Say My Name

ITFC 0-2 Watford February 19th 2013

There were only three players in the starting eleven for Watford that played in the reverse fixture and what a transformation from that ramshackle side we beat at Vicarage Road back in August. That night they were truly awful and in truth we should have scored a hat-full of goals, the one-nil score line flattered them and they looked like a team about to have a long season at the bottom of the league. 

Fast forward six months and the team that Gianfranco Zola has moulded looks really classy, easily the best team to visit Portman Road this season and I’m going to give them the kiss of death by predicting automatic promotion!

In truth Watford who were brought out by the Pozzo family in the summer (also owners of Italian Serie A club Udinese and Spanish La Liga side Granada) have become a bit of a feeder club and have a squad of players largely unheard of in England before this season. There are moves to close the loopholes that allow them to exploit the rules, whereby they can fill their squad with loan players from the owners other teams, something that Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway recently had a rant over after the two sides had met. Perhaps we shouldn’t criticise too much when considering the amount of loanees we have used this season!

Under Mick McCarthy Ipswich become more resolute and hard working as a team, especially defensively and that showed on Tuesday night, although we lost we were always in with a chance of nicking something until they scored their second goal In the not too distant past we would have folded and been on the end of yet another hiding.

The Playlist

Say My Name by Destiny's Child - Ikechi Anya, Nathaniel Chalobah, Fernando Forestieri, Daniel Pudil, Christian Battocchio, Matej Vydra, Nyron Nosworthy, Manuel Almunia, Prince Buaben, Marco Cassetti and Almen Abdi. Who are ya?!!

A foggy night at Portman Road