Ipswich Town v Brentford
Saturday 19th August 2017 – 15:00
Portman Road
Pre Match Thoughts - Mike
So our impressive start to the new season continued with victory in a Seven goal thriller at Millwall on Tuesday night, it really was an incredible night and definitely entertaining, something Mick promised us after last seasons woes. While we can all revel in our latest success we also have to be very aware that there is much to work on defensively, we just cannot continue to have to score Four times to win a game, as exciting as it might be we will get stung more often than not by conceding Three goals. While some of the first half defending may have been akin to the keystone kops our attacking play was first class in spells, the confidence of Joe Garner to smack a 25 yard strike just a couple of minutes after going behind, the determination of Grant Ward to get forward and whip that killer cross in, the alertness of Martyn Waghorn to get across the defender to give us the lead, Didsy refusing to be second best to a through ball and finding a way to get the ball over for waghorn to once again be in the right place at the right time, just a few examples of how impressive we were when going forward, we really did cause them problems at the back and on that form will be a handfull for any Championship defence. As Shed said the other day, watching the move which led to our second goal was a joy to watch and shows we can play Football when we want to, long may it continue. I suppose it was ironic that the winner would come from one of our much maligned defenders, despite having faced a barrage of balls into the box for much of the second half young Jordan Spence still had enough in the locker to rise above everyone else to power home his header and that is the thing with this team, they never know when they are beaten, to see every one of the outfield players run to celebrate with Jordan gives me goosebumps, I love a team with strong unity and good team spirit and we seem to have this in abundance, Iorfa is not our player and yet he was celebrating as much if not more than anyone.
One of the things that puzzles me in Football is just how much people pay attention to stats, most of them are very misleading and mean nothing. I didn't hear the radio phone in after the Millwall game but have been told about it and read a few things, one particular moron was bemoaning how crap we were at defending or something and deserved to be beaten, I take it that a team that actually conceded Four (more than us I might add) weren't crap and did deserve to win ? There also concerns that because we only have 4 shots compared to the oppositions 20+ we must be inferior, well let me tell you loads of those so called attempts at goal are barely worthy of the name, take out the ones that hit the top of the stand, the corner flag or the car park and there isn't an awful lot of difference between the sides, our success rate from shots to goals is first class and the best in the league, that is something to be proud of not bemoan. Leicester City became champions with something like 38% possession so that is another stat that means naff all, possession stats do not show what areas of the pitch you have that possession in, get Bart to hold the ball for 90 minutes and it would show 100%, thats how meaningless it is. There is one stat and only one stat that matters and we have come out on top in all Four games !!!
This Saturday sees us back on home soil after Three away trips and I think it is safe to say that this will be our hardest game to date. Brentford look to have assembled a very good squad and so far they appear to be a bit like us, free flowing going forward with goals aplenty in them but can't defend for toffees, if this trend continues we could well be in for another goal fest come 3pm. They currently have a solitary point from their opening Three league games when in truth they were worthy of much more, they did however secure victory in the Carabao Cup courtesy of a 1-3 victory at Wimbledon, to date they have leaked an average of Two goals a game, doesn't make our One per game look too bad does it ! One player in the Bees ranks I really like is Jota and we will have to very aware of his strong runs at our defence, they also appear to have a strong duo up front with new signing Ollie Watkins and Lasse Vibe forming a decent spearhead at this level so we could be in for another testing time at the back. Mick has made it clear that he is on the lookout for another Centre Back and to be honest it can't come quickly enough, some have mentioned the decision not to offer Steven Taylor a contract and while it would be handy now hindsight is a wondeful thing, I don't recall too many saying at the time we should have kept him, quite the opposite actually.
To win our first Four League games would be a fantastic achievement and it is not beyond us by any means, I do feel this is going to be tough though, the crowd will no doubt be up for this with their new found belief, how good it was to hear the 1800+ singing "Super Mick Mccarthy" at Millwall Tuesday, so if we can lift the boys like that then why cant we collect another Three points. I hope the crowd stands up in numbers too, I think the boys have earned that so for all those waivering this season get yourselves down to Portman Road and be part of this revival of our club. COYB'S.
The Opposition - Brentford
Founded on 10 October 1889, at the Oxford and Cambridge Hotel in Brentford where a meeting was held, between the members of the Brentford Rowing Club, to decide between association football or rugby union, to serve as a winter pursuit for the rowing club and its members. As a result of a vote, by 8 votes to 5, taken 6 days later, association football was successful as the sport to partake in.
The football club started out playing its home matches at the Clifden House Ground in Brentford, from November 1889 to March 1892.
In October 1892, Benn's Field in Little Ealing, was the club's new home. The football club decided to move nearer to Brentford and in December 1894 they moved to Shotter's and stayed there until April 1898. Due to high rent increases, the club were once again forced to move on, so in September 1898 the club moved to the Cross Roads Ground, in Little Ealing and this was used until April 1900.
As the club grew, Boston Park Cricket Ground, in York Road, Brentford was then used from September 1900 to April 1904. Finally, in January 1904, the club agreed a 21-year lease on an orchard. The clearance of the orchard, over 200 trees, and the levelling of the land took several months. Griffin Park, as it became known was now ready for use as a football ground after banking was raised along three sides of the ground and an enclosure, moved from their previous ground, was erected.
In 1920, it was a founder member of the Third Division South. During the late 1920s and 1930s, the club began to make real progress. In the 1929–30 season, the side won all 21 of its home matches in the Third Division South, but still missed out on promotion. They are the last of six teams in English football to amass a perfect home record, and the only one to do so over a season of 42 matches or more. After several more near-misses, promotion to the Second Division was finally achieved in 1932–33.
Two years later, Brentford reached the First Division and finished 5th in its debut season which is still the club's highest ever league.
The club was relegated in the first season after the War, and a downward spiral set in, which culminated in relegation to the Third Division in 1953–54 and the Fourth Division in 1961–62. In the process Brentford became the first team to play the other ninety-one clubs in league football.
The survival of Brentford FC was threatened by a projected takeover by Queens Park Rangers in the late 1960s, a bid that was only narrowly averted with an emergency loan of £104,000.
The club continued to yo-yo between the third and fourth divisions during the next three decades. The club won promotion in 1962–63, 1971–72 and 1977–78 but only on the final occasion was it able to consolidate its place in English football's third tier.
After a 45-year absence, Brentford were promoted back to the Second Division (renamed the First Division with the advent of the Premier League in 1992) in the 1991–92 season as Third Division champions, though they were relegated again the following year.
There followed several seasons of the club narrowly missing out on promotionvia the play-offs.
The club were then relegated to the Third Division (by then the bottom division of the Football League) the following year. Brentford won promotion as champions again in 1998–99.
Former BBC Director-General and Bees fan Greg Dyke was announced as chairman of Brentford on 20 January 2006 as part of the takeover by Bees United, the Brentford Supporters Trust.
Brentford were relegated to Football League Two in April 2007.
On 25 April 2009 Brentford sealed the League Two championship under Management of former player Andy Scott.
Scott's excellent first calendar year in charge was recognised with an award, the BBC London 'Manager of the Year 2008'. Scott was also awarded the League Two Manager of the Month award for April/May 2009.
At the end of the 2011/12 season, in which the Club finished 9th in League One missing out on the play-offs by 6 points, the club's supporters voted to sell the entire club's shareholding to supporter-investor Matthew Benham.
The 2012–13 season saw Brentford go on an FA Cup run, taking holders Chelsea to a fourth round replay, and mount a promotion challenge, missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season before losing the playoff final to Yeovil Town.
On the 25 June 2013, Cliff Crown was elected Chairman Of Brentford Football Club.
18 April 2014 Brentford were promoted to the Championship after they beat Preston 1–0 at Griffin Park in front of 10,774 people sparking a pitch invasion. This meant The Bees' return to second tier after a 21 year absence.
In the 2014/15 season they impressed and finished in one place ahead of Town on the final table in 5th, before being knocked out in the playoff semi finals by Middlesbrough.
They didn’t achieve the same heights of the 2014/15, finishing in 9th place on the table in 15/16 and last season they finished in 10th place with 84 points.
The Manager – Dean Smith
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
4 more goals would be very welcome
Media Watch - K L Blue
Stuart Watson's 7 observations
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... -1-5150348
MM on the front 5
https://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/32088
Rangers fans reactions to Waghorn and Garner
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/08/16/ra ... -waghorns/
Jordan Spence interview
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... -1-5150323
Neil Harris Interview
https://www.newsatden.co.uk/63976-harri ... -loss.html
Form Guide
Ipswich Last 5 Matches – Currently in 3rd place with 9 points
Millwall FC 3-4 Ipswich Town
Barnsley 1-2 Ipswich Town
Luton Town 0-2 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town 1-0 Birmingham City
Charlton Athletic 6-1 Ipswich Town
Brentford Last 5 Matches – Currently in 20th place with 1 points
Brentford FC 2-2 Bristol City
Brentford FC 3-4 Nottingham F.
AFC Wimbledon 1-3 AET Brentford FC
Sheffield Utd 1-0 Brentford FC
Brentford FC 2-1 Celta de Vigo
Fixtures of Interest
WOLVES VS CARDIFF
FOREST VS MIDDLESBROUGH
SUNDERLAND VS LEEDS
Marko's Caption Contest
Snowed under this week with work, (people switching their heating on after summer, boilers not working etc……, great time of year for me!)……., so DEFINITELY a league table on the game preview AFTER Brentford.
Have a crack at this:
Match Referee – Oliver Langford
IPSWICH TOWN 2 BRENTFORD 1
