Black Cats test

As I said before the match, there's something not quite right with the balance of those front 4 players, there's always something missing despite the high levels of quality. For me Celina is a wide player, he's better taking on the full back and getting to the byline or cutting in for a shot, we've effectively got a winger playing through the middle and for me despite all his quality he's not good enough to play centrally. Fraser has that eye for a pass and Chaplin almost acts as a second striker. Think we need more players in those positions who you know what you're going to get week in week out. With Edwards and Celina they can be world beaters one week and anonymous the next not a criticism necessarily just thats the type of players they are and for me as I've said before I don't think we can afford to have that many "luxury" players in the same side.

Really surprised that despite Cook's attacking style he never puts 2 up top.

For me it's also a shame what has become of Norwood, for all his off the field antics, for me he'd be an ideal replacement for Bonne. Pigott looks a good player but he's not and explosive ruff and tumble player who you need to come on and mix it up.

I'm still not 100% convinced Bonne will be the main man by the end of the Season, he's been superb so far but he doesn't really hold the ball up and because he always plays on the shoulder of the last man of things aren't going our way it's like he's not playing. That's not necessarily a criticism of him just it's not his game, he'd be much better in a 2 (but then I think that about most strikers). Plus his goal scoring record before Ipswich was about 1 in 4, so not the best. The thing I do really like about him though is the positions he takes up in the box, he's usually in the right place to attack the ball.

 

It doesn’t matter how we do it but we need to get the ball and the forwards from back to front quicker. Having two dedicated strikers does help that to happen. They are very quick to get back but not quick to break. If you have loads of possession but you’re slow all that happens is the opposition has the chance to build a wall on the 18 yard line.

Too much of what we’re doing is conscious. Picking out forward passes needs to be drilled to be automatic.

 

In many ways we 'stole' that result. Our keeper made several great saves in the 1st half including a tripal.

2nd half more even, generally thought the ref was massively favouring you. Johnston got a yellow for arguing when it looked a clear pen for bringing down our CF in 1st half. Then of course the penalty, not a clue why it was given... handball...?

We will play a lot better and lose, we were poor today and won... the old adage, when you are on top you have to score.

 

The ref wasn’t favouring Ipswich. Sunderland could easily have had 9 men at the break. But he bottled decision after decision big and small for both sides.

 

The harsh reality is we’ve only played really well once v a terrible Doncaster, perhaps twice if u include Portsmouth but I didn’t see that game and don’t know how convincing we were. As good as the win was at Wycombe 3 of our goals were poor mistakes by them rather than brilliant attacking on our part.

And so it remains we just aren’t as great going forwards as our goal tally suggests. This system requires goals from across the front 4 and only Chaplin looks like he can contribute goals. But there’s a collective inability to play as an attacking quartet.

So good players in the wrong formation but more importantly the wrong system of play. It doesn’t work for them and we’re a mid table L1 team until a solution is found to this.

 

I don’t think it’s about the formation at all. It’s a lot more about our tempo, decision making and at times tactics.

 

Unfortunately, PC appears to be as stubborn as previous managers. He only has 1 formation which is 4231. This is fine but you have to play the players that give you the best chance of winning in the correct positions. As many others have said, Celina is a wide player and I would happily play him on the left wing instead of Edwards who looks a real player but as yet, there is no end product in the way of goals or assists. Number 10 role has to go to either Chaplin (who IMO did nothing to warrant losing his place) or Fraser. With Burns injured, Aluko can play wide right - no problem with this. Then we come to the 2 central midfielders which is 1 of our problem areas. Morsy is club captain so is going to play but is Evans the man to play alongside him? Not sure of this and would like to see Carroll given a chance there. Defence is as good as we have but I’m not sure who the leader at the back is -would love to have a Mowbray / De Vos figure there.

 

First I am gutted for Hampy for experiencing such a miserable matchday result. We all were left feeling the same old disappointment at what might have been.

Sunderland were there for a battering yesterday and one goal would've seen us get several more against an unusually dispirited Sunderland for much of the game.

We're nearly halfway into the season now and have never yet looked convincingly like putting a run of good wins together, let alone beating the top teams, apart from Wycombe. A faltering charge up the table but now 7 points from play-offs.

While I am not in the Cook Out camp, and I really don't want to write this season off, and see us confined to another season in League 1, but it is all so painful to watch, considering what players we have available and what they're capable of individually.

Trying to look at things positively, let's wait and see what they deliver across the next 4-5 months. It's a long time and 7 points isn't a massive amount if you hit a run of form, but we need some solid wins now.

Basically, we’ve struggled to sustain momentum against the better teams. A place in top 2 went weeks ago imo.

Edwards was always being tracked, marked and fouled in the 1st half. While he saw lots of ball as ever, there was no real no end product, perfect pass forward.

Bonne was starved out of the game. It turned out the straight swap for Piggot was pointless.

We do need Chaplin back behind at No 10, and supporting Bonne, but he was running ragged when he came on. And Fraser alongside the dynamo engine Morsy. Celina, if he plays, needs to be out wide left, as he is not cutting it at the moment, and Aluko who was ace at pairing with Donacien stays out right. Several chances went begging, just one of them would have changed the match.

Walton’s one error and strange distribution yesterday, we can forgive him, as he is clearly the no 1 choice. Edmundson was immense and the whole defence I thought played well, but never, not once should anyone pass the ball back to Toto – asking for trouble. It was a risk playing young Clements in such a big match, but there we go.

So, how to get our forward game going again, and our goal scoring motor purring. Too often we played the pretty ball around and kept control with no surge forwards. PC must put his hand up now and needs to try something different as most teams read us now like a book. A change of format maybe, I like others prefer the 442. Chaplin and Fraser in from the off, as Burns remains injured.

Tuesday is a massive night now. We need to win our next three. But many players will be knackered and not fit for another 90 against the top team. I also suspect there will be a few injuries and knocks from yesterday too.

If we lose another, and the goal drought continues, there will be questions about PC for sure. I doubt the Gamechangers will like to see us slide inexorably to mid-table again.

It is hard being an Ipswich fan, the ups & downs, and some will be saying soon, right, that’s enough for me, I have got other things in my life.

 

Tha Sunderland fans were saying the opposite Hampy !

 

One of our players lashed out at there’s, that’s why. They’re calling it a punch. Every time we broke through the middle they took us out around the half way line. One of the hacks was a leg breaker. Eventually someone was going to retaliate.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's thought that. Whilst we were good against Portsmouth and Wycombe the complete performance was Doncaster. Despite having more possession against Portsmouth and Wycombe both felt like we counterattack the teams and used our quality to capitalise on their mistakes rather than having spells of sustained attacking pressure, as you say relying more on individual quality/brilliance than sustained good attacking team play. Thats where for me Fraser and Chaplin should be in those attacking positions, we shouldn't be playing 3 wingers. Portsmouth we were good but they were one of the worst teams I've seen.

It does feel like it has got more cohesive over time but the formation and personnel seem to rely heavily on certain positions bringing their A game (and that's not always going to happen). At the start of the season the back 4 and midfield 2 were put under so much pressure due to the lack of cover from the forwards positions plus the fact it doesn't stick up top for very long, that has improved since Morsey has come in but again we appear to he relying on his brilliance and if he has a slightly below par game it affects the whole team additionally the full backs are quite as gung ho which has helped and wingers starting to more consistently track back.

Now we have the issue that we have 3 wingers who can be brilliant but all wingers blow hot and cold plus Bonne if not getting the service doesn't contribute a great deal because he doesn't hold the ball up particularly

 

Let's try not to be too down about it. From hearing what Town fans have said to me it sounds like if Celina would have put one of those 2 chances away we would have been on for the title challenge but because he didn't we're going to be stuck in mid-table. Bar Darren Curries miss I've never known a miss to have been quite so significant in determining a season

 

Auntie ITFC has re-assured me! We all agree that Chaplin & Fraser should be in, if fit & healthy. Interesting that after we battered Pompey, they too have recovered and overtaken us once again!

Crossing fingers, toes and one leg on crutches for tomorrow tonight.

 

For me, not playing Chaplin in the last few games has been a big reason why we have dipped. He must be as puzzled as me why he was suddenly left out in favour of Celina. If you've got the shirt it's yours to lose didn't seem to matter when it came to Connor, he'd done nowt wrong and lost it anyway.