Premier League - Ipswich Town vs Newcastle United Preview & Matchday Thread

[MasseyFerguson]

Let's be honest here, at this level McKenna is floundering and out of his depth, he's living off the past Two seasons which count for nothing now, that's the reality it, he is making the same errors week after week, how any manager with anything about him can't see the failings of Muric is beyond me.

I think at 90% of clubs McKenna's position would currently be under review and that is no exaggeration, Leicester, Wolves and Southampton have made a change to try and turn things around. It's not just the scoreline today but that first half performance was abhorrent.

We fluked a win at a very off colour spurs and nabbed a winner last week against a team in utter turmoil with fighting Two weeks running, a manager on the way out and disgruntled players, hardly inspiring. Half way through a season and that's the Two we've won and when we get a win we all feel it's turning round, its quite simply not. Oh and for the record the process is bollocks and I don't trust in it at all.

Mckenna has a belief in a system that over the whole season he hopes will gain 1 point more than the team in 18th.
He wants to play it each week so the whole squad knows their roles and players rotating can fit in.
He knows there are games where Town will get battered but over the season hopes to get that single point more than 18th
I very much doubt that many managers out there would achieve much more with Ipswich in their first season in the PL.
I don't know a single person outside of Town supporters who though Town will stay up this season.
McKenna is not out of his depth at all. Where exactly did you think Town would be. It just an angry rant of frustration and do you really want to change the manager ?
Mckenna is an outstanding coach hugely regarded at the top level. Just listen to his players about his man management etc
The goal is 17th and Ipswich over a whole season will be close.
All those wanting to go down and rebuild for are talking utter junk. Stay in the PL and build !!
Tired of reading these rants by Town supporters time for a bit of perspective

You are pretty much spot on with everything you wrote. The amount of bedwetting on this site is, frankly, embarrassing.

[MMJR67]

Is he though? Where does he keep playing Hutchinson? Is that getting the best out of him?

It is when he has so little quality to pick from .

Sorry Guys but how can you still think the sun shines of his arse? I don't want him to go but I DO want him to recognise when he is flogging a dead horse with his one dimensional tactics. He is NOT in my opinion doing his best with what he has. He is asking them to play in a manner they are not capable of and will not flex that style to accommodate their skillsets and blindly carries on. You cannot surely keep supporting Muric when he does what he did today EVERY BLOODY WEEK!?? It is McKenna that oicks him and presumably McKenna who tells him to keep making that suicide pass to Morsy on the penalty spot. FFS - 5 times in the first half! Even I could have bloody anticipated it and intercepted it!

He gets £5M or whatever a year and needs to start earning it. Look at Forest - better players than us, granted but they went to Brentford today and played a system that got them a win which was a different system to the one they played last week and the week before. Where is our change of system?? We don't have one. Wake up and smell the coffee for goodness sake!

I am of the mind that our manager knows he has a water pistol in a real gun fight, survival is the only goal.
We all knew this was going to be a truly humbling season.
Let's also not forget our manager has been one for 3 years.

it's not blind loyalty , just loyalty .

[marko69]

I think a lot of people, certainly the people I know, were of the opinion, basically immediately at the FT whistle v Huddersfield that there will be, quote, "a reality check next season" ....., which is arguably akin to "doomed".

But it is still progress. Ipswich Town are currently playing in a "progressive era" of their history. With a good window, that could continue.

[hallamblue]

Is he though? Where does he keep playing Hutchinson? Is that getting the best out of him?

It is when he has so little quality to pick from .

Sorry Guys but how can you still think the sun shines of his arse? I don't want him to go but I DO want him to recognise when he is flogging a dead horse with his one dimensional tactics. He is NOT in my opinion doing his best with what he has. He is asking them to play in a manner they are not capable of and will not flex that style to accommodate their skillsets and blindly carries on. You cannot surely keep supporting Muric when he does what he did today EVERY BLOODY WEEK!?? It is McKenna that oicks him and presumably McKenna who tells him to keep making that suicide pass to Morsy on the penalty spot. FFS - 5 times in the first half! Even I could have bloody anticipated it and intercepted it!

He gets £5M or whatever a year and needs to start earning it. Look at Forest - better players than us, granted but they went to Brentford today and played a system that got them a win which was a different system to the one they played last week and the week before. Where is our change of system?? We don't have one. Wake up and smell the coffee for goodness sake!

Seems that mord and more of us are seeing the error of McKenna's ways and question him now every week it seems.


Just WHEN is KMcK going see it and acknowledge it for himself?

[marko69]

It is when he has so little quality to pick from .

Sorry Guys but how can you still think the sun shines of his arse? I don't want him to go but I DO want him to recognise when he is flogging a dead horse with his one dimensional tactics. He is NOT in my opinion doing his best with what he has. He is asking them to play in a manner they are not capable of and will not flex that style to accommodate their skillsets and blindly carries on. You cannot surely keep supporting Muric when he does what he did today EVERY BLOODY WEEK!?? It is McKenna that oicks him and presumably McKenna who tells him to keep making that suicide pass to Morsy on the penalty spot. FFS - 5 times in the first half! Even I could have bloody anticipated it and intercepted it!

He gets £5M or whatever a year and needs to start earning it. Look at Forest - better players than us, granted but they went to Brentford today and played a system that got them a win which was a different system to the one they played last week and the week before. Where is our change of system?? We don't have one. Wake up and smell the coffee for goodness sake!

Seems that mord and more of us are seeing the error of McKenna's ways and question him now every week it seems.


Just WHEN is KMcK going see it and acknowledge it for himself?

Do you think Walton in goal & Hutch on the left would've bagged the 3 points?

Its suspensions and injuries that are the issue. Just give him the season, then judge. I suppose it is easier to do that IF you thought relegation was most likely anyway---->> which is where I am with the whole thing.

[hallamblue]

Another couple of questions .....

1) How many players will Ashton need to sign

2) What positions will these new players need to be covering


....for us to stay up......?

[marko69]

Another couple of questions .....

1) How many players will Ashton need to sign

2) What positions will these new players need to be covering


....for us to stay up......?

Glad you mention The Mash just 10 days prior to the window......., he'll need to step up to the plate as well and get stuck into the recruitment "process" with the boss.

[mendipblue]

It is when he has so little quality to pick from .

Sorry Guys but how can you still think the sun shines of his arse? I don't want him to go but I DO want him to recognise when he is flogging a dead horse with his one dimensional tactics. He is NOT in my opinion doing his best with what he has. He is asking them to play in a manner they are not capable of and will not flex that style to accommodate their skillsets and blindly carries on. You cannot surely keep supporting Muric when he does what he did today EVERY BLOODY WEEK!?? It is McKenna that oicks him and presumably McKenna who tells him to keep making that suicide pass to Morsy on the penalty spot. FFS - 5 times in the first half! Even I could have bloody anticipated it and intercepted it!

He gets £5M or whatever a year and needs to start earning it. Look at Forest - better players than us, granted but they went to Brentford today and played a system that got them a win which was a different system to the one they played last week and the week before. Where is our change of system?? We don't have one. Wake up and smell the coffee for goodness sake!

He doesn't believe that Town are better in another system. He thinks it weakens them. He believes the system he plays with the squad he has is the best he can do with it no matter who they play.
He has had his beliefs in how he wants to play before he came to Town. Very similar to Ange at Spurs.
His aim is 17th and he believes this approach is the way to achieve it.
You can disagree with all you want which is fine but with this current squad it won't change.
I also think a lot of folks are not getting the scale of the challenge that McKenna faces.

He could make it easier on himself by not playing a goalkeeper who gifts the opposition goals every week

[Charnwood]

We need to finish this Season go back down and rebuild

That’s not what we need at all Lucy. We need to do everything we can to scrape into 17th place Lucy and that’s still not beyond us. The way the season is shaping up it’s looking highly likely that there will be a repeat of last season when the three relegated teams score 26 points or less. If that happens and there’s little to suggest it won’t then we’d only need 15 points of more to survive which means it’s far too soon to give up.
Also if you want hope look no further than Nottingham Forest, in my opinion a football club very similar to ourselves. They finished last season in 17th place and look where they are now, sitting comfortable in 4th place with only one point less than their total last season.
I thought we’d all signed up to the fact that 17th would be difficult and we realised that our squad was significantly weaker than that of most of our opponents and today was no exception. Newcastle are nowhere near our toughest opponent in this league yet today that had two players in Isak and Gordon probably worth more than our whole team snd that’s what we’re up against. Next week the gulf between us and our opponents will be even greater and our chances of picking up even a point will be minimal. Will it be McKenna’s fault, I doubt it. Would I expect one of you guys on here to take over and do a better job, would I f*ck.
I suggest some of you on here get real and manage your own expectations a bit better and start thinking of where we might get 18 points between now and the end of the season, because I think that might just be enough and it might just be achievable.
If we can do that I think we have every chance of establishing ourselves in the Premier League the following season after two more transfer windows although staying the right side of the FFP rules will be difficult.
How we achieve it I don’t know but we definitely need a new keeper, new full back and another striker, my biggest concern is that FFP constraints will once again stop us from recruiting the quality we really need.

[Blue Wilf]

Let's be honest here, at this level McKenna is floundering and out of his depth, he's living off the past Two seasons which count for nothing now, that's the reality it, he is making the same errors week after week, how any manager with anything about him can't see the failings of Muric is beyond me.

I think at 90% of clubs McKenna's position would currently be under review and that is no exaggeration, Leicester, Wolves and Southampton have made a change to try and turn things around. It's not just the scoreline today but that first half performance was abhorrent.

We fluked a win at a very off colour spurs and nabbed a winner last week against a team in utter turmoil with fighting Two weeks running, a manager on the way out and disgruntled players, hardly inspiring. Half way through a season and that's the Two we've won and when we get a win we all feel it's turning round, its quite simply not. Oh and for the record the process is bollocks and I don't trust in it at all.

Mckenna has a belief in a system that over the whole season he hopes will gain 1 point more than the team in 18th.
He wants to play it each week so the whole squad knows their roles and players rotating can fit in.
He knows there are games where Town will get battered but over the season hopes to get that single point more than 18th
I very much doubt that many managers out there would achieve much more with Ipswich in their first season in the PL.
I don't know a single person outside of Town supporters who though Town will stay up this season.
McKenna is not out of his depth at all. Where exactly did you think Town would be. It just an angry rant of frustration and do you really want to change the manager ?
Mckenna is an outstanding coach hugely regarded at the top level. Just listen to his players about his man management etc
The goal is 17th and Ipswich over a whole season will be close.
All those wanting to go down and rebuild for are talking utter junk. Stay in the PL and build !!
Tired of reading these rants by Town supporters time for a bit of perspective

You are pretty much spot on with everything you wrote. The amount of bedwetting on this site is, frankly, embarrassing.

Look in the mirror if you want to see people needing perspective mate. The only bedwetters here are naive to the facts that are on display every time we play.

[marko69]

Would I expect one of you guys on here to take over and do a better job, would I f*ck.

Could be quote of the year!

[Blue Wilf]

Would I expect one of you guys on here to take over and do a better job, would I f*ck.

Could be quote of the year!

No we wouldn't necessarily do a better job, Charny but we also wouldn't expect to be paid £5m a year. As in most businesses when they struggle, the rot starts at the head.

[marko69]

Not sure he "expected" it......, he was "offered" it. Your vocab towards him isn't very good, Wilf. Do you just not like the guy? Or is it purely his management?

[Blue Wilf]

suggest some of you on here get real and manage your own expectations a bit better and start thinking of where we might get 18 points between now and the end of the season, because I think that might just be enough and it might just be achievable.

Only with a fantastic January window, tens of millions spent and no time 'gelling' is my view. In fact, in retort, I suggest some of you look at what we may have done differently to be 6-10 points better off than we currently are and ensure we don't p*ss away those points in the same way in the rest of the season! I have asked before - how many points do you see from arsenal, chelsea, fulham, brighton, man city and liverpool? Hmmmm I can't see much contribution to your 18 points (if indeed that is all we do need) based on what we have done so far - can you??

[Blue Wilf]

Not sure he "expected" it......, he was "offered" it. Your vocab towards him isn't very good, Wilf. Do you just not like the guy? Or is it purely his management?

Marko - please don't patronise me about my 'vocab'... I have said before, I just say it as I see it. I have told you 100 times that I don't want him to go and no, I don't dislike the guy at all. I just want him to do things differently as what he is currently doing is costing us points. He is not beyond criticism, despite what many on here think.

[Charnwood]

Would I expect one of you guys on here to take over and do a better job, would I f*ck.

Could be quote of the year!

No we wouldn't necessarily do a better job, Charny but we also wouldn't expect to be paid £5m a year. As in most businesses when they struggle, the rot starts at the head.

I think the difference is Ian, I don’t see McKenna as the root of the problem. Yes of course he makes mistakes, who doesn’t, even Pep is making them and who would have expected that. What I see as the problem is the totally unfair structure of the Premier League which makes it almost impossible for a promoted club to survive. I think on a level playing field with equal resources our guy would hold his own. But trying to out play sides week in and week out with resources three or four times better than your own is for me the No 1 reason why most promoted clubs fail at the first attempt.

[marko69]

Not sure he "expected" it......, he was "offered" it. Your vocab towards him isn't very good, Wilf. Do you just not like the guy? Or is it purely his management?

Marko - please don't patronise me about my 'vocab'... I have said before, I just say it as I see it. I have told you 100 times that I don't want him to go and no, I don't dislike the guy at all. I just want him to do things differently as what he is currently doing is costing us points. He is not beyond criticism, despite what many on here think.

Fair dos man......, but other than Muric , (is Walton an upgrade?) .... and possibly reverting to a Mick McCarthy "system", I cannot see what else the guy can do.

[Blue Wilf]

Could be quote of the year!

No we wouldn't necessarily do a better job, Charny but we also wouldn't expect to be paid £5m a year. As in most businesses when they struggle, the rot starts at the head.

I think the difference is Ian, I don’t see McKenna as the root of the problem. What I see as the problem is the totally unfair structure of the Premier League which makes it almost impossible for a promoted club to survive. I think on a level playing field with equal resources our guy would hold his own. But trying to out play sides week in and week out with resources three or four times better than your own is for me the No 1 reason why most promoted clubs fail at the first attempt.

I can't argue with you about the PL and its issues, Andy. It simply isn't a level playing field, sadly and our resources are hugely less than sides like Newcastle (as we saw today). As you say, we are indeed trying to outplay better sides (as some rried against us in recent seasons) and it plays into the better sides hands. I so want us to stay up (not sure why cos I have hated the season so far!) but I see the logic in staying up and improving. For me, we need to be more adaptable and when we need to, defend like those who have parked the bus against us in the past. We are so easy for these guys to cut through cos half of our team is trying to score in their penalty area!!

[Blue Wilf]

Not sure he "expected" it......, he was "offered" it. Your vocab towards him isn't very good, Wilf. Do you just not like the guy? Or is it purely his management?

Marko - please don't patronise me about my 'vocab'... I have said before, I just say it as I see it. I have told you 100 times that I don't want him to go and no, I don't dislike the guy at all. I just want him to do things differently as what he is currently doing is costing us points. He is not beyond criticism, despite what many on here think.

Fair dos man......, but other than Muric , (is Walton an upgrade?) .... and possibly reverting to a Mick McCarthy "system", I cannot see what else the guy can do.

No worries at all. See my last response to Charny. That is what we need to do in my humble opinion. Oh and I think we could do it with our current players - with limited success...

[Charnwood]

No we wouldn't necessarily do a better job, Charny but we also wouldn't expect to be paid £5m a year. As in most businesses when they struggle, the rot starts at the head.

I think the difference is Ian, I don’t see McKenna as the root of the problem. What I see as the problem is the totally unfair structure of the Premier League which makes it almost impossible for a promoted club to survive. I think on a level playing field with equal resources our guy would hold his own. But trying to out play sides week in and week out with resources three or four times better than your own is for me the No 1 reason why most promoted clubs fail at the first attempt.

I can't argue with you about the PL and its issues, Andy. It simply isn't a level playing field, sadly and our resources are hugely less than sides like Newcastle (as we saw today). As you say, we are indeed trying to outplay better sides (as some rried against us in recent seasons) and it plays into the better sides hands. I so want us to stay up (not sure why cos I have hated the season so far!) but I see the logic in staying up and improving. For me, we need to be more adaptable and when we need to, defend like those who have parked the bus against us in the past. We are so easy for these guys to cut through cos half of our team is trying to score in their penalty area!!

….. and that for me is exactly what we have to learn to do. Stop trying to play football hopefully for one season only and learn to survive. It used to be the Sam Allardyce way and it isn’t pretty and you’d only want to watch it for one season.
TBH I’m not sure we have the players to do it and I’m not sure how many fans would want it. I’d be ok with it because for me I’ll be happy with 17th place however it’s achieved. However having looked through the remaining fixtures I think even 27 points looks challenging.
Maybe I should just give up hope like some of the others on here but that would be difficult as it’s not the stuff I’m made of.

[Blue Wilf]

I think the difference is Ian, I don’t see McKenna as the root of the problem. What I see as the problem is the totally unfair structure of the Premier League which makes it almost impossible for a promoted club to survive. I think on a level playing field with equal resources our guy would hold his own. But trying to out play sides week in and week out with resources three or four times better than your own is for me the No 1 reason why most promoted clubs fail at the first attempt.

I can't argue with you about the PL and its issues, Andy. It simply isn't a level playing field, sadly and our resources are hugely less than sides like Newcastle (as we saw today). As you say, we are indeed trying to outplay better sides (as some rried against us in recent seasons) and it plays into the better sides hands. I so want us to stay up (not sure why cos I have hated the season so far!) but I see the logic in staying up and improving. For me, we need to be more adaptable and when we need to, defend like those who have parked the bus against us in the past. We are so easy for these guys to cut through cos half of our team is trying to score in their penalty area!!

….. and that for me is exactly what we have to learn to do. Stop trying to play football hopefully for one season only and learn to survive. It used to be the Sam Allardyce way and it isn’t pretty and you’d only want to watch it for one season.
TBH I’m not sure we have the players to do it and I’m not sure how many fans would want it. I’d be ok with it because for me I’ll be happy with 17th place however it’s achieved. However having looked through the remaining fixtures I think even 27 points looks challenging.
Maybe I should just give up hope like some of the others on here but that would be difficult as it’s not the stuff I’m made of.

Yes and that is all I have been ranting for for ages tbh. Maybe I havn't expressed it well but there you have it. I too can't see enough points doing what we are today, with the players we have. One or both of those things needs to change to give us even a sniff of staying up. Lets hope that change (or those changes) happen!

[Mariner67]

What's the point in blaiming the manager? Is there any benefit in this? We had a weakened side due to suspensions & injuries, the premiership is bloody difficult to stay in,look at the survival stats,Newcastle were the better team get over it.

[Blue Wilf]

What's the point in blaiming the manager? Is there any benefit in this? We had a weakened side due to suspensions & injuries, the premiership is bloody difficult to stay in,look at the survival stats,Newcastle were the better team get over it.

Great analysis - really earth shattering...

[ITFC2024]

Okay we all acknowledge the squad is not good enough for the Prem. But McKenna needs to immediately rethink his strategy or we’re about to be thumped….and I mean another 9-0 thrashing is very possible!

I don’t expect any points from Arsenal or Chelsea, so it’s time to play a defensive formation to at least save our blushes and quite honestly protect the name of our club.

Btw, we could spend another 100Mil in January and still not be strong enough or competitive if KM doesn’t change the process. Personally my first signing or loan would be an experienced goalkeeper. Muric needs to bet sat down ffs!

[Charnwood]

Okay we all acknowledge the squad is not good enough for the Prem. But McKenna needs to immediately rethink his strategy or we’re about to be thumped….and I mean another 9-0 thrashing is very possible!

I don’t expect any points from Arsenal or Chelsea, so it’s time to play a defensive formation to at least save our blushes and quite honestly protect the name of our club.

Btw, we could spend another 100Mil in January and still not be strong enough or competitive if KM doesn’t change the process. Personally my first signing or loan would be an experienced goalkeeper. Muric needs to bet sat down ffs!

Any realistic suggestions who that might be ?

[Charnwood]

Unless Tuanzebe is coming back we need a right back urgently too as Clarke is useless and Davis isn’t much better defensively either.

[ITFC2024]

I don’t know Charny, but there has to be a goalkeeper available who doesn’t make mistakes like Muric. And yes I’ve already said we need to replace Tuanzebe…and Hirst. But more importantly, our formation isn’t working. We need more meat in midfield and we can’t keep playing with two wing backs going forward. If Davis is the wing back we need solid back up for when he goes forward. Only two dedicated midfielders isn’t gonna work with this squad.

[ashfordblue]

Just watching some the goals we've conceded recently, I can't help but think an extra centre back would have helped with each immeasurably.

Clarke and Davis are not good defenders, probably 3/10 in this league, sorry to say it. So let them be bad defenders, let them be wing backs.

I think McKenna is petrified that that will make our goals dry up, but it won't, Davis is such a talent going forward that he will make up for it with assists. We have to start with a strong foundation and we're failing miserably at that.

I always say scoring goals gets you promoted (as we've seen in the last couple of seasons), but defences keep you up. We have to defend first.

McKenna is doing what Kompany did last season and he hasn't learnt from them. He has to adapt, because unless we spend £50m+ in January and get 4 or 5 cracking buys, then we're going down with this system, simple as that.

Let me tell you, Ricco, to spend £50+million on 4 or 5 quality players that won't buy one, you have to be talking very serious money outlay, our weakness is RB and LB Clarke and Davis both leave their positions wide open Harry Clarke needs moving on and Davis needs to be replaced with a better-left wing back he kept leaving so much space because like Harry Clarke he loves to go chasing up the field, and poor Burgess and Dara O'Shea was trying to cover for both fullbacks' mistakes and this has happened on numerous occasions, we need Greaves and Axel back ASAP but we must buy quality cover in defence, midfield, and main striker and left winger, put Hutchinson on the right where he's most effective, and mainly another keeper we can't afford to have a keeper who keeps making serious errors, it makes the current defenders nervous and unable to carry out their defensive duties, and also against Arsenal next up please play 4-5-1 otherwise Arsenal will rip us apart like Newcastle did today

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

He won't change the system as he believes over the season it's the best option to get 17th.

And exactly how do you know what he believes is the best option to get to 17th?
You don't, of course - that's just supposition on your part.
An alternative opinion would say that he plays the way he does because that's all he knows, or that's the way he wants his team to play. Both arguments just as valid as yours.
Reading some of your comments on this thread, I would suggest it is you who is talking junk.
Oh, and if you're tired of reading negative opinions on this forum, well - don't read them then. Simple.

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

Most of our squad is not good enough for this league. No other manager will change that fact.

Mckenna is doing the best he can with what he has.

Disagree - it's true that our squad lacks the necessary class for this league - but there are other managers who would fare better simply by choosing tactics that are better suited to the players we have rather than expecting L1 and Championship standard players to play total football in the PL