There are elements of the Ipswich support who are supremely confident of the invincibility of their team and there are multiple references to the 6-0 in their assessments of the prospects for tonight. They are a club on a good run and we are described with relish as “League 1 Basement Boys". I am looking forward to the pre-match coverage on the local East Anglian news and even more to what I hope will be a relatively brief reference to their defeat to the home team tomorrow.
To be fair, not all sources regard victory as inevitable and their current manager, who must be more successful than his several immediate predecessors is more circumspect. Kieran McKenna after forced retirement as a young player, has spent practically all his career in coaching and became Mourinho’s assistant at Man U. So he is a specialist, rather than the previous succession of “big names" and he has lifted Ipswich right up the table.
So we will nevertheless be up against a well-organised confident side, but coming to us after only a narrow 1-0 home win against Gillingham, they will probably have to play a bit better if they are to compete tonight. It would also be appropriate to highlight the fact that they have only got 7 points from their last 6 games, only one more than Rovers, with wins only at Gillingham and Wimbledon, having been beaten 2-0 at Barrow.
We cannot be said to be consistent and although we won at Sunderland and at Milton Keynes we did not really have enough of the ball. It is obvious that the more the opposition controls possession, the more chances they have to score. You might say that we are due, not just a home win, but that we need to improve our home performances because survival depends on beating practically every team that comes to Doncaster as well as avoiding defeat against bottom half teams away.
We will be without Galbraith who missed out on Saturday too, but at least we have got some cover in midfield now and it evident that intelligent young players like him and Smith are more effective when they are combining with others who can read the game and know how to link in. And with time, playing relationships develop fruitfully.
We really have to win this one and I am going to forecast 3-1 (Martin/Odubeko/Griffiths)
DPL v Ipswich T
posted on 8/2/22
I am disappointed to see that when we get the ball, which is not very often, we cannot show enough composure to hold on to it. Ipswich are a good deal more skilful in possession - a class above I’m sorry to admit.
posted on 8/2/22
Much more competitive in the second half - pity they stood off so much in the first.
posted on 8/2/22
The stats don't lie. Only 30 % possession and poor pass accuracy. It's better than it was but just about sums up where we are at the moment. No real pace up front to bother them or anybody to keep possession for long.
posted on 8/2/22
Yes, I was disappointed with Griffiths and Odebuko who both seemed clumsy on the ball, G kept slipping in the first half and did not seem to have got better studs in the second. Martin looked good on the ball and the defence put in more challenges than they used to.
Even though the team look better than in Wellens’ time I fear that they have too far to travel to catch up with whichever team is in 20th place by May.
posted on 8/2/22
Portsmouth play the same 3-4-1-2 system as Ipswich so it's going to be a similar challenge. Not sure we have the bodies or talent to change from the system we've used today and at Sunderland. Changing to 3 at the back went badly wrong against Rotherham. We looked well off the pace today and they passed us off the park. We're no worse off in the table than we were before the game but I don't hold our much hope of survival.
posted on 9/2/22
Disappointing - but Ipswich seemed most of the time to be a much better team than Sunderland. Their passing and immediate control of the ball was. as Donaldo said, a class above us.
That it was only 1-0 says our defenders did some great work and rode their luck, what was missing was the communication between mid-field and the front runners. Losing Rowe did not help, and why not new studs at half time so you do not keep slipping!
Smith (where does the nickname Smudge come from?) was still the energizer bunny (maybe that advert is not in the UK!), but dd not have the impact as in the past.
It is going to take miracle, but I still live in hope.
posted on 9/2/22
So now there's a housing crisis in Hope!
posted on 9/2/22
Bit disappointed with the way we played last night, from the set up, right through the team. Got bullied again, got away with another beating due to there lack of finishing. Could of been 3 nil down at halftime, but, got lucky. After the sunlund game I felt a bit more optimistic, alas after 5mins, that had gone. Yet again another team playing 2 out wide all game against us, always an out ball, we just don't see it, or rather McSheffrey can't change tactics to counter react it.
Lost last 6 home games on the trott now, yet go onto the comedy channel ( VSC ) there are some on there who actually think we can still stay up 😳
Some even think McSheffrey is doing a great job, soon be out of the bottom four. Surely they can see we need to win at least 8, or more than likely, 9 games to stand a chance, plus Harris at Gillingham seems to have turned them around and they do look likely to stay up with him in charge. At the end of this month they could be out of the bottom four, whilst we are still bottom.
An experienced manager keeping them up, who'd of thought that.
posted on 9/2/22
I am not sure that Ipswich are quite as good as it suits Rovers apologists to have us believe. The goal could have been prevented if Olowu had been more alert.
If we had put it more effort in the first half instead of letting them play it could have been 0-0.
We must get fitter and compete more intensively if we are to win all our home matches which is more or less a necessity now.
posted on 9/2/22
If the fitness improves it will only put us on a par with most of the teams we need to beat. We do seem to have a good team spirit now and thats also very important. The magic ingredient will be how the team is set up and adapts to match conditions. Evidence so far is that its been lacking at key times. Though it's still Early days for GM and this squad. Wining every other game from now on wont be enough either.