Countin' On A Miracle

ITFC 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday October 27th 2012

Sort it out

Was this the worst Ipswich performance of all time? I have seen many poor sides wearing our blue shirt over the years struggling to avoid relegation but that was from the top division. This lot yesterday were playing against a Wednesday team that were just above us in the table with one win in their previous eleven matches and quite frankly we made them look like world beaters. 

It took just 45 seconds before caretaker boss Chris Hutchings saw his "team" concede the first goal of what I hope (no disrespect to him, we just need a new boss ASAP) will be a short term reign. Ross Barkley netted from the edge of the box after Luke Hyam had made two previous blocks. We just weren't at the races, the players didn't show any fight, any commitment or any pride. What they did show was that whoever takes over has got to have yet another cull. I'm not interested in second rate players who couldn't give a shit about the club I'd rather watch a committed team in division one.At the end of the day the players are human beings, they just couldn't be arsed to do their jobs and as a consequence they'll be several coaches out of work very soon, they really did stab Hutchings in the back through their non committal and should feel ashamed of that.

They're not listening Chris

Oh right, back to the "match." Basically we hardly mustered a decent attack, survived for another 51 minutes before Barkley doubled his and Sheffield's tally with a superbly taken goal from outside the box which our dodgy on loan keeper Stephen Henderson had no chance of saving. Wednesday's impressive number 7 Michail Antonio added a third goal nine minutes from time, rounding Henderson and slipping the ball into an empty net to ensure a totally miserable afternoon for us mugs on the terraces. I thought that mustering up just two points in September was bad but one in October is unbelievable.

If I was to take charge (in my dreams!) The first player that I would get rid of would be Michael Chopra, here is a man who has embarrassed and shamed the reputation of the club through his off-field problems. Gambling debts (Marcus Evans allegedly having to bail him out by paying-off dodgy loan sharks who turned up unannounced at the training ground) The club have helped him with rehab, then in the summer he was sent to California for more help and now he is being charged with race fixing by the British Horseracing Authority! Paul Jewell stood by him all the way through and how does he repay the faith? With inept performances and smart arsed, smug tweets to the fans, like 

these two:

"Programmes"

@MichaelChopra10: did not realise going out on a wed was a big thing not as if i was drinking and back home at 11:30 some people need to get a fucking life. That was after Wednesday night when he was out on the town with several other players, also the day PJ parted company with the club. Celebrating that or Carlos Edwards' birthday? Or both? Last night it was @MichaelChopra10: About to watch my pal Jamie hamblett in union j on the x factor tonight sorry to disappoint all the haters im not out tonight, that after a couple of previous tweets telling us how good he is when he starts a game.

I'm not "a hater" and everybody deserves a second chance but in my opinion he hasn't stepped up to the plate when its been payback time and I'll be happy to see him leave, what a waste of talent.

Next on the list would be club captain Carlos Edwards, another player who embarrassed the club, arrested for driving whilst banned without any insurance, etc. How can he be club captain? He was lucky to escape a prison sentence for that one. He has also in my opinion said some pretty dumb things in the press overtime and when the manager needed a vote of confidence last week he told the EADT that Jewell was weak - cheers mate.

These two and most of the loanee's would  be a starting point, there's a big job to be done here. Fortunately whoever comes in has got 33 games to try and restore some pride in the club and keep its championship status. Hopefully before the 31st we'll have a new manager, if its Halloween Holloway, Mick McCarthy or somebody else they'll certainly need to give the players are good kick in the ghoulies!!

Playlist

Countin' On A Miracle by Bruce Springsteen - not quite that desperate or are we?

Can it get worse?

The Magnificent Seven

Paul Jewell surfaced on Wednesday morning at the training ground to bid farewell to his staff, had he been watching a DVD in his office the previous evening as we were told? I doubt it very much, if indeed he was it might well have been a pirate copy of Skyfall! He left the club by mutual consent after twenty one months in charge with little progress having been made. I liked him as manager and am sad that things have turned out this way. He looked like a beaten man and after recent events it became clear that there was only ever going to be one outcome. I don't suppose he'll ever read this but just in case, cheers Paul and good luck in the future.

Where do we go from here? As things stand we might just find out by his next appointment how serious Marcus Evans is about ITFC. If he appoints somebody along the lines of Steve Cotterill, Billy Davis or even dare I say Gary Megson then I fear years of drudgery ahead at Portman Road. Carl Robinson or a young up & coming manager will show a little more ambition with a longer term rebuild and building on youth. He could appoint Alan Shearer, rumours of a meeting in Barbados have been doing the rounds recently. This would be a very ambitious appointment as I can't see Shearer coming to Ipswich without a serious transfer kitty being guaranteed, he would also need to bring with him an experienced assistant manager in my opinion.

I wouldn't mind Ian Holloway coming or more realistically perhaps Mick McCarthy, based on the past few seasons who would want it? One things for sure,we won't wait too long before finding out who the new messiah is!

The playlist 

The Magnificent Seven by The Clash - “Wave bub-bub-bub-bye to the boss” as suggested by Max after leaving Portman Road on Tuesday night.

Skyfall

ITFC 1-2 Derby 23rd October 2012

Tuesday night saw the world premier of the 23rd James Bond film Skyfall at The Royal Albert Hall in London, meanwhile seventy miles to the East, we where having a fall of our own, to the bottom of the Championship table. It's not just the team that hit the bottom, the whole club is turmoil with 00Evans nowhere to be seen.

It's not good that I felt like I couldn't be bothered to go to the game, it shouldn't be like that, I should be excited, night games under the floodlights usually have a good feel about them. 

We started well and for the fifth game running we took the lead, DJ Campbell finishing off a good move after 24 minutes. I stood watching the game and thought to myself "if we don't win by two clear goals then we are shit." Not Long after Derby equalised, Theo Robinson netting after on loan keeper Stephen Henderson made a mess with his attempted save from Conor Sammon's long range shot.

Another loan

Ipswich came out for the second after what would become Paul Jewell's last team talk for the blues but whatever he said had no effect. In truth there was only going to be one winner and it came in injury time just like at Hull on Saturday. There were chants of "Jewell out" after substitute Nathan Tyson's goal condemned us to the bottom of the league. It was not nice watching the manager sitting in the dugout whilst listening to the booing and the vociferous chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning." He must have been very relieved to hear the final whistle and to escape the torrent of abuse aimed at him.

Jewell didn't appear for the post match press conference and there were rumours that he had left the ground, leading to speculation that he had been sacked or resigned. Unbelievably assistant manager Chris Hutchings appeared to tell the waiting media that in fact he was in his office watching a DVD of the game and preparing for Saturdays game v Sheffield Wednesday.

What a farce. ITFC are a joke at the moment, under the ownership of Marcus Evans we have become more "Austin Powers, international man of mystery" than "James Bond."

Playlist

Skyfall by Adele - we need more than James Bond to save us!

The only way is up!

Empty Sky

ITFC 1-2 Cardiff October 6th 2012

I get the idea that there doesn't seem to be long term plan at Ipswich, we seem to change strategies quite often, this season we were we going for younger players on long contracts and not too many loanee's, now we have seven loan players, mainly old, it is now getting quite worrying, I can't work out if its ME, SC, PJ or a combination of all three but I don't like it and am getting a bit pissed off with them!!

We had another three loanee's arrive on Friday, DJ Campbell from QPR, Bilel Mohsni from Southend, both for three months and the one that I can't understand, Richie Wellens from Leicester in for a month, he's not match fit and it's not like we haven't got cover in midfield. The Michael Chopra saga rolls on, he's now been charged with race fixing and so was omitted from the squad. Although the allegations made are prior to him joining ITFC it still tarnishes the club, I feel sorry for him with his addiction but perhaps it's time to move him on.

It took a while for the penny to drop, the bluebirds were playing in red which is now their home colour, last season it would have been their away kit. A deal with the devil? The change of colour is designed to help their new owners market the club in Asia, money talks! Long live tradition - whatever next?  We'll be playing with the owners name emblazoned on our shirts!

A new fanzine

"We still play in blue, we still play in blue, you sell out bastards, we still play in blue", sang the North stand. I'd go along with a change of colour if it meant real backing for the club. I read a piece last week by Stuart Watson on the Green'Un24 website comparing Paul Jewell's and Roy Keane's time in charge of the club and was surprised to read that between them they have spent £13.35 million on transfers but received £13.7 million on player sales (albeit Connor Wickham £8.1million and Jordan Rhodes £4.6 million!) I know that it doesn't reflect any wages but how much has Marcus Evans really stumped up? Rumour has it that he charges ITFC annual interest on the money that he invested in buying the club, how much is all the publicity worth? He likes to keep a low profile physically but his name is everywhere.

Anyway rant over, it was a 5.20pm kick off live on Sky and fortunately Nottingham Forest had won at Peterborough earlier to keep us off the bottom. I was confident that we could get a win against the league leaders, we started well and for the first half there was a feel good factor at Portman Road. A decent atmosphere in the ground and a positive performance on the pitch was rounded off by DJ scoring on his debut with his hand in injury time.

Got my copy £1

Cardiff got back into the match as the second half wore on, they levelled and then went on to get a late winner in the 87th minute, both goals scored by Heidar Helguson aided by some shaky goalkeeping from Scott Loach. So once again we came away empty handed from a match we could have won and certainly shouldn't have lost, ten games in we are now four points from safety, it's only the beginning of October and we can start to plan our trips away (non football) because the play-off's already seem an impossibility, it's all about survival.

Playlist

Should have been Last night a DJ saved my life by Carl Cox but that all went tits up! So it's Empty Sky by Bruce Springsteen - we used it to test out a Bose sound system in Matthew's before the game and seeing how we lost on Sky TV it seemed appropriate. 

Wake Me Up When September Ends

 Barnsley 1-1 ITFC September 23rd 2012

For the second season running Paul Jewell survived the "Barnsley chop" at Oakwell. Last time it was courtesy of a second half recovery when all seemed lost, Town recovered from being two nil down at half time to win 5-3 ensuring their first win after seven straight defeats. Another loss could well have spelt the end for him with the pressure already mounting following a dismal start to the campaign.

We begun our trip to Yorkshire on Friday afternoon, dropping Max off at Ferrybridge services en route (he had a night out in Bradford lined up with Devvo) whilst Sharon and I continued up north to Harrogate for my birthday night out with Paul & Gail.

We met up with the bantams before the game, hangover free at the Hardy's pie van near to the ground for "A full bag of mashings" (pie, peas and gravy), except for Devvo who opted to have a burger, poor show from the northerner!

"a full bag of mashings"

A touch of glass

There was a small crowd of approximately 8,500 inside a sunny Oakwell and the Ipswich fans seemed to be mainly behind their under pressure manager, although a "Jewell out" banner was displayed before and after the game but as Arsene Wenger would say "I didn't see it".

Ipswich managed to take an early lead after six minutes, Aaron Cresswell netting a well worked free kick which Barnsley keeper Ben Alnwick failed to deal with. A second goal soon after would have given the nervy Ipswich side a much needed cushion but in honesty we hardly created a chance. As the teams headed back to the dressing rooms at half time Guirane N’Daw had a “coming together” with Tykes frontman Craig Davies which soon fizzled out. N'Daw was subbed soon after the restart following a booking, he was obviously still wound up!

The home team were on the front foot and Town were forced to defend for the majority of the second half, Danny Higginbottom showed what a useful acquisition he could be. The inevitable equaliser came in the 74th minute when Scott Loach could only get finger tips to Stephen Dawson's goal bound shot.
There only looked likely to be one winner from that point on but fortunately the visitors held on for a point. This match ended a very poor month for ITFC in which we have only managed to get two out of a possible fifteen points.

Playlist 

Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day - hopefully Ipswich will wake up and get our season going. Also celebrating Sharon managing to get tickets to see Green Day in June.