Ipswich Town v Rotherham United
Saturday 19th March 2016 – 15:00
Portman Road
Opening Thought – Jamma
After a solitary point from the trips to Bolton and Cardiff, it was imperative that we got back to winning ways against Blackburn. And that’s exactly what we did, as we bounced back to win our game in hand and close in on the top six again. In my previous ‘Opening thought’, I had alluded to the fact that Town hadn’t won by more than a single goal for the best part of three months. So it was pleasing to see this particular run come to an end on Tuesday night. On the surface, the 2-0 scoreline would appear to hint at a relatively straightforward win (in as much as that is possible in the Championship). But, in what is becoming an increasingly familiar story, our opponents shaded the first half, and our goalkeeper was responsible for keeping us on level terms at the break, thanks to some more stunning saves from the Bartosz Bialkowski School of Goalkeeping. The game only really came to life in the 66th minute, with the award of a penalty for an apparent push inside the box. Daryl Murphy coolly dispatched the spot-kick, before wrapping up the points with a terrific long-range strike following good work by Luke Varney. But, on the day that Murphy celebrated his birthday, the burning question was: did the two goals provide the icing on the cake of a deserved win, or were we all guilty of a bit of over-celebrating? Overlooking the fact that the latter is unlikely, given the subdued atmosphere at Portman Road, there was certainly the sense that Town did ‘just enough’ to get the 3 points. But Mick McCarthy made a good point post-match, when he stressed the effect that pressure can have on performances at this stage of the season. Ipswich Town are by no means the only team in the Championship who are struggling to reach the heights as the finishing line comes into sight. All we can do is keep picking up points and capitalise when others drop them, as the nerves start to set in.
Mick Mills spoke at length on BBC Suffolk after Tuesday’s match about whether we should be setting up to counter-act our opponents, in light of the way in which Mick McCarthy matched Blackburn’s midfield diamond like-for-like. In a nutshell, Mills was saying that we shouldn’t overly concern ourselves with the opposition, and should instead focus on our own strengths, particularly when we are at home. Graeme Mac, who was presenting the show, played devil’s advocate by suggesting that the win would seem to justify the Blues’ approach. While I see where Mills is coming from, and agree that it would be refreshing to see us imposing ourselves on the game more, I still maintain that the way we achieve the 3 points is secondary to the result. I don’t see too many Leicester City supporters complaining that they have been second best in terms of possession more often than not this season! Even in the Championship, Birmingham are enjoying their best campaign in recent memory, and yet find themselves at the bottom of the division in the possession stats. As McCarthy rather succinctly put it, ‘there’s more than one way to skin a cat’. It just so happens that we’re a bit less subtle with the razor than most! This period of the season reminds me of this time last year, when we interspersed some disappointing results on the road – at Norwich, Leeds and Middlesbrough – with some vital home wins, including against Birmingham and Bolton. With three of our next four fixtures at Portman Road, it would be a good time to continue the trend…
The Opposition – Rotherham United
Rotherham United FC (known as the ‘Millers’) was formed in February 1925 after the merger of two clubs, Thornhill United & Rotherham Town, who had been playing in the area since the 1870s.
The club's traditional home was Millmoor in Rotherham, where the team played from 1907 to 2008.
The red and white was adopted around 1928 after they originally played in amber and black, and Rotherham spent their time in Division 3, only just remaining in the Football League in 1931 as they had to apply for re-election.
Immediately after the Second World War, things were looking up. United finished as runners-up three times in succession between 1947 and 1949 and were then champions of Division Three (North) in 1951. Rotherham reached their highest ever league position of third in the Football League Second Division in 1955.
The club held on to its place in Division Two until 1968 and then went into a decline that took them down to Division Four in 1973. In 1975, they were promoted back to the Third Division, finishing in the 3rd promotion spot in the Fourth Division. The Millers won the Division Three title in 1981.
During the 1990s, Rotherham were promoted and relegated between the Football League's lowest two divisions and they slipped into the Fourth Division in 1991, just two years after being promoted, but reclaimed their status in the third tier (renamed Division Two for the 1992–93 season due to the launch of the FA Premier League). They survived at this level for five years, never looking like promotion contenders, before being relegated in 1997.
In 1997, just after relegation to Division Three, Ronnie Moore took charge of Rotherham United. His first season ended in a mid-table finish and then his second in a play-off semi-final defeat on penalties. It was third time lucky in 1999–2000, as Rotherham finished as Division Three runners-up and gained promotion to Division Two. They were favourites to be relegated in the 2000–01 season, but surprised many by finishing runners-up in Division Two and gaining a second successive promotion.
Rotherham managed to remain in Division One for four seasons until relegation to League 1 in 2005.
Early in 2006, it was announced that the club faced an uncertain future unless a funding gap in the region of £140,000 per month could be plugged. An eleventh-hour intervention by a consortium of local businessmen kept them in business, but they suffered relegation to League 2 and entered into administration in 2008, being deducted 10 points.
Local businessman Tony Stewart then took over as Chairman for the 2008–09 season and took the club out of administration via a Creditors Voluntary Agreement, resulting in a further 17-point deduction. The Millers were subsequently forced to leave Millmoor, their home of over 100 years, for the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, after disputes with the landlords.
Chairman Stewart appointed Steve Evans as manager on 9 April 2012. Evans got them promoted back to League 1 in the 2012–13 season. The same season also signalled a new era for Rotherham United as the club returned to playing home matches in Rotherham, at the newly-built New York Stadium.
Rotherham gained back-to-back promotions by winning the 2013-2014 League One play-off final. Rotherham beat Leyton Orient 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, having come back from 2-0 down.
Last season, Rotherham finished 5 points clear of relegation, with 46 points and in 21st place on the table.
One To Watch – Grant Ward
Not to be confused with namesake Danny up front, midfielder Grant Ward is another exciting prospect to come off the Tottenham production line, following in the footsteps of Alex Pritchard to make a name for himself in the Championship.
The Londoner joined the Spurs academy in 2011, before getting his first taste of professional football on loan with Chicago Fire in the MLS. Ward returned to England and continued his education with a further loan spell at Coventry in 2014/15. Although he only featured 11 times, the youngster played an important part in the Sky Blues’ battle against relegation under Tony Mowbray. His next stop was South Yorkshire, as he joined Rotherham on a season-long loan last summer. The Millers may have been involved in another relegation scrap but Ward has shown maturity beyond his tender years to become a key member of the team. One of a number of players to have been given a new lease of life under Neil Warnock, the 21-year-old is a creative playmaker of the ilk that Ipswich have missed in the absence of Teddy Bishop and David McGoldrick this season.
The Manager – Neil Warnock
After a brief stint working in a local undertakers, Warnock started his professional playing career with Chesterfield in 1967, before moving on to Rotherham United, Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe United, Aldershot, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra, making a total of 327 league appearances in an eleven-year playing career. At Hartlepool, he won the club's Player of the Season award in 1972. He finished his career at Crewe Alexandra in 1979, aged only 30, to concentrate on training as a coach.
After being involved in Sunday League coaching, his first full managerial job was with Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity in 1981. Following this, he managed Burton Albion and Scarborough. At Scarborough, he and Paul Evans, his assistant, won the Football Conference title in 1987, making them the first team to win automatic promotion to the Football League following the abolition of the re-election system.
In late 1988, Warnock became manager of Notts County, then in the Third Division, helping County achieve successive promotions to reach the First Division for the 1991–92 season, with Warnock turning down lucrative offers to manage Chelsea and Sunderland during this time. However, Warnock was dismissed in January 1993 after County's relegation had cost them a place in the new Premier League.
In March 1993, he took over as 'consultant' at Torquay United, saving the club from relegation from the Football League.
Warnock was then appointed manager at Huddersfield Town in July 1993.
Warnock was quick to inject new blood into the Terriers' side, all of whom would go on to become mainstays in the 1994/95 promotion season. Warnock's side were genuine contenders for automatic promotion until falling away in the final few games to finish 5th. They triumphed on penalties over 2nd place Brentford after two thrilling ties and went on to beat Bristol Rovers at Wembley.
He quit Huddersfield just days after their promotion, but made a swift and surprising return to management at Plymouth Argyle, who had just been relegated to Division Three.
In his first season as manager of Plymouth Argyle, he achieved promotion to Division Two. In February 1997, Warnock was surprisingly sacked as Argyle manager despite his popularity with the supporters.
Following his successful period as manager of Plymouth Argyle, Warnock saw out the 1990s with Oldham Athletic and Bury.
He was appointed as manager of his boyhood club Sheffield United on 2 December 1999.
At the end of the 2005–06 season, the club were promoted to the Premiership as runners-up in the Championship.
The Blades performed well in their expected relegation battle, and for a long time looked to be heading for survival. However, on the final day of the season, they were relegated and Warnock resigned from the club to take some time out of football.
Simon Jordan spoke to Warnock about taking over at Crystal Palace following the sacking of Peter Taylor and, after initially not being keen over the job, he returned to football management with Palace on 11 October 2007.
Warnock stayed on for the 2008–09 season, but on taking the job a year earlier he had made it clear that the Crystal Palace job would be his last managerial role in football, with the club's finances beginning to take a turn for the worse. The 2009–10 season saw Palace perform well despite being heavily restricted by the club's poor financial position, which resulted in the club being placed in administration in late January. A 10-point deduction was imposed by the Football League for this. Crystal Palace's administrator commented that Warnock was 'let go' after telling the administrator he did not have the stomach for the fight to save the club.
On 1 March 2010, Warnock joined Queens Park Rangers as manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal after agreeing compensation with Crystal Palace.
He helped QPR comfortably avoid relegation in 2009–10 and on 30 April 2011 the club was promoted as Championship champions.
Despite leading the club to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years, he was sacked on 8 January 2012.
On 18 February 2012, Warnock joined Leeds United as manager on a one-and-a-half-year deal, taking him up to the end of the 2012–13 season.
Leeds would go on to finish 14th in the Championship and during the summer of 2012 Warnock revamped the entire Leeds United team with several new signings. After a string of defeats, and with Leeds sitting 5 points off the relegation zone, Warnock parted company with Leeds United on 1 April 2013.
On 27 August 2014, it was announced that Warnock would be appointed for a second spell in charge at Crystal Palace. However, after a poor run of form, and with Crystal Palace in the bottom three, Warnock was sacked by the club on 27 December 2014.
In 2015, Warnock returned to QPR as First Team Advisor. On 4 November, Warnock was placed in temporary charge of QPR following the departure of Chris Ramsey from the club.
On 11 February 2016, Warnock was confirmed as the new Rotherham United manager for the remainder of the 2015/16 season, replacing Neil Redfearn.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Highlights from our biggest win of the season, when Daryl Murphy also got his campaign up and running with a hat-trick at the New York Stadium:
Trev's Trivia
Players that have played for both clubs
Alan Lee Ipswich 2006-2008 and 2013-2014 Rotherham 2000-2003
Scott Loach Ipswich 2012-2014 Rotherham 2014-2015
Danny Collins Ipswich 2011-2012 loan Rotherham 2015-present
Paul Taylor Ipswich 2012-2015 Rotherham 2014 loan
Anthony Wordsworth Ipswich 2013-2015 Rotherham 2014
Paul Green Ipswich 2014 loan Rotherham 2014-present
Frazer Richardson Ipswich 2014 loan Rotherham 2014-present
Media Watch - K L Blue
Morphew back With Town:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29287/
3 things we learned from the win against Blackburn:
http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-thin ... blackburn/
Time for the strikers to hit form:
http://www.sudburymercury.co.uk/sport/i ... _1_4460224
Feeney looking for a permanent move:
http://www.burndenaces.co.uk/2016/03/17 ... -loan.html
Discounted tickets for Rotherham:
http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/ipsw ... 12444.aspx
Stat Time
Head to Head
Ipswich Wins.................14 (51.85%)
Rotherham Wins..............6 (22.22%)
Draws..........................7 (25.93%)
Ipswich Goals...................56 (ave. 2.07/match)
Rotherham Goals...............37 (ave. 1.37/match)
Head to Head at Ipswich
Ipswich Wins.....................6 (46.15%)
Rotherham Wins.................3 (23.08%)
Draws..............................4 (30.77%)
Ipswich Goals....................25 (ave. 1.92/match)
Rotherham Goals................20 (ave. 1.54/match)
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
Ordinarily, I would say there’s no need to tinker with a winning team, but two or three changes a match have been par for the course recently, due in part to a plethora of injuries and suspensions. We should perhaps expect one or two further alterations to the front six, and a possible return for David McGoldrick on the bench. Liam Feeney also provides another option, having signed on loan until the end of the season.
33 Bartosz Bialkowski
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
6 Christophe Berra
3 Jonas Knudsen
19 Luke Hyam
8 Cole Skuse
15 Ben Pringle
17 Kevin Bru
20 Freddie Sears
9 Daryl Murphy
Rotherham United
Neil Warnock has also shuffled his pack since taking the Rotherham hotseat, with three (mostly enforced) changes for that amazing game against Derby from an equally eye-catching win over Middlesbrough. Frazer Richardson is likely to still be missing with a hamstring injury picked up against Boro, while fellow former Town loanees Danny Collins and Paul Green came back in to the side. Leon Best and Danny Ward staked their claim to be the Millers’ first-choice strikeforce, sharing the three goals against the Rams between them.
1 Lee Camp
12 Stephen Kelly
5 Kirk Broadfoot
4 Danny Collins
3 Joe Mattock
11 Paul Green
8 Lee Frecklington
33 Richard Smallwood
17 Grant Ward
50 Leon Best
27 Matt Derbyshire
Marko's Caption Competition
Marko is taking a week or two off to recover from the final of the Scottish League Cup (imagine what a second-second-rate competition that must be!
). We thought it would be rude to pass up the opportunity to have a laugh at Mr. Warnock’s expense, though…
Match referee – Stephen Martin
Final Thought Frosty
Nice one. Who cares how the points come at this critical stage of the season, and the fact that Murph is starting to hit his straps may just be the catalyst to get us over the line.
Although Rotherham on paper looks another 3 pointer, two things I am wary of. One is the fact they weren’t a strong side last season and we still managed to lose to them, admittedly away, but I remember there were a few unhappy bunnies on here after that result. The other is the Warnock factor. Can’t warm to the man, but at times he seems to be able to do wonders with less fancied teams.
Rotherham sit inside the ‘yucky’ zone on the table in 22nd place, a point away from the side above them. However, you would wonder how they are even in this situation when you review recent results ………..I suspect most teams would be happy with this small purple patch!
Drew 3-3 Derby home
Won 1-0 Boro home
Won 1-0 Wednesday away
Won 2-1 Brentford home
It is conceivable we are in for a tougher contest than Blackburn was on Tuesday night.
In other match-ups this weekend, Reading and Charlton could do us a major favour if they pull finger and perform well against Cardiff and Wednesday respectively. Birmingham remain at home to face Fulham and that friendly old rivalry between Derby (at home) and Forest also takes place this round.
Overall things don’t look too bad for us as another season enters the home straight so cheer really really loudly if you are off to the footie on Saturday.
COYB!
IPSWICH TOWN 2 ROTHERHAM UNITED 1
