Championship - Stoke FC vs Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

[Frosty]

Stoke City v Ipswich Town




Monday 1st January 2024 – 15:00


Bet365 Stadium








Pre-Match Thoughts - Mike



I think it is fair to say that over the last Eighteen Months us Town fans have been spoilt rotten, the changes that have take place at this club are beyond any of our wildest dreams, on the pitch it has been a joy and a pleasure to watch Kieran McKenna's brand of exciting Football week after week, I think I can count on One hand the amount of times I have left a game a bit disappointed at what we have produced. With this in mind I believe our expectations have risen to unrealistic proportions based purely on what the team is achieving and as such we now pretty much expect a little too much sometimes, in essence we have kind of forgotten how to deal with adversity.

I have absolutely no doubt that something approaching our First Eleven would have dispatched QPR last night, and in some style too but the Footballing Gods sometimes work against you. A Town team missing Five or Six First team regulars found it really tough going to break down our visitors, chances were few and far between and our usual fluid brand of enterprising Football just wasn't on show, particularly in a very disappointing First half.

To have to go into a game without Morsy, Davis, Broadhead, Hirst, Burns & Clarke was just a bridge too far and while the second half saw an improvement the likes of Ball, Humphreys, Williams & Co just weren't up to the task but it really was Eleven players thrown together and you could see there was a distinct lack of cohesion. Had Freddie Ladapo have taken One of the early chances that fell his way early doors I suspect it would have been a very different outcome as our visitors failed to hurt us and didn't register a single effort on target. To be fair to Ladapo the second One was a nice turn and shot which was well saved but the first should have been put away, the guy next to me said, had he played Saturday and got rid of some of his rustiness he may well have scored it, we will never know.

Of course focus for many will be on the League table and how our lead over Third place has been eroded away, while we keep stretching away from Leeds Utd it is now Southampton who are on One hell of a run that pose the biggest threat and of course come Monday evening we could well find ourselves out of the Top two, quite how some will deal with that god only knows but we have pretty much come through a torrid run of tough tough games and yet have still only lost One of them. We need to keep doing exactly what we have been doing all season and not panic, this time of year with injuries and suspensions etc was always going to be the real acid test and not just for us, every team feels it, just taking a look at Southampton's run of games in a couple of weeks time shows that it could be their turn to find things tough, it's swings and roundabouts and there is a long long way to go.

Next up sees us go to Stoke City who with their new boss definitely look to have turned a corner and this too will be no easy game for sure, quite what our starting Eleven looks like on the day is anyone's guess but at least we should have skipper Sam Morsy back to steady the ship, hopefully Burns & Broadhead will have recovered from their bugs, Davis and Hirst don't look quite so good but we will see. Even at this point I would probably be happy with another hard earned point in the Potteries on New Year's day and for once I hope the Budgies win, those two scenarios alone would have holding a Four point cushion, I would take that in a heartbeat.

The January Transfer window looms large and it is now looking even more crucial that we get some good business done and early. Two strikers, One Centre back and a Left Sided wing back/defender look a must from where I am sitting, if we can do that I think we will be fine, Town are already talking to the right people, of that you can be certain and getting the deals over the line does not often prove too much for Mark Ashton and such is the strength of our position enticing them to Portman Road may just be that little bit easier compared to days gone by.

Let's just go back to the beginning and remember the journey we are on and the progress made, nobody gets more annoyed or disappointed when it doesn't go our way than me and in the heat of the moment emotions often run high but crikey we are in a Four way battle for Two promotion places with Three Premier League squads and that is no exaggeration, perspective is the key word here and rest assured we are far from being out of the running. Keep the faith, keep believing and the boys won't let us down, they will give their all and fight for that biggest of prizes, Rome wasn't built in a day and yet it feels like that is exactly what we are doing, building it oh so fast.

Town to pick up a crucial point in a 1-1 draw. COYB'S. IPSWICH TIL I DIE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL.




The Opposition – Stoke City - Honours




League


Second Division / Championship
Champions: 1932–33, 1962–63
Runners-up: 1921–22, 2007–08
Third place (promoted): 1978–79

Third Division North / Second Division
Champions: 1926–27, 1992–93
Play-off winners: 2002

Football Alliance
Champions: 1890–91

Birmingham & District League
Champions: 1910–11

Southern League Division Two
Champions: 1909–10, 1914–15
Runners-up: 1910–11


Cup


FA Cup
Runners-up: 2010–11

League Cup
Winners: 1971–72
Runners-up: 1963–64

Football League Trophy
Winners: 1991–92, 1999–2000

Watney Cup
Winners: 1973




The Manager – Steven Schumacher









Championship League Table








Form Guide





Stoke City FC



12 Dec Stoke City 1 - 1 Swansea City

17 Dec West Brom 1 - 1 Stoke City

23 Dec Stoke City 0 - 0 Millwall

26 Dec Birmingham City 1 - 3 Stoke City

29 Dec Watford 1 - 1 Stoke City


Ipswich Town



12 Dec Watford 1 - 2 Ipswich Town

16 Dec Ipswich Town 2 - 2 Norwich City

23 Dec Leeds Utd 4 - 0 Ipswich Town

26 Dec Ipswich Town 1 - 1 Leicester City

29 Dec Ipswich Town 0 - 0 QP Rangers








Head to Head









Match referee – James Bell






Stoke City 1 Ipswich Town 1

[hallamblue]

We’re in our blip unfortunately… can’t see it changing until we get some of our first team players back fit and some new faces in through the door … a draw i think, against a resurgent Stoke.

[marko69]

Excellent preview and the opening paragraph is word perfect for me. There are "expectations to unrealistic proportions" happening. Was even reading that some Ipswich players were being "booed" by sections of the support v QPR. Find that quite unbelievable. Can only be the season ticket holders who live in the River Orwell that are guilty there.

Always had this one pinned for a draw, and reckon a draw would be a very good result in reflection of yesterdays result. Another 0-0 or a 1-1.

Caption:
Ref: "Ah ah ah, Steven......, now don't say a bad word. 20 pence in the sweary box remember."
Schumacher: (Picture)

[Bluemike]

Cheers Marko, I must admit I personally didn't hear any boos thankfully

[Blue Wilf]

I heard a couple at the end and they were near me in SBR upper. I asked one young lad why he booed and he said it wasn't the team it was the ref he was booing...

[rossi]

well, whichever way you look at things, 3 points from the last 4 games is not very good, and I can't see things changing much against Stoke.

We've clearly got issues when we don't have the first choice players available - you would have thought that Ladapo and Hutchinson would have jumped at the opportunity against QPR but they both seemed totally disinterested. Maybe they know that they have no chance of selection when Burns and Hirst are available so they just can't be bothered.

Anyway, even with Morsy back I can't see us getting anything at all against an improving Stoke.

[Charnwood]

I guess the best we can hope for is that Burns & Broadhead have had nothing more than a 24hr sickness bug that has spread no further in the camp and both are available and fit for New Years Day. If that be the case and Clarke is fit too, and Morsy back from suspension there’s no reason why we can’t get the show back on the road and resume normal service. If we can we can win this one albeit by the narrowest of margins 0-1.

If this scenario proves overly optimistic and both players are still sick, even worse the virus hopefully not Covid has spread and the team is even weaker than the line up against QPR. If this is the case we’d most likely struggle to salvage a draw.

I’m not sure what the rules are on postponements for illness within the camp, does anyone know the rules ?

[hallamblue]

I think the Club would have to be significantly hit by illness for a game to be called off. We have a 25man squad so plenty of players to field in a game. The fact they are not our strongest I think would be irrelevant to EFL.

[Charnwood]

They’d probably be quicker to jump on Stoke City if they fielded a weakened team that gave us an advantage, or am I being too cynical.

[arana peligrosa]

Voted to win. It's not that we can or might, only the idea of the team and McKenna with it going five games without victory seems kind of surreal. We got too many challengers right behind closing in and Zorro moving clear at the top so it's real essential three points come our way real quick.

Stats say they haven't lost in 5 games although only 1 win with it. It'll be tough but the thought of further dropped points or even defeat for us seems something you just can't envisage right now. There's players out through illness or whatever but with the squad remaining you'd like to think we can get something done for the trip out there.

[Charnwood]

… any news from Portman Road this morning ? … do we know who’s travelled with the squad ?

[Charnwood]

From what I’ve read so far it looks like only Morsy, Davis and I assume Harry Clarke will return this afternoon with Burns, Hurst & Broadhead still missing which leaves us short on fire power up front.

I’ll take 1-1, anything better would be a massive bonus.

[Bluemike]

I'll be happy if those Three do return, Hutchinson replaces Burns and Harness been better than Broadhead lately, just need someone on song to replace Hirst.

[herforder]

I'll be happy if those Three do return, Hutchinson replaces Burns and Harness been better than Broadhead lately, just need someone on song to replace Hirst.

Looks like Ed Shreeran’s got the nod then!

[Bluemike]

Perfect

[herforder]

Think he’s hoping to make it into KM’s A Team. (Aaaaagh - no more)

[AzzurroMark]

Think he’s hoping to make it into KM’s A Team. (Aaaaagh - no more)

Someone's on form this morning!

[Bluemike]

Looks like a 3-5-2
Edmundson, Tuanzebe in Burgess out
Burns and Broadhead fit
Jackson up front
Davis out

[hallamblue]

If it’s Woolfie : Edmundson at CB I’m hiding in the cupboard all afternoon!

[Charnwood]

It’s a much stronger line up than I expected although we’ll do well to keep a clean sheet with that back four.

I can only guess that McKenna is thinking of forthcoming games without Burgess.

[Charnwood]

Hopefully we have a good enough line up to go for a win whereas this morning I was thinking we’d do well to come away with a point.

[lucy]

I'm visiting the Dark Side today. Come on Norwich

[hallamblue]

Morsy booked : that’s him gone for the next two games now then!!

[herforder]

Change of ref……..but SM booked. Misses Slumberland and Leicester games

But we’re looking much better

[hallamblue]

Bloody hell are we missing Hirst up front … can’t see us scoring today - again!

[lucy]

Change of ref……..but SM booked. Misses Slumberland and Leicester games

But we’re looking much better

Won't he miss the FA Cup game?

[hallamblue]

Stockwell making the point I’ve raised a few times before… we need to mix it up a bit more. We’re SO predictable coming out of defence the way we always do.

[Cabanas Blue]

Change of ref……..but SM booked. Misses Slumberland and Leicester games

But we’re looking much better

Won't he miss the FA Cup game?

No the cup game does not count I think it's Sunderland and Leicester.

[ashfordblue]

Bloody hell are we missing Hirst up front … can’t see us scoring today - again!

No Liz we are waiting until added on time to score 90+ 5 ???? :

[hallamblue]

lol I’ll take that Ash