Premier League - Ipswich Town vs West Ham United Preview & Matchday Thread

[Frosty]

Ipswich Town vs West Ham United



Sunday 25th May 2025 – 16:00


Portman Road








Pre-Match Thoughts - Mike



It seems like only yesterday that we were all celebrating that win over Huddersfield Town which saw us return to the Premier League after a Twenty Two year hiatus, the mad celebrations, the pitch invasion, the flags, the roar of the crowd, tears, joy and utter disbelief that we had finally done it and were back where many believe we rightly belong. Of course as has been said many times, and I am one of those, quite often the chase is far more enjoyable than the prize, that goes for lots of things in life but it most certainly applies to the Premier League and all it brings.

Fast forward Twelve Months and at the conclusion of this weekends game with West Ham United we will, once again, find ourselves back in the Championship and wondering how we can find a way out of the toughest league in the world. Relegation doesn't come as a shock to many, let's face it most expected it, certainly those not attached to Ipswich Town, there was also a big percentage of Town fans who knew it was likely, I was one of those for sure although it's the hope that kills you that you could just pull off a minor miracle.

You cannot get away from the fact that the Premier League did not disappoint in terms of where most of us find it pretty unpalatable, chopping and changing kick off times, the monster that is VAR, incredibly poor officialdom, and most of all the widening gap that makes promotion to the top division almost unbearable no matter what you try an do.

it cannot be argued that the owners gave it a hell of a go, they made funds available to Kieran McKenna, pretty much up to the limit allowed, they got the stadium up to the required specification, thanks in the main to the incredible workload pulled off by Mark Ashton, they delivered everything that was needed to try and compete at the top table, sadly it was still going to fall well short but is it really any wonder.

The early signs on the pitch were actually quite promising, defeat to Liverpool and Manchester City weren't actually disasters at all and it gave hope to us all that the season ahead may just be enjoyable. Of course it wasn't long before we were all raising our eyebrows as game after game things seemed to just not go for us or we found it hard to put games we should have won to bed. At times we threw points away, those early games were going to hurt us big time and in the end they were actually the catalyst for our demise.

As the season wore on we actually seemed to get worse, the honeymoon period that promised so much was slowly turning into a bitter divorce, injuries played their part for sure but our reluctance to try different things and stick to what we knew was ultimately to become part of our undoing. Yes we had some bright spots, the win at Spurs, defeating Chelsea at home and the last gasp winner at Wolves all brought a glimmer of hope but in truth those moments were very few and far between.

Other games seem to linger in my mind more, the debacle at Brentford, the games at home to Palace, Everton & Leicester, all games where we did not cover ourselves in glory in one way or another. Yes there were lots of games that we battled well in, we matched teams for spells of games, Forest, Villa, Man Utd, Fulham etc, they all found playing us tough and yet we just did not get the job done most of the time and for this reason and One or Two others is why we are back to where we are.

It is easy to point fingers, but what is the point, we all see things differently, my perspective is this, the players pretty much always gave their all, they tried their best and some had taken such a massive leap over the last Two years that it was hardly surprising that at times it would be too much, we had signed players that we all knew were top notch Championship players and at times it showed, Omari, Clarke, Philogene, Greaves, Delap etc etc had flashes of brilliance and also moments of inexperience, they will no doubt learn and come back stronger.

We had players that a lot of the time shone, Cajuste, O'Shea, Townsend, Enciso and of course Delap can all be very pleased with their contributions for the most part, it clearly takes much more than that to get a team established in the Premier league and we just did not have it. Old legs like Morsy, Phillips & Luongo were at times getting overrun and the system for me let them down as much as anything. Some players just didn't cut it, I won't name names but having a keeper that ships 12 points from silly mistakes is always going to send a team like us down.

The manager had been an absolute gem for Two whole years, accolade after accolade had come his way as we roared through the Leagues, and rightly so, the plaudits were very much deserved. my take on this is that Kieran delivered too soon and became a victim of his own success, suddenly finding himself at the top table of world Football with zero experience, it is a totally different ball game and the reality is he was out of his depth, another year at least in the Championship was needed, of course you take promotion when it comes along but it hindered more than it helped his development.

McKenna will have learned a lot, at least you would hope so, stubbornness to the cause is admirable to a point but there has to be a cut off point where you switch it up if it is not working, we actually got quite a lot right, we just needed some fine tuning at vital points, it didn't really come. Will he stay or will he go, well who knows but I am at ease with whatever decision he makes, he has cut it in the Championship but life will go on if he walks away, it will be an interesting Summer for sure.

The curtain comes down with a home game against West Ham Utd on Sunday afternoon and how nice would it be to sign off with a win as we say farewell to this most brutal of Leagues, there will be no sadness for me on Sunday, I actually welcome it, I have not enjoyed this season at all, in fact at times I have fallen out of love with Football this past Twelve Months which says a lot about our so called Premier League, I honestly don't believe many true Town fans have enjoyed it much, next year however we can all look forward to our Saturday's again, better entertainment, battling at the top, actually seeing us win some games at what will still be a full Portman Road, yes indeed, I cannot wait !!! Maybe next time the prize will match the chase, we could well be in a much better place to give it a real go should we attain promotion, in the meantime I need to fall back in love with Football again. COYB'S.

Well that is me signing off with preview writing, it's been a blast and a good few years of trying to stay positive, not always easy. Thanks to those who have taken time to read the ramblings, I hope it's been ok at times, and apologies to those who have got fed up of my opinions on all things ITFC. Take care and enjoy the Summer.



The Opposition – West Ham United - Honours



League


Second Division / First Division / Championship

Champions: 1957–58, 1980–81
Runners-up: 1922–23, 1990–91, 1992–93
Play-off winners: 2005, 2012


Cups


FA Cup

Winners: 1963–64, 1974–75, 1979–80
Runners-up: 1922–23, 2005–06

League Cup

Runners-up: 1965–66, 1980–81

FA Charity Shield

Winners: 1964 (shared)
Runners-up: 1975, 1980

Football League War Cup

Winners: 1940


European


European Cup Winners' Cup

Winners: 1964–65
Runners-up: 1975–76

UEFA Europa Conference League

Winners: 2022–23

UEFA Intertoto Cup

Winners: 1999

Anglo-Italian League Cup

Runners-up: 1975




The Manager – Graham Potter







League Table as at 22.05.2025







Form Guide





Ipswich Town



20 Apr Ipswich Town 0 - 4 Arsenal

26 Apr Newcastle Utd 3 - 0 Ipswich Town

3 May Everton 2 - 2 Ipswich Town

10 May Ipswich Town 0 - 1 Brentford

18 May Leicester City 2 - 0 Ipswich Town





West Ham United



19 Apr West Ham Utd 1 - 1 Southampton

26 Apr Brighton 3 - 2 West Ham Utd

4 May West Ham Utd 1 - 1 Tottenham

11 May Manchester Utd 0 - 2 West Ham Utd

18 May West Ham Utd 1 - 2 Nottm Forest





Head to Head







Match Referee – Tim Robinson








WEST HAM UNITED 1 IPSWICH TOWN 1

[Frosty]

Mike, a massive thank you for all your efforts this season and in past seasons writing the pre-match thoughts.

I know its not always been easy, or fitting the time in to make these happen.

As Mike said, have a great summer all!

Hopefully this season has just been a blip on our upward trajectory!

[ITFC2024]

You can go back and check the predictions of where we’d finish in the PL and I said 18th…so we better beat the spam and Leicester better lose!

Anyway, it’s been a grueling season and it almost seems like history now when the pundits were talking about us as the odds on contenders for survival. Those early days were refreshing to get some media acknowledgment of who we are and what we could still be in the big picture of English football. Alas, the cards were not in our hands the minute our illustrious goalkeeper gave away points like a bereft counsel man handing out food coupons. And the silly mistakes from defenders almost nailing the coffin shut before we had the chance to live. You’d think KM’s relentless stubbornness to the same tactics and formations was more an offering for the resurrection of ITFC rather than a legitimate attempt at out witting the PL gladiators.

Time will tell if KM or whoever leads us back to the promised land, and we’ll go through the motions of supporting the club we all love. We’ve certainly progressed and risen from the dismal times of the Roy Keanes and Paul Lamberts. And maybe one day we’ll resurrect those golden years of Sir Bobby Robson.

With that all said, thanks very much Bluemike for your continuing contributions to this immaculate forum, and thank you Frosty for allowing me to remain a member.

COYB!

[hallamblue]

McKenna wont be changing anything he does tactically , and the players are probably a spent force now ....West Ham win Im afraid, as poor as they are. .

And a big thank you to all those that produce these pre match pieces . A lot of thought and effort goes into them . Well done , and thank you x

[Blue Wilf]

Yep - thanks Mike and everyone involved for all of the previews, views, arguments and debate. Looking forward to a good season next time around. Enjoy the summer - COYB's!

[arana peligrosa]

voted to win as just couldn't bring oneself to choose anything other. Not content with the idea of awarding an opposition team don't particularly like any victory before the game is even underway. Yeah fine they'll maybe probably win anyhow given our home record this season but there's always hope something better can come of it.

The players may just give an obligatory lap of honor or expected applause once the match is over such is customary for a season but have they really earned it or justified such a reaction. In all truth No.

At least we won't finish in end place but a few weeks back, at least 18th seemed best likely. Shame to be pushed back further but got to be honest here, it's been a disaster for the most part. Gonna be sad in a sense to depart the top level and no longer be a Premier League club name but simple matter here, we just haven't been nowhere near good enough to deserve be a part of it. Hope to win last fixture, would be good to sign off with a victory while still an EPL team name.

[mugen1]

Walton starts the season in goal for us and ends the season in goal for us!

[mugen1]

The players may just give an obligatory lap of honor or expected applause once the match is over such is customary for a season but have they really earned it or justified such a reaction. In all truth No.

At least we won't finish in end place but a few weeks back, at least 18th seemed best likely. Shame to be pushed back further but got to be honest here, it's been a disaster for the most part. Gonna be sad in a sense to depart the top level and no longer be a Premier League club name but simple matter here, we just haven't been nowhere near good enough to deserve be a part of it. Hope to win last fixture, would be good to sign off with a victory while still an EPL team name.

Can't argue with that! Would add, neither can the manager take much credit from this season.

[Charnwood]

Just in from Sunday lunch and would love to see a win this afternoon but can’t say I’m expecting it to happen.

[Charnwood]

Oh dear, 0–1 and a gift from Morsy who’s definitely not up to EPL standards. Will he be ok in the Championship, maybe but we’ll have to wait and see.

[Cabanas Blue]

Mistakes have cost us once again it would have been nice to finish with a win especially with Leicester losing, a great reception for the Team after the match finished roll on August.

[hallamblue]

Thank God thus season is finally at an end. What a shower of sh*t the PL is. Plastic beyond belief and full of cheats.... and the biggest load of crap, VAR, you can keep the lot!

I won't miss it for a minute.

Today almost encapsulated our whole season. Matched WHU, who frankly were poor. But we made one mistake for their 1st goal, when they'd done little themselves to bother us. But as it so often been the case this season we lack numbers in the middle of the park. Which means our forwards have just scraps to feed on all match.

Davis looked off the pace again today re his usual strong attribute, which is his crossing into the opposition box since hes returned to the team. And what really, really stood out for me is his poor defensive abilities. I honestly wouldn't be too upset if we cashed in, and went for Cresswell / Townsend. Tjst would help our FFP status too.

There's little really to say about the last game today. It was anothing game. What struck me was how much the stadium sung Massimo's name, but there was, what I felt, was a muted " goodbye" for Delap. Guy infront of me and Mike said Delap has signed a pre contract agreement with Everton.....anyone heard similar? Good luck to him.... but he dud nothing when he came on except get the obligatory yellow card for squaring up to a defender again. Very naive.... I will watch with interest how he foes be usse he'll have to produce wherever he ends up.


Interesting summer ahead and by all accounts we are already in talks with one or two targets. Good. Get it done....I'm already looking forward to next season, which be anything but a walk in the park. We need some physical players in our squad ....


Have a great summer Tractor-Boys, see you next season. ..

COYBs

[JohnnyB]

Out we fizzle...

But looking forward to bossing the champ again.

Thanks to Mike, Frosty and Charn for all your work keeping this decent little forum ticking over.

Until August then.

[ITFC2024]

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m really feeling agitated by the match today. I’m glad the season is over, but I thought maybe the players would be up for giving the fans home win. I’m getting sick of hearing KM’s post match comments, and I can only hope he and the players will redeem themselves. To be honest, I’m not overly confident that will be the case.

I knew we’d struggle in the Prem, but I thought we’d at least fight until the end. I thought we’d be relegated, but I didn’t think we’d be as crap as we’ve been for the second half of the season. I still think we started the season ok even though we lost the first few games against the top level, but losing to Leicester and Southampton and throwing away leads due to p*ss poor defending is difficult to accept. I really hope we can fight back and dominate the Championship, but I don’t see it happening. Hope I’m wrong.

COYB.

[EveryoneKnowsaDave]

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m really feeling agitated by the match today. I’m glad the season is over, but I thought maybe the players would be up for giving the fans home win. I’m getting sick of hearing KM’s post match comments, and I can only hope he and the players will redeem themselves. To be honest, I’m not overly confident that will be the case.

I knew we’d struggle in the Prem, but I thought we’d at least fight until the end. I thought we’d be relegated, but I didn’t think we’d be as crap as we’ve been for the second half of the season. I still think we started the season ok even though we lost the first few games against the top level, but losing to Leicester and Southampton and throwing away leads due to p*ss poor defending is difficult to accept. I really hope we can fight back and dominate the Championship, but I don’t see it happening. Hope I’m wrong.

COYB.

Completely agree.

We started the season looking like we were up for it and could survive. By the end of the season we have completely capitulated and look like a league one team again.

I'm predicting mid table next season.

[JamessB]

It feels like our midfield lacks any presence or physicality, teams play through us far too easily. To compete next season we need a high quality ball winner that can make things happen, most of our ‘attacking’ midfield/forward players look lightweight to me with the exception of Delap but with him on his way we really need some quality signings in the right areas.

[arana peligrosa]

f*ck that opposition, never really liked them. Two play off years, Alan Taylor etc although yesterday's score aside they're probably as poor as we are this season. Some bookmakers have us favorites for an instant return next year, even winning the league. What bullshit, Have any of them even seen a Town game or performance this season to warrant such estimation. Fools.

Suppose our players yesterday realized there was absolutely nothing to play for, no change in league position win lose or draw and decided not to even try. Its good to see another 30,000 at Portman Road once more but the people just aren't being rewarded for it or not exactly getting value for money.

Kind of tired of some reiterating the EPL is poor or sub standard. It's not the league that's the issue, it's been us. Teams like Brentford or Forest weren't expected to do well maybe but look at them now. This league is what you make it, and we've made a whole trash of it this season. Will be sad in a sense not to be a top level club name from here on but can understand why some despise it like they do. You can see where the loathing and resentment comes from.

[marko69]

Will be sad in a sense not to be a top level club name from here on but can understand why some despise it like they do. You can see where the loathing and resentment comes from.

I certainly couldn’t be a ST Holder for EPL football if I was local to Ipswich because I have a life.
Not saying that in a derogatory sense and that ITFC ST Holders don’t have lives, but for me, the erratic kick off times and “changes of day” wouldn’t tie in with other commitments. Wouldn’t be able to organise anything at all. People whose life is football will no doubt be able to accommodate being dictated to by the EPL & SKYTV. A large part of the loathing & resentment will come from that.

Imagine being a ST Holder being dictated to by the EPL & SKYTV …… AND ….. moaning about every single game?!
Wow. That’d be some existence!
If I was an Ipswich resident, i’d maybe lightly whinge from the comfort of a Starbucks with a Cinnamon bun on a Sunday afternoon @ 2:30pm.

[mugen1]

Love a cinnamon bun