League 1 - Ipswich Town vs Forest Green Rovers Preview & Matchday Thread

[hallamblue]

THATS more like it Town!

That early goal for us in games is simply pivotal in us beating these teams I think.

IF we could apply todays performance to the next half dozen games, and Plymouth do what they’ve done today, ( look at their next 5-6 games, phew!) then that 8pt gap is very doable for us.

[Blue Wilf]

A good win without being spectacular. Just looking at the table and Derby, Bolton and Barnsley away are as huge a set of fixtures as this club has had in 20 years or more...

[arana peligrosa]

Viewed game highlights twice, any further watch seems unnecessary. Don't know who picks Forest Green away colors but the design were questionable for sure. , Could pick out what only seemed a large number of oversize prawns. Bad enough they got beat by a big score and most likely could or will be relegated, not sure where they're based at but imagine would have been something of a grim trip back.

Took the time to view next 3 Town games and we got a real opportunity in the time ahead. 9 points from those 3 games are or seem readily available particularly if we show the same dedication as today.

Milton Keynes away , they already have ten goals against them in last two games or something. Got to be confident on that one.

then Burton Albion and Accrington at Portman Road in succession. Not to get too ahead of oneself but can view six points from that with the right desire and way we can play when able.

After that it gets tricky. Big names like Bolton, Barnsley and Derby County wait in line. S0, It's important to take advantage of the former mentioned by winning each one. That alone would provide real touching distance to the top two provided both SWFC and Plymouth stumble in their own respective fixtures.

Only a loon would give up on the automatic promotion chance for us right now. All right it'll be tough but doable all the same. All it needs is consistency like today, win the above matches highlighted and hope for challengers and rivals to drop off course.

[number 9]

Great win today, but automatic promotion is over. We’ve already lost that opportunity. No way are we gonna make up 8pts. Accept it and don’t set yourselves up for more anger and disdain. With that said, a great run leading into the post season will put us in a great position to go up via the playoffs. New players are settling in now, and for the moment no new injuries will impede us. Take it game by game, and play like we can and we just may pull it off. Over stress the team with hopes of automatic will only delay the inevitable and possibly shrink confidence when the need arises. The next game is immense…and the next…and the next. No pressure.

[JamessB]

We’re all eternal optimists so let’s see what happens.

[hallamblue]

Highlights here

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/s ... highlights

[Ricco]

You can see real relief in those celebrations! And excitement, that's good to see.

Bang on about it enough, but I think Broadhead could be key to how our season ends up. Involved in the first 3 goals and Chaplin seems to have taken a shine to him

[hallamblue]

I’d add Luango to that as well. He needs to be in midfield now with Morsy, and whilst I acknowledge that Freddie is improving week on week in his role, I can see Broadhead and Hirst becoming a very potent and mobile partnership,( assuming Hirst stays). Neither player has played more than half a dozen games this season, prior to joining us. So are almost “ rusty”.

Maybe, just maybe Town are about to go on s run of wins …….

[Shed on tour]

I’d add Luango to that as well. He needs to be in midfield now with Morsy

Yep agree hopefully he can stay fit. Also, it’s only going to be a matter of time before Morsy picks up his 10th yellow card and misses 2 games. No doubt knowing our luck he will get booked so he misses the Bolton away game.

[Shed on tour]

I’d add Luango to that as well. He needs to be in midfield now with Morsy, and whilst I acknowledge that Freddie is improving week on week in his role, I can see Broadhead and Hirst becoming a very potent and mobile partnership,( assuming Hirst stays). Neither player has played more than half a dozen games this season, prior to joining us. So are almost “ rusty”.

Maybe, just maybe Town are about to go on s run of wins …….

Hallam, you already know my opinion on Hirst from our discussion before the game yesterday. However, what I would say is if KM sees him as the better option then stick with him and don’t rotate between him and Freddie. For me yesterday was a solid performance which was certainly needed but we now have to go and back it up at MK Dons next Saturday.

[Bluemike]

For me Hirst needs to add goals to the game, and like Ladapo he missed a sitter yesterday when he should have scored and lacked composure, Ladapo on the other hand gets a few minutes on the pitch, scores a goal and misses an almost certain second which yes he should have buried, he is on course to be a Twenty goal scorer this season so for me it's a no brainer who should start but of course I am biased, I aw also very much aware than one genuinely wants to be here while the other is here because he had bugger all else on the table and come next May he will be away like a rat up a drainpipe, we need to look after our own.

[hallamblue]

We all have our favourite players don’t we. It’s what football is all about isn’t it. I think we’ve got some good attackers in the squad. Freddie is improving and gets goals, but he’s guilty of missing absolute sitters.

I think sometimes players work better in certain combinations. Hirst / Broadhead and Chaplin seem to have an almost instinctive combination and appears VERY fluid and mobile. To me this is not quite so evident with Freddie as the top man in the three. His hind up play is very good, but it’s all about a battle rather than moving the ball quickly. He’s a different type of striker. That doesn’t make him bad.

The argument that Freddie is hindered by being rotated. Well it’s not stopped Chaplin being top scorer has it! I get rotation doesn’t sit easy with us but the players get minutes on the pitch and importantly, minutes rest each week, the value of which might become more evident in the closing part of the season, I don’t know.

I take the point re Freddie wanting to be here and Hirst maybe a stop gap. But who’s to say with his half a season here he changes his mind ? Time will tell. It could be of course that he’s a false dawn as regards a striker, but his work on the pitch with the other newbie, Broadhead is actually quite impressive given the so few faves they’ve played individually this season and for s brand new partnership. They can you’d think, only get better. Time will tell. But we have some good strikers in the squad. What we need is better defenders and senior players back in midfield ….

[Shed on tour]

For me Hirst needs to add goals to the game, and like Ladapo he missed a sitter yesterday when he should have scored and lacked composure, Ladapo on the other hand gets a few minutes on the pitch, scores a goal and misses an almost certain second which yes he should have buried, he is on course to be a Twenty goal scorer this season so for me it's a no brainer who should start but of course I am biased, I aw also very much aware than one genuinely wants to be here while the other is here because he had bugger all else on the table and come next May he will be away like a rat up a drainpipe, we need to look after our own.

For me Ladapo would be first choice over Hirst every time. I don’t think KM sees it that way though and imo it won’t do either player any good by keep rotating them.

[Bluemike]

And this is why I have issues with McKenna, Hirst may have looked ok yesterday but look who we were playing, doesn't get any easier.

[Steve]

For my two pennies worth

Freddie Ladapo just doesn't fill me with confidence. Sure he's scored a few goals, but he's missed heaps loads also.

He came off the bench against Forest Green Rovers and scored a simple enough header. That is great, a strikers goal. Later on during the game he misses possibly even a simpler chance. Both chances were basically as near as each other as you are going to get. One he scores and one he totally squanders not even hitting the target.

My point being is we are not going to play Forest Green Rovers again, so say against Derby and such like teams where chances will most likely be fewer and he gets which I would say fairly easy chance, one you would expect him to at very least hit the target, will he score? Who knows. Freddie is it seems does get more involved in games now, still gets himself offside by not looking around him but he does seem to be more willing to use his weight and get stuck in more. I have nothing against Freddie other than chances to score ratio which doesn't appear to be great

Not saying Hirst is brilliant, not saying any of the strikers are but i'm sure Kieran hasn't a clue which are better than each other, I sure haven't a clue

[Bluemike]

The header he scored was actually a very brave header, not exactly simple

[Steve]

Maybe brave, not denying he puts himself about but he still missed an even simpler chance

I thought Hirsts control was sublime for his chip that hit the bar. I would hope all Ipswich fans would want both and all strikers to score more though. I want the players picked to make the net bulge scoring or just get the blinking ball over the line

[marko69]

I can’t make my mind up on Freddie Ladapo at all. Seems that the goals he scores, my grandaughter would score them…….. and the misses he misses, again ——>> my grandaughter would score them.
(She does play by the way…… not being derogatory to Fred)

Well i am really……. He needs to put more of his chances away. He’s reminding me of the Jason Cummings scenario @ Hibs. A lot of love for wee Jase, but……. Nope, just didnt get it at all. And lo n behold, emptied.

[hallamblue]

I’ve had a look at appearances for Freddie snd Hirst.

Hirst made just 2 starts for Blackburn and 7 from the bench in this season. No goals .

So had played minimal football for half this season. Then he joins us in January.

Hirst for Town has made 4 starts. He’s scored 1 goal.

Freddie had 6 starts at the start of this season before he found the net . It looks like he’s started games in a 2 consecutive game pattern and then is on the bench.

Not sure why we should be expecting Hirst to hit the ground running when it’s taken Freddie virtually half the season to find his feet and adapt? Surely we should be affording both Hirst and Broadhead the same adaptation period?

We have good strikers here now but they appear to work better in particular combinations and each have different attributes to bring to the side. Some will be more effective against one type of opponents whilst others will be more effective against other opponents.

We’ve never had such riches to choose from in a squad as we have this season . Not something to berate one player against another. There’s only one goal here and that’s promotion.


Just for completeness, here is a thread from TWTD where they are discussing the same issues re the number 9 at the club. Some good points made on both sides of the fence, although Im still not sure why we have t9 come down on either side of a fence.

https://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/553034/page:1

[Charnwood]

Great win today, but automatic promotion is over. We’ve already lost that opportunity. No way are we gonna make up 8pts. Accept it and don’t set yourselves up for more anger and disdain. With that said, a great run leading into the post season will put us in a great position to go up via the playoffs. New players are settling in now, and for the moment no new injuries will impede us. Take it game by game, and play like we can and we just may pull it off. Over stress the team with hopes of automatic will only delay the inevitable and possibly shrink confidence when the need arises. The next game is immense…and the next…and the next. No pressure.

Automatic Promotion doesn’t have to be over No 9. Sheff Wed and Plymouth will most likely drop circa 20 points between now and the end of the season maybe more in the final run in when the pressure kicks in. You only have to look at the Premier League and see Arsenal losing to Everton or Man City dropping points to Forest to see that even the best can falter. That’s why almost every season there’s a surprise waiting in the wings from a club without pressure putting in a late rally. If we could win 10 of our 14 remaining games and lose 4 we could still be in with a shout. It just means we have to stop drawing games and with 12 to our name so far we have enough of those already.

Looking at our remaining fixtures we could lose at Bolton, Derby, Barnsley and Peterborough and win the rest. Maybe unlikely but not impossible as long as we don’t have a repeat of the performance at Bristol Rovers. If we could deliver as I suggest we’d end the season with 90 points. I wonder how long the dream can last. Hopefully beyond Saturday!

Don’t give up till the fat lady sings.

[number 9]

Great win today, but automatic promotion is over. We’ve already lost that opportunity. No way are we gonna make up 8pts. Accept it and don’t set yourselves up for more anger and disdain. With that said, a great run leading into the post season will put us in a great position to go up via the playoffs. New players are settling in now, and for the moment no new injuries will impede us. Take it game by game, and play like we can and we just may pull it off. Over stress the team with hopes of automatic will only delay the inevitable and possibly shrink confidence when the need arises. The next game is immense…and the next…and the next. No pressure.

Automatic Promotion doesn’t have to be over No 9. Sheff Wed and Plymouth will most likely drop circa 20 points between now and the end of the season maybe more in the final run in when the pressure kicks in. You only have to look at the Premier League and see Arsenal losing to Everton or Man City dropping points to Forest to see that even the best can falter. That’s why almost every season there’s a surprise waiting in the wings from a club without pressure putting in a late rally. If we could win 10 of our 14 remaining games and lose 4 we could still be in with a shout. It just means we have to stop drawing games and with 12 to our name so far we have enough of those already.

Looking at our remaining fixtures we could lose at Bolton, Derby, Barnsley and Peterborough and win the rest. Maybe unlikely but not impossible as long as we don’t have a repeat of the performance at Bristol Rovers. If we could deliver as I suggest we’d end the season with 90 points. I wonder how long the dream can last. Hopefully beyond Saturday!

Don’t give up till the fat lady sings.

Fair. Let’s see how we feel after the MK DONS game

[Ricco]

Not sure why we should be expecting Hirst to hit the ground running when it’s taken Freddie virtually half the season to find his feet and adapt? Surely we should be affording both Hirst and Broadhead the same adaptation period?

It's fair comment, we don't know what Hirst was brought in for, maybe it wasn't to score shed loads, perhaps it was just to offer something different.

However, perhaps the point is, this ain't the type of season, or the time in that season that you can afford to allow players time to settle. Bring players in for immediate impact, or don't bring them in at all. Hirst has also only had one half decent season in his career, Ladapo has half a dozen, so youre more confident he'll produce some goods with time??

[Bluemike]

Well what is a fact is Ladapo's goals went a long way to helping Rotherham get up, all good strikers miss numerous chances, it's the nature of the beast.

[Ricco]

10 chances 5 goals

Beats

4 chances 4 goals

The goals are what matter and on that front Ladapo is doing an OK job just about.

[marko69]

75 mins v Rovers (away) with no return

But…….. on as sub v Deportivo A La FGR and scores……

….. start with Hirst v MKD, in my opinion.

IF Freddie Ladapo starts…… then i feel im strangely with you Mike in that KMcK may be making it up as he goes along….., even though you’d pick Fred.

[shabba]

Was great to be back at PR, and to see so many goals.

I would agree with what BlueMike has said so far.

We were good but FGR were very poor and offered very little, the early goal helped but I felt we were still a bit too slow and a few times that was very clearly noticed through the crowd. The players just seem to be delaying a second more than needed on the ball, it makes us easier to predict and for teams to keep their shape etc.

Anyway it was a great day, especially for personal reasons as I took my Mum - she'd need been in 40 years but used to come with my my dad plus her disabled dad back in the golden era, when they played My Way it was lovely but got her very emotional.

Nice meal beforehand at the Waterfront Bistro too

[Steve]

10 chances 5 goals

Beats

4 chances 4 goals

The goals are what matter and on that front Ladapo is doing an OK job just about.

My reply to this all day long is when play the so called better team, The teams we need to beat like Derby, Bolton and Barnsley and so on we maybe wont get that many chances.

Lets hope whoever plays scores.

[hallamblue]

Hirst :

https://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/553136/thi ... ce..../#30


I’ll say again. We’ve got good strikers . They all offer something different to games. Some are better suited in done games, whilst others better suited to other opponents. It’s about combination and choices/ options. It’s not as competition to see who can play the most but I’d say who’s likely to be the most effective v the opposition on that day.

[Ricco]

What is this TWTD, have I been on the wrong forum all these years?

[hallamblue]

Lol …. You are pulling my leg aren’t you?!