Morning gents Last night I watched Saturday's match against Cardiff. It was the first time I've watched the blues this season and I've got to say I was shocked. The zippy passing football, the determination, finding our own players and outplaying the top side in the division. A huge improvement on the Keane-era and a big step forward from last season. Well, that's only half the story. I have never seen such an inept defensive display in all my years. Hard to fault Edwards (who was excellent) and Cresswell (who is clearly feeling the pressure but asserted himself well). The problem is the centre backs. There was no semblance of a line anytime Cardiff ventured into our half. The centre backs were split, drifted off to the wings, one on the edge of the penalty box and one 15 yards in front of him. At one point, Town were on the attack and instead of holding the line on the half way line BOTH centre backs carried on venturing into the Cardiff half. We lost EVERYTHING in the air in our own penalty box. The midfielders tackled back brilliantly (particularly Martin) but they didn't drop back when (both) the full backs ventured forwards (at the same time). The defensive organisation and performance of the two centre backs was just way beyond terrible. It undermined all of the exceptional football we played going forwards, Loach made the two errors but there were three or four other occasions when the ineptitude of the centre backs could easily have cost us. Balls into the box were not dealt with, we were shapeless and this is how the vast majority of our points have Ben lost this season. Tommy Smith makes errors, yes, but the two we had in the backline on Saturday need putting down for their own good.
Really? I know we weren't great defensively on Saturday and that Cardiff were distinctly average on the day but we have defended a lot worse than that in the past. Personally I rated Chambers on the few times I've seen us this season, but I have to say Higgingsbottom is our best CB and clearly outlines were we should be in terms of playing staff, with Higgs in the team we look a lot more solid but he certainly isn't our defensive messiah - he just happens to be better than we have and know his way around. But in all I thought it was a decent performance with the 2 errors aside Cardiff didn't threaten too much...
I thought the CB's played pretty well actually. Its the first time I've seen Higginbotham and I have to say I thought how much better we looked with a leader at the back, something we haven't had really since Jewell has been here. The problems were we lost the midfield and couldn't keep hold of the ball mainly because Campbell, Wellens, Drury and JET were knacered and with Campbell going off (correct decision he was knackered) we lost dynamism upfront meaning they always had a spare man to come into the midfield and then Wellens (correct decision, was also knackered) we lost authority in midfield. I still thought we defended pretty well it was just 2 lapses in concentration, our defence rarely got breached in the entire match!! To me atm our problems seem to mainly lie in confidence and resiliance!!
Perhaps the problem is that PJ can't see the glaringly obvious either. There was a recklessness to our attitude to defending and Higginarse was beyond woeful. It's no good making a great crossfield ball or having a shot from 40 yards if you can't do the basics of defending.
I must've been watching the wrong game... I thought we were utterly clueless. Cardiff had their gameplan of sitting back in the first half, being tight, knowing full well that we will capitulate in the second half as we always do. Once Cardiff started playing, and wanting to win, it was game over and a matter of time before they scored. Whenever we attacked, we had no more than two players in or around the box, whereas cardiff attacked in numbers, always had options available and looked like a team that know they can score goals. We, on the otherhand have no self belief, everyone in the time waits for someone else to do something rather than going out and doing it yourself (Martin excluded, who i thought was excellent in his work rate). All we seem to do was give the ball to Carlos, let him run 50 yards, then whack the ball in the box, which all but two times, the Cardiff defence soaked up. Sometimes it looked like men vs boys out there. We have no creativity, no cutting edge, no one that can create goals, no one that can score goals, and our defence is a complete shambles. Everyone seems to be touching on this point, and i totally agree.. we have no leader in the team. Someone to shout at the team and give them a huge kick up the glutus maximus. No one seemed to care out there. Whenever someone did a mistake, they just huffed and waved their arms about like an osterich ready to fly. ..watching that game on saturday was painful. It was so obvious that cardiff were going to get back into the game in the second half, and so obvious that they were going to score. Why the f**k he put on luongo when it was crying out for someone to come in the midfield and stop the opposing team running through us. Why have we got N'daw in the squad?? Simples, to break the game up, kick em about a bit, and protect our back 5. So why when we're 1-0 up, our backs to the wall against the top team, does PJ not bring him (or Hyam) on?? I thought it wa so f'ing obvious, and any manager with half a footballing brain could see that. Rant over!
On another note.. Drury, JET, Wellens.. total waste of space, and should not be in the squad, never mind the first XI.
stretchy I don't think it was as bad as that. Cardiff didn't even seem to be on the pitch for much of the first half but despite that we did gift them a few chances to score. I wouldn't question the commitment and I was impressed with the pace and energy. Cresswell looked visibly downtrodden but who can blame him, I didn't see that from anyone else. Martin was exceptional all over the park. I remember our football a couple of years ago and we struggled to find a member of our own team. I think Chops, Scotland, Martin, Campbell, they're all capable of finding the net but when you know you're giving away stupid goals it does take the fight and buzz out of the forwards because they know they're wasting their energy. I think sort the defensive shape out and we would be a lot more competitive. Belief and steel has to start at the back.
The Drury's out on this one Drury and Wellens weren't doing any kind of job defensively but they zipped the ball about nicely. JET is a waste of space at the moment but I think with results and confidence he would be a threat.
hmm, i thought your centre backs did ok to be fair yorkie. chambers looked a bit shaky but generally did ok and higginbottom played well i thought, looks a good defender at championship level. your main issues from what i saw were in midfield because once wellens went off (he was knackered to be fair) there was a gaping hole in the centre of the park for the visitors to exploit, which they did, pushing you back towards your own box. add to this the fact you'd not buried them when you had the chance, you were always likely to drop back ten yards - all teams do it when they get a bit nervy. you invited pressure and eventually it told.
Have to disagree hampy on a few things, firstly i thought we looked our most dangerous when JET had the ball at his feet running at the centre halves, and Lee Martin looked light weight, i would swap them around. Cresswell looked ok going forward but defensively he looked ****e and let helguson out of his sight for both goals, he needs to get back to basics. Drury was **** though, the game was calling out for N'Daw to come on and tighten up the midfield, why the hell wasn't he selected in the squad is beyond me!
So you don't think it's an issue that we got nowhere near heading a ball away? We need to compare what we have with a solid pair of centre backs holding a good line, asserting themselves and commanding our penalty box. There was absolutely none of that so I'd love to know on what grounds they played well? Defensively in midfield yes gaping holes but it was hard to distinguish between the defence and midfield at times because the organisation was so weak.
I agree with this Guru JET was the only real threat we had going forward although Murphy looked good and had one of his best games in a Town shirt. Martin has no end product and is always the nearly man. Cresswell had yet another shocker, his crosses had no end product and his basic defending was woeful and handed them both goals. Higginbotham was solid but his distribution out from the back was poor and aimless, Chambers was also solid and threw his body on the line a few times. All in Cardiff were there for the taking and in years gone by we would have been out of sight by half-time with the number of chances we created.
It wasnt even one of our best performances this season but it had a similar tale. I dont think it hit the heights of our matches against Huddersfield or Blackburn, which I assume was down to lack of confidence and trying to integrate some new faces into the team with very litle training. It was better than Charlton & I belive Wolves (which I missed) so maybe the team were feeling better after two improved away performances. For me, the overall picture was the same one which I have felt over the past year. We try to play pretty football, although the results vary but we lack a cutting edge upfront and solidity at the back. If you want to see a nice passing team that seems unable to go that extra mile then we are your team. We seem to lack fight, we go through the motions on to many occassions and we are unable to keep concentration up for a whole game which we undoubtably lead us to conceding. JET on his day (1 match in 10) can excite but we very rarely see anybody else who is willing to try something special, although Taylor showed promise before his injury. I just look at our midfield options and regardless of if they are good enough, there is no one there who will even consider trying to make a difference. Upfront is a similar picture. Scotland is willing and will run but I dont think he has that special ability. Chopra is a total failure and thats it. On the wings we have a bit more attacking spirit in the squad with Martin, JET and Carson but if we play them with the freedom to exploit our forwards normally fail to convert and our defence is left wide open.
Stretchyboy you must have been watching a different game. I can't imagine it would have been in Cardiffs game plan to sit back in he first half and take the pressure, they're not that sort of team, we were looking really very dangerous. As I said before the reason the game changed was because IMO DJ, Wellens, Drury and JET tiring. You do make some good points but all a little negative. I have to say second half I though Cardiff stepped it up, they're top of the league and got some good players but defensively I thought we kept our shape well, it was 2 individual mistakes that were our downfall. But this seems to happen in every game, it can't be down to bad luck!!! I thought we looked pretty creative (that's not the problem), especially with JET centrally, we put some very good crosses in the box. The problem I see is we when these balls go into the box we have very few players either in the box or players who attack the ball. All of our strikers are decent strikers but they're not ones who attack the ball when it comes in the box, they leave that to someone else, most of them are good finishers but they wait for someone else to attack the ball and then feed off the scraps. They're more goal hangers dropping off the defence when the defence are concentrating on the big man in the box going for the ball, whereas Chopra or DJ are good strikers but they're the only one's in the box and therefore the defence knows where they are. For me we could really do with an Alan Lee type player to lead the line and attack those crosses. I agree with Lancs, the commitment from our players is still there but it's the leadership and confidence/belief which is lacking. I thought Wellens and JET were very good, Drury had a bit of an off game but I still think he's a decent player, he just needs to tone down his passing sometimes. Completely agree with Supers point about getting pushed but I still think we kept our shape fairly well and they didn't really breach our defence apart from the 2 mistakes. I agree with Guru we need to swap Martin and JET around for me Martin words hard and looks dangerous but rarely creates anything or tests the GK but his workrate would be good for Edwards down the right because I think he would offer more protection. Also I know sometimes JET flatters to decieve but with the ball at his feet he creates and has a hell of a shot, I think he's capable of producing more than Martin from the centre!! I actually didn't think Cresswell looked that bad defensively apart from the goal although I think Loach should have come for it!!
Agree with most of this. Although the reason Cresswell crosses had no end product was because noone got on the end of them, on the whole he put some great crosses in. I also didn't think Higginbotthams distribution was too bad, there were a couple of aimless balls (but what CB doesn't do this) but he put in some good crossfield balls (reminded me a bit of Venus) and on the whole I would say Chambers and Higginbottham look the best ball playing CB's we've had in years!! But as with most teams we've played this season, Cardiff weren't that good and were there for the taking but we didn't build on our momentum!!
Once again you have to blame Jewell's tactics or lack of them! We are at home and we are in desperate need of the points and in need of goals so why start with a 4-5-1 again! FFS it isn't rocket science is it? Campbell was left isolated up front so many times so when we did get balls into the box Campbell who isn't the biggest was left up against 2 big CB's! Why not start with 2 up front with Campbell partnering Scotland or dare I say it Ellington! If you can't score goals you don't win games and I find it baffling that the team isn't set up more attack minded and certainly not a 4-5-1 at home!
Really? I seem to remember you saying you were at the Carlisle game. In fact I remember you almost reporting from the game. Am I mistaken?
Hampy is a notorious armchair fan that never attends matches and always has the lamest excuses for not going. His postings are often littered with inaccuracy and the clues are there to support his non attendance. Fake is the word that springs to mind. I have much more respect for proper Ipswich fans like guru and JWM.
True. Yes I was, forgotten altogether about that one. Way to go feeding treacle's fascination with my attendance which had died down of late, I'll never hear the end of it now
