Ipswich Town v Sheffield Wednesday
Tuesday 10th February 2015 - 7:45pm
Portman Road
Opening Thought - Jamma
When does a ‘blip’ become something a bit more alarming? Although we endured a slow start to 2015, narrowly going down to Derby and just coming up short against Southampton in the FA Cup, there was the sense that it was no more than a minor setback to our promotion-winning aspirations. But after picking up just 4 points from a possible 12 against sides at the wrong end of the table, and failing to score in the last two games, there is cause for a little more concern. Having suffered a sole defeat in 21 matches between the end of August and the New Year, the Blues have now lost 3 of their last 5 in the league, doubling our tally of home and away defeats for the season. However you look at it, our recent form guide does not make for pleasant reading.
It was not a good Saturday all round for Town, with all the other teams in the top 6 – and Norwich – winning to extend the gap to the top of the table to 6 points and bring the Canaries to within just 4 points of us. But, as we all know, statistics can always be presented in one of two ways. I’m sure that every single one of us would have taken being within a couple of wins of top spot and more than 3 points above our arch rivals at this stage of the campaign. We may have missed a golden opportunity to consolidate our position in the automatic promotion places but, ironically, this could end up working in our favour. We have arguably enjoyed the most success this season when we have gone ‘under the radar’. The draw at Derby back in August is widely regarded as a major turning point, and came hot on the heels of a four-game winless run that included the limp defeat to Norwich. Our best sequence of results, comprising a 12-match unbeaten run through November and December, followed a month in which we had thrown away 6 points in the dying stages against Nottingham Forest, Blackburn and Huddersfield. The long-term effects of our disappointing January will only become clear as the season nears its conclusion. But if Ipswich Town are going to remain in contention over the final three months, they will need to draw upon their famed close-knit spirit, starting with the visit of Sheffield Wednesday.
The Opposition – Sheffield Wednesday
The club was a cricket club when it formed in 1820 as The Wednesday Cricket Club, Lancashire (named after the day of the week when they played their matches). A meeting on the evening of Wednesday 4 September 1867 at the Adelphi Hotel established a footballing side to keep the team together and fit during the winter months.
On 1 February 1868, Wednesday played their first competitive football match as they entered the Cromwell Cup.
Charles Clegg joined Wednesday in 1867, starting a relationship that would last the rest of his life and eventually lead to his becoming the club's chairman. He also became president and chairman of the Football Association and known as the "Napoleon of Football". In 1876, they acquired Scot James Lang. Although he was not employed by the club, he was given a job by a member of the Sheffield Wednesday board that had no formal duties. He is now acknowledged as the first professional football player in England.
The football club turned professional in 1887 after pressure from players threatening to defect to other clubs. The move to professionalism took the club from Bramall Lane, which had taken a share of the ticket revenue, to the new Olive Grove.
In 1889, the club became founder members of the Football Alliance. Despite finishing the following season bottom of the Alliance, they were eventually elected to the expanded Football League in 1892.
Due to an expansion of the local railway lines, the club was told that they would have to find a new ground for the 1899–1900 season. After a difficult search, the club finally bought some land in the village of Owlerton, which at the time was several miles outside the Sheffield city boundaries. Construction of a new stadium (now known as Hillsborough Stadium) was completed within months.
In the summer of 1912, a Wednesday player, George Robertson, presented the club with an owl mascot. A monkey mascot introduced some years earlier had not brought much luck.
The club was almost relegated in the 1927–28 season, but they pulled off a great escape, rising from bottom to 14th. Wednesday went on to win the League title the following season (1928–29), which started a run that saw the team finishing lower than third only once until 1936. The period was topped off with the team winning the FA Cup for the third time in the club's history in 1935.
The 1950s saw Wednesday unable to consistently hold on to a position in the top flight and this period became known as the yo-yo years. After being promoted back up in 1950, they were relegated three times, although each time they bounced back up by winning the Second Division the following season
This led to a decade of successfully remaining in the First Division, which included a run to the FA Cup Final in 1966.
Off the field, the club was embroiled in the British betting scandal of 1964, in which three of their players were accused of match fixing and betting against their own team in an away game at Ipswich Town. The three were subsequently convicted and, on release from prison, banned from football for life.
Wednesday were relegated at the end of the 1969–70 season, starting the darkest period in the club's history. After going into free-fall, they dropped to the Third Division for the first time in their history and were marooned there for five seasons. The club was almost relegated to the Fourth Division in 1976, but a revival under the management of Jack Charlton, and the aid of coach Tony Toms and, after Charlton resigned in 1983, Howard Wilkinson, saw them return to the First Division in 1984.
Sheffield Wednesday spent the majority of the 1980s and 1990s in the top tier of English football.
On 15 April 1989, the club's stadium was the scene of one of the worst sporting tragedies ever, at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, at which 96 Liverpool fans were fatally crushed in the Leppings Lane end of the stadium. The tragedy resulted in many changes taking places at Hillsborough and all other leading stadiums in England.
The 1990–91 season was the only one out of sixteen in a row that Wednesday spent in a lower division, but the season is best remembered by fans for Wednesday's swift return to the top flight and their League Cup victory over Manchester United to win their first major trophy for over 50 years. This League Cup triumph was the last domestic cup to be won by a club competing outside the top level of English football.
Wednesday's fortunes took a turn for the worse when a succession of managers failed to maintain this form, and new managers spent small fortunes building squads that were ultimately ineffective, which saw the club's debts go out of control and Wednesday relegated down to League 1.
After narrowly avoiding yet another relegation in 2003–04 and a poor start to the 2004–05 Football League One campaign, Paul Sturrock took over the Manager’s role and they were promoted back to the ‘Championship’ via the playoffs. Sturrock was sacked after a poor start to the 2006–07 season and replaced by Brian Laws.
The 2007–08 season began with Wednesday's worst ever start to a season, losing six league games in a row and only avoiding relegation with a win on the last day of the season. Halfway through Sheffield Wednesday's 2009–10 season, Brian Laws was sacked, and was replaced by Alan Irvine. On the last day of the season, needing a win to stay up, Wednesday drew 2–2 with Crystal Palace and were relegated to League One.
Between July and November 2010, Sheffield Wednesday faced a series of winding up orders for unpaid tax and VAT bills. On 29 November 2010, Milan Mandarić agreed to purchase the club. The purchase was completed after an Extraordinary General Meeting of Sheffield Wednesday's shareholders on 14 December 2010, during which 99.7% of shareholders voted to sell the company to Milan Mandarić's UK Football Investments for £1 while settling the club’s outstanding debts.
Gary Megson replaced Irvine as the club's manager in February 2011 and The Owls went on to finish 15th in League One. The following season, the Owls pushed on for promotion out of League One. But, after falling behind Charlton and Sheffield United at the top of the table, Megson was sacked and replaced by Dave Jones. Jones went on to guide the Owls to promotion to the Championship on the final day in a 2–0 home victory over Wycombe.
Following this season, the Owls struggled in the Championship. However, with a better run of form after Christmas, the club secured Championship safety on the final day of the season, beating Middlesbrough 2–0 on the last day of the season.
Last season, the Owls finished in 16th place with 53 points, finishing the season under Stuart Gray’s management following Jones’ departure.
One To Watch – Kieran Lee
The Owls’ squad has undergone plenty of changes since their return to the second tier in 2012, with a number of new names coming in to help them maintain their Championship status. One player who falls into this category, and who has had a big impact, is defender-turned midfielder Kieran Lee.
The former Manchester United youth player, who featured for the Red Devils in the Premier League and the League Cup, made his Football League bow with Oldham. In four seasons at Boundary Park, Lee made 130 appearances and became a popular figure with the Latics’ supporters. He joined Sheffield Wednesday ahead of the 2012/13 campaign, as one of their first signings after winning promotion. The 26-year-old, who is a right-back by trade but has also been deployed in midfield, has looked at home in the Championship with some commanding displays. He has enjoyed success on a personal level, sweeping the board at the Player of the Season awards in his first two seasons at the club.
The Gaffer – Stuart Gray
Born in Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, Gray began his professional career with Nottingham Forest. He joined Barnsley in 1984 and then moved to Aston Villa in 1987.
Gray joined Southampton in September 1991 for a fee of £200,000 but a serious Achilles tendon injury sustained in an FA cup match ended his playing career.
After his playing career was finished, Gray joined the coaching staff at Southampton before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers in June 1994 as reserve team coach. His family were unable to settle in the West Midlands at this time so he returned to Southampton, becoming reserve team coach under Dave Jones in July 1997, moving up to first team coach in November 1998, a role he retained after the appointment of Glenn Hoddle as manager in January 2000.
When Hoddle was lured away to Tottenham Hotspur in March 2001, Gray initially took over as caretaker manager, before taking on the role permanently in June, as Southampton moved to their new St Mary's Stadium. Early results were poor and chairman Rupert Lowe panicked about the effect of the club's investment in the new stadium and Gray was sacked after little more than 3 months in charge.
He has since coached successfully at a number of football clubs. These include Aston Villa, where he and John Deehan acted as joint caretaker managers after the departure of John Gregory.
Stuart Gray moved briefly to Crystal Palace to assist caretaker manager Kit Symons. He then joined Dave Jones at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the capacity of assistant manager. The two had previously worked together at Southampton. After the dismissal of Jones from Wolverhampton, Gray remained as assistant manager to Glenn Hoddle, once more acting as caretaker manager after Hoddle's departure. He had served as a caretaker for a month between the departure of Jones and arrival of Hoddle.
On 2 January 2007, Gray was appointed as the manager of Northampton Town after accepting a 2-and-a-half year contract. Gray was sacked as Northampton Town Manager on 8 September 2009, following relegation from League 1 in the 2008–09 season.
On 19 January 2010, Gray became the first team coach for Burnley. On 30 December, he was appointed caretaker manager following the departure of Brian Laws. Gray left Burnley on 13 May 2011 as part of a restructuring.
Gray became first-team coach at Portsmouth but was made redundant in April 2012 as part of cost cutting due to their financial difficulties.
In December 2012, Gray was hired by his former Southampton colleague Dave Jones, as a member of the coaching staff at Sheffield Wednesday.
Following the departure of Dave Jones, Stuart Gray was appointed as head coach of Sheffield Wednesday on 25 January 2014.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Trev's Trivia
Players to play for both clubs
Alan Quinn ITFC 2008-2011 SWFC 1997-2004
Connor Wickham ITFC 2009–2011 SWFC 2013–2014 loan
Chris Bart-Williams ITFC 2003–2004 SWFC 1991–1995
Shefki Kuqi ITFC 2003–2005 and 2008 loan SWFC 2002–2003
Media Watch - K L Blue
Another interesting article from the ‘Sudbury Mercury’
Expensive flop Paul Taylor could end up costing Ipswich Town almost £3,000 per minute of competitive action.
The 27-year-old striker has been told to stay away from the Playford Road training ground for the remaining six months of his deal at the club, manager Mick McCarthy having issued a terse response when asked about the player following the expiration of his recent loan spell at Championship rivals Rotherham.
McCarthy’s predecessor, Paul Jewell, signed Taylor for a fee of £1.5m from Peterborough on August transfer deadline day of 2012. And it’s understood he is on wages of around £10,500-a-week, meaning his three-year contract will have cost another £1.5m.
So, with his nine starts and 16 substitute appearances for the club totalling around 1,010 minutes on the pitch, the Liverpudlian – whose sole goal for the club came in the 3-2 win at Blackpool in November 2013 – will have cost Ipswich roughly £2,970-per-minute of playing time.
“He’s not back here – and he’s not coming back,” said the Blues boss, when asked about Taylor, a player who spent 10 months sidelined with a foot injury soon after his arrival at Portman Road and who has been on the fringes ever since a return to fitness.
Has there been any interest in the forward? “I don’t know.” So his future is in the hands of his agent? “Yeah. It’s not something I’m dealing with because he’s not coming back. Full stop.”
So, he won’t train with the club again? “Correct. I thought full stop covered it.” And will he remain contracted with the club until the summer? “I believe so, yeah. Do you know what? I’m not that interested. Sorry. He’s not coming back though, full stop. And you can put that full stop in.”
McCarthy has spent a little under £250k on transfer fees since taking over as Blues boss in November 2012, Anthony Wordsworth and recent recruit Freddie Sears costing £100,000 apiece from Essex neighbours Colchester United. He has also slashed the wage bill.
Yesterday’s transfer deadline passed without any ins or outs at Portman Road; no offers coming in for key players following a hands-off warning and McCarthy keeping faith with his close-knit 22-man first-team squad.
The Blues boss, whose fourth-place side have produced some flat performances at the start of 2015, may well yet utilise the ‘emergency’ loan window when that opens next week.
Stat Time
Head to Head
Ipswich Town Wins.......................15.....34.88%
Sheffield Wed Wins......................17.....39.53%
Draws......................................11......25.58%
Ipswich Town Goals......................51.....1.19 Ave Per Game
Sheffield Wed Goals.....................63.....1.47 Ave per Game
Head to Head at Ipswich
Ipswich Town Wins........................9......42.86%
Sheffield Wed Wins.......................9......42.86%
Draws.......................................3.......14.29%
Ipswich Town Goals......................25....1.19 Ave Per Game
Sheffield Wed Goals.....................30....1.43 Ave Per Game
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
33 Bialkowski
02 Parr
04 Chambers
06 Berra
03 Mings
12 S Hunt
08 Skuse
27 Bishop
18 Tabb
09 Murphy
20 Sears
Sheffield Wednesday
01 Westwood
36 Vermijl
15 Lees
35 Dielna
03 Mattock
10 Maguire
20 Lee
04 Hutchinson
17 Helan
07 May
48 Keane
Match Referee – Stuart Attwell
Final Thought - Frosty
Ok, I think we have allowed the other teams a chance to catch up with us now so it’s time to kick on and regain our rightful place at the top of the league.
In fairness all teams go through ‘flat’ periods across a long season, one just has to determine whether it’s one of these times or whether the squad has fundamentally changed, be that through personnel changes, injuries or suddenly being ‘worked out’ by the opposition.
I am still a believer that MM is a ‘canny’ Manager, if anyone can turn around fortunes he can, also the squad just needs to believe in themselves again which shouldn’t be hard to do if they reflect back on their performances prior Christmas.
I am never a great believer in the ‘Loan Market’ unless it’s for injury cover, too often you see (and yes there are some exceptions) a player comes in, looks great for a couple of matches and then just revert to journeyman status. I have always felt that if they have been made available for loan from a team from within the same division then there is probably a bloody good reason why they aren’t playing regular football for their contracted side.
Turning our attention to the 10th placed ‘Owls’, this is a hard fixture to call, Sheffield Wednesday are all over the shop this season, draws against Cardiff and Birmingham, losses to Reading and Bolton and then one out of the bag with a 2-0 away win at Forest rounds out their past 5 fixtures. For some reason Wednesdays are one of those sides that we seem to struggle against a bit and if you look at the above stats they match us 9 wins each when it comes to playing at Portman Road.
Looking at our top 6 rivals, a couple of interesting fixtures will be played out Tuesday night, the biggie is Bournemouth hosting Derby which may well determine who takes the lead in the Championship, another one that has a big bearing on the table is the ‘clash of the insects’ as the Hornets pay a visit to the Bee’s. In other relevant fixtures, Blackpool has Middlesbrough coming to town and the Budgies play Charlton away.
My head probably goes with a draw for this fixture, but my heart is picking a scrappy and unconvincing 1-0 win which is all we need to get back with the programme.
Have a great night if you are heading along to the ground on Tuesday, according to the forecast you are looking at a balmy 3 degrees so maybe choose something other than the Roman Sandals as footwear. COYB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IPSWICH TOWN 1 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0
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Deary me. Maybe they live six miles away......, in Rotherham. I understand their anger. 
Is he injured as well as McGoldrick?
