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[Bigalreigned]

Very difficult to find anything positive to say about tonight.In honesty Charlton could have won by two goals at least and looked the side more capable of challenging for the play offs.
I will continue supporting the Town and renew for next season but counting time until MM leaves.

 

[Castro Sito]

Charlton are 3rd in the form table remember, but 3 games and no goals is woeful tbh.

Well, I am glad someone is feeling positive! I am feeling rather down about our Town. This evenings performance doesnt shout from the hill tops yet! Looking like a dimming of the lights and slinking into the shadows of the Also Rans!

Another case of blind optimism at the start of the evening!

Don't be too down, this will hopefully be the start of some change at our club, whatever that may be. Personally I hope it's some long overdue investment and ME realising he needs to put his hand in his pocket if we want any chance of PL football. Someone pointed out in the phone ins that the championship is a different ball game now to how it was when Mick was with Sunderland and Wolves. Hard work and grit just isn't enough anymore as there's so much more money in this league now.

 

[San Diego]

Nuggets' post pretty much outlines how most people probably feel about ITFC now.
To be honest, it would be easy for any other manager to play more attractive football, so that's not difficult to improve on.

 

[Westlake33]

Christ you didn't even want us to go up.

Beyond embarrassing. I even wanted us to succeed under Keane and Jewell because I'd rather get behind the club even if I don't support the manager. But there we go.

Anyway, interesting to see what we do for the Brentford game in terms of line up.

Castel, from what I got from the meeting with Milne we will NOT be spending much this summer.

We do have an additional £2mill investment next season from the top league ( along with every other side ) - Huddersfield have used this £££££ to reduce season ticket prices for 10,000 ( which took 4 hours to sell out, fair play to them )

I also gather from meeting Milne we won't get Cat 1 anytime soon - and the top clubs are trying their damndest to stop champ clubs getting the status. Apparently when it came in, the top clubs didn't think the likes of us would try to get it so now apparently are playing silly buggers.

 

[Bigalreigned]

Christ you didn't even want us to go up.

Beyond embarrassing. I even wanted us to succeed under Keane and Jewell because I'd rather get behind the club even if I don't support the manager. But there we go.

Christ you post some crap at times.
Of I course I want Town to go up,it's just not going to happen with the rubbish football we play.I put my money where my mouth is and have already said I will renew my Season Ticket even if Hoofit McCarthorse is still in charge.

Ipswich 'til I die.

 

[stretchyboy]

Well, I got that completely f'ing wrong - I genuinely thought we would win comfortably, and we would still be in the race - i'll wipe the egg off my face now.
I think the one word that sums it all up, is frustration! We were so close, had an excellent start to the season, and all we needed was just that little bit extra in quality of players, not a lot, just one or two creative players, and we could've easily made the play offs.
You can blame McCarthy and the players as much as you like, but they are doing the best they know how to, so in my opinion, the buck lies with the owner, and his lack of funding to take us to the next level.
As someone above pointed out, you need more than hard work and grit in this division know. The likes of Boro, Brighton, Wendy and Derby are so far ahead of us in terms of quality, they make us look like a 3rd division club.
An overhaul in players and playing style is what is required if we want promotion next season.
If ME is not going to release funds, and serious funds, then there is no point in Mick being in charge, hopefully he'll do the honourable thing and resign - but I think there's more chance of me having a threesome with Kate n Pippa Middleton

 

[Westlake33]

I'm not on about you Big Al I'm referring to Spanish!

 

[Nuggets]

The Mick to Villa rumours appear to be drying up and, checking the latest odds on a range of bookies, McCarthy appears to be fourth favourite for the job. Nigel Pearson will most likely join Villa and I think that would be a very solid, sensible decision for them.

As a few of us have stated before, McCarthy won't resign and, with the compensation he'd forfeit, who can actually blame him? You'd be an idiot to turn down that type of money. It was the board's fault to saddle themselves with McCarthy for such a long time in the first place.

Does anybody have any preferred manager to take over from McCarthy, in the event he does leave Town in the near future?

 

[Westlake33]

No preference we may play better stuff under someone else but the investment isn't coming for Mick or anyone else so as far as I can see we're a club going nowhere.

 

[stretchyboy]

With the right investment, it has to be Poyet and Tarricco for me all day long

 

[Nuggets]

It's a frustrating and sorry state of affairs. The occasional scrappy victory has only papered over the cracks and hopefully now we'll start to see a bit of vocal supporter unrest to shake up this club. Ipswich fans, generally, don't really do the whole protest thing, but I like to think that recent events, and another late-season collapse of form, has opened some supporters' eyes with regards to the general running of the club and the lack of investment from the board.

I know there are aspects that McCarthy could improve in the short-term. Religiously sticking with a few out of form favourites, a disregard of our promising youth players, the overall cautious and dull style of football, and his occasionally divisive comments could all be changed. Likewise players on the field could perform better, and I think just to blame it all on the manager is short-sighted and naive. Of course there is the argument that we punched above our weight last season and were fortunate to reach the play-offs (I agree), and that maybe has distorted what a realistic expectation of this team should be, ie: a mid-table finish.

But make no mistake, it is this board's failure to financially support the manager, it's inability to make moves in the last few January transfer windows, and a series of confusing and cynical off-field decisions (price hikes, lies over the academy status, the general air of spin) that is affecting this club and holding it back. There is no reason why we cannot challenge for the play-offs, but we operate and look like a club that are quite content on treading water in the Championship.

 

[Nuggets]

With the right investment, it has to be Poyet and Tarricco for me all day long

An interesting choice. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to Poyet joining the club, and it's worth noting that the Tarricco connection would go down well in the stands.

Looking at his weaknesses, Poyet was used to spending a lot of money to get the success he had at Brighton. While he was not completely responsible for transfers at Sunderland, a lot of the expensive signings there did not work out, so I'm unsure how his transfer record will translate to Portman Road, particularly if he's given the limited resources that Mick has had to work within over the past few years.

Also, Poyet effectively burned his bridges at Sunderland with a series of confusing tactical ideas and starting elevens towards to end of his time there. In fact, he barely won a game in his final season at Sunderland, however it's worth noting the context that the club was Sunderland. Hardly the most stable or secure of teams, and many managers have struggled to make their mark at The Stadium of Light. His departure from Brighton was also particularly ambiguous where he seemed to say 'I've taken you as far as I can' and started courting Premier League sides.

He does have a lot of strengths and I think he'd be a good fit for the club. Poyet advocates an attractive style of football, he isn't afraid of giving young players a chance in the first team, and he is rehabilitating his career over in Greece with AEK Athens, where they are currently second in the top division.

 

[WEIGHTY CRIMSON PLUM]

MM is very well paid by ME ....but is given no money to invest on players....

It's like paying Alan Titchmarsh to do your garden ...but with him having to use plants/shrubs/flowers and such that he can find on the side of the road......

 

[WEIGHTY CRIMSON PLUM]

Forget Poyet ......Taricco on his own would do me.

 

[Nuggets]

Bit of an outside shout, this one, but David Wagner at Huddersfield is doing a good job. He hasn't been able to bring in his own players, but he's got an average bunch of players adhering to a very attractive and continental style of football and they seem clear of the relegation troubles that persisted before he arrived. He's maybe still a little green, in terms of experience, but he comes from the Klopp school of thought, and would deliver some of things we'd like to see at the club.

 

[Bigalreigned]

I don't think it would take much for another manager to work with the current players and get them to play better football!I have said for most of the season we don't seem to have any cohesive plan to go out and win games,Mick seems to drill the whole team not to lose,this is bourne out by his persistent use of Skuse and Douglas in the middle ,I can't remember a less creative pairing.Couple this with the tendency for all of the back four to default to get rid of the ball asap and it really does make for crap viewing.

 

[Nuggets]

So who are the technically proficient players at club, excluding the loannees?

Our defence, generally, do not look composed on the ball, although with the right coaching, I'd like to think Knudsen has the potential to be pretty comfortable with the ball at his feet. I've been saying it for years, and others have mentioned it too, but we do need a natural right-back with the pace and technique to get forward. Chambers has been found out recently and is one of those McCarthy favourites that could do with being dropped. Berra would be fine, if he doesn't leave, but Smith for me is a lost cause, never looks comfortable on the ball. In back up, Foley has had a couple of decent performances, but he's getting old. We have a couple of promising youngsters, such as Yorwerth, Clarke, Kenlock, and Emmanuel (although the latter disappointed in his early games for us). They need match time of course and it remains to be seen whether they can develop into first-team regulars, let alone that of a promotion-chasing side.

In midfield, we have a few stand-out names. Teddy Bishop, when back to full fitness, is a talented player, Kevin Bru is comfortable on the ball, and Cole Skuse is effective and retaining possession. Other than that ... Hyam, Douglas, Tabb, Coke, Toure ... Jesus we have some absolute guff in our midfield. It's our weakest area, and is begging for an overhaul and investment come summer, regardless of who's in charge. We do have the likes of Dozzell and McDonnell though, who can hopefully offer a creative spark. This summer, we certainly need to bring in wingers, whether it's on a permanent contract or relying on loanees again.

As for the strikers, widely considered to be our strongest area pre-season, McGoldrick and Sears fit the mould, but one can't get fit and the other can't score. Murphy is getting on and would probably have to be offloaded. The jury is out on Pitman and I've never rated Varney. Could do with getting rid of a couple, maybe even McGoldrick if there is still an interested buyer, and bring in a couple of players who can score and has a bit of pace/intelligence about them. Easier said than done, of course, and those types of players do not normally come cheap.

If a new manager does come in, anytime soon, then he is going to have one hell of a reconstruction job on his hands!

 

[Spanish]

Get rid of,

McCarfy
TC
Knudsen
Digby
Coke
Tabb
Hyam
Toure
Foley
Didz
Varney

Bring in a new, forward thinking manager and build ya team around the likes of,

Bart
Emmanuel
Berra
Smith
Kenlock
Bish
Dozzel
Mcdonnell
Fraser (if poss)
Sears
Pitman

No we aint gonna win every game, yes that is a young looking side but i personally think it is a decent blend of youth and experience and why not give it a go, tell you what, if Mick put this side out i would back him 100% but it aint gonna happen.

 

[Nuggets]

Get rid of,

McCarfy
TC
Knudsen
Digby
Coke
Tabb
Hyam
Toure
Foley
Didz
Varney

Bring in a new, forward thinking manager and build ya team around the likes of,

Bart
Emmanuel
Berra
Smith
Kenlock
Bish
Dozzel
Mcdonnell
Fraser (if poss)
Sears
Pitman

No we aint gonna win every game, yes that is a young looking side but i personally think it is a decent blend of youth and experience and why not give it a go, tell you what, if Mick put this side out i would back him 100% but it aint gonna happen.

In terms of players on your Out list, I'd retain Knudsen, Foley, and Hyam, if only for the squad options because, let's face it, this is a small enough squad as it is. The others can go, especially if we can fetch a decent fee for McGoldrick.

Bart has established himself as a reliable and impressive goalkeeper, definitely keep him and play him whenever possible. Berra's form has been patchy, but he should be retained. I'd argue it's too soon to throw in Emmanuel and certainly Kenlock, but they should be squad players and they should be getting minutes on the pitch. Bring in a new, decent right-back, then have Berra/Chambers/Smith scrapping for the two centre-half positions, with Yorwerth being gradually blooded into the team where possible. I'd keep Knudsen in the back four for now, but have Clarke pushing him.

I wouldn't have Dozzell and McDonnell starting in the same team, but I think they need minutes at the end of this season which appears to be drifting off into a higher mid-table finish. We need Skuse in that midfield, until we find a better replacement, otherwise that side has a weak foundation. A midfield trio of Skuse, Bishop, and Dozzell looks fairly appealing. Hyam, Bru, and McDonnell as our back up options, maybe another central midfielder brought in? We need wingers and I think Fraser is well out of our budget and would he make the step-down permanent?

In terms of formation, I'd play a 4-2-3-1 and have Sears up top as the lone striker, with Pitman or Murphy as support options.

GK: Bart (Gerken)

RB: New signing (Emmanuel)
CB: Berra (Yorwerth)
CB: Chambers (Smith)
LB: Knudsen (Clarke)

CM: Skuse (New signing/Hyam)
CM: Dozzell (Bru)

RW: New signing (Feeney)
LW: New signing (Loanee)
AM: Bishop (Loanee/New signing)

ST: Sears (Pitman/Murphy)

 

[Spanish]

Nuggets
i said build the team around these players, thats not my starting lineup, although, is Chambers that much better than Emmanuel and Knudsen that much better than Kenlock, after all, we have hardly set the world alight with these players!! Same goes for Skuse, how many goals has he scored/created, the guy makes Ray Wilkins look like the most attacking midfielder ever!! sorry but i hate this 'you have to have one sitting CM' mentality. Who says you need this, i would much rather have a fecking good go at teams and make them worry about us for a change instead of us always changing things around!!