Pre-season games Chat.

[shabba]

A thread to discuss the games in pre-season.

I suspect tomorrow’s game will be tough. 2x 60min games and I believe KM has said they are 5-6 friendlies in, so likely be way ahead of us.

They are a top side too. Be a tough couple of games I suspect - but I’m looking forward to seeing the new boys.

Clarke, Axel, and I think burges (he said Cameron - not sure if he meant burges or Humpreys) are out.

[Bluemike]

Axel, Harry, Ali and Cam Humphreys all back in Ipswich getting over ops etc.

Disappointing to hear that Nathan Broadhead is crocked already and has to see a specialist, great start.

[shabba]

Ah yes good list Mike / I’d forgot some of them.

[Charnwood]

What chances McKenna doing a Neil Warnock this afternoon against Shakhtar Donetsk ?

Neil Warnock once gave a random 14-year-old a run-out in a pre-season friendly, revealed Paddy Kenny…

“We were playing a game, we're all there getting changed before we go out. Warnock's brought this young kid in about 14-years-old.

"This young kid has come in with his dad and we were like 'what's going off here, why would he be playing?'.

"We were like, eh? Anyway this young kid comes on, plays 20 minutes, pre-season I think it was Bodmin we were playing.

"We found out afterwards the lad's dad had decorated Warnock's house, so instead of paying he gave his lad 20 minutes of a pre-season game."

[Cabanas Blue]

I have Town TV until the end of the month so I can watch the first 2 but I'm thinking the games could possibly be on IPTV hopefully

Today's games against Shaktar will be tough they have played 5 or 6 games already.

[shabba]

Oh is it covered? I thought it was extra. My £170 town tv runs out end of August but I’ve paid £15 for the games - I thought these were extra?

[Bluemike]

Oh is it covered? I thought it was extra. My £170 town tv runs out end of August but I’ve paid £15 for the games - I thought these were extra?

They are extra.... .

All TownTV monthly subscribers will have access to audio commentary of all five pre-season games

.

[shabba]

Thanks Mike. Looking forward to the games today, feels like it’s been a while since watching town!

[Bluemike]

Yes me too, I have a prior engagement on at time of games but I'm assuming I can watch a full replay on TownTV after full time ?

[marko69]

What chances McKenna doing a Neil Warnock this afternoon against Shakhtar Donetsk ?

Neil Warnock once gave a random 14-year-old a run-out in a pre-season friendly, revealed Paddy Kenny…

“We were playing a game, we're all there getting changed before we go out. Warnock's brought this young kid in about 14-years-old.

"This young kid has come in with his dad and we were like 'what's going off here, why would he be playing?'.

"We were like, eh? Anyway this young kid comes on, plays 20 minutes, pre-season I think it was Bodmin we were playing.

"We found out afterwards the lad's dad had decorated Warnock's house, so instead of paying he gave his lad 20 minutes of a pre-season game."

That is superb.

[Bluemike]

Only Neil Warnock lol

[Mauswara]

"We found out afterwards the lad's dad had decorated Warnock's house, so instead of paying he gave his lad 20 minutes of a pre-season game." 🤣🤣🤣

Classic, gonna try and remember that one.

[shabba]

"We found out afterwards the lad's dad had decorated Warnock's house, so instead of paying he gave his lad 20 minutes of a pre-season game."

Classic, gonna try and remember that one.

Look up the warnock bowling story too

[Mauswara]

"We found out afterwards the lad's dad had decorated Warnock's house, so instead of paying he gave his lad 20 minutes of a pre-season game." 🤣🤣🤣

Classic, gonna try and remember that one.

Look up the warnock bowling story too

Do tell

[shabba]

Looks at a training ground today. Harness starting, back four strong but only Johnson to see in terms of new players for the first 45.

[Charnwood]

Classic, gonna try and remember that one.

Look up the warnock bowling story too

Do tell

There are so many Warnock stories. One of my work colleagues played for Neil Warnock at Scarborough Town in the 80’s and he tells tales about him having girls in the dressing rooms. Not under age by the way.

[Cabanas Blue]

1-0 Morsey I thought with them fit after playing 5 games we would struggle but so far so good

[shabba]

Really good performance for that first 45. Look sharp, can tell the team know each others game. You’d have thought it was Ipswich who were 5 games in not Shakhtar.

[Charnwood]

Unfortunately I’ve been too busy doing jobs around the house to watch footie. It sounds like we played well in the first half. Any updates eould be appreciated guys.

Is this gsme connected to the pre season Comp in Austria or is it a completely stand alone fixture ?

[Charnwood]

Town 1-0 Shakhtar - Match Report from TWTD.

Skipper Sam Morsy’s first-half goal saw the Blues to a 1-0 victory over Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donesk 1-0 in their first public friendly of pre-season at Sportzentrum Landskron in Villach, Austria.

The match was a single game played over 90 minutes rather than the previously advertised two 60-minute matches.

Ben Johnson was the only new signing starting, at right-back, with Leif Davis on the left and Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess the centre-halves. Christian Walton was in goal.

Skipper Sam Morsy was partnered by Jack Taylor in the centre of midfield with Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and Marcus Harness behind main striker George Hirst.

Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap were on the bench, but fellow summer signings Omari Hutchinson and Aro Muric were absent from the matchday squad but at the ground having been with the party for this week’s Carinithian training camp.

Youngsters Ryan Carr, Leon Ayinde, Finley Barbrook, Osman Foyo and Jesse Nwabueze were among the subs

The Ukrainian champions, playing their sixth friendly of pre-season and keeping hold of the ball confidently in the early stages, had the ball in the net in the third minute, Lassina Traore turning home a low cross from the left but having strayed offside.

Town began to take the game to Shakhtar as rain began to fall very heavily and on 16 they created their first chance.

Hirst cut from the left of the area to Chaplin on the penalty spot but the forward’s low strike was diverted behind by a defender.

Three minutes later, Burns curled over a trademark trivela cross from the right but a defender got in ahead of Harness.

Shakhtar got back on top and in the 25th minute should have gone in front. Former Brazil U20 international Kevin seized on Davis’s poor header back to Walton from a long ball and as the keeper slipped lifted it towards goal but saw it bounce agonisingly off the bar and to safety.

Four minutes later, the Blues went in front. Tobias Vinicius took a free-kick for Shakhtar on their right and inexplicably played it aerially across his own area where Burns stole it before, while grounded, laying it back to Morsy just outside the area from where the Egypt international smashed a low shot past Dmytro Riznyk to his right and into the net.

On 34, Taylor played a ball over the top for Burns, who almost got onto it while being closely marked by a defender.

In the 40th minute, Blues captain Morsy and Shakhtar’s former Brazil U23 international Marlon were booked after a minor dust-up on the right, Kevin also playing a part before order was restored.

A minute before the scheduled end of the half, Davis sent over a cross from the left which was just too high for Chaplin at the far post.

Moments before the whistle, Artem Bondarenko curled a strike not too far wide of Walton’s right post.

Town went in a goal up via Morsy’s impressive strike, the Blues making the most of Shakhtar’s error.

The Ukrainian side had looked a team further into pre-season than Town at times but without causing the Blues’ backline too many problems. Chances were similarly few and far between at the other end but Town will be pleased with their first 45 minutes of public pre-season match action.

Ahead of the second half, the Blues made four changes with Cieran Slicker, George Edmundson, Jacob Greaves and Massimo Luongo replacing Walton, Woolfenden, Burgess and Taylor.

Half-time Shakhtar sub Marian Shved struck the first effort of the second half on 49, picking up a loose Greaves pass before taking the ball on to the edge of the box and hitting a shot which Slicker batted away.

The new signing from Hull made amends a minute later, forcing Vinicius away from goal after he had been played in on the left of the box. On 54, Hirst hit a bouncing ball over from the edge of the area for Town.

The Blues made more substitutions as the game reached the hour mark with Elkan Baggott, Freddie Ladapo, Delap, Ayinde and Carr replacing Davis, Harness, Hirst, Burns and Johnson, who looked far from out of place alongside his new teammates.

Almost immediately Delap was booked for a clash with Shakhtar sub Yehor Nazaryna, which the new Blues striker and teammate Chaplin clearly felt the midfielder had made an awful lot of. There appeared to have been little if any contact and certainly no need for the scream.

Greaves headed over from a Morsy corner in the 67th minute, then within a minute, the Blues worked an opportunity down the left, Ladapo doing well before Baggott cut in along the byline and cut back for Delap, who turned an effort into the side-netting.

Following the resultant goal-kick, Luongo seized on some loose passing and stole it on the edge of the area but his shot into an empty goal was blocked on the line by Bartol Franjic.

Town had been the better side in the second half, Shakhtar having noticeably become scruffier and less composed after making numerous subs. With 15 minutes left, skipper and goalscorer Morsy made way for Finley Barbrook.

Shakhtar should have levelled in the 77th minute when Newertton was sent away in acres of space on the left and cut back to the edge of the area but Eguinaldo blazed over the bar.

Three minutes later, Edmundson was booked for a foul on Newertton on the left and from the free-kick Eguinaldo headed straight at Slicker.

On 85, Shved headed wide at the far post as the Ukrainians began to get a few late chances against the Blues, by now with a number of youngsters and with several players out of position.

Town made their final changes a minute later with Foyo and Nwabueze taking over from Chaplin and Ayinde.

Nwabueze almost immediately almost found himself with a chance to score, Barbrook’s low shot deflecting to him on the edge of the six-yard box but a defender got across to take the opportunity away. That was the last action of the game before the referee blew his whistle right on time.

Town will be pleased to have got off to a winning start against such notable opposition, although with results far from the main concern in pre-season.

The Ukrainians, with Champions League credentials over many seasons, looked classy but largely unthreatening in the first half with the Blues having spells on top and taking their only real chance when it came.

In the second, Town were largely in charge as both teams made the usual litany of substitutions and might well have gone further in front with Luongo unfortunate with his shot cleared off the line and Delap’s sharp effort not too far away.

Shakhtar went close a couple of times towards the end but overall Town deserved the win which ends their pre-season camp in Austria with the squad flying back this evening.

The Blues are next in action when they host Fortuna Düsseldorf at Portman Road next Saturday.

Town: Walton (Slicker 46), Johnson, Davis (Baggott 60), Woolfenden (Edmundson 46), Burgess (Greaves 46), Morsy (c) (F Barbrook 75), Burns (Ayinde 60 (Nwabueze 86)), Chaplin (Foyo 86), Harness (Ladapo 60), Taylor (Luongo 46), Hirst (Delap 60).

Shakhtar: Riznyk, Traore, Bondar, Sudakov, Zubkov, Azarov, Vinicius, Bondarenko, Matviienko (c), Marlon, Kevin. Subs: Bahlai, Tvardovskyi, Stepanenko, Eguinaldo, Shved, Ghram, Hlushchenko, Pedro, Faryna, Nazaryna, Kozik, Savchenko, Pedrinho, Newertton, Franjic, Latsabidze.

[Bluemike]

A great start to the pre season games, albeit unimportant results wise. Sounds like after the initial 20 minutes we were the better side and deserved it, pleasing against Champions League opposition who are further down the line in terms of fitness etc. It was a line up that for me is nowhere near what we'll expect against Liverpool.

[Charnwood]

For me it was the clean sheet that was most encouraging.

[Cabanas Blue]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SUwHs7a2Rc

Today's game look at the comments they like Big Elk

[marko69]

Nice goal by Morsy.

[ITFC2024]

I really like this interview with Chaplin. Sounds like the squad is grounded and ready for a new challenge. The bond seems obvious by his comments:

https://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-new ... -the-boxes

[Bluemike]

Finally got to watch the game in full today and I thought considering it was the first run out we looked pretty good, no real signs of rustiness and for me worthy winners over the 90 minutes.

I thought in the first half players to catch the eye were Morsy, Woolfenden and Harness, the latter in particular was very pleasing. I also thought Taylor and Johnson were solid and looked decent. I have to say the one who stood out for the wrong reasons was Leif Davis, call me crazy but I am a tad concerned about his defensive capabilities in the Premier League, this may have only been a friendly but again they were quite clear to see at times.

The second half was good, I was well impressed with George Edmundson who looked very solid at the back, more than Greaves in truth although early days. Delap didn't get an awful lot of the ball but did look strong on a couple of occasions. Even some of the younger players did ok when they were introduced, the number 34 in particular looked a handful.

Only a pre season run out but positive signs for sure, still a fair few players to add to those on show too not to mention any new additions. Bring on Fortuna Dusseldorf Saturday.

[Mauswara]

If anyone's interested there is a highlights package, 6m42s, Ukrainian commentary.
https://youtu.be/Xt0mbd1qX1U

[Charnwood]

If anyone's interested there is a highlights package, 6m42s, Ukrainian commentary.
https://youtu.be/Xt0mbd1qX1U

Thanks

[Bluemike]

So who's going to the Fortuna Dusseldorf game Saturday?

[hallamblue]

Moi….. as long as you give me the ticket lol