach is higher playing that way, plus it is more entertaining. But what that means to me is the football is played with a purpose, you let the ball do the work, players are brave, take care of the ball and are comfortable on it under pressure. The Ipswich Teams before ME I watched were all like this (even if differing slightly in style) but were all entertaining and played with real purpose. Paul Lamberts Norwich reminded me very much of us under Burley. The football we have seen under ME has been very disjointed, going from turgid (Keane, Mick)to trying to play football for footballs sake (Jewell, Lambert). We need to be more pragmatic in the style of football we play. After 13 years I still don't think ME gets that and it definitely does seem like he has had some interference in managerial decisions.
