Ipswich match report part 1

Two enforced changes for the Super Reds in this very difficult-looking away game at Portman Road. No need to remind us that we lost her 5-1 last season and I can remember also a 6-1 thrashing in the play-off season, when the Tractor Boys beat us eventually at Wembley to reach the Premiership. As they have a 100% home record this season, even the most die-hard Reds fans, as well as Dreamboy, might have settled for a 0-0 at the start and the predictions of 2-0 seemed reasonable and even 4-0 feared.

But we are a tighter and more professional unit this season and it really showed in this test of character, resolve, as well as skill.

The changes were fairly predictable, with Togwell coming in for Howard and McCann for Campbell-Rice, with Devaney swapping wings. So, 4-4-2 and this formation took the field.

Muller

Foster Sousa Nyatanga Werling

Devaney Anderson Togwell McCann

Macken Ferenczi

I had been chauffeured to the game by a good friend, who is also a an Ipswich shareholder and sat with the Ipswich fans (nice bunch) behaving myself at all times impeccably, although, of course, there was not a goal to cheer. Jolly nice ride down in a BMW!

The Reds started the game really well and had significantly the best of the first twenty minutes, passing quickly and with accuracy; playing the easy ball until a position was engineered for the more telling pass and using the flanks – especially the left where Werling excelled – to good effect. More about Werling later, whose performance was the best I have seen of him so far – resolute (and legal) in defence and superb in breaking forwards by overlapping into attack. His pace was such that he seemed to patrol the left flank all afternoon and was a positive in both defence and attack.

We had chances in this early spell of dominance and Macken, Ferenczi and Togwell all went close to opening the scoring. The crossing was generally not bad (the exceptional cross would certainly have got us off the mark), but Macken and Ferenczi could not quite get the purchase, or reach the balls in front of them. The best chance of all fell to Devaney on the right from a left-wing cross (which must have come from Werling). I thought he could not miss, given that he was on his own and the ball had got right to him, but it wouldn’t come down for him and he had to flail his right leg, making a poor contact as a result. No real blame to Devaney, who was in the right place for the chance, at any rate.

Ipswich don’t have a 100% home record for nothing and it was likely that they were going to up the ante and get back into the game. From twenty minutes onwards, they upped the pace of their passing, started getting to the ball first more often and the tide started to turn. The first threat came from a good strike from Miller from distance, which thumped into Muller’s chest. Muller dealt comfortably with other shots from Counago and Walters. It was during this spell that Sousa made his ‘error’ in trying to shield the ball out of play. He owned up to the error. It didn’t cost us and the rest of the team’s back-slapping said a lot about the team spirit around at the moment – a good platform on which to build and evidence of good leadership also from the management team.

We were now trying to play football, but under more pressure from Ipswich. Our moves broke down more often and Ipswich came back at us. However, we were still dangerous (perhaps even more so on the break) and our next nearest chance came when McCann managed to get the ball on to his favoured left foot and hit one from twenty-five yards. It was arrowing towards the top left corner until Alexander produced and first class save to tip it over and around for a corner. It was characteristic of this game that there were few shots from distance from either side, although this was partly due to excellent closing down and defensive work in the back four and in front of the back four by both teams. Notable in this was Anderson, who broke with pace from midfield on two occasions near half time. On the first occasion, I was praying for him to shoot, but he elected to pass and the move petered out. On the second occasion, he did hit the ball and it was a yard wide. We needed more of that today.

Sousa became the first booking, but I really couldn’t see why. It was a game played throughout in excellent spirit – a genuine contest of skill against skill – I thought the referee could have kept his book in his pocket all afternoon, but still. It was barely obstruction, but the ref gave the free-kick and decided to book Sousa for a block, which hardly looked intentional.

As half-time closed, there was simply sublime piece of skill from young Haynes, who had come on for Lee. He turned through 180 degrees on the edge of the penalty area to leave defenders in his wake and find a shooting chance. Fortunately for us, he shot wide.

So, half time and 0-0 seeming a fair scoreline, although we probably should have nicked a goal and nearly had done so with the effort from McCann and the miss from Devaney, amongst other harder ones.

 

RE: Ipswich match report part 2

No changes for either team at half time and Ipswich came hard at us from the start. We did seem to be chasing the game now and Ipswich were quicker to the ball. Whilst our possession was hard to maintain, Ipswich held possession well and were constructing situations around the fringes of our penalty area, which made it look as though a goal could come. Given all this, our defending really was first class in the face of a very stern examination. There were few scares, as all the back four did their jobs well and midfielders helped by blocking opportunities for Ipswich shots and putting bodies on the line – very impressive, really, and a big development from last season. The tide of Ipswich attacks was helped by refereeing decisions. What is it about away games? The slightest hint of an Ipswich player falling over and the whistle blew; possession was conceded and Ipswich were on the attack again. It seemed quite all right for De Vos to climb all over Ferenczi and Bruce all over Macken all afternoon, but nothing seemed to be given, in contrast to the ease with which marginal decisions went to the home side. At one point, this seemed such a feature of the game in keeping it running Ipswich’s way that I thought I glimpsed the holographic spectre of Harry Redknapp and Mandaric in the teeming rain which greeted the second half. It was just an illusion, wasn’t it? At last – a free kick for a foul on Ferenczi and Redknapp and Mandaric were banished to the kingdom from which they had come. Phew!

We were still dangerous when we managed to battle and keep possession flowing. Togwell had a shot saved by Alexander. McCann again found space down the old inside left channel and his powerful shot sliced wide. Again, a doubtful free-kick conceded for minimal contact and Williams, who had a quiet game for Ipswich, produced arguably the moment of the match with an excellent free-kick, which was arrowing into McCann’s top left corner before one of Muller’s Spiderman arms stretched and his hand flicked it over from right under the ball. This was a world class save, make no mistake and a match-saving one right out of the top drawer.

On the counter for the Reds, Werling purred into space down the left, as he had done with such ease all afternoon, he broke forwards, got all the power of his muscular left peg behind the ball and produced an excellent save from Alexander to push it round for a corner.

The final phase of the game saw Walters pushed up as a striker for Ipswich, with Haynes running at us from wide right. With the crowd urging Ipswich on, our tactics (which were bang on right) were to try to hit them on the counter. Anderson and Togwell threaded some excellent passes away and Devaney in particular benefited, but just did not have the pace to get past the defending full-back, Harding. Christensen came on and ran himself into the ground, chasing down defenders into making errors and trying to find the extra inch of pace to get the break-away goal. A fascinating phase of the game, which could still have gone either way and led to a really exciting final climax phase. Our defence held out and not due to luck. Bodies were still being put on the line; headers usually had power and distance; but still the ball kept coming back. There were some hectic scrambles, but the defence remained composed and this was a key reason we won. All four – Foster, Nyatanga, Sousa and Werling kept alert, were quick to anticipate and close down danger. Even in the scrambles, we kept blocking them out.

So to the final whistle and 0-0, which I think was probably fair over the whole match. Altough there were few incidents of note and no controversial ones at all, it was an entertaining joust, the result of which shows just how far we have come since last season and how much further we can still go. The players do need some incentive other than just keeping their places and playing technically good football. I would be giving them incentives to reach the play-offs, as that is a realistic ambition. There is some need to develop the team further, especially in terms of a permanent replacement when Nyatanga goes back to Derby (unless you think Foster should be in the middle) and a quick-sharp striker who will nick goals from the target-man play of Ferenczi and/or Macken.

 

RE: Ipswich match report part 3

Player ratings:

Muller 8: notable for a world class, match-saving save, but good in the air and very adept at getting his extending arms and hands around the ball during some of the late scrambles. I worry about his punching, or palming some crosses, as in continental style, as this did fairly often gift the ball back to Ipswich. Kicking generally ok, but a couple into the gutters. One howler of a throw-out, which never reached Foster.

Foster 7: very solid all round. Generally good distribution and strong in the air. One good header from a set piece and occasional good cross from deep.

Nyatanga 8: assured performance. The pairing with Sousa looks likely to soak up everything in the air and he is technically good on the ground. A stern examination today, sometimes under great pressure and he came through it very well, especially in the final quarter of the game.

Sousa 9: (My MoM) I don’t want to start an argument, chaps, but he dominated for us today and was a key reason that Ipswich’s 100% record is ended. Ipswich fans commented on his assured performance, which was such that Nyatanga had a quieter afternoon alongside him than might have been the case with a different defender next to him.

Werling 9: Simply the best I have seen him play. How does he cover so much of the ground and still have the fitness to be still running and tackling hard right down to the end? With McCann not being a pacy winger, Werling frequently overlapped into space wide left and the excellent effect. He motored into the wide-open spaces like a super-charged Aston-Martin; his crossing was of a high standard (mostly) and he was a threat with that sledge-hammer of a left foot, which nearly brought a second-half winner. His defending was also very good and he seems to have been developed well by the coaching staff. I didn’t see any of the impetuousness of early season. He is reading the game better and put his body on the line again and again to block shots and centres with most parts of his anatomy. Again – commented on by Ipswich fans. How much better can he get? He looked close on Premiership standard today and it was no mean feat to keep Haynes quiet when he was moved to right wing and Walters up front towards the end. Great performance!

Devaney 6: just looked short of something today. This was particularly noticeable towards the end when we needed a pacy winger to take advantage of the fast passes on the counter-attack, but his legs let him down and he looked pretty knackered. Credit Harding, though, for keeping him quiet and being quicker to the ball and closing him down, especially towards the end. Especially second half, I thought that he played the ball back to Foster too often. I wanted him to take on the full back, trick past him and get in a telling cross. It didn’t happen today. Maybe he is carrying an injury which has slowed him down.

Togwell 7: picked up the pace well, controlling the ball well alongside Anderson and making good forward runs with two/three shots as well. Didn’t let the side down. It cannot be easy to come back in after limited first team minutes on the pitch. He will have benefited from getting a full match behind him.

Anderson 7: showed his class at times, especially with good turns to create space for himself and some telling passes. Possibly not quite the dominant influence he has the potential to be and got rather crowded out at times in the second half. His booking was unfortunate and I am sure that it was for dissent and not the foul. You could understand his frustration, as the tackle barely seemed to merit a free-kick and might easily have been given the other way.

McCann 6: two good shots and some good touches, but he looked knackered and this really showed towards the end when he seemed to have trouble staying on his feet. Combined well with Werling, who provided the pace for him on the overlap. I am not sure what is his best position – centre or left midfield. May be centre would be more suited.

Macken 6: battled well all afternoon and might have had more joy with headers. On the other hand, didn’t look like scoring really. Excellent work-rate and obviously enjoying playing first team matches.

Ferenczi 6: came close a couple of times and, when played the right ball, won a fair amount in the air. Mauled around throughout the second half by De Vos and you could see his frustration growing. On the other hand, credit to him that De Vos had to resort to those tactics to subdue him.

Christensen 6: put himself about to good effect when on for Ferenczi, but it would have helped to have had a nippy forward who could use the counter-attacking passes. No fault for effort and his day will no doubt come sooner or later.

So, there you have it. A lot of technically good football played by the Reds and very resilient and impressive defending work throughout the match to keep the Tractor Boys to nil. Tactically – I think Davey about got it right and the result and performance proved that. I might have brought on Ricketts for either Devaney, or McCann for the last five minutes when the game had become Ipswich siege versus Barnsley counter attack. I then a fresher, quicker player might have got away from Harding and the Ipswich back four and we might have had a better chance of nicking it.

We have come one heck of a long way from last season – and think that two seasons agao we were struggling towards the possibility of a League One play-off final. The squad and the quality of football have developed dramatically, such that we have an outside chance of play-offs; have competed on even terms with the side with the best home record in the division and must have a genuine chance of being near the top next season.

We kept the faith through the administration years. Keep the faith now. We are on the up.

 

Great stuff

Thanks for the report, entertaing read.

Sounds like a good day out, an unexpected point and we produced a decent performance. (Y)

 

MOM and a ten (from my vantage point)

</p>

Goes to ThomasEvanRevival for a great match report and great insight into the positioning of the club. I hope you continue to be motivated to do more reports like this. </p>

Well done, bud, much appreciated.</p>

 

RE: Great stuff

That was a fantastic read, who needs to buy a Sunday paper when this chap provides such excellent in depth match reports for the reds. Well done Thomas, keep up the good work, it is very much appreciated. (nodding2fingers)

 

Cheers for that nt

 

Ever thought of going into journalism? That was damn good!

 

Marvelous..thank you very much

we just need a reliable source of goals it seems.

 

Top report ThomasEvans - although there is one glaring omission...

... in your team marks, in my humble opinion!

I agree that the back 4 were excellent today and for those on this forum who reckon Werling can't defend, then they
really should have been at Portman Road this afternoon - but the one player who oozed class and commitment
today was Andersen de Silva. He was outstanding and was certainly my MotM - although I appreciate such
decisions are purely subjective.

One major gripe at Ipswich - TWENTYNINE POUNDS admission! Scandalous and a total rip-off. The Tractor Boys
have always been a family and friendly club but their pricing policy is a total insult to travelling football fans. I'm
also disappointed that BFC were unable to advise fans that pre-purchasing tickets for this game would result in
a £2.50 discount on match-day prices.

 

has this report been ADAM/DB3K approved ,if not ban it site admin

we cannot be seen to be taking the Lord Adam in vain

 

Thanks very much..... a very goog read. By the way.....

did you go to the match?

 

Great report, but....

It's a shame a report of this quality was saved for one of the few games I have actually been able to attend this season! Would be great to see these appearing on a regular basis. Wolves anyone? I live too far away to get to midweek games at the Well.

Just a few comments;

I thought it was Togwell, not Devaney that the chance fell to early on. There were a couple of good moves that Togwell found himself on the end of, which was a shame given that finishing isn't really his strength. I was impressed with Devaney today. He doesn't have the pace to beat most full-backs in this division, but his ball control was excellent again.

I would echo the comments made about Anderson Da Silva. He was a class act today, and probably warranted more praise. Souza was awesome (bar one gaff) and just shaded it for MOM.

Forwards looked like they had lead in their boots. De Vos had Fereczi in his pocket all game, and Macken looked a little off the pace. Perhaps tuesday night had taken it's toll.... No surprise to see Christensen come on, probably should have been Mostto as well.

Werling probably had his best ever game for the club, but I'm not getting too excited. He flung himself around and made some great blocks, but he still looks uncomfortable defending - especially high balls which he really can't deal with. Talk of him being premiership quality is very optimistic. Cracking long range effort in the 2nd half though.

 

And those that reckon he CAN defend

should have been at every other game he's played for us!

Really, it's absolutely great to hear the glowing reports on Werling yesterday, because with his pace, stamina, crossing ability and sheer ball-thumping quality he's a great addition going forward, but he has been very poor defensively for most of the season, no question. Lets hope this is a platform to build on, and maybe then he will become first a Chmpionship standard full-back before a Premier League one.

ThomasEvans - great report, especially for a 0-0 draw. Would we have got to parts 5/6 if you'd done it on the Watford game?!

 

I am retiring...

in summer 2008. Do you know anyone who would give me a go (seriously?)

 

RE: Thanks very much..... a very goog read. By the way.....

Your emoticon seems to be laughing at me!

 

RE: Marvelous..thank you very much

How many strikers has Davey brought in and tried now? 7?