ITFC 2 Portsmouth 2

FA Cup Sat 090116: Town 2 Portsmouth 2

I went to the match today.

Before the game at Portman Road

Before the game at Portman Road

The first half was DREADFUL. It started in quite a rainy downpour and Town could have been 3-0 down at the end of the half. Poor finishing from an otherwise good Portsmouth side kept the game goalless at halftime. Town had made several changes to the starting selection, with Digby and Malarczyk at the back and Vardy up front. The whole team were simply awful! They couldn’t do anything right with so many missed passes and lack of possession and spirit, in total contrast to Portsmouth, who played well as a team. Any neutral observer would have thought Portsmouth were the Championship side. Town could not even get the basics right. Chambers throws in to Skuse who under no pressure played the pass back into touch! Town were left aimlessly clearing balls upfield which were easily dealt with by Portsmouth.The Portsmouth fans were great too.

First half Town vs Portsmouth 0-0

First half Town vs Portsmouth 0-0

Town started the second half much better and the rain had eased off and Town took the lead with a goal from Tommy Oar. At that moment all the Town team and supporters felt great relief. Unfortunately, the Town team just switched off completely and a quick Portsmouth attack ended with an equalising goal just minutes after Town’s opening goal. That was really unprofessional and poor from the new look Town team. Portsmouth were now right back in the game and looked the more likely winners.

Second half- Town 2 Portsmouth 2

Second half- Town 2 Portsmouth 2

Town made changes, with Digby and Maitland-Niles off for Smith and Fraser and Sears on for Vardy. Portsmouth made a change too with Chaplin coming on and he scored a fine goal to put Portsmouth ahead.
At that stage it didn’t look hopeful for Town but at least the Town tried to attack especially with Sears and Fraser giving the Town some hope. Town then equalised from a free kick from Fraser in the 88th minute.

There were 5 minutes of added time which were the best 5 minutes of the game with both sides pressing for a winner but it ended in a draw, and there will be a replay at Fratton Park on Jan19th.

It is quite obvious Town will need to put out a strong team on Tuesday against Leeds and play better.
COME ON YOU BLUES!!

ITFC 2 QPR 1

ITFC 2 QPR 1

A vital home win for Town today. That stops a run of 2 home defeats (Middlesborough and Deby)
and keeps Town in sixth place. Happy days and a happy Chrisrtmas to Towvn.

Well I listened to the game on Radio Suffolk and it wasn’t reported to be a good game. Town went behind to a goal in the fourth minute of first half extra time.

Town though got a goal back through Douglas in the second half and Ryan Fraser came on as a substitute from the 70th minute. Luke Chambers got the Town winner in the 3rd minute of extra time!

Mick McCarthy acknowledged the performnce wasn’t good and he said he was “incandescent with rage” about losing the first goal right on halftime! Still he was very happy to get the win and so should everyone be! There were lots of negative comments about poor play from Town but it is a good result to win at home and especially to win from behind and keep going for the winner right to the end of the game! Town are fighting and trying even if they don’t play pretty football all the time.

WELL PLAYED TOWN..COME ON YOU BLUES…

2 easy games next…Brighton and Burnley. I had a great Christmas present, 2 tickets to see Town vs Portsmouth in the FA Cup Sat 9 Jan..bring it all on!

Charlton 0 ITFC 3

Charlton 0 ITFC 3

Town yesterday played well to get a good result away to Charlton. This followed the drawn game
last week against Wolves and of course was a great improvement over that.

The game was the early kick off and I watched it on Sky. Charlton are a shadow of their formerselves
(from the Curbishley era and since Chris Powell left they have had a succession of managers). Their best player went off after 10 minutes (Jackson, with a hamstring injury) and despite having lots of possession, they had no real threat on the Town goal.

Here is a fans view from IpswichTownAwayDays YouTube channel:

Town scored 2 goals in the first half, the first a header from Daryl Murphy and the second after a run and deflected shot from Freddie Sears right on half time.

Of course Charlton played better in the second half especially when they changed their ineffective tall striker for VazTe (ex West Ham premier league footballer) who actually started to threaten the Town goal.

However Town scored a fine third goal to effectively finish the game. It was Daryl Murphy, scoring after a good Town passing move which was great to see!

Town then went to sleep a little and Dean Gurken was called into action and made 3 fine saves to keep a clean sheet. Town move up to seventh place in the table now and are playing away to Middlesborough on Friday and this can be seen on Sky TV too.

Daryl Murphy was man of the match and deservedly so, but it was a good performance from the whole team. Keep that level up Town! That is more like it!

GO TOWN..Come on you SUPER BLUES..

Rotherham 2 Ipswich Town 5

Rotherham 2 ITFC 5

A fine away win for Town today albeit against the bottom club in the Championship.

I listened to most of the game on Radio Suffolk and saw the goals highlights on Sky Goals Express.

The Town starting team missed David McGoldrick (injured) but Brett Pitman was a fine replacement and he scored Town’s first goal with a glancing header. Dougllas grabbed a goal with a fine solo run and good shot.
Then Daryl Murphy scored just before halftime.

After halftime Murphy got another goal and Town were cruising at 4-0 up. Rotherham though hit back with 2 fine scoring shots and all Town fans became a little nervous, wondering if Rotherham could rally and if so, would that upset Town and surely the Town couldn’t lose could they? Well, no! Murphy got another goal to settle Town nerves. Just when you haven’t scored in 17 games for Town, along comes a hat-trick! Nice and Murphy and Sears left for Parr and Coke to replace them toward the end and Town won the game comfortably.

That is 2 consecutive wins for Town.Happy days.Well played Town!

So much better play and results so keep it up team.COME ON YOU BLUES!

Town 2 Bolton 0

ITFC 2 Bolton 0

Finally, a win for Town. Well played Town!

Since the Hull game, and my last post, Town played out 2 draws.
First Nottingham Forest 1 Town 1 (Forest equalising in th 5th minute or injury time at the end of the game) and Town 0 Cardiff 0 last Saturday.

Town finally get a win last night and three points and are 10th in the Championship (10 points behind joint leaders Hull,Brighton and Burnley).

I didn’t watch the match or listen to it on Radio Suffolk and as yet have not read any reviews of it. I did see manager Mick McCarthy on BBC LookEast before the game hoping for goals to come and stating he would even like a scrappy (lucky?) goal to get the Town team going! Well all I know about the game was Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored after around 15 minutes, and this seems to have worked. Better news I think is that Town kept a clean sheet. I hope this win kick starts Town to more wins and to climb up the table now.

Well done TOWN….COME ON YOU BLUES….

Hull 3 ITFC 0

Hull 3 ITFC 0

Another bad result for Town in their last match away to Hull.

The Town are in disarray!? When manager Mick McCarthy came to Town and saved the team from relegation it was built on solid defensive performances. Then gradually these were replaced by more emphasis on scoring goals rather than not conceding and the attacking players prospered (notably last season Murphy).
This season though the whole team is not at it! Defence, midfield and attack have gone “pear shaped” as Town endure change after change brought about by injury and loss of form.

Town this season have brought in more players to increase the size of the squad, but some of the regulars aren’t performing and neither are the new guys. It is very frustrating because all the players have talent but the team are not performing together as a team!

Lots of supposed supporters are calling for Mick McCarthy to go, but he has been let down by the players.
The players that the manager has shown faith in need to improve quickly and build some team spirit to get results to pull Town out of this bad run of form. If this doesn’t happen quickly, then both they and the manager will be history and the Town will continue to under perform and struggle to survive in the Championship!

ITFC deserves better, but this will only happen with hard work and determination firstly not to be beaten and secondly to get winning results. COME ON YOU BLUES!!

ITFC 0 Huddersfield 0

Town’s dismal recent form continues with a home draw today against Huddersfield.

This comes after a 2 week international break and again this is points thrown away by the Town team.
I listened to the game on Radio Suffolk and Mick Mills concluded it was Town’s worst home performance for 3 years and the worst under manager Mick McCarthy against an average Huddersfield team.

I read online that manager Mick McCarthy wanted a good reaction after the last home draw with Bristol City but it never happened. As ever Town fail to realise their potential. It is so frustrating and exasperating. All the pre season promise has evaporated and it is time the team WAKE UP!

I’m listening to the post match Radio Suffolk chat and Mick Mills is berating the service to Pitman and Sears from mid field. Most of the players who did well last season are not playing as well this season and Maitland-Niles does not have the experience to carry the team despite his talent. David McGoldrick has been average. Lots of people are questionning Luke Chambers’ performances. People are calling for changes to players and the manager. It is clearly obvious that all the team need to play better and that includes the managers contribution.

McCarthy said Huddersfield were better than Town in the first half with a big set back being Tommy Orr suffering concussion.
He acknowledges how hard it is in the Championship and yet that Town must do better. I hope Town can turn their poor form round quickly and get back to winning ways soon.

Right now, Town are in disarray, but hopefully the players and manager can improve their performances and get going on a better run of form! COME ON TOWN!

COME ON YOU BLUES!!!

Last 2 poor results for Town….

Last week Town could only draw 2-2 with Bristol City at home.
(Bristol City were /are bottom of the league table).

Today Town lost away -Blackburn 2 ITFC 0
(Needless to say, but ex Town striker Jordan Rhodes scored as he often does against his old club).

Town are tumbling down the league table and are in 12th place now. The good start Town made to the season has disappeared and it looks to me like any chance of challenging for promotion is fading fast. Unless Town can dramatically improve and immediately, it seems like an average season is ahead and avoiding relegation is all Town team and supporters will have to look forward to?! Not appealing at all.

In truth it is quite depressing for me to bear the Town’s recent poor results and I am finding it hard to raise any energy to support the team. Come on Town please give me and all Town supporters some good results to shout about and be happy with! COME ON TOWN….

Leeds Utd 0 Ipswich Town 1

Leeds Utd 0 Ipswich Town 1

Well played Town! A great away result and much needed positive reaction after the heavy away defeat against Reading from the last game.

I listened to some of the highlights and saw the Town goal on Sky TV replay. There isn’t much to say about the game except that Murphy and McGoldrick played together and the defence was so solid Gurken had very little to do.

Tommy Smith scored for Town from a corner. Then Town had to survive a penalty appeal and Leeds were unlucky not to be given the penalty! It looked from the TV like the Town defender had brought the Leeds player down in the box but thankfully the referee didn’t think so!

Then at the end there was an added 6 minutes of extra time and Gurken had a scary moment when he flapped at a clearance but again luckily Town survived. Overall a very good result and a good performance!

Town’s next match is against Birmingham who lost for the first time yesterday.

Town are fifth in the table with 13 points while Brighton are the surprise leaders. The Town team should be pleased at their win at Leeds which was much needed straight after the Reading horror shocker game!
Mick McCarthy stayed very calm throughout both games though he was very pleased at the Town’s better performance away to Leeds.

COME ON YOU BLUES

Reading 5 Ipswich Town 1

Reading 5 ITFC 1

A truly awful result for Town last night away at Reading.

I wasn’t at the game but managed to view it from around the 60 minute time as it was live on Sky TV.
It was 2-1 to Reading when I started to watch the game live and I saw Town give away 2 goals with poor defending and a great strike for Reading for the fifth goal with Reading’s confidence sky high and Town’s crushed into the ground.

It was a case of fine margins and bad play that let Town down and very badly. Town were pressing Reading and having a lot of the ball but not making any chances. Reading broke away and their attacker went round the Town defence with ease and passed the ball inside of the 6 yard box to find an unmarked Orlando Sa, who scored easily past Gerkin.There were 3 Town defenders around the Reading scorer…and noone blocked or challenged him. What a gift of a goal. Awful defending by Town.

Then Pitman had a header off the bar and that was the best Town chance. Reading then got the ball on the left and the attacker went past Chambers easily to the goal line and smashed a shot high into the net past Gerkin from close range and a tight angle. It was great skill and finishing from the Reading player but bad defending from the Town players. Reading 4-Town 1. Game over. Off came Pitman and on came Murphy and Maitland Niles. Niles had a half chance but Reading finished in style with a great shot past the stationary and static Town goalkeeper Gerkin and then everyone for Reading started to play and take shots as the Town were humiliated.

In truth, at times Town had looked to be playing well, but it was all ruined by letting Reading have 2 soft goals. Just very embarrassing and very bad that Town played like that. They simply “shot themselves in the foot”, making the win so easy for Reading.

I wonder what manager Mick McCarthy does now? He has talented players but they let themselves and all supporters down badly by playing so casually! It is not just the defence who need a rollicking from the manager as the whole team need to do better and take any chances they make and be ruthless not to give the opposition chances especially soft ones!

If Town do not react positively after this debacle then it will be a struggle all season. For goodness sake Town players wake up and man up! Just put this behind you now and learn from it and do better next game. The fine margin between winning and losing needs to be worked hard for. COME ON YOU BLUES!!