Rumours Thread.

[barmy billy]

Soo negative on here. I don't think we can call the starting XI until later in the friendlies to be honest but I would note with interest at this stage:

1. Pitman is already on target regularly....
2. Dozzell is starting games, maybe he will start against Barnsley? If not then surely Bishop (not both).
3. I don't see why we would pay 750k for Webster and not plan to start him - I still think Berra might be a sub for that first game, but performances in the remaining friendlies will sort that one out.
4. As always we can expect any loans from Prem to be finalised during the fist month of the season. It's disruptive but that's the way the system is rigged.
5. MM has already said that they are taking their time with McGoldrick and building a core strength platform to try to reduce the frequency of injuries, I don't feel sure that he will start against Barnsley. It's basically like saying that he didn't really complete his rehabilitation from that injury a couple of seasons back IMO.

I couldn't agree with you more Dubai, the attitude amongst Town fans in general is awful and that's before a ball has even been kicked. All the points you make are valid ones, only last night MM confirmed talks are ongoing with several targets, some loans and some not but hey let's all bloody moan anyway. There are positives to talk about too, some you have outlined already, sadly I don't think too highly of Town fans the last 2 or 3 years.

I'm afraid I see it from the other side. Last season saw us play some of the poorest football I can remember. There have been no additions yet to the squad to suggest this will improve. we have some youngsters but
(a) I would have preferred to see one or two given a chance during the second half of last season, and
(b) shoving a load of them out for a cup game is hardly ideal, as they get outplayed by lower league sides.

Friendlies are little more than fitness exercises I know, but by all accounts there has been nothing to suggest anything better this season, except for Murphy looking more ready top start the season last night, and Bishop looking sharp if we can keep him fit. The squad at present lacks any width and no doubt we'll see square pegs in round holes again.

Personally I am quite relieved to see the negativity on here for 2 reasons.
Firstly it shows that some of those who had high hopes for last season (all those "much better squad than last season, we'll get promoted" thoughts) are facing up to reality.
Secondly, if a majority accept that we aren't promotion candidates, maybe, just maybe, the manager will at least try to entertain us with some proper football and also give the youngsters a chance - something sadly lacking in recent years.

I'd be happy if we finished about 15th or so if we did those two things. If we achieve that position with p*ss poor football played by an ageing bunch playing out of position, I'd be far less happy.

I quite agree. Very little has happened over the summer so far to enthuse me for the forthcoming season. I really hope I am wrong, but it looks like more of the same old sh*te next time round.

[arana peligrosa]

Both off and on the field

Won't get this time back, but attempting to avoid the seemingly obligatory reiteration, what are we lining up for the new season ? Same names remain resolute that we'll be OK or even do well while other parties view it as another season of underachievement.

Going to side with the latter. All this talk of Marcus Evans having zero money to spend - Ok, I don't know how much there is available, but there's got to be sufficient amount to bring in someone that contribute or make a difference - not buying into any garbage that Evans is unable to spend, it's more a case of that he's merely unwilling.

Bottom line there's hasn't been sufficient or relevant changes made to immediate personnel since May to warrant any substantial hope for the new campaign ahead. Remain with the same forwards who collectively last term were a disappointment, and a few sporadic loan signings that are either unrecognized, or failing to generate any level of enthusiasm.

Effectively the season could - not will - be over by mid-January (taking all aspects into consideration) and while not wishing for something to bear witness to, it's the reality of where we find ourselves, and the shortcomings of this pre-season activity (or therefore lack of) that will ultimately hit the club hard and see us miss out once again on challenging all available honors.

As before, time I won't get back

[marko69]

Maybe it's time to start thinking about the "time" not getting back before actually typing. "Time" saved.

[herforder]

Current low expectations levels, and feelings of impending doom, will maybe lift a tad if/when MM brings in a couple of new faces - hopefully wide men, with some quality and pace. I think we need to hold back on the valium until the dust settles. MM has indicated that even he was pi$$ed off with some of the stuff we dished up last term, and seems determined to 'mix our game up' a bit more! Not sure exactly what he means, but would suggest he needs the resources to achieve it. Hopefully in the pipeline.

As worrying, however, is (again) McGoldrick's thigh injury - initially described as something fairly minor, now being talked about in terms of scar tissue. Will he ever be entirely injury free for any length of time, sufficient to make a difference next season?

[marko69]

Think it's probably better to discuss the forthcoming season leaving McGoldrick out of the equation. I think he is a quality player by the way......., but too unreliable and feel ITFC's forthcoming season shouldn't be dependant on him. If the truth were known, MM has probably let Mevans know that the Didsy bloke is 7 times out of 10 like a man short.

[herforder]

No doubt that he's a class act and, if fully fit, should be in the team - though not all would agree! Concern for me is the cumulative effect of so many injuries. Must take a physical and mental toll, and ultimately make him less effective as the months go by. Pretty sure MM will stick by him, though, in the hope that he can get fit and be the Didsy of a couple of seasons ago. Here's hoping!

[derick_ipsw]

Sky News reporting that Sam Allardyce will be appointed as next England Manager within the next 24 hours.

Get the most out of those precious hours, Sam! Your life's about to change dramatically; don't forget to collect your body armour before the Press Conference!

This will put the England team back 10 years. Shame it is not 50, that was the last time we won anything. If Allardyce is the best we can get then....we will be as bad as Scotland and that is bad(Just for you Marko).

[marko69]

And you are not wrong, Derick. Been saying it for years that the Old Firm were going to completely f*ck our national team. And they did. We are a country of way fewer than England so the process just took longer for you lot down there. But yes I agree, you'll be as Shyte as Scotland. But it's so much more embarrassing for a country of 63 million to be so Shyte. God, I'd hate to be an English football fan. To say I'd be frustrated is an understatement.

[Bluemike]

Soo negative on here. I don't think we can call the starting XI until later in the friendlies to be honest but I would note with interest at this stage:

1. Pitman is already on target regularly....
2. Dozzell is starting games, maybe he will start against Barnsley? If not then surely Bishop (not both).
3. I don't see why we would pay 750k for Webster and not plan to start him - I still think Berra might be a sub for that first game, but performances in the remaining friendlies will sort that one out.
4. As always we can expect any loans from Prem to be finalised during the fist month of the season. It's disruptive but that's the way the system is rigged.
5. MM has already said that they are taking their time with McGoldrick and building a core strength platform to try to reduce the frequency of injuries, I don't feel sure that he will start against Barnsley. It's basically like saying that he didn't really complete his rehabilitation from that injury a couple of seasons back IMO.

I couldn't agree with you more Dubai, the attitude amongst Town fans in general is awful and that's before a ball has even been kicked. All the points you make are valid ones, only last night MM confirmed talks are ongoing with several targets, some loans and some not but hey let's all bloody moan anyway. There are positives to talk about too, some you have outlined already, sadly I don't think too highly of Town fans the last 2 or 3 years.

I'm afraid I see it from the other side. Last season saw us play some of the poorest football I can remember. There have been no additions yet to the squad to suggest this will improve. we have some youngsters but
(a) I would have preferred to see one or two given a chance during the second half of last season, and
(b) shoving a load of them out for a cup game is hardly ideal, as they get outplayed by lower league sides.

Friendlies are little more than fitness exercises I know, but by all accounts there has been nothing to suggest anything better this season, except for Murphy looking more ready top start the season last night, and Bishop looking sharp if we can keep him fit. The squad at present lacks any width and no doubt we'll see square pegs in round holes again.

Personally I am quite relieved to see the negativity on here for 2 reasons.
Firstly it shows that some of those who had high hopes for last season (all those "much better squad than last season, we'll get promoted" thoughts) are facing up to reality.
Secondly, if a majority accept that we aren't promotion candidates, maybe, just maybe, the manager will at least try to entertain us with some proper football and also give the youngsters a chance - something sadly lacking in recent years.

I'd be happy if we finished about 15th or so if we did those two things. If we achieve that position with p*ss poor football played by an ageing bunch playing out of position, I'd be far less happy.

The thing Andy is that MM has indicated only yesterday we are in discussions with potential targets, we always tend to do mosyt of our business late and always have so I am still expecting at least two more new arrivals to go alongside Webster & Digby. I alos still maintain that from where we were last season we are better off this tima around due to Bishop, Didsy ???!!! and Cameron Stewart all coming into the fold, that is certainly two quality additions to last seasons side that finished 7th.

You have always maintained that you would accept a lower league finish if the Youngsters were given a chance and I think you will get your wish a bit more this season, although I still see us challenging in the right area not down the depths of the table so hopefully you will be pleased all round. Lets not forget Emmanuel, Kenlock, Digby, McDonnell and Dozzell did all in fact see league action at a time when we were still in with a shout of a top Six finish, albeit one of them very early in the season, Dopzzell played very well and scored at Sheff Wed, I thought Digby had a super game at Boro against what is now a premier League strike force, while McDonnell had a more than competent debut up at derby where he helped to turn them over, so I think the kids are definitley getting a chance and not just in meaningless cup games.

[herforder]

To be fair, it's one thing putting in an accomplished performance in the odd game, but to do so consistently over a long season is another matter. It's great to see the development potential that we have coming through, but unrealistic to base overly high expectations on it. Given the size of MM's squad, however, much of our strength in depth now rests on young shoulders. More chance, out of necessity, of them gaining First Team experience as the season goes on. No bad thing!

[Bluemike]

That is correct Herforder and is exactly why MM is doing it correctly where the kids are concerned, lets face it AMN was what 17 when he started playing for us and look at the dogs abuse he has been getting from some quarters for losing his confidence and running out of steam.

[hallamblue]

There's a lot to be said of a close knit squad. Played enough sport in my life to know that. The bond can be like steel, which breeds belief. The only real enemy is injuries. And that was our major problem last season....and we still finished 7th!

[Dubai Blue]

Hallam, I agree with you about injuries, but then again, aren't injuries a normal part of the game? Did we have more injuries than average last season? Isn't a squad built precisely in order to prevent injuries from having a major impact on form and results? That's just the game. If you cut corners on these areas then you are just begging to get caught out.

In my opinion we were not unlucky with injuries last season, rather more accurate to say that our finances only allow us to hope for a lucky season with injuries like the one before. So we should hope for a mild Winter.

[Bluemike]

Hallam, I agree with you about injuries, but then again, aren't injuries a normal part of the game? Did we have more injuries than average last season? Isn't a squad built precisely in order to prevent injuries from having a major impact on form and results? That's just the game. If you cut corners on these areas then you are just begging to get caught out.

In my opinion we were not unlucky with injuries last season, rather more accurate to say that our finances only allow us to hope for a lucky season with injuries like the one before. So we should hope for a mild Winter.

We were unlucky in respect of who we had out injured, Fraser, didsy & Bishop is all the creative spark gone, add to that murphy twice and there in tells you why we were 7th instead of maybe 5th or 6th, in my opinion of course. Had we lost say Hyam, Douglas, Bru, and or Smith/Berra we would have covered the loss much easier.

[Tangfastic]

Can't agree with you there, Mike. Dubai's right... injuries are part of football and we weren't hampered any worse than other clubs.

If we were unlucky to have certain players missing ( Fraser being the most crucial), then we might have made a better 7th place rather than 5th or 6th . That 7 th place is 7th in the record book.... but it could well have been 10th. After Christmas we fell away and only got to 7th when is was too late to make any difference with a few decent results in dead-rubber games.

McGoldrick has amazingly become a bit of a better and more important player because he was injured.

Players like Bru, Toure, Coke, Tabb are squad players and should be able to cover to a degree. In the end, they were just filler and we would have been better blooding our young kids.The loanees .... Pringle, Foley, etc... didn't fill the gaps or Mick didnt give them the chances. Mick preferred a certain way of playing and certain players. Douglas in a certain role was probably the most contentious of last season.

Sorry, not being negative , but how can you learn or improve if there's too much gloss added to last season and the facts have been blurred a little to make it look better?
Hardly a disastrous season... and 7th on a shoestring is pretty good if you just look at final positions.... but would expect Mick to take the criticism on the chin and be a bit more adventurous. The expectations of league position are lower, but fans will probably accept it more if this is not more Groundhog Day football.
That's not a moan. We can be as positive as we want, but if you gloss over last season too much then we've learned bugger all.

[derick_ipsw]

And you are not wrong, Derick. Been saying it for years that the Old Firm were going to completely f*ck our national team. And they did. We are a country of way fewer than England so the process just took longer for you lot down there. But yes I agree, you'll be as Shyte as Scotland. But it's so much more embarrassing for a country of 63 million to be so Shyte. God, I'd hate to be an English football fan. To say I'd be frustrated is an understatement.

63 million most of them are fu**in foreigners!!

[Bluemike]

Can't agree with you there, Mike. Dubai's right... injuries are part of football and we weren't hampered any worse than other clubs.

If we were unlucky to have certain players missing ( Fraser being the most crucial), then we might have made a better 7th place rather than 5th or 6th . That 7 th place is 7th in the record book.... but it could well have been 10th. After Christmas we fell away and only got to 7th when is was too late to make any difference with a few decent results in dead-rubber games.

McGoldrick has amazingly become a bit of a better and more important player because he was injured.

Players like Bru, Toure, Coke, Tabb are squad players and should be able to cover to a degree. In the end, they were just filler and we would have been better blooding our young kids.The loanees .... Pringle, Foley, etc... didn't fill the gaps or Mick didnt give them the chances. Mick preferred a certain way of playing and certain players. Douglas in a certain role was probably the most contentious of last season.

Sorry, not being negative , but how can you learn or improve if there's too much gloss added to last season and the facts have been blurred a little to make it look better?
Hardly a disastrous season... and 7th on a shoestring is pretty good if you just look at final positions.... but would expect Mick to take the criticism on the chin and be a bit more adventurous. The expectations of league position are lower, but fans will probably accept it more if this is not more Groundhog Day football.
That's not a moan. We can be as positive as we want, but if you gloss over last season too much then we've learned bugger all.

I still stand by my opinion that we lost the 3 worst players we could lose all at once, other teams may have more creativity in their ranks than we do so it would affect them differently. For me there is absdolutely no doubt we suffered more than other teams due to who we lost and when. I agree the Didsy comment thouygh, I dont like the guy, never have, but nobody can doubt his value to the team when fit and on top of his game.

I am not glossing over last season because there is nothing in my opinion that needs glossing over, given our resources etc we over performed and looking at the teams above us it took millions of pounds in Parachute payments etc to be above us, as i keep saying we were the best of the rest despite our injury woes etc. I bet anyone anywhere had Leicester lost Vardy, Mahrez and Drinkwater all at the same time no way on gods earth would they have been champions, that is the point I am making, everyone has injuries, its who you lose and when that makes the difference.

[Tangfastic]

And you are not wrong, Derick. Been saying it for years that the Old Firm were going to completely f*ck our national team. And they did. We are a country of way fewer than England so the process just took longer for you lot down there. But yes I agree, you'll be as Shyte as Scotland. But it's so much more embarrassing for a country of 63 million to be so Shyte. God, I'd hate to be an English football fan. To say I'd be frustrated is an understatement.

63 million most of them are fu**in foreigners!!

No one complains if those 'f**king foreigners ' are doing a good job in an England shirt. I prefer Englush cricket and Rugby to our national football team.... and some of the performances by 'foreigners' by South Africans, South sea islanders, New Zealanders , etc from cricket/rugby players would put our home-grown football players to shame.

It's the money involved in the PL and the detrimental effect it has on young players which has the most effect. Those players seem detached from the fan base and what putting on a shirt means.
I actually like the appointment of Sam. Would love him to get rid of the arrogance and spoilt attitudes of these players. First thing... draw a line under Rooney and make a big statement.
Would love to see a Championship player there just to stir things up ( chambers at RB? ) ... Mike Bassett- style!!!!!

[mikeipswich]

The likes of Pritchard and N'Jie at Spurs should be targeted. I'd love to see Pritchard.

[marko69]

Good to see you post again, MikeIpswich.

Fancy the prediction league this year? Challenge that other Mike of the blue variety?!

[Dubai Blue]

[quote] 63 million most of them are fu**in foreigners!! [quote]

Derick we are all foreigners in relation to most of the countries in the world, in fact all but one. But ultimately we are all out of Africa. These artificial borders are just to make the sport more interesting

[marko69]

I fancy Homo Erectus, Out of Africa on a boat to Jamaica, to win 100metres Olympic Gold, in Rio.

[hallamblue]

So.

Are these rumours of Newcastle being after Murphy true or just a massive wind up?? Cos if they really want a 33yr old one season wonder they're welcome to him. We really do need to be looking to replace him very soon. p

[ashfordblue]

So.

Are these rumours of Newcastle being after Murphy true or just a massive wind up?? Cos if they really want a 33yr old one season wonder they're welcome to him. We really do need to be looking to replace him very soon. p

TRUE

[marko69]

Think Rafas been on the Murphys.

[hallamblue]

There ya go, I said he was fed up about the lack of transfer completions...

http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news ... ustrations


How can he build his team when Evans cant complete the negotioations.

[Bluemike]

The thing is we don't have a clue as to why these deals arent being completed, knowing players these days they are after ridiculous amounts of money which we wont be paying, nor should we.

[Watership Down]

I always thought the best form of defence is attack

[hallamblue]

http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news ... t-charlton



http://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/380209/stan ... -clip../#1

[marko69]

Just saw a white sporty Audi with number plate "D1 DSY" parked near the shitehole that is Shitecastle stadium. Is McGoldrick going to see how it feels to sit on a bench whilst injured in Edinburgh?!