Just looking at Greaves, Delap and Philogene all in the Prem at Ipswich, we should have done better last season, Rosenior did fail. It's so similar to our 70-71 season, powerful forward lines both times. Both seasons, 1971 & 2024, we won 19 games finishing 5th and 7th, Leicester champions both times! so similar in our underachievement with the players we had, Needler and Acun both pulling funding, crowds disillusioned, we spiral down!
People really need to get over this. We didn't fail or specifically wouldn't have been promoted regardless last season. We were a young side with a lot of those guys finding their feet at the level. Look at Sunderland making the play off's, then collapsing and now back up competing. If you're going to put a young side together you need to accept the inconsistency that comes with it. If we'd made the play off's, Leeds or Southampton would have very likely outplayed us as they did wba and Norwich. The bigger frustration was no long term benefits from how well we played last season outside of the fees for greaves and Philogene. Too many loan players we had no chance of keeping and developing further. Acun also hasn't pulled funding in the slightest, the new signings just haven't worked out for the most part, although puerta, Hughes, Zambrano and belloumi all look promising with jury still out on kamara.
Still similar to 70-71, young inexperienced managers Neill and Rosenior, Harold Needler and Acun both rolled the dice and got burnt fingers. Not saying we'll drift into a 70's wilderness again... pull the north stand down and build a giant Turkish Tesco's...
Delap has equalled his goal tally from last year in 11 or 12 fewer games in a struggling team in a higher league, would certainly suggest that injury aside we maybe didn't get the best out of him that we could
Or that he's a year older with another year of senior football under his belt, and as you mention there, perhaps the fact he missed a third of the season with injury is exactly why we struggled to finish off the season. As an aside, I think he's also the Ipswich penalty taker and has scored 2-3 pens whereas I think he maybe only took 1 for us? And missed?
An interesting comparison (with hopefully a different longer term effect). 70/71 had a stronger, more experienced attack though. This time last season we were relying on attacking from midfield and pretending that we played a false nine. However comparisons with perceived weaknesses in goal ring true as does concerns that the full backs weren't of the standard required. In regards to Ipswich's chances of staying in The Premier League (it'll be an interesting pair of games next season if they come down and we stay up), I think Delap and Greaves are better players than a year ago, but not sure about Philogene - he's rarely played and won't improve much unless he learns to get his head up and make better choices when on the ball.
. Exactly Season before last, delap barely scored Hes improving at a rapid rate Hes a far far better player than he was a year ago Similar to kane
Since our accounts came out a few weeks ago we can see our playing budget for last season and compare it to that of other teams. Ours was significantly lower than Norwich or West Brom's, as well as obviously that of the parachute sides. I can't remember the exact figures but I shared a link to a comparison at the time and ours was many millions less. Based on what we spent, we had absolutely no right to expect a top 6 finish.
Never understood why we did not make it in the 70-71 season. Its seems that we would absolutely batter opponents at home but more than necessary to go up draw or lose.
70-71 became a mythical season which the table now contradicts, only 19 wins same as last season and the least goals scored in the top 9. Play off place though which we may well have won and changed the course of our history.
Given our away form last season, we missed a golden chance when missing out on the play offs. The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.
Interesting to see how our home form was that year. Memories play tricks on you but seem to remember we scored a hatful of goals at home but managed to lose qr draw quite a few games when as I said in an earllier post we battered the opposition.
We were better at home than away - but not by a massive amount. Lost an equal amount of games but 3 more wins at home than away. https://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/Seasons/1970-71/ClubResults/1970-71.HullCity.html
I see Strasbourg are looking good again, but people seem to have stopped bringing them up which is curious.
Tymon playing for a struggling Swansea at Norwich, sounds as if he's getting battered by Narwych winger Dobbin.
