Alarm bells..

[Southcoastoldgaffer]

..Are ringing! Many of us gave Cook until October to turn things round. Some are still justifying his performances & results by waiting til next few Windows and bringing in more key players. Really? I don’t get this. We had a subs bench good enough yesterday to be a 1st team for many smaller clubs! Like others I admit to being prepared to give him more time and that this is a two-year project. This cant be true. I said until October. I am prepared to be wrong.

He has now managed two Ipswich teams. The same mistakes and glaring weaknesses are being repeated. In all honesty it's been just not good enough since Cook came in, and our inability to manage games and cope with pressure, and losing time and again from 1 or 2 goal leads. Last season it was all blamed on the players. Have we just spent a fortune & been really unlucky and signed a whole new experienced and talented team that has exactly the same shortcomings? No, it is down to the manager’s tactics, coaching, motivation etc. We cave in to the merest hint of sustained pressure. Our confidence looks shattered. The Cambridge game demonstrated this very well.

We try to justify that lying 14th or 15th in League One is ok. It is most definitely not. We need to see a real change in our fortunes starting Tuesday. Which is why I posted about the next 5 games. 6 points from the next three may save his neck, as he is a good guy and I like him. For all the major changes at Club, structure, staff, community activities, it is we all know the results on the park that matter.

There must be serious exchanges between Ashton and Game Changer. If we don’t get the results next few games, will his licence to carry on into November and beyond still be credible.

I doubt it.

 

[Buckyohare]

The match day thread has kinda morphed into the debate your raising here and it deserves its own thread!

As I said; Arrigo Sachi said the primary’s reason he achieved total domination of the game with his Milan side was because he was given time to achieve it. That applies at every pro level I imagine.

I hope the players aren’t at fault. Ie they are giving 100% and not just enjoying the big wages we’re shelling out. That is a slight concern; we’re paying Morsy more than he was on at Boro according to Warnock in his exit interview with their local rag…there isn’t quite a sense of proximity between the players and the fans with none of our ‘own’ in the team at all and what could be a bunch of mercenaries out there for all we know. I’m sure that linked to the overall frustration with how games are going and results are let slip so often…

I don’t want to sack Cook; I can’t see anyone better available and he should have some time. My deadline was Xmas abs given how Bolton transformed in feb last year it’s worth affording him this as it feels close to being spectacularly good but for some daft phases in the matches.

 

[Bigalreigned]

It was never going to be a quick fix,the whole Club setup was in such a s#|]e state.I’m prepared to give him the four transfer windows mentioned elsewhere.

In reality who else is going to take us on,and if they did would it be back to square one again?The squad we had was far beyond being evolved and a revolution was what was needed.The time to tweak the squad was when Hurst took over but we all know the route he took and the eventual result but for whatever reasons (many of which we’ve already discussed to death) a fairly solid core of players we’re allowed to leave.

I personally would have been hard pressed to pick a core of players from what Lambert left that would have been capable of building on.

 

[San Diego]

I'm still prepared to give Cook time. As Bigal says, it was never going to be a quick fix with the state we were in and this team hasn't been together for very long to be honest.

If he gets his 4-2-3-1 working properly then with the players we have we'll be fine. I don't like his subs sometimes and wish he could be a bit more pragmatic at seeing a game out when we are leading rather than just swapping attacking players and hoping for more goals to finish teams off. There has to be a balance between attacking to score goals and game management to ensure a win and this is where Cook is currently failing to hit the mark.

 

[San Diego]

As I said; Arrigo Sachi said the primary’s reason he achieved total domination of the game with his Milan side was because he was given time to achieve it. That applies at every pro level I imagine.

The same could be said for most successful managers. Klopp, Fergie, Robson etc have all needed more than one bloody transfer window and three months of a season to bring success to their club so I struggle to understand why anyone thinks Cook is just going to magically have us top six after a summer of change.

 

[YorkieLancsHampyLondoner]

Evening gents. Gaffer, I would say he HAS turned it around enough to keep going. Based on the form table of the last 6 matches we would be sixth and we stand an achievable 5 points off the play off zone. That it so much better than the relegation form of the opening games.

From here, it could still go south but I think we're far more likely to keep improving.

 

[Southcoastoldgaffer]

Evening gents. Gaffer, I would say he HAS turned it around enough to keep going. Based on the form table of the last 6 matches we would be sixth and we stand an achievable 5 points off the play off zone. That it so much better than the relegation form of the opening games.

From here, it could still go south but I think we're far more likely to keep improving.

As ever the optimist, I hope you are right!

 

[YorkieLancsHampyLondoner]

As ever the optimist, I hope you are right!

I recall a few weeks ago you had expectations of catching the play offs in four or five fixtures. It was never achievable on the basis that even if we won every match the other sides around us would pick up points.

That gap can widen as easily as it closes so if we manage to close that 5 point gap by May that will exceed my expectations.

I am far more bothered by our transfer policy and activity in January than I am our league form at the moment and also by restoring a bit of pride in the FA Cup and at least getting to play in the Third Round in January.

 

[Roystonblue]

My main issue with Cook is insistence of playing only his preferred formation of 4-2-3-1. On occasion, I believe that it needs to be changed but he appears to be too stubborn to do so. His use of substitutes is also a bit odd. Goalkeeping situation also needs to be sorted

 

[Mike_Holmes1990]

My October deadline was for first win with the new squad. So from that point of view he's ahead of schedule.

Cook also appears willing to take advice, with Reid arriving. And though idealistic I'd rather play with our own identity, with the bumps along the road it'll bring.

New target is Top 10 by January.

 

[itfcptc]

The match day thread has kinda morphed into the debate your raising here and it deserves its own thread!

As I said; Arrigo Sachi said the primary’s reason he achieved total domination of the game with his Milan side was because he was given time to achieve it. That applies at every pro level I imagine.

I hope the players aren’t at fault. Ie they are giving 100% and not just enjoying the big wages we’re shelling out. That is a slight concern; we’re paying Morsy more than he was on at Boro according to Warnock in his exit interview with their local rag…there isn’t quite a sense of proximity between the players and the fans with none of our ‘own’ in the team at all and what could be a bunch of mercenaries out there for all we know. I’m sure that linked to the overall frustration with how games are going and results are let slip so often…

I don’t want to sack Cook; I can’t see anyone better available and he should have some time. My deadline was Xmas abs given how Bolton transformed in feb last year it’s worth affording him this as it feels close to being spectacularly good but for some daft phases in the matches.

With regards to the players, it's clear we have brought quality in and probably paying them well, although it doesn't feel like how we recruited in the past where we've signed big name players on a downward trajectory but bringing in 19 new players is going to take time for things to settle down. Imagine moving to a new job where everyone else is also new and no one has any connections to the area including your management team, its a bizarre situation to be in. If things don't go well we've got 19 players who really let's face it at the moment have no deep loyalty to the club or area, that psychologically must have an impact.

With regards to Cook, based on his record in this division and his style of play, I really do not think we could do any better. I was amazed we managed to attract him when Evans was still here. But in my mind his reputation is the thing that is saving him here as he has been really poor and some of his decisions have really surprised me. Things are gradually getting better however we've not really faced any of the big teams in this division yet. As I've said in the past as long as we have a good second half to the season where you can see we're setting ourselves up for next season and by the end we're in and around the play offs, I'd be happy given the upheaval. Unless things really don't improve and we stay in the lower half of the table for most of the season I'd give Cook 4 transfer windows.

 

[itfcptc]

The same could be said for most successful managers. Klopp, Fergie, Robson etc have all needed more than one bloody transfer window and three months of a season to bring success to their club so I struggle to understand why anyone thinks Cook is just going to magically have us top six after a summer of change.

I think expectation should have been managed far better over the summer but Cook has had a blank canvas and has signed some very good players so as I said at the time he took a risky strategy because he's got no where to hide, he can't hide behind other people's mistakes because he has been fully backed in the transfer market and this is his squad and it is also exactly why the board shouldnt sack him (unless things get awful) because why would you trust him with a complete squad overhaul and sack him a couple of months later

 

[itfcptc]

Evening gents. Gaffer, I would say he HAS turned it around enough to keep going. Based on the form table of the last 6 matches we would be sixth and we stand an achievable 5 points off the play off zone. That it so much better than the relegation form of the opening games.

From here, it could still go south but I think we're far more likely to keep improving.

The pessimists at the start of the season are getting more optimistic by the day

 

[San Diego]

I think expectation should have been managed far better over the summer but Cook has had a blank canvas and has signed some very good players so as I said at the time he took a risky strategy because he's got no where to hide, he can't hide behind other people's mistakes because he has been fully backed in in transfer market and this is his squad and it is also exactly why the board should sack him (unless things get awful) because why would you trust him with a complete squad overhaul and sack him a couple of months later

I think you meant to say shouldn't sack him above.

Not sure how expectations could have been tempered any more than they were considering everyone from Gamechanger to Ashton and O'Leary have all said that promotion through the leagues is the aim but it might take some time.

 

[YorkieLancsHampyLondoner]

The pessimists at the start of the season are getting more optimistic by the day

All that’s happened is most others have realised what I said back then, that it ain’t likely to happen this season. It remains to be seen whether it can happen next. We are a long way from there at the moment.

 

[Buckyohare]

Hang on chaps, I’m pretty sure the players and management team all said at the outset the aim was for promotion this season. ‘God have mercy on league 1…’ etc etc. And it should be given we’re acquiring players from the division above and routed as amongst the best in this one, and paying them top wages. I doubt Chaplin took a pay cut to come and have fun playing for Cook again…

wherher we believe that was realistic or not is another thing. I do/did. I wasn’t expecting it to click immediately (Morcambe are proving it can…) but the manner of our tactical mistakes is not something I saw coming and dents my optimism significantly to the point I can’t see is getting an auto spot anymore.

 

[Nuggets]

I think the crux of the matter is that we are not a well-coached side. That's abundantly clear to me, and the responsibility for this is on Paul Cook. We are continuously dropping points from losing positions and are unable to close out matches. We are frequently conceding goals from set pieces. We are being tactically outclassed by opposition managers who make better in-game changes. To me, this suggests that we are not being coached well enough, we still don't know our strongest eleven, and opposition managers recognise that we are too predictable.

I was a big supporter of Paul Cook's appointment, mainly due to his success in the game and his track record with taking underachieving League One teams to the Championship. His football philosophy is largely in line with what I'd like to see Ipswich Town play. I was a bit apprehensive when his long-standing assistant, Leam Richardson, didn't join from Wigan - who, not coincidentally, has done a magnificent job there. I was even more fearful when I saw that our coaching team was going to consist of the recently-retired Gary Roberts (no coaching experience), Francis Jeffers (dodgy personal life and little first team coaching experience), and the kit man from Wigan. For me, that doesn't cut it. Where's your defensive know-how there? Where's your experience? As a new Ipswich owner, you've just implemented one of the largest squad turnovers in the club's history - all over the course of a single transfer window, while spending a lot of money - but you're relying on that lot to get a promotion-winning team ready?

The solution, to me, is evident - improve the coaching. This is not an issue about a lack of ambition or money. The summer's transfer business proves that. This is not an issue about having a rubbish set of players. A majority of them were playing Championship football recently and many were linked to Championship clubs in the summer. So it's down to the coaching. If the players aren't motivated or are complacent, that will be changed by coaching. If the players are switching off and we're conceding sloppy goals (especially from set pieces), that will be changed by coaching. The owners must realise that the current coaching set up is not cutting it and we're not going to break into the top six in this competitive division by the quality of our players alone. If Paul Cook thinks he can get promoted with this current coaching set-up, give him until next month and if we're still off the pace - sack him. Otherwise, get people like John McGreal in to give this set of players the coaching that will actually benefit them and get us looking properly organised.

 

[YorkieLancsHampyLondoner]

It’s irrelevant to analyse our frailties, tactics and how we could strengthen for this season.

If you are going to get an auto spot that only happens if you are consistent all season. For us to have better than title winning form by achieving four extra wins over and above the best sides in the division? I would say that’s now statistically impossible.

Anybody who thought we had the luxury of settling in for any more than a couple of matches and then mounting a challenge for the autos.. let’s say that’s so unlikely that if it ever did happen they’d make a movie about it.

We can still get promoted via the play offs but it’s a lottery.

 

[Southcoastoldgaffer]

I think the crux of the matter is that we are not a well-coached side. That's abundantly clear to me, and the responsibility for this is on Paul Cook. We are continuously dropping points from losing positions and are unable to close out matches. We are frequently conceding goals from set pieces. We are being tactically outclassed by opposition managers who make better in-game changes. To me, this suggests that we are not being coached well enough, we still don't know our strongest eleven, and opposition managers recognise that we are too predictable.

I was a big supporter of Paul Cook's appointment, mainly due to his success in the game and his track record with taking underachieving League One teams to the Championship. His football philosophy is largely in line with what I'd like to see Ipswich Town play. I was a bit apprehensive when his long-standing assistant, Leam Richardson, didn't join from Wigan - who, not coincidentally, has done a magnificent job there. I was even more fearful when I saw that our coaching team was going to consist of the recently-retired Gary Roberts (no coaching experience), Francis Jeffers (dodgy personal life and little first team coaching experience), and the kit man from Wigan. For me, that doesn't cut it. Where's your defensive know-how there? Where's your experience? As a new Ipswich owner, you've just implemented one of the largest squad turnovers in the club's history - all over the course of a single transfer window, while spending a lot of money - but you're relying on that lot to get a promotion-winning team ready?

The solution, to me, is evident - improve the coaching. This is not an issue about a lack of ambition or money. The summer's transfer business proves that. This is not an issue about having a rubbish set of players. A majority of them were playing Championship football recently and many were linked to Championship clubs in the summer. So it's down to the coaching. If the players aren't motivated or are complacent, that will be changed by coaching. If the players are switching off and we're conceding sloppy goals (especially from set pieces), that will be changed by coaching. The owners must realise that the current coaching set up is not cutting it and we're not going to break into the top six in this competitive division by the quality of our players alone. If Paul Cook thinks he can get promoted with this current coaching set-up, give him until next month and if we're still off the pace - sack him. Otherwise, get people like John McGreal in to give this set of players the coaching that will actually benefit them and get us looking properly organised.

Agree 100% Nuggets. You have put it better than I did. I am still hopeful that it will click sooner than later. If Cook were to put his hand up about his present coaching staff, fine. And like others, I am not convinced by his strict adherence to his preferred formation. Believe me, I want him to succeed.

 

[Southcoastoldgaffer]

Hampy "It’s irrelevant to analyse our frailties, tactics and how we could strengthen for this season." Hampy, thats why we enjoy our banter on here. My view remains that with better coaching, our frailties, weaknesses and repeated schoolboy errors could be ironed out.