Ipswich Town v MK Dons 
Saturday 30th April 2016 – 15:00
Portman Road
Opening Thought – Jamma
We weren’t given much of a chance against Middlesbrough, by either the bookies or our supporters, going by the odds of 8/1 on an Ipswich win and the pre-match predictions on here. Confidence had taken a hit following the lethargic display against Fulham, reflected in the fact that 10 out of 10 voters on the preview went for a Boro win. I myself was expecting at least one – and probably both – of Jordan Rhodes and David Nugent to score, so to keep a clean sheet against one of the league’s most fearsome strikeforces was an achievement in itself. After a bright start, the Blues certainly had to soak up a lot of pressure, as a combination of ‘Super Bart’ and some desperate last-ditch blocks from the defence kept Rhodes & co. at arm’s length. Paul Digby drew special praise from his manager, whose faith in him was rewarded with an impressive debut. If the Blue Army had bemoaned a lack of cutting edge against the Cottagers, we were expected to spend more time on the defensive on Teesside. Even Mick McCarthy joked that we would have been highly fortunate to claim an unlikely win (or words to that effect
). But an improved second-half performance – coupled with a little bit of luck in seeing Rhodes’ header find Bialkowski’s gloves via the post – secured a hard-fought point. McCarthy’s reaction at the final whistle said it all, as he made no attempt to hide his delight at an excellent result.Of course, there is the inevitable sense of ‘What might have been’, with Saturday the second time in successive weeks that we had held one of the promotion contenders to a draw away from home. I am 99% certain the majority of Town fans would have been happy with a point from each of our visits to Hillsborough and the Riverside if offered it at the start of the month. As often seems to be the case, our record against the division’s top sides has not been bad, particularly on our travels, having remained unbeaten at Burnley, Brighton and now Middlesbrough, and keeping a clean sheet each time. Our Achilles heel has again been picking up results against the so-called ‘lesser’ teams, as we have dropped points against the likes of Rotherham, Charlton and Fulham which would otherwise have seen us right in contention going into the remaining two games. Bluepeter summed it up perfectly for me in the Boro thread, when he said that he could see us getting turned over by the already relegated MK Dons before beating Derby on the final day! It can’t be denied that 2015/16 has been a frustrating season for all involved with Ipswich Town, but equally the way we have performed against the leading clubs suggests that we aren’t that far away. If we can replicate the attitude and commitment levels that we showed against Boro, surely we will sign off with 3 points at Portman Road…
The Opposition – MK Dons
Milton Keynes was established as a new town in 1967 and it was occasionally suggested that a Football League club might relocate there. Charlton Athletic briefly mooted re-basing in "a progressive Midlands borough" during a planning dispute with their local council in 1973, and the relocation of nearby Luton Town to Milton Keynes was repeatedly suggested from the 1980s onwards. Another team linked with the new town was Wimbledon Football Club.
Wimbledon, established in South London in 1889 and nicknamed "the Dons", were elected to the Football League in 1977. They thereafter went through a "fairytale" rise from obscurity and by the end of the 1980s were established in the top division of English football.
Despite Wimbledon's new prominence, the club's modest home stadium at Plough Lane remained largely unchanged from its non-league days. The club's then owner Ron Noades identified this as a problem as early as 1979, extending his dissatisfaction to the ground's very location. Interested in the stadium site designated by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation, Noades briefly planned to move Wimbledon there by merging with a non-league club in Milton Keynes, and to this end purchased debt-ridden Milton Keynes City. However, he then decided that the club would not get higher crowds in Milton Keynes and abandoned the idea.
In 1991, after the Taylor Report was published recommending the redevelopment of English football grounds, Wimbledon left Plough Lane to ground-share at Crystal Palace's ground, Selhurst Park. Sam Hammam, who now owned Wimbledon, said the club could not afford to redevelop Plough Lane and that the ground-share was a temporary arrangement while a new ground was sourced in South-West London. A new stadium for Wimbledon proved hard to arrange. Frustrated by what he perceived as a lack of support from Merton Council, Hammam began to look further afield and by 1996 was pursuing a move to Dublin, an idea that most Wimbledon fans strongly opposed. Hammam sold the club to two Norwegian businessmen, Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten, in 1997, and a year later sold Plough Lane to Safeway supermarkets. Wimbledon were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 1999–2000 season.
Starting in 2000, a consortium led by music promoter Pete Winkelman proposed a large retail development in Milton Keynes including a Football League-standard stadium. The consortium proposed that an established League club move to use this site; it approached Luton, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace, Barnet and Queens Park Rangers. In 2001, Røkke and Gjelsten appointed a new chairman, Charles Koppel, who was in favour of this idea, saying it was necessary to stop the club going out of business. To the fury of most Wimbledon fans, Koppel announced on 2 August 2001 that the club intended to relocate to Milton Keynes. After the Football League refused permission, Wimbledon launched an appeal, leading to a Football Association arbitration hearing and subsequently the appointment of a three-man independent commission to make a final and binding verdict. The League and FA stated opposition but the commissioners ruled in favour, two to one, on 28 May 2002.
Having campaigned against the move, a group of disaffected Wimbledon fans reacted to this in June 2002 by forming their own non-league club, AFC Wimbledon, to which most of the original team's support defected. The original Wimbledon intended to move to Milton Keynes immediately but were unable to do so until a temporary home in the town meeting Football League criteria could be found. The club remained at Selhurst Park in the meantime and in June 2003 went into administration. With the move threatened and the club facing liquidation, Winkelman decided to buy it himself. He secured funding for the administrators to keep the team operating with the goal of getting it to Milton Keynes as soon as possible. The club arranged the temporary use of the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes and played its first match there in September 2003.
Nine months later, Winkelman's Inter MK Group bought the club out of administration and announced changes to its name, badge and colours—the team was renamed Milton Keynes Dons Football Club.
The first season for the club as MK Dons was the 2004–05 season and they managed to stay in League One on the final day of the season. The following season, MK Dons struggled all year, and were relegated to League Two.
The following season (2006–07) was more successful under new Manager Martin Allen. MK Dons looked more consistent than they had done in either of the previous two seasons. They eventually qualified for the play-offs, being knocked out at the semi-final stage.
For the 2007–08 season, former England captain Paul Ince took over as manager. MK Dons won the Football League Trophy, and capped the trophy win with the League Two championship, and the subsequent promotion to League One for the 2008–09 season.
In the 2008–09 season, MK Dons, under Robert Di Matteo, missed out on an automatic promotion spot by two points, finishing third. They were knocked out of the play-offs by Scunthorpe United.
On 10 May 2010, Karl Robinson was appointed as the club's new manager and, at 29 years of age, Robinson was then the youngest manager in the Football League. In his first season at the club, MK Dons finished 5th in 2010–11 Football League One but were beaten in the play-off semi-finals again.
The 2011–12 season brought similar results to the previous season, with the Dons finishing 5th in 2011–12 Football League One and again not progressing past the play-off semi-finals.
MK Dons experienced their best ever FA Cup campaign in the 2012–13 season, reaching the fifth round of the competition for the first time ever in their footballing history.
Following a disappointing end to the 2013-14 Football League One season (finishing 10th, after being in the top five for much of the season), Karl Robinson made some shrewd summer signings to take the football club forward in 2014–15.
The 2014–15 season began well. The highlight of the season's first month was being drawn against Manchester United in the League Cup second round (having dispatched A.F.C Wimbledon in the first). The Dons recorded a stunning 4–0 victory over United in front of a sell-out crowd at stadium:mk. On 3 May, the club secured promotion to the Football League Championship for the first time, beating Yeovil Town 5–1 and leapfrogging Preston North End on the final day of the season.
One To Watch – George Baldock
After focusing on Boro’s attacking strength last time out, I am turning my attention to a defensive ‘One to watch’ for Saturday. Given the trouble we have had breaking teams down at Portman Road this season, there will be a big emphasis on finding a way past the Dons’ back four, including George Baldock.
Baldock is the brother of former Don and current Brighton striker Sam but, unlike his sibling, plies his trade as a full-back. He first joined the club as a 10-year-old, making his debut seven years later, in 2009/10. After struggling to break into an upwardly-mobile team, he went out on loan to Tamworth, Northampton and IBV in Iceland. This latter spell gave him the chance to play in the Europa League, before he had even become a regular at League 1 level. The experience seemed to serve him well, as he turned out 46 times for his parent club in 2013/14. The following season was more stop-start for Baldock, who only managed 14 appearances in the club’s promotion campaign. But, after taking in a further two loan periods with Oxford, the 23-year-old has made the right-back slot his own since returning in January. A rampaging full-back who likes to get up the line, Baldock will be looking to exploit any space left by the runs of Jonas Knudsen/Myles Kenlock.
The Manager – Karl Robinson
Robinson joined the Dons on 10 May 2010, aged 29, and he is now the second youngest manager in The Football League behind Alex Neil of Norwich City. At the age of 29, he was also the youngest person to ever acquire a UEFA Pro Licence.
Born in Liverpool, England, Robinson played for Caernarfon Town, Bamber Bridge, Marine, Oswestry Town, Rhyl, Kidsgrove Athletic, Prescot Cables, St Helens Town, Alsager Town and Warrington Town.
Robinson coached at the Liverpool youth academy and later worked as a coach at Blackburn Rovers. Robinson then joined Paul Ince at Milton Keynes Dons as his assistant manager.
In the 2010–11 season, his first season in charge, Robinson guided MK Dons to fifth place in League One, losing in the play-off semi-finals, and achieved the same result again in the 2011–12 season.
During the 2014/15 season, he signed a 3-year contract extension with the Dons. Robinson masterminded arguably MK Dons’ greatest victory, a 4-0 win over Manchester United on 26 August 2014, as well as leading the Dons to promotion to the Championship for the first time, finishing as runners-up in League One.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
An early Brett Pitman goal proved the difference against the Dons back in December, in the middle of a stirring run of five consecutive away wins.
Trev's Trivia
Players to play for both teams
Dean Bowditch ITFC 2002-2009 MK Dons 2011-present
Cody Cropper ITFC 2010-2012 MK Dons 2015-present (loan)
Jimmy Bullard ITFC 2011 (loan), 2011-2012 MK Dons 2012
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas ITFC 2011-2013 MK Dons 2016-present (loan)
Jonny Williams ITFC 2014, 2014-2015 and 2015 (all loan) MK Dons 2016- present (loan)
Media Watch - K L Blue
MM On Knudsen:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29546/
MM justifies the hype around Andre:
http://www.sudburymercury.co.uk/sport/i ... _1_4509661
Paul Digby wants to stay:
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/ ... t-ipswich-
Judgment on the draw at Boro:
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... _1_4508653
MM on Keeping Maitland Niles:
http://dailycannon.com/2016/04/mccarthy ... iles-stay/
Kennedy at Col U:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29535/
Stat Time
Head To Head
Ipswich Town Wins................7 (58.33%)
MK Dons Wins......................1 (8.33%)
Draws................................4 (33.33%)
Ipswich Town Goals...............20 (ave. 1.67 per match)
MK Dons Goals.....................14 (ave. 1.17 per match)
Head To Head At Ipswich
Ipswich Town Wins...............2 (40.00%)
MK Dons Wins......................1 (20.00%)
Draws...............................2 (40.00%)
Ipswich Town Goals...............9 (ave. 1.80 per match)
MK Dons Goals......................9 (ave. 1.80 per match)
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
Mick McCarthy sprang something of a surprise by handing Paul Digby his full debut at the Riverside. With Saturday now officially a ‘dead rubber’, he may well give another youngster their league bow. Myles Kenlock is one potential option to come in at left-back, after Jonas Knudsen took a knock late on against Boro.
33 Bartosz Bialkowski
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
6 Christophe Berra
30 Myles Kenlock
8 Cole Skuse
19 Luke Hyam
12 Liam Feeney
41 Andre Dozzell
20 Freddie Sears
10 David McGoldrick
MK Dons
The Dons were put out of their own misery at the weekend, as their relegation back to League 1 was confirmed. Karl Robinson will already have one eye on next season, and is likely to make changes to the side which went down 4-1 to Brentford. Familiar faces returning to Portman Road include Dean Bowditch, Jonny Williams and Cody Cropper, although the former Town academy goalkeeper picked up a knock against the Bees. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is another ex-Blue currently at stadium:mk, but has not featured since the beginning of the month.
22 Cody Cropper
21 George Baldock
5 Kyle McFadzean
6 Antony Kay
3 Dean Lewington
8 Darren Potter
44 Jake Forster-Caskey
7 Carl Baker
23 Jonny Williams
9 Dean Bowditch
28 Nicky Maynard
Marko’s Caption Competition
SCORES:
Herforder 5pts
Kerry blue 4pts
James & Ashford 3pts
Blueblood 2pts
LEAGUE TABLE
Ando 82
DerickIpsw 81
Frosty 73
Bluebloods 68
Nicscreamer 66
Barmy Billy 64
James Scharmann 52
Number 9 49
Herforder 42
Quasar 36
IpswichtownNO1 30
Ashfordblue 25
Shed on Tour 25
Watership Down 22
Bluemike 20
Kerry Blue 17
Floors 16
Hallamblue 13
Tangfastic 11
Charnwood 10
Longjohn 9
Foxy Lady 8
Loudnproud 6
Ohiotractorboy 3
Karlywoo 1
Penultimate week caption:
Match Referee – Keith Stroud
Final Thought - Frosty
So another season in the Championship nears its completion. I think most of us are probably as a net bottom line disappointed we didn’t achieve a playoff place like last season, but I think we have to accept the reality that we are still not at Premiership standard. The positives are we are no longer a struggling Championship side, but a highly competitive top half team, unfortunately we are still missing a number of pieces of the puzzle to make that next jump.
It’ hard to fathom whether the Ownership of the club is in a ‘holding’ pattern, with the enthusiasm lost for any additional major investment, but being as near as we have ever been in recent seasons you would think that the returns that could be made and the losses recovered from a Promotion would be appealing to any owner as the current debt levels won’t be reduced by spending season after season in the Championship.
I am grateful for what MM has bought to the club, but can’t work out if it’s due to direction from the owner, MM’s own brutally pragmatic approach to management or the strict adherence to the FFP rules that we seem to be only there and thereabouts over recent seasons.
As a supporter I can’t decide (and I accept I only see a limited amount from a distance) is whether we achieve based on the current squad, above our weight, underperform or are playing at an expected level. The answer to this judges just how well the past season has gone.
Enjoy the last home match of the season.
IPSWICH TOWN 1 MK DONS 0
