Seems a potentially decent signing.. If it was permanent. But if it is a Loan then it instantly makes it a daft decision as I’m sure we could get a better striker in on loan and we’re quickly filling up our quota all over again..
If we signed him permanently fantastic. I think we desperately need to recruit a centre back, attacking mid and strikers so in terms of a loan if he can’t help us next season I wouldn’t go for it myself. I know he has played as a makeshift striker, maybe it depends how Lambert plans to use him and who else is coming in.
I said his goals to minutes ratio was equivalent to Linekers’, which it was at the time, it was after a two or three matches when some on here were rubbishing him.
Which was a ridiculous statement at the time, and has proved to be a nonsensical comparison since. As I said at the time, Linekar had a full career at the top level of the game, against the toughest opposition in Europe, playing for some of the best teams in the world. And that was compared with Jackson's first several games for Ipswich where he scored a couple of goals. Utter ridiculousness.
It wasn’t at all ridiculous nuggets. He was getting bashed for his goal scoring after a couple of games. What I was saying was, hang on a minute, how many goals do you expect even a great striker to score in those minutes? By the way, nothing has been proved or disproved about any individual’s ability in this pathetic side.
Yes, and you prematurely compared Jackson's goalscoring run over several games to one of the most prolific goalscorers this nation has produced, who scored much more goals over far more many games. A more accurate comparison would have been to compare Jackson's goals to games ratio with other goalscorers in the 2018/19 Championship season, at that time. I would say a fair bit has been proved about some players' ability, or should I say inability, in this side. The likes of Bart, Gerken, Nsiala, Spence, Chambers, Knudsen, Nolan, Roberts, and Jackson have been proved to be technically limited, generally poor players unable to adapt to either playing Hurst's or Lambert's style of football and / or failing to make the step up to Championship table. Our league position and poor results speaks volumes on that front.
We can go round in circles on that one all day. I was comparing ratio; not ability, and it was an accurate one. I chose one of the greatest ever strikers to show how ridiculous people were being at that time. Chambers has had his day and none of us like Spence but we’re not just basing that on this season. Bart is a top goalkeeper whose feathers have been ruffled for whatever reason. Knudsen will go onto better things. Roberts has showed some promise. Nsiala could be a top Championship centre back but needs minutes and to play alongside someone stronger than Chambers. Jackson could do well with some creativity in midfield, decent wingers and a decent partner to play off. He has been given an impossible task with the players around him. Nolan I’ve not been impressed with but that’s not to say he won’t go on to prove himself elsewhere. I DOUBT whether any of these will ever be good enough to play in the Premier League but they could all be capable of having good careers at this level. We are not going to be replacing them with real quality so I don’t see this window making a big impact on our fortunes. The player with the best potential - Woolfy - is not involved and that sums up what a farce it is for the players.
Not that going back over ancient history proves or disproves much at all but Jackson scored 12 goals last season in the 4th division, he wasn't even Accringtons top scorer Billy Kee was by a huge distance and is the player we should have signed in my opinion, another of Hursts idiotic signings when the player we should have signed was standing right next to Jackson, Hurst knows his way round the lower leagues was often heard, yeah right.
It was not an accurate comparison, as comparing Linekar's 460 goals and 238 games with Jackon's then 7 games and a few goals was a laughable comparison to make in the first place. But if we're going to go around in circles, I'll leave it there. Oh by all means those players could go elsewhere and play better. And while the likes of Nsiala, Roberts, Jackson, and Nolan could end up playing better elsewhere, or alternatively drop down the divisions again, the stark, harsh truth (free from conjecture and optimistic or pessimistic career predictions) is that they haven't made the step up to the Championship and will most likely be relegated with this abject Ipswich side. Results and our league standing provide the cold, hard evidence that most players have not been playing well this season and their ability should therefore be called into question. I agree Woolfenden is one of our better prospects - I hope he returns from loan and at least gets to sample Championship football at Ipswich. He'd be a good replacement in central defence and will hopefully become a more fitter, consistent Adam Webster type of centre-back.
Those players are being hampered by: - being the worst side in the Championship, a cloud over everyone - a ramshackle squad, lots of new faces, no stability, no consistency - getting used to a second manager and another different way of doing things - bad team selections hindering regulars and players coming in alike - the style of play, leaving us wide open at the back - individual errors that comes from a lack of confidence Donacien / Nsiala / Pennington / Knudsen : There’s our strongest back line. It needs the gaffer to say, right - you lads have six games together to get accustomed to each other, then we might tweak it. Midfield: Chalobah plus some combination of Downes / Bish / Dozzell. Wings: from Roberts / Edwards / Sears Forwards: Harrison / Jackson - give them half a dozen games together where they’re playing at least 60 minutes as a partnership, and bring in Lankester and Sears to mix it up. Supplement with one or two permanent signings in attacking midfield, centre back, forwards, but go for quality not quantity. That is the basis of what the manager SHOULD be doing, but instead we’re headless chickens, bringing in more loans, no additional ability and no change from the issues that led us to this situation.
Don’t necessarily disagree with that but by the same token we are signing Will Keane. What Championship level proven goal scorer can you sign for virtually no cash? Jackson was isolated in early games and has never had a decent run in the side with the right kind of service. With the right set up and momentum he could do alright at this level. We have seen with Daryl Murphy the number of goals you can hit with the right conditions, and how that doesn’t happen every season when the conditions are not right. It took him until his fourth season with us to really get going for us. The first season he managed just four. Murphy did contribute a lot more than just goals in those early seasons, but from a goal scoring perspective it’s worth recognising.
In the case of Nsiala and Donacien, Lambert clearly doesn't rate them. An argument could be made that they're not even being given the opportunities under Lambert to impress. I'm fairly certain they haven't started a match under thim. Whether that's because Lambert is stubbornly refusing to include them due to some sort of association with Hurst (which I personally doubt due to his faith in Roberts, Chalobah, and and Nolan). The reality is that Donacien and Nsiala are not regarded as being good enough by a manager with a wealth of experience in the Championship and, presumably, knows what standard you have to be to play at this level. For better or worse, those players are not rated and I'm sure Lambert would have happily cancelled the Donacien deal if he had the opportunity. Lambert has persisted with a back four of Spence, Chambers, Pennington, and Knudsen (before he started talking about his future). So he's given those players several games together to get some sort of understanding and relationship in place, which shouldn't be difficult because three of the four have played together regularly over the last couple of years. In fact, he's been fairly consistent in his starting eleven choices throughout his short time here, unlike Mr Hurst, who chopped and changed every week. Yet despite this, we're conceding goals and losing games. Forget the ramshackle squad factor (that's clearly Hurst and Evans' fault), forget errors on pitch (I don't think that's a fair criticism against the manager), and I think the poor selections is generally a criticism of the wider squad and lack of strength in depth. The key point you highlighted, and what a few others have noted, is the open, attacking style of football. We are being left far too open at the back. But isn't that the entertaining football what most supporters wanted? Isn't the attacking football philosophy one of the main reasons why some supporters back Lambert so diligently, despite the poor results? For me, an ideal starting eleven would be: Bart (just back him, Gerken is conceding a lot) New right back - New centre back (Woolfenden if we can get him in) - Pennington - Kenlock Downes - New box to box midfielder (or Chalobah) Lankester - Dozzell - New winger (or Sears) New striker Alternatively, go for two up top with Harrison and a new striker, while rejigging the midfield. I feel the signings should be a new right back, new centre-back, new box-to-box midfielder (with confidence roaming forwards), a new winger, and two new strikers.
You assume that Lambert has good judgement. If we’re conceding lots of goals and losing almost all of the games we play then either we have a set of amateur footballers (we don’t) or Lambert lacks judgement. There is no use being consistent with the wrong set of defenders who prove week in, week out that they don’t work together.
