Let the links begin...
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Bit of a sideways move that
Joking aside, better players than Delap have moved to Man United and been chewed up and spat out. I’d like to think he’d have more attractive options. A team like Nottingham Forest feels like it’d be a better fit.
I hope whatever happens happens quickly so we can get on with next season’s team.
The only player I’d be sad to see leave is Omari Hutchinson.
The only player I’d be sad to see leave is Omari Hutchinson.
I think Enciso is the best player we’ve had at the club since Giovanni Dos Santos. I worry about his fitness though - he seems a bit fragile - so that’s the only reason I wouldn’t take a gamble on that deal.
I agree about his injury record and we do seem to have a problem with injuries generally.We've discussed in the past whether it's down to recruitment/player fitness assessment,training regime etc ,etc.
The long list of injuries this Season has decimated KMc's ability to put out a settled side or rotate partnerships.I'm sure it's something he and Ashton are aware of.
I know all Clubs suffer injuries but you have to wonder how this Season would have panned out if we'd seen more of Szmodics,Ogbene,Phillogene,Tuanzebe,Burns,Hirst,even Phillips.
The long list of injuries this Season has decimated KMc's ability to put out a settled side or rotate partnerships.I'm sure it's something he and Ashton are aware of.
I know all Clubs suffer injuries but you have to wonder how this Season would have panned out if we'd seen more of Szmodics,Ogbene,Phillogene,Tuanzebe,Burns,Hirst,even Phillips.
I know quite a few are saying that next season won't be easy for us, but if we can find a decent replacement for Delap, amd maybe one top midfielder (to play with Humphreys), then the thought of having Szmodics, Ogbene, Billie Jean and Hutchinson as an attack does get the juices flowing.
£35m relegation release clause, personally I can't see anyone meeting that fee
I can’t believe he might command a fee from a top Premier League club after the season he’s had. Take the money and run.
Massimo confirmed to be leaving this summer. Fantastic servant - great partnership with Morsy and also provided excellent cover for Leif down the left
What a great signing, he's the type of players who has brought the best out of others. It was noticeable how Morsy became more dominant when Luongo arrived and also how he brought the best out of Davis. For all of Cajustes strengths I think in particular Davis has missed his covering this season.
One wonders what might have been had the likes of Mass, Woolfy, Harness and Clarke continued. It would have been hard for them to do worse than our expensive signings.
Been a great player for us, playing a key part of both promotion winning sides. I think it’s evident that he’s coming to the tail end of his career though - he’s not been able to influence games this season. Letting him get first team football elsewhere is the right thing to do.
Really interesting interview from Morsy here where he talks about his relationship with Luongo. He also spoke about the importance of connections on the pitch and how next season we're going to need those to work again.
https://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/49580/morsy-my-favourite-midfielder-ive-played-with
Perhaps I'm reading more into it because it suits what I've observed all season in that we've had some very talented players come in this season but they haven't managed to build the same partnerships and are also perhaps more selfish in their play. The phrase the whole is greater than the sum of its parts certainly rang true for us last season.
I think Hirst and Luongo are prime examples of this where the individuals who have replaced them in the team are clearly physically and technically better players individually but I haven't been convinced they bring as much to the team as a whole. For me both Luongo and Hirst were absolutely key in our rise up the leagues and were the pieces of the jigsaw which really supercharged our rise up the table, up until that point whilst we were doing half decent in the league our play was laboured, we passed and passed and passed all too often without getting anywhere. Luongo gave Morsy the freedom to start dictating play from deep and allow Davis more freedom going forwards and Hirsts movement, occupation of CBs and awareness of others around him provided the space for our forwards behind him to flourish. We need to find that again next season, find those connections and also find that balance so players are bringing the best out of each other.
https://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/49580/morsy-my-favourite-midfielder-ive-played-with
Perhaps I'm reading more into it because it suits what I've observed all season in that we've had some very talented players come in this season but they haven't managed to build the same partnerships and are also perhaps more selfish in their play. The phrase the whole is greater than the sum of its parts certainly rang true for us last season.
I think Hirst and Luongo are prime examples of this where the individuals who have replaced them in the team are clearly physically and technically better players individually but I haven't been convinced they bring as much to the team as a whole. For me both Luongo and Hirst were absolutely key in our rise up the leagues and were the pieces of the jigsaw which really supercharged our rise up the table, up until that point whilst we were doing half decent in the league our play was laboured, we passed and passed and passed all too often without getting anywhere. Luongo gave Morsy the freedom to start dictating play from deep and allow Davis more freedom going forwards and Hirsts movement, occupation of CBs and awareness of others around him provided the space for our forwards behind him to flourish. We need to find that again next season, find those connections and also find that balance so players are bringing the best out of each other.
Spot on ptc, player relationships, understanding, respect, connectivity have been critical features. Much of these were lost due to injuries, unfamiliarity of new players, and tactics, as well as odd subs timing tbh. Mass will be greatly missed, top bloke.
Let’s not forget that the Premier League is arguably the hardest division in world football for a promoted team to try and build on-pitch partnerships.
Our recent success was roughly built the year before we got promoted from League One, when the likes of Morsy, Chaplin, and Burns came in. Building a winning team in League One is a lot easier and more forgiving than trying it in the top flight. Even when we got promoted back to the Championship, there wasn’t a massive amount of transfer activity - other than clever loan signings to plug squad gaps.
The issue is going to be what we achieve next season in the Championship. If it’s a team that is hungry to return and is so packed with top-end Championship talent that we can beat most teams - we’ll likely return to the Premier League as a better side than the one that went up last season. If we can’t, and this season has damaged the squad mentally, McKenna’s unable to get his tactics right, and we don’t recapture that team spirit from last season - we’re going to be in for an underwhelming season.
You make a very good point and let's remember it took quite a while before all those new signings we made in league 1, 19 if I remember correctly actually resembled anything looking like a team. Which is probably why I felt Cook should've been given more time (what do I know). McKenna came in and solidified the defence but results didn't dramatically improve and whilst we had a decent start to the next season we looked 1 dimensional, it wasn't until Luongo, Hirst and Broadhead came into the team that we really started to look the business. That's a year and a half after all those new signings.
It has been a real challenge managing this change and progression in the most challenging league in the world added to a big injury list. Has the balance been as good as it could have been this season arguably not. Whilst I think we would have struggled no matter what this season I feel some of our Championship team have been dropped after some good performances (Broadhead, Hirst, Chaplin, Woolfenden, Burgess) and showed far better connections than the new players. I feel McKenna could have implemented change far more gradually (as he did the previous 2 seasons).
Our style of play has also been somewhat mixed. I hate hearing from the commentators that we needed to change our style, in my mind we have, we play quite differently from how we did last season and in league 1 our style has progressed under McKenna, from in league 1 initially solidifying ourselves defensively, to dominating possession, to being absolutely ruthless in attack being gung-ho. The signings of Luongo, Hirst and Broadhead changed how we played we went from a team who just passed and passed to a team who could score all sorts of goals, including on the counter and more direct. We took that into the Champ with our possession stats dropping but had enough about us to cling on in games and had enough attacking quality to score goals and also crucially enough energy and quality to come off the bench to make a difference at the end of games (something due to injuries we haven't really had this season and something we've seen opposition teams capitalise on).
It was clear McKenna got the absolute max out of those players last season and also for me the system we played. It was clear we needed to strengthen mainly because we got rid of a load of players who were on the periphery last season and you're not going to bring in 'back ups'.
It was clear to me we needed to adapt the way we played from last season, we played on the very edge, we had quality but McKenna took a lot of risks with how we played and that meant we scored a lot but also conceded a lot. Particularly in the central midfield and full back positions due to the formation we played and asks of the players there's a lot of space and we were often overrun. I felt this needed looking at and we probably needed to bring another body and play 3 in midfield playing either a 433 or 532 formation but we've kept the double pivot and 4 real attacking players on the pitch for most of the season. In some games we've gone quite defensive and tried (with some success) to rely on Delap and Omari doing everything themselves which is a change from how we've attacked the past couple of seasons. We've gone from playing quick 1 touch football in attacking positions to a load of ball carrying players who run from deeper positions. I feel this is where we could've been more balanced, we probably should've sured up the midfield so that we weren't so often outnumbered in midfield, so we could keep hold of the ball better but not one in which were very defensively plus still try to keep some of the patterns of play we had. We seem to have got a mix this season between trying to play the same formation as we did last season which inevitably has exposed us in midfield and fullback positions or tried to sit too deep in a 5 at the back and if Delap hasn't been on his game had nothing up top.
Next season I think we could comfortably play the formation we're used to but I'd like to see us maybe adapt with a view that if we do get promoted again we're more secure in midfield areas.
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