Ipswich Town v Derby County
Saturday 19th December 2015 – 15:00
Portman Road
Opening Thought – Jamma
The Blue Army have enjoyed some pretty good away days over the last couple of years, but Tuesday night was right up there with the best of them. Things couldn’t have got off to a better start, with Freddie Sears latching on to Jonathan Douglas’ through-ball and beating Andy Lonergan after just 16 seconds. If his finish was calm and composed, the same certainly couldn’t be said for the 2,500 fans packed in to the away end! Once the wild celebrations had subsided slightly, I remember thinking about the danger of scoring too early. It was very pleasing to see us keep up our intensity in a fast-paced opening period, with the intention of ramming home our early advantage. The impressive Ainsley Maitland-Niles was unlucky to see a long-range piledriver crash back off the bar inside 10 minutes, and it was looking like Fulham would do well to get to half time still in the game. When Ross McCormack’s free kick found its way into the bottom corner, it therefore came completely out of the blue, sparking an absorbing end-to-end passage of play. I was reminded of Fulham’s status as the league’s top scorers, and suddenly my tongue-in-cheek prediction of a 4-3 blockbuster seemed a distinct possibility! Man of the match Sears revealed that Mick McCarthy had instructed the team to close the game down in the second half. There followed an intriguing tactical duel, as Fulham’s introduction of another two strikers was countered by McCarthy switching to five at the back. The result may have been a deterioration in the quality of play, with some pretty desperate defending at times. But this was more than made up for with a well worked goal involving the front three, expertly converted by Brett Pitman. Rather like last season’s trip to Craven Cottage, the latter stages of the game had one or two frantic moments, but we stood firm to see out what could prove to be a crucial win.
Given the 3 fixtures on the horizon, I would suggest that it was imperative to keep up the pressure with the 3 points in the week. You only have to look at the table to see just what a difference this has made. What was threatening to become an insurmountable gap to the top 5 is now down to just the one point. On current form, Cole Skuse is right to say that the team is still setting its sights on the automatic places. The Blues have put themselves in prime position to capitalise on any slip-ups from the sides above us. With three of those sides to play over the festive period, this could just as easily go the other way, of course. But I prefer to look at things in a positive light. We should relish the challenge of this succession of big matches, with the confidence born of a run that has seen us claim 5 wins and a draw from our last 7. You can look at it as a daunting task, but equally there is probably no better time for us to face these teams, particularly now the likes of Ryan Fraser and David McGoldrick are coming back into the mix. Derby, Brighton and Burnley will be all too aware of our assured performances at MK Dons and Fulham, and will know that they will have to be at their best to get anything out of us. It has been interesting to note that we have fared better on our travels this season, after our impressive home record in 2014/15. Whether this is down to opposing teams altering their approach when coming to Portman Road, or a more widespread tendency for counter attacking football, it is hard to say. Having won four away games on the bounce for the first time in more than a decade, just think what damage we could do if we were to get our home form back on track…! If we can rediscover the formula against Derby on Saturday, it will be a happy Christmas all round!
Footage courtesy of Michele Omet, Italian Tractor Boy
The Opposition
Derby County F.C. was formed in 1884 as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, in an attempt to give players and supporters a winter interest as well as secure the cricket club extra revenue. The football team played their home matches at the cricket club’s Racecourse Ground.
Arguably the most important game in the club's history came in the 1886 FA Cup, when a 2–0 victory over Aston Villa, already an emerging force in English football, helped establish Derby County F.C. on the English football map, and attract an invitation into the inaugural Football League. In 1895, the club moved to a new stadium, The Baseball Ground (so called because it was previously used for baseball), which became their home for the next 102 years, and adopted their traditional colours of black and white.
Although Derby were inconsistent in the league, they were a strong force in the FA Cup, appearing in three finals in six years around the turn of the 20th Century but losing all three.
Between 1906 and 1925, Derby had some inconsistent years, with a number of relegations and promotions between the First and Second Divisions of the Football League. However, the appointment of George Jobey in 1925 kick-started a successful period for the Rams and, after promotion in 1926, the club became a formidable force, with high finishes from the late 1920s and all through the 1930s, including finishing runners-up twice.
Derby were one of several clubs to close down during the Second World War but restarted in the early 1940s. Derby were one step ahead of the opposition when competitive football resumed with the 1946 FA Cup, and won their first major trophy with a 4–1 victory over Charlton Athletic. The league restarted the following season after a break due to World War II and, under the management of Stuart McMillan, Derby finished fourth and third in the 1948 and 1949 seasons respectively. A steady decline then set in and the club was relegated in 1953 after nearly 30 years in the top flight, and again in 1955 to drop to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.
In 1967, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor took over and led them to their greatest glory. Derby were promoted to the First Division in 1969, finished fourth in 1970, but got banned from competing in Europe in 1971 due to financial irregularities, and won their first ever Football League Championship in 1972. Though Derby did not retain their title the following season, they did reach the semi-finals of the European Cup. They lost to Juventus in a controversial match which was subject to subsequent allegations that the Italian club had bribed the match officials, leading Clough to call the Italians "cheating bastards". Clough's frequent outspoken comments against football's establishment eventually led to him falling out with the board of directors at the club, and Clough and Taylor left in 1973. Such was their impact on the club that, 37 years later, a 9'0 high bronze statue of the pair was erected outside the Pride Park Stadium in commemoration of their legacy.
Despite the departure of Clough and Taylor, Derby's league success was repeated in the 1974–75 season, when they won the title. However, Derby's form declined towards the end of the 1970s and they went down to the Second Division in 1980. Though they challenged well in their first season, Derby's stay in the Second Division was not a happy one and they were relegated to the Third Division for only the second time in their history in 1984.
After the relegation, the club appointed Arthur Cox, who turned their fortunes around with successive promotions in the mid-1980s to get them back into the old First Division in 1987.
The club was relegated back to the Second Division in 1991 due to lack of investment. At this time, local newspaper businessman Lionel Pickering became the majority shareholder of the club. In 1995, Jim Smith became the new manager and, although the new season started slowly, throwing his brief of 'a top-half finish' out of the window, Smith guided the Rams to a second place finish and the Premier League, now the top flight of English football. After finishing an admirable 12th in their first season back in the top flight, the club left the Baseball Ground, its home of 102 years, to move in to the new 33,597-seat Pride Park Stadium for the 1997–98 season.
The club settled into its new home well as it recorded back-to-back top 10 finishes for the first time since their 1970s peak, before a sudden decline at the turn of the millennium saw three years of struggle. The Rams were relegated after a six-year stay in the top flight in 2002. Former Ipswich Town boss George Burley was brought in as manager, but the club was put into receivership, then sold in October 2003 for £3 to a group led by Jeremy Keith.
After finishing 20th in the 2003–04 season, a dramatic improvement in the 2004–05 season saw Derby finish 4th in the Football League Championship, as they qualified for a promotion play-off spot, though they lost in the semi-finals to Preston North End. Soon afterwards, Burley resigned, citing differences between himself and the board.
In April 2006, a consortium of local businessmen led by former vice-chairman Peter Gadsby bought the club, reducing its debt and returning Pride Park Stadium to the club's ownership in the process. In June 2006, former Preston North End boss Billy Davies was appointed Derby County's new permanent manager. In his first season, Davies took Derby to the Premier League via the play-offs. After a poor start to the season, manager Billy Davies left by mutual consent in November.
He was succeeded by Paul Jewell, who failed to save the club as Derby suffered the Premier League's earliest ever relegation, in March, and recorded the Premier League's lowest ever points total.
Derby's match at home to Sheffield United on 13 September 2008 generated much media coverage as it was approaching a year since Derby's last league win, a run which saw the club break the English league record for most matches without a win.
Just four days short of the anniversary, Derby finally won, earning Paul Jewell his first league win as Derby boss at his 27th attempt. Jewell resigned as manager in December 2008 after a run of just 2 wins in 11 matches. He was replaced by Nigel Clough, son of former manager Brian.
Clough Jnr. led the club to 18th place and safety. After two disappointing seasons which saw the club finish in the bottom half of the table, Derby finished the two subsequent seasons in 12th and 10th place. Clough was sacked 9 games into the 2013–14 season, and was replaced by former Derby player and assistant manager Steve McClaren.
Under McClaren, the club finished third in the Championship and reached the final of the play-offs, in which they lost to Queens Park Rangers.
Last season, Derby could only manage an 8th place finish after a terrible slump post Christmas and McClaren was dismissed at the end of May to be replace by Paul Clement.
One To Watch –Cyrus Christie
A lot of the attention is focused on Derby’s attacking talents, and understandably so given the talent at their disposal. As the likes of Johnny Russell, Tom Ince and – dare I say it – Bradley Johnson are all household names to Championship fans, I am instead going to select one of the Rams’ lesser heralded defenders.
Cyrus Christie came to prominence as a youngster at Coventry, and was a rare bright spot in an otherwise difficult period for the Sky Blues. The right-back joined the West Midlands side at the age of eight and progressed through their academy. He made his debut as a 17-year-old when coming on as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Morecambe. His breakthrough campaign came in 2011/12, with an impressive season on a personal level ultimately ending in the disappointment of relegation. By this time, Christie had established a reputation as a marauding full-back who liked to press forward at every opportunity. The Republic of Ireland international signed for Derby in the summer of 2014 and went on to make 44 appearances as the Rams fell short of the play-offs. His approach is integral to the way Derby play, with Stephen Warnock and Christie encouraged to get forward to support the attack and force the opposition’s wingers back. As if Jonas Knudsen didn’t already have enough to worry about with Tom Ince flying at him on Saturday, he will also have to be mindful of the threat posed by arguably one of the division’s best right-backs.
The Gaffer – Paul Clement
Clement is the son of former Queens Park Rangers and England player Dave Clement and the brother of former West Bromwich Albion player Neil Clement.
Clement, however, did not progress beyond non-league football as a player with Banstead Athletic and Corinthian Casuals. He concentrated on coaching from the age of 23, as he worked in the Chelsea centre of excellence while holding down a job as a PE teacher.
Clement obtained a UEFA 'A' coaching licence in 1999 and became a full-time football coach in 2000, when Fulham appointed him to a role in their academy. Clement also did some coaching for the Republic of Ireland Under 21 national football team.
Clement returned to Chelsea in 2007, initially working with their Under 16 team. He progressed through the coaching ranks there and began working with the Chelsea First Team when Guus Hiddink was appointed manager in 2009. Clement was retained as a First Team coach by Carlo Ancelotti during his two seasons in charge of Chelsea.
He then briefly worked as a coach at Blackburn Rovers, assisting Steve Kean.
He was then hired by Paris Saint-Germain, after Ancelotti had been appointed their head coach. The pair won the Ligue 1 title in their second season at the club.
Clement was appointed assistant coach at Real Madrid after Ancelotti became their head coach in June 2013. He helped them win the Copa del Rey and their tenth European Cup (Champions League) title at the end of his first season with the club.
After the team won no trophies in their second season, Ancelotti was sacked on 25 May 2015 and Clement walked out four days later.
Soon after, on 1 June, he was appointed manager of Derby County, who had just sacked Steve McClaren 5 days previously.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
This is a game which needs no introduction, as 8 goals went in at Pride Park in 2013/14.
Trev's Trivia
Players & Managers who have featured with both Clubs
Nathan Ellington Ipswich 2011-2013 Derby 2008-2009 loan
Conor Sammon Ipswich 2014-2015 loan, from Derby 2012-present
Darren Bent ITFC 2001-2005 Derby 2015 – present loan
Paul Jewell Ipswich Manager 2011-2012 Derby Manager 2007-2008
George Burley Ipswich Manager 1994-2002 Derby Manager 2003-2005
Media Watch - K L Blue
Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy destroys BBC journalist after Fulham win (Audio)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/101ggvideo ... win-audio/
Sears on the fans
http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/ip ... PRLQBt+LhQ$$
MM on another away win
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/28672/
Stat Time
Head to Head
Ipswich Wins..................32.....(41.56%)
Derby Wins....................25.....(32.47%)
Draws..........................20.....(25.97%)
Ipswich Goals................113 (ave. 1.47 per match)
Derby Goals...................100 (ave. 1.30 per match)
Head to Head at Ipswich
Ipswich Wins..................21.....(53.85%)
Derby Wins....................11.....(28.21%)
Draws...........................7.....(17.95%)
Ipswich Goals..................62 (ave. 1.59 per match)
Derby Goals....................43 (ave. 1.10 per match)
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
They say that a strong bench is the sign of a good team. It speaks volumes for how well we are doing at the moment that Kevin Bru, Ryan Fraser and David McGoldrick could all be amongst our substitutes on Saturday. A fit again Teddy Bishop may also come into contention, while Cole Skuse will hope to have recovered from the bang on the head he sustained at Fulham.
1 Dean Gerken
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
6 Christophe Berra
3 Jonas Knudsen
7 Ainsley Maitland-Niles
8 Cole Skuse
22 Jonathan Douglas
20 Freddie Sears
9 Daryl Murphy
11 Brett Pitman
Derby County
After Derby’s 4-0 rout of Bristol City in the week, there won’t be too many calls to change a winning side. Darren Bent is in line to become the second former Town striker to come up against his old club in a week.
1 Lee Grant
2 Cyrus Christie
6 Richard Keogh
14 Jason Shackell
37 Stephen Warnock
8 Jeff Hendrick
15 Bradley Johnson
23 Tom Ince
24 Andreas Weimann
11 Johnny Russell
10 Darren Bent
Marko’s Caption Competition
Due to work commitments, I'll score the Dons and Derby captions together for the next previews.
In the meantime, and for double points this week, see what you can come up with for this picture of our friend Bradley Johnson (sorry to deface the preview in this way):
Match Referee – Keith Hill
Final Thought - Frosty
Great win against the Cottagers in London on Tuesday night. I personally didn’t envisage 3 points from the trip.
Big challenge this week from one of the league’s frontrunners. Last season, Derby fell away badly in the second half, but this season they look like they may stay near the top.
I know I said it when we played Boro recently, but I would really like to see us come away with something when we play a top 6 side as these are the points that can really make a difference come season end. Derby will be a real test of our defensive pattern this Saturday, 11 points out of an available 15, including wins over Bristol on Tuesday night, Cardiff and an impressive 2-0 win away at Hull. There is no shame in the two recent draws they have had, which include Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday.
However, enough about Derby. What is great is our own little purple patch, Middlesbrough aside. We had a good run into Christmas last season and the same seems to be happening again. What confidence a few wins can generate, and what’s more we are a top 6 side again because of it!
The fixture of the weekend is undoubtedly the visit of Middlesbrough to Brighton on Saturday, but the fixture that has most relevance to us is the Birmingham versus Cardiff clash on Friday night, which on paper looks an interesting clash.
Enjoy the game if you are attending on Saturday.
Have a great Christmas everyone.
COYB!!!!!!!
IPSWICH TOWN 1 DERBY COUNTY 1
