Coventry City vs Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

[number 9]

I also shudder at the thought of remaining in this league. It's a bit worrying to me we're struggling to put a few wins together. It's not as if we didn't know how Coventry played...we just played them FFS. Maybe that's why PL chose an unusual squad. I have no idea. If we can't win with the players we've got...there needs to be significant transfer activity in January. I'm warning you ME, don't take the Ipswich fans for granted again. Those 20,000 gates will disappear if we're still down here next season.

[marko69]

If we can't win with the players we've got...there needs to be significant transfer activity in January. I'm warning you ME, don't take the Ipswich fans for granted again. Those 20,000 gates will disappear if we're still down here next season.

The Cowboy speaks the truth.

[hallamblue]

Guy at the plumbing merchants recently came out the closet, Hallam. Think he joined the LWWDDD.

Marko , I DO seriously worry about you sometimes

[Charnwood]

For sometime I’ve held the opinion that our fixtures against Blackpool (H), Wycombe (H), Coventry (A) and Bristol Rov (H) would give us a good indication of how good we are and how good our chances are of securing one of the automatic promotion places.

From our results in these games so far, I think my cautious outlook was justified as these fixtures are proving very difficult to pick up 3 points. I know we still have Bristol Rovers to play at Portman Road but even if we win this which is far from certain, we’ll still have only picked up 6 points from a maximum of 12 which included 3 home games.

We certainly need to up our game if we’re going to walk this league as some thought we were already doing, we can’t keep drawing games from a winning position cos that’s not what top teams do.

Hopefully we can get our act together and make sure promotion happens this season, as I fear for our future if it doesn’t. Come on PL, you’ll never get a better chance to get our club out of this league than the one you have this season.

[number 9]

Lambert should also be considering the strength of our squad if we do get promoted. Would it not be prudent to build a team that could at least survive the championship? Would our current squad survive the championship? I’ll let the experts answer that question.

[Bluemike]

I still think there is far more to be positive about than negative, yes we are struggling for goals at times but hopefully that will come, having Norwood out doesn't help and not just in that department either, he's a big loss.

As Andy says this run of games could be seen as key, ok Three draws but at least we haven't lost them and I'm not gonna keep on repeating what happened against Blackpool and Wycombe bur it was an injustice for sure. What we need to understand is they didn't win them either!

Yesterday's result was certainly not a calamity by any means, Coventry are good at home Seven wins from Ten before yesterday and already Blackpool and Bristol Rovers, two of our rivals, have lost there.

I do think at times some think we should be steamrolling our way through this division but it just isn't going to happen, there is no divine right but in any case second at the moment and Four points clear with a game in hand on Third place is a pretty good place to be in my eyes, and I certainly don't think based on what I saw that Wycombe can possibly stay top.

There is also a lot of frustration around regarding rotation and team selection and while on some occasions I share that view I don't think it's as bad as it's made out to be, take yesterday he only made One change from last week and that was enforced with Chambo being injured and in any case most wanted him dropped anyway, Skuse was rested, most had felt he needed to be benched, a lot, myself included were unhappy at One up front and that One being Will Keane and yet for weeks we've all been saying Kayden Jackson cannot play the lone striker role!!! We can't have it all ways and there really aren't that many other options.

I think far too much focus has been placed on the second half because we were second best and conceded when we should maybe have a bit more thought on how well we played in the first half, don't be fooled by one shot on target, we created a few decent chances with some lovely football, the Keane effort off the post should have been in and how Judge put it wide when through on goal I'll never know, that was a good 45 mins and yes ideally we want to do it over 90 mins but there are Two teams out there, they don't just allow us to hsve it all our own way.

I choose to be positive because the reality is we are in a positive position and despite the loss of the likes of KVY, Norwood, Chambers etc we are ticking off hard games, down the line there will be a run of what should be on paper at least easier and winnable games. Keep the faith.

[derick_ipsw]

Lambert should also be considering the strength of our squad if we do get promoted. Would it not be prudent to build a team that could at least survive the championship? Would our current squad survive the championship? I’ll let the experts answer that question.

Spot on number 9 if we are struggling to beat the so called best in this league we would certainly struggle in the Championship. We need to start putting sides to the sword and laying down a marker so teams fear to play us and not look forward to a nice day out at Portman Road for example.

[marko69]

There are fans out there, attending fans, who’ll always judge on what is actually witnessed and not league tables / opposition etc etc, and rightly so in my opinion. I won’t, (and will never) have an accurate viewpoint on Ipswich Town because I do not attend to see the real thing with my own eyes.

The only example I can think of is Celtic being 600 points clear at the top of the SPL with Brendan Rodgers in charge, and then that being reduced to 450 points clear with mainly draws and the Celtic fans wanting him out. They didn’t like what they were seeing. (If there are a set of supporters with a “Divine Right”; it’s those jakey bastards)

I know Scottish football isn’t pretty on the eye to most anyway but it’s all relative. As a Hibernian supporter, at times it can be very difficult to be positive when what you are seeing isn’t very good.

Having said that........ Hibs would’ve beaten Barcelona yesterday!

[ashfordblue]

Bring Back Daryl Murphy scored again yesterday for Bolton, he really is the key to unlock the lack of goals, as I have stated on here before, he can hold and lay off the ball, very good in the air from set pieces and corners, and he wouldn't cost much, its a win win situation, we have seen him when he played for us, so no question of not knowing what we would be getting.

[marko69]

Definitely still jumps very well, Ash. Decent headed goal yesterday from the corner. Maybe put the “no to ex players” idea aside for a minute, he could do a job for ITFC in the season run in. Don’t think Bolton would like to see him go in January though.

[Magicmark]

This player rotation rubbish is clearly not working, Dropping Holy after his magnificent performance against Wycombe, PL should be utilising his best players,this is not happening.

[hallamblue]

I still think there is far more to be positive about than negative, yes we are struggling for goals at times but hopefully that will come, having Norwood out doesn't help and not just in that department either, he's a big loss.

As Andy says this run of games could be seen as key, ok Three draws but at least we haven't lost them and I'm not gonna keep on repeating what happened against Blackpool and Wycombe bur it was an injustice for sure. What we need to understand is they didn't win them either!

Yesterday's result was certainly not a calamity by any means, Coventry are good at home Seven wins from Ten before yesterday and already Blackpool and Bristol Rovers, two of our rivals, have lost there.

I do think at times some think we should be steamrolling our way through this division but it just isn't going to happen, there is no divine right but in any case second at the moment and Four points clear with a game in hand on Third place is a pretty good place to be in my eyes, and I certainly don't think based on what I saw that Wycombe can possibly stay top.

There is also a lot of frustration around regarding rotation and team selection and while on some occasions I share that view I don't think it's as bad as it's made out to be, take yesterday he only made One change from last week and that was enforced with Chambo being injured and in any case most wanted him dropped anyway, Skuse was rested, most had felt he needed to be benched, a lot, myself included were unhappy at One up front and that One being Will Keane and yet for weeks we've all been saying Kayden Jackson cannot play the lone striker role!!! We can't have it all ways and there really aren't that many other options.

I think far too much focus has been placed on the second half because we were second best and conceded when we should maybe have a bit more thought on how well we played in the first half, don't be fooled by one shot on target, we created a few decent chances with some lovely football, the Keane effort off the post should have been in and how Judge put it wide when through on goal I'll never know, that was a good 45 mins and yes ideally we want to do it over 90 mins but there are Two teams out there, they don't just allow us to hsve it all our own way.

I choose to be positive because the reality is we are in a positive position and despite the loss of the likes of KVY, Norwood, Chambers etc we are ticking off hard games, down the line there will be a run of what should be on paper at least easier and winnable games. Keep the faith.

From the last League game ( Wycombe) Lambert made NINE changes to that supposed “first team” . I’ve ignored the cup games because he usually changes the entire 11 players ( as he no doubt will again for Tues FA cup game )

There’s absolutely no continuity week on week in our first team. It’s ridiculous and in my view a large reason why we are not firing on all cylinders. Lambert says it’s , A ) to test key players, and B) to ensure the very large squad at the Club gets game time. I personally feel he is taking to extremes at the detriment of our potential promotion chances. If it’s to avoid injury risk, well that clearly hasn’t worked either .

Ffs Lambert stop pissing about with the side and have a settled team for half a dozen games . His current approach is bloody ludicrous and it WILL IMO cost us promotional!

[Bluemike]

But at the time you said we killed Wycombe on the night ? So the Nine changes didn't affect the performance, only the result which as we all know was influenced by a cheating ref.

[hallamblue]

I think we both agreed that Towns performance that night was not the normal response we get having resumed playing after an International break. I’ve certainly never ever witnessed that. But as the say one swallow doesn’t make a summer and it certainly bucked our normal trend. If they could always do that I wouldn’t mind. But we don’t.

[Bluemike]

But the previous time we had a 2 week break we won at Rochdale in the next game

[hallamblue]

We do see it differently , and I personally don’t like these postponed games, as I also don’t like the constant chopping and Changing of the team. There was a time when we had a 7 point gap at the top of the division and games in hand on our rivals. That’s all gone now , and even if we do win our game in hand we’d only be 1point ahead. Part of me wonders if it’s our constant. Team changes, which results in our lack of consistency and fluency in the team performances. Guess we’ll never know , because I doubt Lambert will change his approach. It is clear he firmly believes this is the way to tackle this division . The plus side to it I suppose , is our rivals won’t have a clue who will put out on match days. But usually by half time, they have sussed our tactics and the second half is invariably a dog fight to hang on to a slender lead. For that, we are consistent lol!

[nicscreamer]

Is lambert doing the same thing he did when he managed Norwich out of this division? He does have experience, and I think I would suggest he knows better than most of us how to win league 1.

[Mach_Polish_Blue]

Lambert should also be considering the strength of our squad if we do get promoted. Would it not be prudent to build a team that could at least survive the championship? Would our current squad survive the championship? I’ll let the experts answer that question.

Not an expert by any means as I can only offer my opinion.

This squad would have a nightmare in the Championship as we drastically need to improve. We all hope we will get out of this horrible, pub league but when we do, we will come straight back down. We all know Evans won't invest sufficiently to allow us to compete in the Championship. Being a top-end League One club suits him perfectly. If we get promoted we'll end up in the world of Rotherhams, Barnsleys, Burtons etc etc, among the clubs whose 'ambition' is to stay in the Championship.

[mugen1]

Should we really be relying on one player for the majority of our goals though?

[marko69]

...and even if we do win our game in hand we’d only be 1point ahead.

Behind.

Yes but, Wycombe did consolidate first place whilst sitting in front of their fireplaces with their christmas trees on, and drinking hot chocolates.

[Bluemike]

Lambert should also be considering the strength of our squad if we do get promoted. Would it not be prudent to build a team that could at least survive the championship? Would our current squad survive the championship? I’ll let the experts answer that question.

That's a whole new ball game, we have a few players that would excel in the championship but by and large it would need quite a rebuild to survive and compete, getting there is the first objective.

[number 9]

Lambert should also be considering the strength of our squad if we do get promoted. Would it not be prudent to build a team that could at least survive the championship? Would our current squad survive the championship? I’ll let the experts answer that question.

That's a whole new ball game, we have a few players that would excel in the championship but by and large it would need quite a rebuild to survive and compete, getting there is the first objective.

I can’t see ME funding a complete rebuild to be honest. I still think we’ll need the core of a strong team, which by all accounts doesn’t seem to be the case. Granted we’re still second, and that’s fantastic considering the majority of our performances have been under par according to reports. I think defensively we seem pretty strong aside from the school boy errors from time to time. Our weakness is scoring goals, so I think there’s room for improvement in that department. Would you agree?

[AylesburyBlue]

Caption 1: It’s amazing what fun you can have for £20 and up north.

Caption 2: This is why men make the best recruiters, they can spot assets a mile away.

[Bluemike]

Lambert should also be considering the strength of our squad if we do get promoted. Would it not be prudent to build a team that could at least survive the championship? Would our current squad survive the championship? I’ll let the experts answer that question.

That's a whole new ball game, we have a few players that would excel in the championship but by and large it would need quite a rebuild to survive and compete, getting there is the first objective.

I can’t see ME funding a complete rebuild to be honest. I still think we’ll need the core of a strong team, which by all accounts doesn’t seem to be the case. Granted we’re still second, and that’s fantastic considering the majority of our performances have been under par according to reports. I think defensively we seem pretty strong aside from the school boy errors from time to time. Our weakness is scoring goals, so I think there’s room for improvement in that department. Would you agree?

Yes I tend to agree, what we musnt forget is Norwood has jumped up 2 levels in 2 seasons and that takes some adjustment, even he may find it tough in the Champs, for me a couple of experienced championship strikers would be a must. I think Downes, KVY, Nolan and Woolfenden would be comfortable at the higher level, others like Bishop and Lankester too but they have a lot of work to do to get fit first. TBH I don't think a lot of our performances have been under par, just a bit inconsistent at times.

[Andym]

My views on yesterday for what it's worth.

A very impressive first half. The biggest positive for me was Dozzell's performance, simply because I wasn't expecting it. A proud day for Downes who is definitely a leader and future regular captain - I just hope it's here.

Our best moments were when we played the ball quickly on the floor. On the other hand we scored from a header and could / should have scored a couple more from headers.

The second half was so different; we were put under pressure instantly and couldn't cope. We resorted to hoofing it from the back so Dozzell et al were completely bypassed. When they came the substitutions didn't help either. Changing to a diamond meant we had no width. It reduced the options for Donacien who played some good balls down the line in the first half, and allowed Coventry to attack down the wings at will.

Had the halves been reversed I think we'd all be happy. Occasionally we do have a poor first half followed by a good second half. But when it's this way round (and I would suggest that's the way it usually is), it's because the opposition change tactics. It seems that we are unable to change ours to get back on top (or even level). That is becoming a bit of a worry.

I'm not one of Keane's biggest fans but some of his first time layoffs on the first half were lovely, starting off moves. He drops deep or goes wide looking for the ball. But as I said last season and probably the season before, (and I don't think it matters whether we play one or two up front) we have to get midfielders getting into the box.
.

[Bluemike]

Don't know about you Andy but I thought Donacien was our MOTM ?

[marko69]

Our best moments were when we played the ball quickly on the floor. On the other hand we scored from a header and could / should have scored a couple more from headers.

Are you a retired politician, Andy?

[hallamblue]

...and even if we do win our game in hand we’d only be 1point ahead.

Behind.

Yes but, Wycombe did consolidate first place whilst sitting in front of their fireplaces with their christmas trees on, and drinking hot chocolates.

I was trying to be positive

[number 9]

Stuart's not one of my favourite pundits, but I can relate to how he's feeling in this article:
https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/the-verdic ... -1-6414688

[RRanger]

I couldn't make the Coventry match and obviously was disappointed when we lost our 1-0 lead BUT as has already been pointed out, Coventry's home record is as good if not better than all the teams in Lg 1 and they didn't win against us.I'll stand by my post a few weeks ago when I said we'll win this league. We have the biggest squad in the division and Lamberts rotation system, whilst not always comfortable for us the fans will I'm sure prove its worth during the winter slog. As Mike pointed out I can't see Wycombe staying top for very long. A lot of our team are very young and will get better and better as long as we can hang onto them and give them game time.
I also think WHEN we are promoted we'll comfortably be ready for the Championship with maybe just a few additions. My worry is the New Year transfer window. Championship clubs are already sniffing around Downes and Wolfendon and with the paucity of decent British Centre Backs I could see Luke in particular attracting Premier League clubs. That should test ME's resolve!
Finally thanks Bluemike for your "glass half full" attitude. There is some negativity creeping into some of the posts. We don't want to become another TWTD!!