Championship - West Bromwich Albion vs Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

[Frosty]

West Bromwich Albion v Ipswich Town



Saturday 25th November 2023 – 17:30


The Hawthorns









Pre-Match Thoughts - Bluemike



Thanks to yet another pointless International break it seems absolutely ages ago since Town were last in league action, although I am sure we can all remember only too well another pulsating, and dare I say it nerve wracking, afternoon at Portman Road as Town once again had to come from behind to see off the Challenge of Swansea City, add to that it would not be Ipswich Town if we weren't also subjected to a tense and nail biting final few minutes as we somehow allowed the Ten men of Swansea to drag themselves back into a contest that should in all honesty have been over by half time.

After the shock of falling behind early Town really did get into their groove and took the game to Swansea for much of the half, chances flowed in abundance but time after time they went abegging when it looked easier to score, when we did finally get ourselves back on level terms it was from an absolute screamer courtesy of Jack Taylor who must already be a contender for Goal of the season, it really was a sublime strike. It really did give Town the momentum and upper hand to go on and take full control of proceedings which we did in some style.

Never One to be left out of the scoring, Conor Chaplin did what he does best and popped up where it mattered to fire home another opportunist strike minutes later to give us the lead of our play deserved. it really is no exaggeration to say the game should have been over at half time as Chaplin, Hirst, Hutchinson and Broadhead all missed chances to stretch our lead and while the finishing may have left us pulling our hair out some of the approach play and build up was very good and back to looking something like the Ipswich Town of a few games ago.

After the break our first penalty of the season coupled with a Red card for the visitors seemed have killed the game but as we all know this Town team do have a habit of making an easy job that much tougher, George Hirst firing home the spot kick will certainly help his confidence in front of goal, any goal no matter how it comes is always good for a striker and I felt Hirst needed that boost after a few up and down weeks, that really should have been it but with time running out we allow their striker to stroll through the defence virtually unchallenged to fire home and guarantee a nervy finale when it should have been comfortable.

Thankfully we stood firm to get the job done again and in doing so we drew level on points with a stuttering Leicester City while keeping gobshite Leeds behind us by Eight points. A couple of things are hopefully being worked on the last few days though, firstly we need to cut out falling behind in games, so far we have dealt with it but it sure as hell makes the job that much harder, we used to start games very fast and were always getting our opponents on the back foot, we need to get that back as once we get on top we are very hard to knock off our stride, add to that we need to see out games better, we have never been the best at killing games off but under Kieran Mckenna we had improved Ten fold in that respect, it just seems the tendancy to get a bit jittery and defensive by sitting back has crept in once or twice lately and in doing so we heap unnecessary pressure on ourselves.

I think a special mention for Jack Taylor is more than warranted, the lad has had to bide his time as the team have been winning and the odd cameo appearance hasn't really done anything to suggest he should be starting but I, and many others too thought he was immense against Swansea and did his chances of dislodging Massimo Luongo no harm at all, everything he did was spot on, every pass was on point, his tackling was top notch, his vision opened them up on a few occasions and his worldy strike was the icing on the cake, add to that he had a hand in winning the crucial penalty too, I do not think you can do much more and that was as close to a 10/10 performance as you will get.

The Championship league Table makes very happy viewing right now and all the talk of us falling away etc is still just that, talk, Leicester and more so Leeds fans are very loud and outspoken on the subject but I do feel they are actually doing us a favour by undermining our achievements, we just keep turning up week after week and get the job done, even when we aren't at our best, we can do no more. That said we now enter a very tough couple of months and I will be amazed if we are still Eight points clear of Third come the end of January, WBA (A), Middlesbrough (A), Norwich (H), Leeds (A), Leicester (HOME & AWAY) and Sunderland (H) all have to be faced before February and that is some tough run so even if we were in Second place by a point or two I think we will have done fantastically well, the good thing is we don't have to fear anyone and on our day we can beat them all, we just need to start faster and cut out the silly errors, simple really.

Saturday see's the first of those tough games as we head to The Hawthorns for a teatime, live on Sky game against WBA and while the baggies may not be the force of a year or two back they are still very awkward opponents and this is a game that I personally think could be a bit of a banana skin if we don't get it right on the day. Albion are currently just outside the play off zone in Seventh place level on points with Sixth placed Sunderland, wins against Middlesbrough, Hull and at Preston shows what they can do but then on another day they lose at home to Huddersfield so they are a bit of a mixed bag at times.

It is not an easy place to go and hopefully the rest will have worked in our favour, it doesn't always go like that for us
after an enforced lay off, fly out of the blocks, quieten the crowd and get on the front foot, do that and I think we can get a result, a draw would not be a disaster but we have nothing to fear, I am sure we can come home with something, how nice would another Three points be !!!! COYB'S



The Opposition – West Bromwich Albion - Honours



League


First Division / Premier League
Champions: 1919–20
Runners-up: 1924–25, 1953–54

Second Division / Championship
Champions: 1901–02, 1910–11, 2007–08
Runners-up: 1930–31, 1948–49, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2009–10, 2019–20

Third Division / League One
Play-off winners: 1993


Cup


FA Cup
Winners (5): 1887–88, 1891–92, 1930–31, 1953–54, 1967–68
Runners-up: 1885–86, 1886–87, 1894–95, 1911–12, 1934–35

Football League Cup
Winners: 1965–66
Runners-up: 1966–67, 1969–70

FA Charity Shield
Winners: 1920, 1954 (shared)
Runners-up: 1931, 1968

FA Youth Cup
Winners: 1976
Finalists: 1955, 1969

Football World Championship
Runners-up: 1888





The Manager – Carlos Corberán










League Table as at 21.11.2023








Form Guide




West Bromwich Albion




21 Oct West Brom 0 - 0 Plymouth

24 Oct West Brom 2 - 0 QP Rangers

30 Oct Coventry City 0 - 2 West Brom

4 Nov West Brom 3 - 1 Hull City

11 Nov Southampton 2 - 1 West Brom







Ipswich Town




25 Oct Bristol City 0 - 1 Ipswich Town

28 Oct Ipswich Town 3 - 2 Plymouth

4 Nov Birmingham City 2 - 2 Ipswich Town

7 Nov Rotherham 2 - 2 Ipswich Town

11 Nov Ipswich Town 3 - 2 Swansea City




Head To Head








Match Referee – Gavin Ward









WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1 IPSWICH TOWN 1

[number 9]

Have Taylor and Tuanzebe earned the start for this match? I think they have. Will Brandon Williams be back? I think he will. We seem to be much tighter defensively when we’re away. I’m going with 0-2 ITFC…if those 3 players start.

[Mauswara]

'gobshite Leeds' lol

[Andym]

I’ll be very happy if we get a point. 2-2 draw.

[Denny61]

Be interesting to see how the top 3 come back in form from the break..from the last break ..Leicester lost a few and suffered a dip in form..Leeds have been the opposite. Winning games and attacking football..Ipswich have drawn games and leaking goals..so how this break will effect the momentum of leeds or let Ipswich and Leicester reset and restore Winning ways remains to be seen..il go for a draw ..

[hallamblue]

Draw…. If we’re on it, on the day.

[trimleyblue]

'gobshite Leeds' lol

Never a truer word spoken

[Bluemike]

I see West Brom have the most clean sheets in the Championship this season with Seven, should be interesting, the best attack against the meanest defence.

[shabba]

Tough game this one. Be interesting to see who starts - ie Taylor or Masimo, which CB pairing and if Williams comes back at RB.

[Charnwood]

This is our biggest test since losing to Leeds United back in August and certainly a game where for me it’s important to score first. Jack Taylor could have done enough to earn a start and I’m hopeful we have both Leif Davis & Brandon Williams filling the wing back positions.

I’m sure McKenna already knows his preferred partnership in Central defence because this is the one area where we will need to perform if we want to come away with all three points.

I’m not aware of any injuries affecting team selection so in Kieran McKenna we must trust to get right on the night.

TBH whilst I’m hoping for a win, I’d happily take a point now and think it’s the most likely outcome.

[Mauswara]

Reckon West Brom might have exceeded most people's expectations so far, gonna keep the faith though.

0-1

[shabba]

Agree that first goal is key.

[Cabanas Blue]

I'm thinking a draw might be 0-0 we can't score every game can we

[arana peligrosa]

Went with a repeat of the cup semi-final in that we'll win by 3 - 1. Oxygen masks be required for those traveling as the stadium's at a higher altitude than Mexico City but that shouldn't be a problem to us as we can turn over and progress against any opposition this league has to offer.

Not sure who Leicester got but a win here or even a point, they fail to win, and we overtake them and go first place in the division. Can't stand international rounds, missed the regular action last time around, but the players will be suitably rested and ready to go out and perform. We got the tools and attributes to do it, only a lousy performance can hold us back. No losses away from Portman Road since February or something, it's been immense and something to take pride in. Let's keep the record intact, we can do it.

WBA 1 ITFC 3

[hallamblue]

I wish ^^^^^

[hallamblue]

I'm thinking a draw might be 0-0 we can't score every game can we

…. No, but we concede

[marko69]

Thinking draw in this one. Although if there are 4K+ ITFC fans at the BawbagThorns, could sneak it. Don’t lose ——>> Leeds drawing is massive for Ipswich ——- DO NOT LOSE.

Caption:

Player: “You effin blind, ref?”
Referee: “No. No i’m not blind. I’m holding up three fingers. See?”

[goldandblack]

Thinking draw in this one. Although if there are 4K+ ITFC fans at the BawbagThorns, could sneak it. Don’t lose ——>> Leeds drawing is massive for Ipswich ——- DO NOT LOSE.

Caption:

Player: “You effin blind, ref?”
Referee: “No. No i’m not blind. I’m holding up three fingers. See?”

Experts have predicted that West Brom will last 3 season in the Premiership...........
Autumn, Winter and Spring!!

Q: what do you call a WBA fan in a wolves shirt?
A: artificial intelligence

As you say Marko DO NOT LOSE. to the Tesco bags

[marko69]

Experts have predicted that West Brom will last 3 season in the Premiership...........
Autumn, Winter and Spring!!

superb

[marko69]

My grandaughter couple minutes ago….

“Papa, ipswich are winning 30 to 17.”

she was looking at the 17:30 kick off time

[Bluemike]

Results gone our way apart from Leicester who won

Leeds drew
Sunderland Lost
Middlesbrough Lost
Southampton Drew
Preston Lost

A good chance to pull away but we have a very tough game

Williams, Burns and Taylor all start

Hutchinson misses out with Bug.

[ashfordblue]

I'm watching on NOW Sky Sports £12 come on Ipswich you can do this keep the pressure up

[hallamblue]

Usual sh*t defending in our box I see .

[ashfordblue]

Keeper should have had that poor defending

[Charnwood]

Oh dear, not what we needed

[Charnwood]

Keeper should have had that poor defending

I’m not sure I’d blame the keeper, maybe tactically wrong not having a defender on the far post.

[Charnwood]

Woolfie & Burgess are looking a little suspect

[Bluemike]

We are absolutely bloody awful

Burgess, Woolfy, Chaplin, Burns, Hirst and Broadhead all woeful

[Bluemike]

I swear if f**king Hirst is offside once more !!!!

[hallamblue]

So SLOW bringing the ball out of defence . WBA are winning courtesy of our mandatory soft gifted goal per game. They’re just sitting across the middle of the park. They’re not really pressing us. So wtf is pretty boy Woolfenden doing WALKING the ball up the pitch?? Stopping periodically to roll his foot over the ball. WtF does he think he is?

Burns couldn’t trap wind right now.

Chaplin is AWOL …

As Mike says, Hirst is constantly getting caught offside.

There’s no bloody presence in midfield . No link up play .

We are SO predictable it’s untrue.

New central defenders and strikers in Jan please . I’m sick to death of watching our CB f*ck it up everytime the ball goes in our box.