Ipswich Town v Burton Albion
Tuesday 18th October 2016 – 19:45
Portman Road
Jamma's Opening Thought
In what is fast becoming a recurrent theme, there was an air of inevitability about the result of the Blues' latest outing, at Blackburn on Saturday. With Town having failed to score in their previous four matches, and Rovers not boasting a much better record of three goalless games out of four, it didn't take a genius to predict the 0-0 that ensued. We may have been half expecting the outcome, but that isn't to say that it made it any easier to stomach for the 564 hardy travelling supporters, or the thousands of others following from afar. The difference with respect to the contests against Leeds and Huddersfield, when we looked like we could have played all day without scoring, was that we did carve out some very presentable opportunities against Blackburn. On another day, we would have scored one of the chances that came the way of Luke Chambers, Adam Webster and Tom Lawrence, and clinched the 3 points that our all-round performance merited. But the lack of confidence that has been a feature of Freddie Sears' game now seems to be blighting the rest of the team in front of goal. Even looking beyond the headline statistic of eight hours without a goal, Town have only found the net twice from open play in the eight matches since Daryl Murphy's departure, surely not a coincidence. But, as much as the Irishman's absence has been a major factor in our blunted attack, it is something that the whole team has to step up and take responsibility for. You can talk all you like about formations and tactics, but the fact remains the same: we have not scored enough from all areas of the pitch, with the front six which took to the pitch on Saturday having just four between them in 2016/17 (all to the name of Grant Ward, and in the space of two matches). With no one having conceded fewer than the Blues, it isn't hard to see where we need to improve if we are to turn our season around.
While it's been hard to take any positives out of recent displays, Saturday at least provided something to build on. The question is how much longer can we continue to say this before we are left too far adrift? Working on the basis of the 7 points that both Mike and I were targeting from this four-match run - and assuming that we will do well to get anything from next weekend's trip to St. James' Park - Burton at home is certainly a fixture that we should be looking to get a maximum return from. Like just about any assignment in the Championship, this will be anything but easy, especially given the way in which the Brewers have acquitted themselves at this level so far. This really is a game where the fans could have a crucial part to play. Stick with the team even if things don't all go our own way and we may get our rewards. But if we find ourselves having to endure another frustrating 90 minutes, the tension in the crowd could end up transmitting itself onto the pitch and Burton will in turn look to feed off that nervous energy. On a personal level, I am looking forward - albeit with a degree of apprehension - to seeing how Town stand up to the test, having not seen us live since the Aston Villa game. We have generally fared well against the division's new sides this season, with the 5 points gleaned against Barnsley, Norwich and Villa coming from arguably our best performances. Unfamiliarity will be no excuse, then, as we welcome Burton to Portman Road for the first time.
The Opposition – Burton Albion
Burton Albion can claim lineage from four now defunct clubs: Burton Swifts, Burton Town, Burton United and Burton Wanderers.
Burton Albion were formed in 1950, and joined the Birmingham & District League. They finished the 1953–54 season as runners-up, and in 1958–59 joined the Southern League North Western zone. In 1965–66, Burton missed out on the runners-up place on goal difference, but were still promoted to the Southern League Premier Division.
They avoided relegation in 1968, thanks to Stevenage Town folding, but were relegated to Division One after an unsuccessful 1969–70 season. Burton missed out on promotion on goal average in 1970–71, but finished as runners-up the following season and were promoted back to the Premier Division.
The next two seasons saw them relegated and then promoted back to the Premier Division again. They stayed in the same division until being relegated once more at the end of 1976–77.
League rearrangements saw Burton moved to the Northern Premier League, because of their location in the central Midlands, and then back to the Southern League in 1987–88, the season after losing in a replayed FA Trophy final to Kidderminster Harriers.
In October 1998, Nigel Clough was appointed as player-manager and he led the club to two successive runners-up spots, in 1999–2000 and 2000–01.
Burton were again moved to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2001–02, which they won by a margin of 15 points, and the club was promoted to the Football Conference for the first time.
The club was brought to national attention when they were drawn at home against 11-time winners Manchester United in the third round of the 2005–06 FA Cup. The Brewers held the Premier League team to a 0–0 draw at home, but lost the reply 5–0 in front of over 11,000 Burton fans, setting a record for number of away fans at Old Trafford.
In January 2009, Burton went on to set a league record for the most consecutive wins, and in February 2009, when the team was 19 points clear at the top of the table, Conference sponsors Blue Square declared Burton the winners of the 2008–09 title in a PR stunt in which they paid out all bets. However, a bad run of form only saw this confirmation take place due to other results on the last day of the season.
Burton finished in 13th place in their first campaign in the Football League.
During the 2014–15 season, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink took over the managerial position at the Brewers and led them to the League Two title, which meant promotion to League One for the first time in their history. Hasselbaink left by mutual consent in December 2015 to join Queens Park Rangers as manager.
Nigel Clough returned to Burton to replace him for his second spell as manager and led the club to a second-place finish in the league, earning promotion to the Championship, another first for Burton, in the 2015/16 season.
The Gaffer – Nigel Clough
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
As there is no competitive history between Ipswich and Burton, let's go back to opening day and enjoy a few goals:
Media Watch - K L Blue
MM on changing people's minds:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/30434/
Douglas interview:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/30435/
MM on Williams and McGoldrick:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/30433/
MM on winning back the supporters:
http://www.sudburymercury.co.uk/sport/m ... _1_4735162
Daryl Horgan:
http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/ipswic ... idfielder/
Form Guide
Ipswich Last 5 Matches – currently in 17th place with 14 points
Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town 0-1 Huddersfield
Ipswich Town 0-0 Brighton
Leeds United 1-0 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town 0-0 Aston Villa
Burton Albion Last 5 Matches – currently in 16th place with 14 points
Wigan Athletic 0-0 Burton Albion
Burton Albion 2-0 Cardiff City
Burton Albion 1-1 QPR
Norwich City 3-1 Burton Albion
Burton Albion 0-1 Brighton
Fixtures of Interest
READING VS ASTON VILLA
DERBY VS BRENTFORD
LEEDS VS WIGAN
Match Referee – Oliver Langford
Final Thought - Bluemike
And so it goes on - that's now five games without a win or even a goal to our name. Following the trip to Blackburn, it is incredible to think that a game in mid-October against Burton Albion is a real must-win affair, not so much in the context of play-off aspirations or relegation battles but more for the general feel and situation of all things ITFC at this moment in time. I expect I will always be forever the optimist but even I am struggling with each passing week to pluck positives from the current run we are on. I suppose the fact we have been on a dire run and still find ourselves a mere six points off the final play-off play says much about the Championship and everything it stands for. A Town win on Tuesday night coupled with defeat for either Birmingham or Bristol City, who currently sit 5th & 6th respectively, would see us just three behind them, so it is far from a terminal crisis just yet, although the style and effectiveness of our performances lately is a totally different topic.
Back to Blackburn, yes there was improvement in the general play but we lack any sign of a cutting edge. Chances were created but none taken and we continue to huff and puff around the opponents' box without any belief we can blow the door in. It really is crying out for MM to mix it up now. You can only go so long with the same old, same old. For me it is time for the likes of Bishop, Grant, Williams and Emmanuel to step in and bring some freshness to the team. Even Varney up top in place of Best would not be a bad move, although the chances of this happening are probably less likely than me dating Nicole Scherzinger.
It is the law of averages - we have to score and we have to win. Sorry Burton, it is our night - three points in the bag and a turning of the tide at last. The noose is round MM's neck but Albert Pierrepoint is not opening that hatch just yet. A stay of execution as we move on to Newcastle next weekend. Town win 2-1 for me.
IPSWICH TOWN 2 BURTON ALBION 1
I'm guessing total bullshit if you've not heard about it!
