Premier League - Ipswich Town vs Crystal Palace Preview & Matchday Thread

[Bluemike]

Oh and another masterclass for their goal from Muric, why come out?

To narrow the angle, i'm struggling to see where Muric gets blame for the goal. Superb finish and quality goal. Ipswich problems tonight are elsewhere and they are big !

I'm not blaming him directly for the goal but against Brentford and Man Utd he stayed rooted to his line as they scored ridiculous goals that he could have prevented, then last night he almost certainly would have been better standing his ground but he decided on the opposite, its poor decision making for me, last nights defeat was not down to Muric, plenty of other problems as you say and one of them whether people like it or not is McKenna.

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

I was thinking if Delaps not fit,we could have Burns leading the attack

he may as well have done, for all the good he was as a winger last night

[Mariner67]

We were missing Tuanzebe & Szmodics, Szods must of been unwell or just not 100% fit otherwise he would of played,thought Ali was okay,stupid fans booing him,bloody pathetic.Must get a win against Bournemouth now.

[Mariner67]

I was thinking if Delaps not fit,we could have Burns leading the attack

he may as well have done, for all the good he was as a winger last night

Yea I know how you feel about Burns,pathetic display last night ,only a few turned up & gave their all,if we win against Bournemouth it will be forgiven.

[hallamblue]

Oh and another masterclass for their goal from Muric, why come out?

To narrow the angle, i'm struggling to see where Muric gets blame for the goal. Superb finish and quality goal. Ipswich problems tonight are elsewhere and they are big !

I'm not blaming him directly for the goal but against Brentford and Man Utd he stayed rooted to his line as they scored ridiculous goals that he could have prevented, then last night he almost certainly would have been better standing his ground but he decided on the opposite, its poor decision making for me, last nights defeat was not down to Muric, plenty of other problems as you say and one of them whether people like it or not is McKenna.

Too many players simply not good enough (J Clark, H Clarke, Burns, Al- Hamadi).. but McKenna needs to own that defeat. Totally wrong team selection and subs again, and playing players out of position. Szmodics will want a transfer at this rate!

Greaves was well off the pace, he's been out that long,and Mckenna drops a very assured and in form Burgess to make room for Greaves.

Once again we fail to show for a game against a team in our " mini league". I'm almost certain now, we will get relegated. We got promoted far too soon so it's no surprise really is it. PL sucks anyway in my opinion so frankly I couldn't care less that we'll get relegated.

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

Well, for the first time in ages I've come away from a game absolutely fuming.
Where was the passion? Where was the urgency?
Most of the time our players walk with ball and try to get rid of it as quickly as possible, usually backwards. Why they do that I have no idea, maybe they want a bit of time for a private game of pocket billiards.

But most of my anger is at KM - his selection for the starting line-up absolutely beggars belief, also the timings of the substitutions and the fact that he didn't change the system during the game even though it was obvious we were being overwhelmed in midfield.

At the start of the season I was optimistic about our chances of avoiding relegation, but even at this stage of the season I'm resigned to that happening.

Doesn't matter what reinforcements we may get in January - KM is floundering at this level and if he doesn't soon start earning his money then we have no chance.

[Bluemike]

To narrow the angle, i'm struggling to see where Muric gets blame for the goal. Superb finish and quality goal. Ipswich problems tonight are elsewhere and they are big !

I'm not blaming him directly for the goal but against Brentford and Man Utd he stayed rooted to his line as they scored ridiculous goals that he could have prevented, then last night he almost certainly would have been better standing his ground but he decided on the opposite, its poor decision making for me, last nights defeat was not down to Muric, plenty of other problems as you say and one of them whether people like it or not is McKenna.

Too many players simply not good enough (J Clark, H Clarke, Burns, Al- Hamadi).. but McKenna needs to own that defeat. Totally wrong team selection and subs again, and playing players out of position. Szmodics will want a transfer at this rate!

Greaves was well off the pace, he's been out that long,and Mckenna drops a very assured and in form Burgess to make room for Greaves.

Once again we fail to show for a game against a team in our " mini league". I'm almost certain now, we will get relegated. We got promoted far too soon so it's no surprise really is it. PL sucks anyway in my opinion so frankly I couldn't care less that we'll get relegated.

Hallam, I can only assume that Burgess was injured or unwell as he wasn't even on the bench, I think A not totally fit Greaves was forced to play earlier than expected, if however Burgess was fit it's pretty poor management to have no cover on the bench should Greaves break down again.

[Bluemike]

Well, for the first time in ages I've come away from a game absolutely fuming.
Where was the passion? Where was the urgency?
Most of the time our players walk with ball and try to get rid of it as quickly as possible, usually backwards. Why they do that I have no idea, maybe they want a bit of time for a private game of pocket billiards.

But most of my anger is at KM - his selection for the starting line-up absolutely beggars belief, also the timings of the substitutions and the fact that he didn't change the system during the game even though it was obvious we were being overwhelmed in midfield.

At the start of the season I was optimistic about our chances of avoiding relegation, but even at this stage of the season I'm resigned to that happening.

Doesn't matter what reinforcements we may get in January - KM is floundering at this level and if he doesn't soon start earning his money then we have no chance.

I have to say I agree, the team didn't look fired up for a crucial game, that's not acceptable really.

I also think, and have done for a little while now that KM is floundering at this level, maybe he's found his level ? Yes he is learning too but all I know is failure to beat either Wolves or Bournemouth and then with Newcastle, Arsenal and Chelsea to follow would see us with one win from Nineteen games, half a season, in most people's world that's sackable.

[hallamblue]

I'm not blaming him directly for the goal but against Brentford and Man Utd he stayed rooted to his line as they scored ridiculous goals that he could have prevented, then last night he almost certainly would have been better standing his ground but he decided on the opposite, its poor decision making for me, last nights defeat was not down to Muric, plenty of other problems as you say and one of them whether people like it or not is McKenna.

Too many players simply not good enough (J Clark, H Clarke, Burns, Al- Hamadi).. but McKenna needs to own that defeat. Totally wrong team selection and subs again, and playing players out of position. Szmodics will want a transfer at this rate!

Greaves was well off the pace, he's been out that long,and Mckenna drops a very assured and in form Burgess to make room for Greaves.

Once again we fail to show for a game against a team in our " mini league". I'm almost certain now, we will get relegated. We got promoted far too soon so it's no surprise really is it. PL sucks anyway in my opinion so frankly I couldn't care less that we'll get relegated.

Hallam, I can only assume that Burgess was injured or unwell as he wasn't even on the bench, I think A not totally fit Greaves was forced to play earlier than expected, if however Burgess was fit it's pretty poor management to have no cover on the bench should Greaves break down again.

I don't think McKenna likes having CB's on the bench. He prefers attackers

[Ricco]

I don't think McKenna likes having CB's on the bench. He prefers attackers

Which would normally be fine, but... 1) Greaves has just returned, so was more likely to struggle or pick up and injury and 2) Tuanzebe wasn't at right back, he would be the natural switch to CB if there was an issue. What would we have done last night? Clarke at CB, Johnson at RB?? Seems a risk when you can name 9 subs and we've already suggested Szmodics wasn't even fully fit. So maybe Burgess was injured and the relationship with Woolfenden is so broken down that he's not an option either?

I don't know, it doesn't feel great, Tuanzebe is also a huge hit because it reduces our ability to go 3 at the back and make our wing backs more attacking. Leif could do with that freedom, his left leg is simply a wand, and when we're struggling to create chances, we need to use it as much as possible. 3 at the back created our only 3pts this year...

[hallamblue]

Agree, it isn't feeling right. I dont think all is rosey behind the scenes, actually. Plus, we have far too many serious, long-term injuries to key players, as well as a squad that by and large simply isn't up to PL level. This is hardly surprising given our rapid assent up the divisions. So, relegation and an ongoing phased rebuild are looking more and more likely to me now.

[mendipblue]

Well, for the first time in ages I've come away from a game absolutely fuming.
Where was the passion? Where was the urgency?
Most of the time our players walk with ball and try to get rid of it as quickly as possible, usually backwards. Why they do that I have no idea, maybe they want a bit of time for a private game of pocket billiards.

But most of my anger is at KM - his selection for the starting line-up absolutely beggars belief, also the timings of the substitutions and the fact that he didn't change the system during the game even though it was obvious we were being overwhelmed in midfield.

At the start of the season I was optimistic about our chances of avoiding relegation, but even at this stage of the season I'm resigned to that happening.

Doesn't matter what reinforcements we may get in January - KM is floundering at this level and if he doesn't soon start earning his money then we have no chance.

I have to say I agree, the team didn't look fired up for a crucial game, that's not acceptable really.

I also think, and have done for a little while now that KM is floundering at this level, maybe he's found his level ? Yes he is learning too but all I know is failure to beat either Wolves or Bournemouth and then with Newcastle, Arsenal and Chelsea to follow would see us with one win from Nineteen games, half a season, in most people's world that's sackable.

He won't be sacked even if/when we are relegated, which I agree with. He has enough credit in the bank with Ashton and the owners, and would be the man to get us promoted again.

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

He won't be sacked even if/when we are relegated, which I agree with. He has enough credit in the bank with Ashton and the owners, and would be the man to get us promoted again.

Nobody is saying he should be sacked - merely that in a lot of cases a manager with a poor run of results in the PL would be sacked.

There's no denying, though, that he's floundering and needs help. I suggested a couple of months ago that he would benefit from a mentor and I stand by that - that would be much better than sacking him.

Is he the man to get us promotion from the Championship? Yes.
Is he the man to keep us in the PL? At the moment, No.

Oh, and there's no point in getting relegated if it take us 20+ years to get back again like last time.

[Bluemike]

I guarantee you that if we are relegated McKenna will 1000% be gone, he simply won't stay so I feel as a club we have to do what's right for us, IF this poor run goes into 19+'games which it quite easily could do.

[hallamblue]

Two things really.

1) I doubt McKenna would ever accept help from another more experienced coach/ manager because he would perceive this as being undermined.

2) If he did leave us, his back room staff would also leave. A huge upheaval behind the scenes, and that's where most of the experience is in mh view.

The January window could be a saviour but it would mean a fair few " established" promotion winning players from the squad moving on to allow better players to come in ( assuming they would want to join us).

[arana peligrosa]

Viewed highlights although it didn't really present an awful lot. Whatever they bother to show it seemed the opposition were value for victory but how did we not score at the very end to take something from it. It's not only our set in stone formation we deploy every game that causes irritation but with it there always seems to be players on the bench from the get-go that could be utilized to greater effect from the start. Smodzics got to play from 0 minutes in recent games yet was reduced to a sub appearance last night once again. A player like that, all the hype and trouble of bringing him in and unless he's carrying an injury or not match fit - needs to be involved as often as we can provide it.

We shouldn't be losing to opposition teams such as this with a home opportunity however it seems we're sometimes at a disadvantage before anyone even takes to the field and morale seems low or evidently effected. Hell we're almost at end of year and still no victory seen at Portman Road, and what's more if you take a moment to focus on some of the caliber of opposition we've lined up to, three points ideally should have arrived by now.

Always reiterate it's tough to knock McKenna for all that he's done for us but EPL level seems to be beyond his required depth and something of a fish out of water after rising through the Championship and League One pyramid. It's going to be tough now to retain top league status with a half-season passed or thereabout. Just not enough wins are forthcoming, not only that the team doesn't always play as effectively as it can and we're being picked off by opposition club names many would ideally expect to take a result from. Spurs and MUFC scores were encouraging but it's going to take a whole lot more than that to make anything of the season.

[valleyroad]

I guarantee you that if we are relegated McKenna will 1000% be gone, he simply won't stay so I feel as a club we have to do what's right for us, IF this poor run goes into 19+'games which it quite easily could do.

So who would you be looking at to take over if McKenna is binned.
An experienced coach who knows the league inside out like David Moyes ??
Or a younger manager in the same ilk as McKenna.

Would be interesting to see how the owners react when put to the test. Didn't hang about with previous manager and plenty of untouchable managers have been binned before at other clubs.

[Bluemike]

Ideally VR I want us to get 2 or 3 wins pretty damn soon so all this talk stops, trust me I hate it, but winless can't go on forever and never do, it's ok us all saying we came up too soon etc which we probably did but once you're up you sure as hell do everything in your power to stay there and that at some point has to include a failing manager.

In answer to your question, at present I think that is exactly what we need, a proven Premier League manager who knows how to win top flight games, Moyes being one, Potter & Cooper Two others, there could be better out there somewhere.

[AzzurroMark]

Maybe I'm just too relaxed about this I don't know? Following ITFC was once my No.1 interest (by following, I mean getting to 5-8 games per season & keeping up to date via available media channels), but it was replaced by a new hobby on a Tuesday nights in particular. Therefore, last night I was distanced from the whole match, only checking the score a couple of times. I had a feeling we would fail to win, as it seems we are more like a "cup side" who seem to raise our game for the more prestigious fixtures (sadly, those games we don't always have the quality/luck to achieve greater results, Spurs apart).
I have only seen the Leicester game at PR and felt we were desperately unlucky not to take 3 points from that. Sadly 2 results against savy, physical sides, who still have far more quality than we can hope for at this juncture, have painted a rather depressing picture!
Key fitness issues are costing us at the moment and finding that balance between scoring more but defending better is obviously a hard thing to achieve right now. Taking the results and manner of the goals aside, 5 goals conceded in 5 games played sounds quite reasonable to me! Compare that to 13 conceded in the previous 5 and that is definitely a huge defensive improvement. Now look at goals scored in those corresponding fixtures 4 tò 7, you see the picture here? I still believe failing to land another striker pre-season is what is costing us big time. We have very little suitable alternatives up front. What little I saw of Al-Hamadi against Man U shows me he is not up to scratch. That is not having a go at him BTW, because I think given a second season in the Championship he'd have likely to have improved. So like the club he now plays for, Promotion came a bit too soon.
This season should be accepted for what it is, one where we are miles behind any other team, The Foxes and Saints included! KM maybe struggling, but I doubt there are many managers out there who could do much better. Of course, many of you see miles more of ITFC than I do, and spend fortunes in that pursuit, I'm not saying you shouldn't criticise the manager, players, injuries, formations or whatever. I am just putting down my viewpoint. Having also watched the televised games against Villa & Man U I can only say I have been entertained by every full game I have seen. For the faults that the Premier League has, it has given a new generation a chance to watch some of the finest players in the world, as well as older supporters a chance to perhaps see us play at a level they thought they my never see.

All I say is. Enjoy it. Don't get too high from the rare good results, likewise, step back from the poorer results (& there'll no doubt be many of those over the course of the season, sadly) and look at the bigger picture. We are lucky to support such a fantastic team, lead by a potentially great future manager.

[hallamblue]

I guarantee you that if we are relegated McKenna will 1000% be gone, he simply won't stay so I feel as a club we have to do what's right for us, IF this poor run goes into 19+'games which it quite easily could do.

So who would you be looking at to take over if McKenna is binned.
An experienced coach who knows the league inside out like David Moyes ??
Or a younger manager in the same ilk as McKenna.

Would be interesting to see how the owners react when put to the test. Didn't hang about with previous manager and plenty of untouchable managers have been binned before at other clubs.

Id like the Brentford manager .

[mugen1]

Still don't understand why the keeper keeps hold of the ball for so long. It gives the opposition time to regroup when instead he should be setting us off on a rapid counterattack. But no, stand in the box with ball at feet counting daisies

[Blue Wilf]

I guarantee you that if we are relegated McKenna will 1000% be gone, he simply won't stay so I feel as a club we have to do what's right for us, IF this poor run goes into 19+'games which it quite easily could do.

Couldn't agree more - it is about ITFC, not McKenna. He was nearly gone long before we got to where we currently stand. He will make his money and het his big move regardless and good luck to him but in the same way he was going to show us 100% loyalty, for me it works both ways...

[Blue Wilf]

*NOT going to show us 100% loyalty...

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

1) I doubt McKenna would ever accept help from another more experienced coach/ manager because he would perceive this as being undermined.

If that's the case, Liz, then he's thinking far more about Kieron McKenna than of ITFC.

And it's not his decision anyway.
If I was CEO I'd say to him - "Look Kieron, we're grateful for where you have taken us, but we can see you're struggling at this level so we're bringing in <name> to mentor you for 6 months. If you don't like it, close the door on your way out".

[Blue Wilf]

Oh - I just had a look at fixtures up until Southampton at PR on 1 Feb... after b'mth and wolves, it is newcastle, arsenal, chelsea, fulham, brighton and man city... I for one have lost any faith in 'the process', it is a failure and now it is all about desperate survival, regardless of the gloss KM will put on games by saying they are not 'must win'. They bloody well are as of now if everyones dreams of a second season in this division have any hope of coming to fruition.

[Blue Wilf]

Oh sorry - I forgot another nice easy one for the 'process' to deal with... Liverpool away...

[hallamblue]

Still don't understand why the keeper keeps hold of the ball for so long. It gives the opposition time to regroup when instead he should be setting us off on a rapid counterattack. But no, stand in the box with ball at feet counting daisies

Because the McKenna way is yo " build from the back". Which is why we constantly played it back to him having lost the chance to get the ball up to Delap quickly. The moment having passed us by. The tactic is flawed now because all opponents KNOW this is our approach

[Charnwood]

To be honest I don’t think McKenna’s the problem, the problem we have is the fact that the majority of our players simply aren’t up to Premier League standard and the reason for that is the EPL financial fair play rules. This is also the reason why most clubs promoted from the Championship fail at their first attempt and find themselves relegated. Last season all three promoted clubs found themselves relegated and it looks almost certain that at least two of three will be relegated this season, with the only exception being Leicester City who have the benefit of having at least some Premier League experienced players in their camp. To think of sacking the man we all thought was a Magician for taking us from League One to the EPL is outrageous and to think our Board would pay £20m to sack one of the recognised best young managers in the country is bizarre.
Strangely the call for getting rid seems to be coming from guys who hate the Premier League and everything it stands for. FFS guys let’s hang onto one of the best young coaches in the business and see where it takes us just as we did when large numbers wanted Bobby Robson sacked in his early days in charge. Maybe we will get relegated, maybe we’ll become a “yo yo” club for a few years, with each time our available money to spend increasing. Maybe we spend more in January and bust the bank thinking we can handle a points deduction next season just as Forest did. I don’t know what the answer is but I certainly wouldn’t be sacking McKenna anytime soon and I don’t think our Board will either as finding a better replacement would be almost impossible.

[Blue Wilf]

To be honest I don’t think McKenna’s the problem, the problem we have is the fact that the majority of our players simply aren’t up to Premier League standard and the reason for that is the EPL financial fair play rules. This is also the reason why most clubs promoted from the Championship fail at their first attempt and find themselves relegated. Last season all three promoted clubs found themselves relegated and it looks almost certain that at least two of three will be relegated this season, with the only exception being Leicester City who have the benefit of having at least some Premier League experienced players in their camp. To think of sacking the man we all thought was a Magician for taking us from League One to the EPL is outrageous and to think our Board would pay £20m to sack one of the recognised best young managers in the country is bizarre.
Strangely the call for getting rid seems to be coming from guys who hate the Premier League and everything it stands for. FFS guys let’s hang onto one of the best young coaches in the business and see where it takes us just as we did when large numbers wanted Bobby Robson sacked in his early days in charge. Maybe we will get relegated, maybe we’ll become a “yo yo” club for a few years, with each time our available money to spend increasing. Maybe we spend more in January and bust the bank thinking we can handle a points deduction next season just as Forest did. I don’t know what the answer is but I certainly wouldn’t be sacking McKenna anytime soon and I don’t think our Board will either as finding a better replacement would be almost impossible.

I have never once said we should sack him, Andy. I have just said he is not the messiah that many think he is. He is fallible (as we all are), he is not 100% committed to us (as he has already proven - whereas, as fans we all are) and his tactical ability is questionable. Not saying I know who is better either!

[marko69]

WTF is all this 100% committed stuff? What is that all about? Has a partner sometime in your life in the past cheated on you or something? WTF? The guy has got enough on his plate trying to negotiate the teams survival and there are people going on about loyalty! Unreal. And I really don't think it was everyone’s dreams to get second season in the EPL, certainly not mine. Getting there 24 months after Cheltenham WAS the dream.
YES, it’d be great to maintain the level but its a mighty tough League and i have got to assume that many many MANY fans thought and think survival would be a borderline miracle.

I’m with Charnwood on this. The team would challenge again at the top half of the Champ but the step up, (or leap up) is too big for THAT team. Ipswich to the EPL are like Ayr United to the SPL. Big January window coming up.

Off to scour the internet to find out why Al-Ham got the nod over Smods. And if it was due to Smods being ill or carrying a knock, then its an even BIGGER Jan window (french patio doors) … Because that’d suggest the personnel ain’t even there.
Got to hope Mash & KMcK are already looking at targets.
Plenty of football left in this seasons EPL.