Quarter season thoughts....

I always judge the table at around the 10 game mark - feel it's a reasonable period of time for signings to settle, players find their feet or not and see what the general vibe around the place is.

First of all, it's nice to have added two strikers capable of putting the ball in the net in Garner + Waghorn. You'll always have a chance in this league providing you can add numbers to the table. Great to have McGoldrick back and playing well. Hopefully nothing serious yesterday.

Pleased to see zero draws. Season under Keane with many a draw wrecked that season - while 4 defeats in 10 doesn't make great reading, 6 wins in 10 does. I still feel we believe perhaps the fixtures have been kind - not played either Sheffield club, Norwich, Boro, Wolves to name but few. However, take the points while you can.... I'm quite sure both Leeds and Norwich would happily replay their match at the Den...........

We've also had numerous injuries - again a problem pre game. Adeyemi out vs Bristol City. So our current list stands at -

* Adeyemi / Huws / Smith / Downes / Bishop.... who could all be back after the international break. Not counting Dozzell out for the season and I feel Hyam is an utter write off.

Every club requires their best players fit, and I think it's fair to say Huws + Webster would be in the 11. Bishop ala 14/15 season is very much a player that we need in the 18 also...

Not to say everything has been perfect at all. Still clearly areas to work on - you guys go to games / see it online and will know a lot more than I do. However, the championship isn't quite so good standard wise as last term.

Two points off the top 6 with a game in hand. I'd have taken this start. COYB.

 

Westy, i look forward to your half term report, i think we have a real tough second quarter and predict being mid table at best come christmas!

 

Hope i am wrong and we are flying but....cant see it mate!

 

I think you need to take off those rose tinted specs Westy! We haven't beaten anyone in the top half of the table and the games we have win have been against other strugglers and relegation contenders. We might pick up the odd point from a team in the top 6 throughout the season but we are heading towards where this team should in reality be which is lower/ mid table IMO. The football has marginally improved from an attacking sense but our defence is dire and our there is no pace throughout the side at all. We are where we are through lack of desire from Evans to out his hand in his pocket and actually invest in a few quality players. The Budgies have caught us up and I'm afraid will over take us come Derby day.

This comes across as pessimistic but I think it's a realistic summary of how this first part of the season has gone. Saying all that I'd rather be in our position than Sunderland or those Brummie batards!

 

Haven't seen anything to suggest we will finish above about 12th which I think I predicted at the start of the Season.For spells in the odd game we are playing more attractive football,but I am still firmly in the "Mick out" camp.

 

As things stand I think that's a little harsh. Win our game in hand and we are sitting 3rd. Yes we have pretty much only beaten teams at the bottom but I think the league being unpredictable as it is I'm not sure that counts for too much?

A promotion push is definitely pushing it but I'm pleased with the improvement on last seasons s***e, despite yesterday!

 

Well what i saw yesterday Castro is not much improvement at all, in fact i thought we were piss poor!
I am still sticking with my prevseason prediction, bottom half!
Mick out!

 

I'm beyond caring about the points on the board now. We are actually in a very positive position, I just want to watch an Ipswich team which play a good football and makes me remember why I actually liked football in the first place.

It's not even about lack of resources, Mick has done a pretty good job of pulling together a half decent team on little resources it really is just the style of play for me, I want my team to entertain not bore me into submission every time I see them play

 

On the surface, it has been a good start to the season. Who would have thought just before the season that we'd be just outside the play off places as one of the highest scorers in the division? Ruthlessly beating the weaker teams in this division and actually having a run of consistent results? Particularly in contrast to last season, where we struggled against teams we were 'supposed to beat'. In terms of results and goals, it has been a good first quarter of the season. A game in hand, win that against a consistently inconsistent Derby side, and we're third! Youth has also been given a chance with Nydam, Downes and Kenlock impressing.

Upon closer examination, while we are beating limited opposition, we are struggling to get anywhere near teams that play fast, attacking football. Fulham, QPR, and Bristol City, sides that advocate a more attractive style of football, have all played us off the park. Leeds United also beat us playing a more attractive style of football, although we gave them more of a game compared to our other defeats. We haven't beat a team above 14th position in this division and, despite the goals, we are still looking like a team in transition when it comes to our style of football. We have a fitness issue at the club, with several first teamers out for prolonged periods of time. Our board, despite investing smartly this summer, may not appear to have gone far enough to overhaul a limited squad. Our fixture list for the next couple of months looks incredibly difficult.

We should finish higher than last season and hopefully with a few entertaining results along the way, but we will probably end up in mid-table, perpetually outclassed by more attractive and expensively assembled sides. McCarthy then will hopefully bow out, at least being able to point to a play off campaign and a managerial tenure of punching above our limited budget and stablising what was a badly-run, poorly-stocked team. However, this is a squad with talent in it and a more progressive manager, who can stamp a clear identity on this squad and is more comfortable going after wins and dropping out of form players, would be better for the long run and more likely to result in a promotion campaign.

 

The one silver lining is that at least we are winning our 6 pointers against fellow relegation contenders!

 

In any league in any country in the world, 18 points from 10 games is a decent return.

The sort of rate we will have to keep up if we want to make the play offs.. giving us a tally in the region of 73 - 75 points. If we look like breaking 70 I'll be happy

 

On paper it looks like a decent return of points but in context we haven't beaten any team in the top half!

 

60 points it is then

 

Nice post from Nuggets, one of those that saves me the time writing something similar

Nash to take over after Mick, he can bring some of those under 23's with him to the first team and get rid of the carthorses and defensive footie

 

No experience of management at this level and would be the "cheap" option.

 

Of course Spanish I'll do one then.

Warky - not my fault regarding the fixtures mate..... we gave Leeds a game / pants pulled down by Fulham and Bristol City edged us. 0/9 from them 3 however I think I'm right in saying Nodge + Leeds would like to replay Millwall again......

We can have a glass half empty approach of beaten crap / got lucky / rar rar rar until the cows come home.

Likewise, we can have a positive " we're gonna do this we're gonna do that...... "

Mid table seems a safe bet, however footy is a funny old game and you never know.

Two things I do know = having a set of forwards to score goals will always give you a chance, and after the international break we'll have Smith/Webster/Huws/Adeyemi + Downes more or less back. We'll see more as more unfolds.....

 

http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/bialkowski-reveals-he-almost-left-town-for-burnley-1-5221838

Burnley came close to getting Bart in the summer. Imagine if this went ahead? I have a feeling a Premier League club will be back in for Bart this January and, if we slip back to mid-table again, he'll most likely be off. I know we have a further year option on his contract, but it expires at the end of the season.

 

I think we already have!

 

But the game in hand, Warky, the game in hand!

 

Westlake, Bristol didn't edge us they were by far the better team. They dominated us first half and second half we just went through the motions and it felt like if ever we were a danger they could step it up.

Again I don't care where we finish anymore I just want to see a team which try to get the ball down and play and have a little bit of inventiveness that will inspire people to go to games. I don't recall any games under Burley, Royle or Magilton where if we were losing we posed no threat and didn't put any sustained pressure on a team we were just going through the motions, I have to say whilst I never experienced a game like that under those 3 managers (or at least it was very rare) I can't think of a game that I've seen which hasn't been like that under Mick, now I've either been very unlucky or Mick coaches teams which play crap football.

The only way I can be positive about a Mick McCarthy Ipswich Town Team is if I don't go to games, watch them on tv or watch the highlights or listen on the radio but just look at the table and to me that's not what football is about.