Thunderbird Delta: International Footballing Rescue

[AcidBurn]

It's still possible to get into the play-off's but it's a big ask.

[deltablue]

Great career move to Ipswich, the Championship should be much better than the correspondent division in Scotland, bit of a club with history too. Shame about the debt however...

It's a massive difference, probably more than getting promoted to the SPL would have been. It's the gateway to the big time, though not an easy one to pass through, a lot of teams seem to have some strong players that are at least a match for my own, more than I thought when I first looked as it was better than I was used to. The debt won't be too bad, the ending of a loan and the sale of a squad player for 500k has reduced the projected end of season debt from 5M to 4.2M, plus the board have just put 800k in, so it looks like I'll be getting a decent amount of help from them. Still really want to slash the wage bill though, even if it means settling down for a long stay in the league (in real life, we're already the team who's now been in the division the longest), but we should still be able to maintain a strong side fo the next year or two, so that's not a worry yet.

It's still possible to get into the play-off's but it's a big ask.

Now it's probably looking that way.

Jan 2021

Ipswich 0-1 Wycombe (FA)

We faced League 2 strugglers Wycombe in the FA Cup, desperately short on midfielders. A vey unfit Mark Noble had to be rushed back, and Joseph-Monrose needed a rest, but couldn’t get one. They took the lead in the 29th minute, and that seemed to be enough as we had no fight to give. They could have gone to sleep in the second half (and sort of did) and we wouldn’t look like equalizing.

Ipswich 2-0 Chesterfield (CH)

Thankfully we looked a lot better against Chesterfield. Swedish defender Jamshidi gave us the lead after 10 minutes, with Vellios following just before the break. We eased off after a couple of injuries, but easily had the win in the bag.

Coventry 1-1 Ipswich (CH)

We had a bright first half and Coventry, though couldn’t quite take the lead. They pushed harder early in the second half, including a goal disallowed, but on-loan winger Smith gave us a 65th minute lead. A win would have taken us to 3 points of the playoff places, so it was disappointing to see them equalize in the 77th minute, but otherwise it was a fair result in an even and competitive game, with both sides coming very close to a winner at the end.

Swansea 3-2 Ipswich (CH)

Swansea was another tough test against a side around the playoff places. Rath headed us into the lead after half-time, but they equalized in first half stoppage time. Vellios restored the lead in the 60th minute, but they kept pushing, and not only equalized, but scored a late and costly winner. A win would have took us to 3 points of 6th, a draw would have kept it at 5th, and the defeat meant we were 8 point adrift, though still with plenty of time to make it up.

Fulham 2-3 Ipswich (CH)

The dream seemed to be fading when we went to Fulham and were dominated in the first half, going behind in the 22nd minute. However Joseph-Monrose equalized just before half-time, and he set up Vellios at the start of the second. We were more confident after that, and should have scored a 3rd, Joao Silva being especially eager to be sold it seemed. They equalized in the 72nd minute, but Cook immediately gave us a great winner.

Feb 2021

QPR 3-2 Ipswich (CH)

We had a 4th away game in a row against QPR, who were 3rd. They were very much a Premier League side, so it was surprising that Silva gave us the lead after 7 minutes, and we kept it in an even first half. They equalized at the start of the second half, but we still pushed and Forde converted a free-kick in the 69th minute. Sadly Balotelli immediately equalized, and they soon followed up with the winner, though we might have still snatched a point. High marks for effort though in a game where a heavy defeat looked likely.

Ipswich 2-3 Shrewsbury (CH)

It was a relief to be back home again to play bottom club Shrewsbury, but that didn’t last long. Hyam gave us the lead in the 19th minute, as did Joseph-Monrose in the 55th minute, but they soon equalized both times. We didn’t look like getting a winner, which would already be making for 2 disappointing points dropped, but it got even worse as they got a winner of their own a few minutes from time.

Ipswich 3-2 Millwall (CH)

We were mostly disappointing again against Millwall, as they took the lead twice in the first half, Silva and Smith having to equalize both times. They had a 3rd goal disallowed, which was key and Duffy was able to give us a winner in the 67th minute.

Probaby just a few too many points dropped for the playoffs to be that realistic now, but aside from Shrewsbury it's still a decent run, with lots of exciting 3-2's it seems.

[AK22]

Good to see you at Portman Road. Always nice to be at one of your favoured clubs

Only a outside bet for a playoff place, I reckon, but next season should be better.

[deltablue]

Good to see you at Portman Road. Always nice to be at one of your favoured clubs

Only a outside bet for a playoff place, I reckon, but next season should be better.

Great being here.

Everyone was right about the playoffs, but only because we were throwing away leads like they were going out of fashion. Aside from SRL88's last minute everest climb to the playoffs and promotion in his career, the last time I went up with Ipswich we were 4 points off with 2 games to go, I wasn't even thinking about it, but we made it and went up, so you genuinely never know. Very much looking forward to hopefully seeing much greater improvement.

Mar 2021

Nottingham Forest 4-0 Ipswich (CH)

Suddenly faced with a bunch of manageable games since QPR, we were making quite a mess of it, going behind in the first minute at a Forest side in the relegation zone. They extended the lead after half an hour, leaving me to wonder why the defence even bothered to turn up, useless as they were. The rest of the team weren’t much better, as we crashed to a 4-0 defeat. If anyone has any proof that we were even there, I’d love to see it, as it didn’t seem like it.

Ipswich 1-1 Watford (CH)

We definitely turned up against Watford, but weren’t that impressive. Silva gave us the lead from a 27th minute penalty, but Foster put the ball in his own net in the middle of the second half. We tried to get a winner but couldn’t get the breakthrough.

Oxford 1-2 Ipswich (CH)

Having played 4 of the bottom 5 in the last 4 games, we finished off the set at Oxford. Silva scored again in the 27th minute, this time in open play, followed by Vellios early in the second half. They pulled a goal back, followed by 2 injuries (Silva, out for 2 weeks, and Jamshidi, thankfully ok) but the win actually took us to 5 points of the playoffs despite a mixed set of recent results, a sign of just how good our chances were if it wasn’t for stuff like Shrewsbury.

Ipswich 3-4 West Ham (CH)

I hoped we could complete a double against West Ham, and Vellios gave us 2 goals in the first 10 minutes. They pulled a goal back, but Collins restored the 2-goal margin by half-time. They scored a second goal in the 51st minute, then equalized in the 79th, and got a very cruel late winner, however it did demonstrate why we were probably not going to be in the playoffs, as much as we had showed the potential to be.

Apr/May 2021

Leicester 6-3 Ipswich (CH)

We went behind at the start at Leicester, and were lucky they had another disallowed. However they got their 2nd in the 35th minute, with an immediate 3rd, as this was turning into a repeat of Forest, though in fact it was even worse. It was 5-0 by half-time. They got a 6th before we finally showed signs of life, Vellios and youngster Beale pulling goals back, Jamshidi heading in at the end to avoid total embarrassment.

Ipswich 2-0 Derby (CH)

We improved greatly against Derby, Duffy (who as a 25kpw earner was sadly closest to the door in the summer) giving us the lead in the 14th minute, and we pretty much dominated with Forde giving us another in the 52nd, while we deserved at least one more.

Southampton 5-1 Ipswich (CH)

We were back to terrible at Southampton, conceding in the 15th and 25th minutes. They had a 3rd by half-time, and though Collins pulled one back after 50 minutes, they ran up a 5-1 win.

Ipswich 3-2 Burnley (CH)

We were gradually fading in the later part of the season, and were very quiet as Burnley went 2-0 up after 48 minutes. However the last 5 minutes of regular time saw Collins score twice, and Silva gave us a stoppage time winner that just a short time before seemed impossible!

Brighton 3-2 Ipswich (CH)

The defence gave a masterclass in throwing a game away at Brighton. Silva gave us the lead in the 19th minute, followed by Joseph-Monrose in the 40th minute. However they were let back in to make it 2-2 by the break, and they got a winner in the 81st minute.

Ipswich 4-2 Stoke (CH)

We let slip a lead yet again against Stoke. Collins gave it to us in the 28th minute, but they equalized 10 minutes later, and had a 3-1 lead 5 minutes after that. Silva pulled one back after an hour, but after a few chances to equalize went to waste, they scored a 4th in stoppage time.

Peterborough 4-3 Ipswich (CH)

The season ended at Peterborough, where it looked like we had gotten off to a great start with 2 Collins goals putting us 2-0 up after half an hour. I thought we’d averted our ‘throwing away leads’ curse when they came back to 2-2 in the 68th minute, but Silva restored the lead immediately afterwards. It wasn’t to be as we fell away and they won 4-3. There was an irony in that Silva tore his hamstring for a few months, almost ensuring that he’d stay for next year, as either him or Collins was set to leave, but as I couldn’t offload him for now, that left the Irishman, despite good recent form that would have worked in his favour otherwise (though he was still not rated as highly, and on a similar wage).

Despite the fact that we faded every time it looked like we could charge up and into the playoffs, and mixed mid-table form later on, this was a pretty good start to life at Ipswich. We very quickly moved away from trouble (having been just a point and a couple of places above the drop zone when I arrived) and into the top half for pretty much all of the rest of the season, unusual improvement when taking over midway. There were some disappointments, like the real Ipswich, when we were bad, we were terrible, but the biggest thing was the regular throwing away of points. In a few cases (like away to Coventry and Derby) they were fair enough, late equalizers reflecting an even game at best, but near the end of the season we had turned it into a very frustrating speciality.

The future was an uncertain thing, but the board pumping a lot of money in (a 4M injection in March assuring we’d avoid dipping in the red) meant that I could offload players on wages alone, saving a couple of important players who might have had to go to raise a lot of money but weren’t on quite so much. We’d probably keep hold of a majority of the first team for the time being, and have a good chance of making a challenge next season, especially if I could find good value replacements for high earners (which could well determine who leaves) rather than just plugging squad gaps. My aim was to slash 240kpw wage bill by at least 100kpw, preferably down to 100-120kpw. Released players would account for 60kpw, Hyam and Duffy were potentially worth losing another 50kpw for, plus there were others on 10-15kpw if need be, potentially raising a good few million in the process. As it happened I was already making a start on getting good young free agents on around 5kpw each, which really raises my hopes of making such a drastic wage cost reduction without weakening the team too much.

[AcidBurn]

Sounds like you're really getting the finances sorted out, good stuff for the long term security of the club and hopefully you can bring in the right players to make a challenge next season. Good luck dude!

[deltablue]

Sounds like you're really getting the finances sorted out, good stuff for the long term security of the club and hopefully you can bring in the right players to make a challenge next season. Good luck dude!

Thanks, it's been a very long and busy close-season, and it's still not over, but it's looking very exciting indeed. Been spending a bit more on wages and transfers than I intended, but I've still managed to keep the finances looking decent while getting in some very good players. Full details to follow.

PL 2021

CL 2021

FA: Arsenal 4-1 Man Utd

LC: Man Utd 2-0 Bolton

EL: Lyon 3-2 Lech

La Liga: Barcelona; R Madrid; Malaga (exactly the same as last year)

Serie A: Juventus; Milan; Napoli

Bundesliga: Dortmund; Stuttgart; Leverkusen

Ligue 1: PSG; Marseille; St Etienne

[deltablue]

Summer 2021

To gain something, you have to give something up, so I gave up a few players I didn’t want to leave, in order to pursue a more sustainable team. Duffy and Hyam were the two main players in that respect, but shedding 50kpw off the wage bill, and getting 4.7M in return was easily worth it, especially as there was good value in the market for replacements. Indeed their replacements (one of them a free agent) cost 200k and 6.6kpw in total, far better value, even given the former’s replacement was not quite as good (but still a very strong defender at this level) and the latters’ was an 18yr old who wasn’t that great yet but with fantastic potential.

I kept the board expectations to ‘mid-table’, knowing that I could easily add to a transfer budget of over 1M by taking a massive slice off the wage budget (similar to last year, at 240kpw) that I was saving. Even without being a Premier League side, I could now attract all sorts of players from across Europe (and even further afield), so rather than weakening the team, I found it easy to strengthen it in quite a few areas while spending relatively little. I still had to spend a bit though, especially the sales/releases left us especially short in midfield (and to a lesser extent up front), making me rue a great winger that I thought I had but didn’t (maybe for work permit reasons), and passing up on an aging but versatile free agent in May.

In the end,

I didn’t get the wage bill down anywhere near as much as intended, encouraged by a promising balance to keep strengthening the side, but it was still 60kpw less than last year. We had 6M in the bank (and we’re expected to still have 3M at the end of the season), and we had a squad that looked a lot better than last year, in return for a 25% wage bill cut and 130% transfer profit, so still very good business done I feel. There were a lot of newcomers, so it would take a little time to gel, but time was now on our side. We’d be alright financially for a couple of years (and there was still the potential to make further sales/cuts), and as mentioned earlier, I kept expectations fairly low. I couldn’t wait to see what this team could do when it did reach its potential. Fighting to go up would never be easy, even when they did but we’d still stand a great chance in the next year or two.

Garnier

Jauregi

Kayode

Kiemba

Mrkonjic

Muftah

Vielma

Transfers

One to watch:

Given how much of a problem we had last year with a poor defence, costing numerous points, its no surprise that I leaped at the chance early on to grab the young Japanese international keeper, as a free agent no less! If he can help sort out the defence, we should be racing up the league table in no time.

[B.W.G]

Didn't do too bad last season and you've done well to get the finances under control which could help you in the future.You've made some good signings during pre-season,hopefully they can help push you on.

[deltablue]

Didn't do too bad last season and you've done well to get the finances under control which could help you in the future.You've made some good signings during pre-season,hopefully they can help push you on.

They very much have so far, at least sometimes.

Aug 2021

Ipswich 4-1 Stockport (LC)

The season started against Stockport in the league cup. Joao Silva got us going after 6 minutes, with a second goal 10 minutes later, and he completed a hat-trick less than half an hour in. Vellios gave us a 4th, and was unlucky to have another disallowed early in the second half. We really deserved more, while at the other end they were testing us enough for the defence to have a very good game, though they snatched one in stoppage time. Against a League 2 side it may have been, but it was worth comparing this very strong and confident showing to the Wycombe cup defeat in January.

Ipswich 1-1 Leicester (CH)

The league kicked off against Leicester, and we found ourselves dominated early on, going behind in the 7th minute. We eventually managed to give them some pressure for a change, deserving an equalizer that we eventually got from Kayode with 10 minutes left.

Watford 2-4 Ipswich (CH)

We went behind early again at Watford, who took a 2-0 lead after 23 minutes. That was followed by Vielma missing a penalty for us. Kayode pulled a goal back in the 37th minute, set up by the loanee Tattersall, who headed in a free-kick in the hour mark to level it. Kiemba’s penalty in the 88th minute gave us the lead, and Silva’s stoppage time goal gave us a great comeback win, and 4 points after 2 games, where we could so easily have had none.

Derby 3-3 Ipswich (CH)

We really had to break this habit of going behind first, as it happened again at Derby after 15 minutes. They made it hard for us to get back into it, and scored a second in the 50th minute. Kayode made it 3 goal in as many games with a quick response, and Vielma’s penalty made it 2-2 after an hour. 8 minutes later they retook the lead with a penalty of their own, but while last year we kept on dropping points, this season we appeared to be very good at fighting back to claim them, Silva giving us a late point. Unfortunately we then had the keeper Sakamoto out injured for 6-7 weeks, though we had decent backup.

Walsall 1-3 Ipswich (LC)

We went to Walsall in the next round of the league cup, taking the lead after 15 minutes from a Muftah free-kick. They quickly hit back to equalize, and even though we took control in the second half, it took until the 83rd minute for Silva to finally put us back ahead. Joseph-Monrose sealed it just afterwards.

Wigan 1-5 Ipswich (CH)

Relegated Wigan would be our 4th away game in a row. They were actually bottom, and it showed. For the first time in the league this season, we opened the scoring from a Jauredi header. Jamshidi soon followed suit, and appeared to be the day of the defenders as right-back Stringer also got on the scoresheet. The forwards decided not to be outdone, Silva and Kayode each scoring in the second half, though a late Wigan goal prevented us getting a first clean sheet of the season.

Sept 2021

Ipswich 3-2 Leyton Orient (CH)

I was amused to see Andy Carroll up front for Leyton Orient, our next opponents. He appeared to have found his level as he equalized Silva’s opener, then scored again just before half-time after two Kayode goals took us 3-1 up. Thankfully they rarely threatened to deny us the win in the second half.

Ipswich 1-5 Swindon (CH)

We had an early key game next against Swindon, who had started well and were just above us, level on points with Leeds at the top. Unfortunately after they took the lead in the 20th minute, they tore us apart. They were 3-0 up at the break, and went on to win 5-1 with only a Kayode goal as a response. As far as first defeats of the season go, it was a crushing one.

Brighton 2-1 Ipswich (CH)

We then had to go to Brighton, who had also started well. Garnier gave is the lead in the 17th minute, but the game turned when a few minutes later, Rath headed a corner passed Heard in goal to level it for them. We had our fair share of chances to retake the lead, so couldn’t complain too much when they went on to get the winner instead.

Ipswich 2-1 Stoke (LC)

What seemed a winnable league cup tie against Stoke was starting to look less certain. They took the lead after 12 minutes, but Albornoz’s 37th minute equalizer was soon followed by a diving header from Kayode to give us the lead. They threatened hard in the second half but we held on to go through to the last 16.

Burnley 3-1 Ipswich (CH)

We fell to a 3rd league defeat in a row at Burnley. They took the lead in the 8th minute, though we looked livelier after Joseph-Monrose equalized. Unfortunately they were the far more efficient side, dismantling us with 2 second half goals.

Ipswich 1-4 Swansea (CH)

Swansea found it far too easy to tear us apart. They scored in the 6th minute, with another half an hour. With the exception of Silva’s goal to make it 3-1, it had been probably the worst collective performance for a while, so 4-1 was fitting punishment.

Well, it's certainly been a lively start! While we've recently plummetted from just behind the automatic promotion places to the bottom half since Leyton Orient, I'm not too worried. First, Swindon and Brighton were very tough games (the others less so but still not easy), secondly the large number of new arrivals means that it was never going to be a smooth ride to start with, and I knew there'd be some wobbles. There's also star keeper Sakamoto being out injured. Not to say we definitely wouldn't have lost any of those with him, but it didn't help, plus there was the League cup run adding to what already is a hectic first couple of months. We've played 12 games in just over 1 1/2 months, plus a few players will have had 2-3 internationals as well. Frustrating certainly, but no need to panic. Next we not only have Sakamoto back (though unfit as he was, I could have put him back in from Burnley, and a lot of the time I would do that with first choice keepers, and perhaps I should have done so again this time), but we have a home game with bottom club Bristol City next. No reason not to believe we can soon get back into a playoff challenge at least soon.

[JackJCFC]

Not the best of starts but its still early days. Hopefully you can avoid injuries for a while now!

[DodgeeD]

Interesting move to the Tractor Boys. Hopefully you can remind them of former glories

[iHeadHunta x]

Try and get Ipswich back to the promised land!

[deltablue]

Not the best of starts but its still early days. Hopefully you can avoid injuries for a while now!

The squad depth is actually very good, and even the backup keeper is decent, but compared to the quality of Sakamoto it was always going to be a blow at the back. We can a handle a few and still be alright.

Interesting move to the Tractor Boys. Hopefully you can remind them of former glories

Try and get Ipswich back to the promised land!

This is definitely a promotion team, just need to wait for it to really come together. Next year for sure, if not this, and it'll be massively disappointing if we're not up by then. Anyway hopefully reaching the Premier League will just be the beginning.

[deltablue]

Oct 2021

Ipswich 4-3 Bristol City (CH)

I had hoped that Sakamoto’s return in goal against Bristol City would help things, but they took the lead just a couple of minutes in. Joseph-Monrose equalized in the 5th minute, but we were lacklustre for the rest of the half, and after coming close a few times, they regained the lead early in the second. Kayode equalized in the 64th minute, immediately followed by Silva, and although they made it 3-3 in the 77th minute, Albornoz struck in the last minute to give us a valuable win, our first points in 5 games.

Fulham 3-3 Ipswich (CH)

Things were expected to be a lot tougher at Fulham, who took a 2-0 lead after 16 minutes. Albornoz pulled one back before they made it 3-1, but Vielma’s penalty gave us hope, making it 3-2 at the break. Kayode equalized in the 63rd minute, and while I was very happy to have come back and got a draw, we could even have snatched a winner.

Ipswich 0-0 Barnsley (CH)

We finally got a clean sheet this season, but against a Barnsley side we should have easily beaten, we laboured hard, but with no sparkle at the end, giving us a 0-0 draw, a result I doubted we’d see this season with all the madness of goals at both ends.

Coventry 4-0 Ipswich (CH)

It was back to lots of goals at our end at Coventry. They took the lead in the 6th minute, but alongside a missed Vielma penalty, we looked like we should have got an equalizer for a lot of the match, making it especially disappointing that we caved in at the end and suddenly conceded 3 more.

Ipswich 2-3 (aet) Liverpool (LC)

I had a feeling we’d be slaughtered against Liverpool in the league cup, but we actually looked alright until they took the lead in the 20th minute. They extended it early in the second half, but Tattersall pulled a goal back in the 58th minute. They then had a goal disallowed, allowing Garnier to equalize. They battered us for the rest of the match (they ended up with 39 shots, 19 on target) so it was no surprise that they broke through early in extra time to get a winner.

Ipswich 2-1 Colchester (CH)

Inspired by the good fight, we had an improved performance against Colchester. Kayode gave us the lead in the 34th minute. Our former forward Collins equalized in the 76th minute, but shortly afterwards Rath headed in a corner to give us the win.

Nov 2021

Chesterfield 4-3 Ipswich (CH)

Kayode gave us the lead in the 5th minute at Chesterfield, but within 10 minutes they were 2-1 up. After a lot of pushing, Muftah equalized in the 68th minute, but unfortunately they went 4-2 up before Joseph-Monrose’s consolation in stoppage time.

Ipswich 1-2 West Brom (CH)

We went behind in the 13th minute against a tough West Brom side. Silva managed to equalize in the 39th minute, and though we were behind again in the second half, we were unlucky to have a stoppage time equalizer from Vellios disallowed.

Millwall 0-3 Ipswich (CH)

We improved from the disappointment of the recent form to smash Millwall at the new Den. Tattersall gave us the lead in the 6th minute, followed by Vellios in the 10th. Kayode soon made it 3-0, with another disallowed later on.

Ipswich 1-1 Peterborough (CH)

We made a good start against Peterborough, deservedly taking the lead from Kayode in the 33th minute. Unfortunately they struck back immediately and we failed to regain the advantage.

QPR 0-2 Ipswich (CH)

As tough as QPR away was meant to be, we started ambitiously, as my teams always should, and Kayode gave us the lead in the 18th minute. We came close many times afterwards, and Vellios finally gave us another in added time.

Ipswich 2-1 Southampton (CH)

Kiemba gave us the lead against 3rd placed Southampton, with a 5th minute penalty. Albornoz extended the lead in the 40th minute, and despite a penalty miss early in the second half, we looked comfortable. That changed when they scored in the 74th minute, leading to some close calls late on, but we secured a win I was delighted with. There was a downer in a late injury (for 5-6 weeks) for Kayode, who had 15 goals in 23 games (14 in 20 in the league).

Ipswich 3-1 Leeds (CH)

Vellios the Greek had been sidelined for a most of the season so far by Kayode and Silva’s great early form, but the Portuguese needing a rest after a while let him back in, and he shone against Leeds. He gave us the lead in the 3rd minute, then scored again a few minutes before half-time. They scored in the 53rd minute, and had the lion’s share of the second half chances, but we not only held out, but Silva made it safe with 5 minutes left.

After a poor couple of months, it was great to see form really pick up, with good wins against tough teams. We'll see if we can carry it on and push for promotion, but otherwise this is a potential 'gelling' season so a decent top half finish wouldn't be bad if not.

[noikeee]

Starting to look better now after some stint of midtable unspectacular-ness (is this a word?), Ipswich belongs on the Premier League and I trust you to build them up to there!

[B.W.G]

Not too far off a play off spot.Hope you can carry on improving seeing as your not doing too bad for a 'gelling' season

[snootyjim]

Still a couple of dodgy results like that one at Chesterfield, but looking very strong - it won't take much to overhaul Leeds and Swindon. To get into the playoffs would be a heck of an achievement to my mind, even if you don't progress it's terrific experience and potentially a nice cash boost.

Long season though, and a long way yet to go.

[AcidBurn]

Picking up some great wins, hopefully you can carry on and get into the play-off places..

[JackJCFC]

Looks like your starting to build some momentum now!

[AK22]

Only three points off second. You can do it!

[deltablue]

Starting to look better now after some stint of midtable unspectacular-ness (is this a word?), Ipswich belongs on the Premier League and I trust you to build them up to there!

Not too far off a play off spot.Hope you can carry on improving seeing as your not doing too bad for a 'gelling' season

Picking up some great wins, hopefully you can carry on and get into the play-off places..

Looks like your starting to build some momentum now!

Only three points off second. You can do it!

Unfortunately we've just not had the consistency recently, spending most of December/January alternating between wins and defeats, or we'd likely be strong candidates to automatic promotion.

Still a couple of dodgy results like that one at Chesterfield, but looking very strong - it won't take much to overhaul Leeds and Swindon. To get into the playoffs would be a heck of an achievement to my mind, even if you don't progress it's terrific experience and potentially a nice cash boost.

Long season though, and a long way yet to go.

Disappointed more with Peterborough and Barnsley, which should have been wins instead of draws. We've been there or thereabouts regarding the playoffs recently, but aside from a couple of brief points during matches, not actually in them.

Dec 2021

Stoke 0-1 Ipswich (CH)

A trip to Stoke was a very tight affair, generally we were the one’s doing the holding out, but Burey came off the bench and fired us ahead in the 67th minute. After that things were a little more comfortable, and we might have got a second.

Middlesbrough 3-1 Ipswich (CH)

We were back to being terrible at Middlesbrough. After 4 wins in a row, we found ourselves overrun in the first half, going 3-0 down. Silva could only give us a 72nd minute consolation as we fell to a first defeat in 7 games.

Ipswich 2-0 Watford (CH)

Thankfully it wasn’t the beginning of a bad run, as Joseph-Monrose gave us the lead in the 20th minute against Watford, and Kiemba comfortably rounded it off in the 73rd minute.

Leicester 5-2 Ipswich (CH)

Burey gave us the lead after just 16 seconds at Leicester, but 7 minutes later it was 2-1 to them, and 3-1 at half-time. Jauregi headed a second, 10 minutes after the break, but they rampaged to a 5-2 win. It was the last game before Christmas, and there wasn’t much cheer from me.

Ipswich 2-0 Derby (CH)

Sakamoto was absent for the Boxing day clash against Derby because he was with the Japanese U23 team (and would be away for almost a month), but out main problem was at the other end. We were comfortably dominant, but failed to take the lead in a first half where we should have had at least 2. Having been worried about slipping away from the playoffs, it was a relief to see Vellios give us the lead in the 55th minute, with another in the 86th. It was a pity that his current wages (18,750pw) and demands (over 22kpw) meant he’d have to be sacrificed at the end of the season for budgetary reasons, especially as Silva and Jamshedi’s extensions took them to a similar amount, but if we don’t go up, a gelled squad is our ace card for next year and I don’t want to be replacing too many people, especially our most important players.

Leyton Orient 1-0 Ipswich (CH)

Sadly performances were zig-zagging, and again a win was followed by a defeat, at Leyton Orient who we should have beaten. I was shocked when they took a 12th minute lead, and disappointed when we had the chances to at least equalized but didn’t do so.

Jan 2022

Bradford 2-4 Ipswich ((FA)

We went to Bradford in the cup on New Year’s Day, dominating early on and taking the lead from Silva in the 10th minute. They equalized with their first shot in the 29th minute, and again after Vellios immediately restored the lead, but second half goals from Silva (who went of injured at the end) and Burey (who had come on for Vellios, who already had) finished them off in the end. Unfortunately both forwards were out for 3 months! Kayode was thankfully just fit again, but we needed him to return to his pre-injury form, and hope nothing else happens to him or Burey (we did have a decent young player in the squad, and Joseph-Monrose could play up front, but they weren’t great options) to have much of a chance at getting back into promotion challenging form.

Swindon 3-3 Ipswich (CH)

Kayode returned when we went to Swindon, and gave us the lead in the 18th minute. Unfortunately they otherwise put us under great pressure (Sakamoto was also still away), quickly going 2-1 up by the break, then getting a 3rd in the 57th minute. All seemed lost, but Kayode scored again in the 84th minute, and Jamshidi’s header 5 minutes later rescued a point.

Ipswich 1-0 Brighton (CH)

Rather less eventful was Brighton, we knocked on the door all match long, and it looked like we’d get a draw with the opposite reaction to the last one, but Muftah (probably the first Libyan to play in the England, hopefully soon to be the first in the Premier League, as he isn’t half bad) gave us the win in the 82nd minute, to great relief all round.

Ipswich 0-2 Burnley (CH)

We hadn’t won back to back matches since early December, and that wasn’t broken against Burnley. A dire first half saw us go 2-0 down, and we didn’t so much better in the second half.

Ipswich 3-0 Wigan (CH)

It was back to winning again against Wigan. Burey gave us the lead in the 43rd minute, quickly followed by an own-goal, and Muftah sealed it with our 3rd in the 62nd minute.

Ipswich 3-3 Burnley (FA)

I hoped we’d finally get back to back wins when we faced Burnley in the cup, Rath heading us into the lead in the 15th minute. They took a 2-1 lead at half-time, and that seemed to be that. Kayode set up Burey early in the second half, perhaps sensing that the fact that they’d both been similarly poor was the only reason I hadn’t taken either of them off yet. They dominated late on, getting what looked like a winner, but Tattersall earned us a replay in stoppage time.

Swansea 0-1 Ipswich (CH)

A trip to Swansea was never going to be easy, and even after Burey gave us a surprise lead in the 13th minute, they generally kept pushing hard enough that they’d be very disappointed not to get at least a point, however I was delighted with consecutive league wins for the first time in 2 months, not so much with Kiemba’s stoppage time professional foul though.

Bristol City 2-2 Ipswich (CH)

Quite a few players were rested for the 8th match of the month at Bristol City, however the fact that we were on the back foot so much against a team 8 points adrift at the bottom showed why I normally don’t as usually I’m better off not changing around, the Magical Milan’s first trophy winning season (with a cup/CL double, and being close in the league) being a great argument for sticking with the players that are working. Albornoz eventually gave us the lead in the 50th minute, doing it again 11 minutes later after their equalizer, but despite the fact that we improved, they still took 2 points off in the 70th minute.

It's a shame the consistency just isn't there so far, or we'd be flying rather high indeed. Still not much of a gap to close if we can string wins/an unbeaten run together, but so far just not been taking our chances. We've been at the doorstep of the playoffs for a couple of months and it hasn't happened yet.

[JackJCFC]

Seems to be your away form letting you down, at home your great. If you can get the away form sorted then hopefully you can make the playoffs.

[noikeee]

Still just one small step below a rewarding place, it could still happen just if you figure out what's hindering your team in the matches that go wrong.

[AK22]

Yep, playoffs still very much achievable.

[deltablue]

Seems to be your away form letting you down, at home your great. If you can get the away form sorted then hopefully you can make the playoffs.

I checked that, we were 7th/8th for home form and 12th for away form, not a great difference, and having had some great away wins and disappointing home results before and after you posted that I wasn't too sure about that anyway.

Still just one small step below a rewarding place, it could still happen just if you figure out what's hindering your team in the matches that go wrong.

Partly defencive idiocy, but the many changes last summer means that while the potential is clearly there, the consistency hasn't been, and that's been very poor for a lot of this season.

Yep, playoffs still very much achievable.

And still are now...

Feb 2022

Burnley 2-3 (aet) Ipswich (FA)

We went to Burnley for a replay, taking the lead after just 3 minutes from Joseph-Monrose. They soon took control of the match, equalizing in the 34th minute, and taking the lead on the hour mark. Having taken so long to get the lead, it must have been so frustrating for them to see Burey pop up and equalize a few minutes later, and having been in that situation many times (as recently as Bristol City), I found it hilarious. Penalties were averted by Vielma sending us through in the last minute of extra-time, just as Tattersall’s last minute goal gave us this replay in the first place.

Ipswich 1-4 Fulham (CH)

Having sustained a minor injury after returning from international duty, Sakamoto was back against Fuham. Most of the first half was a typical case of struggling to break down a team we should be beating, but they scored from a lucky break in the 37th minute, and were somehow 3-0 up at half-time. They scored a 4th before Burey got one back, but that didn’t hide a shocking defeat.

Huddersfield 0-4 Ipswich (FA)

We had the our first midweek break for a month before going to struggling Premier League side Huddersfield in the FA Cup, tough but hardly impossible. They had a goal disallowed in the 8th minute, but otherwise we were surprisingly good, and were disappointed not to have the lead by half-time. Rath eventually gave it to us in the 62nd minute, followed by 2 Kayode goals, and one from Joseph-Monrose in the following 20 minutes. They had another goal disallowed 5 minutes from time, but not only had we beaten a Premier League team 4-0 away, we fully deserved it!

Barnsley 3-0 Ipswich (CH)

Unfortunately we got a cold dose of reality back in the league at Barnsley, who took the lead in the 2nd minute. A half-hearted effort to equalize was met by another Barnsley goal before the break, and a 3rd in the second half.

Ipswich 3-3 Coventry (CH)

Coventry turned up in yellow and green, which may explain why Kayode gave us the lead in the 2nd minute, followed by an own-goal giving us a deserved 2nd later in the half. Unfortunately thy came back with 2 second half goals, and though Burey restored the lead, they equalized again, denying us the chance to get within a point of the playoffs.

Mar 2022

Colchester 2-1 Ipswich (CH)

The playoff door was suddenly closing as we went behind after 15 minutes at Colchester. It took a worrying amount of effort for Burey to equalize, and when the regained the lead, even more effort to end up slumping to defeat anyway, and with a bunch of teams close behind us, we were in danger of dropping down quite far.

Ipswich 5-1 Chesterfield (CH)

Things looked bleak when we went behind in the 2nd minute against Chesterfield. However Mrkonjic equalized 10 minutes later, followed by Kayode giving us the lead. Jamshidi and Burey gave us more goals after half an hour, Muftah finishing off a 5-1 win in the 68th minute.

West Brom 0-2 Ipswich (CH)

We suddenly looking like a long wat from the team that had been so poor in the past month, and at table-topping West Brom, we not only held out well in the first half, but took the lead from Burey in the 58th minute. Although they still pushed hard, we caught them on the break with goal from Joseph-Monrose in stoppage time.

Wolves 6-0 Ipswich (CH)

We went to Wolves in the FA cup quarter-final, and as they were 5th in the Premier League, they would be far tougher than Huddersfield were. The defence were lambs to the slaughter. They took the lead in the 5th minute, extended it 10 minutes later, and just a few minutes after that, Jordan Rhodes of all people (exhibit A in ‘Why Roy Keane is a ****ing idiot!’) ran rings around everyone to make it 3-0. It just got worse after the break, and we crashed to a 6-0 win. I knew this would be as far as we’d go, but it was still terrible crashing out like that. We even set a new record for goals conceded in the FA Cup (13, beating the previous record of 11 from Sunderland).

Ipswich 1-0 Millwall (CH)

I hoped we’d be able to bounce back against Millwall, but despite being otherwise the better side, we were rather subdued up front. Thankfully Garnier scored with 5 minutes left to give us a useful win, lifting us to 7th, 4 points behind the playoffs with 6 games left.

Looks like we've got back in it after all. The door remained open when while we had our poor February, then we looked like we would be dropping down the table before form suddenly turned. 4 points in 6 games is managable, I've made up 4 points in the last 2 games before, and basically as long as you're in contention late on, you have a surprisingly decent chance. Not having any cup distractions or fixture congestion (or first teamers injured or away, aside from Rath who was injured for the rest of the season just after I posted this, leaving us left-backless as I'd overlooked Albornoz as well) should help our chances of a late charge, however we still have to go to Southampton and Leeds.

Meanwhile, the Premier League table is throwing up a shock. The real life contrast between the Old Farm rivals is depressing enough, and that they've veen regular European qualifiers (even the CL a few times) in FM so far, but Norwich are currently in 3rd, level with 2nd just 2 points off top (though Arsenal are a point behind with a game in hand). Whatever happens, them being that close near the end of the season (7 games left) is an alarming prospect!

[snootyjim]

This is going to be an incredibly tight finish - really hope you make it!

[deltablue]

This is going to be an incredibly tight finish - really hope you make it!

It's even tighter now. One point behind with 2 games to go, at home to Stoke and Middlesborough. Hope to win at least one but won't be easy getting all 6 points.

[deltablue]

Right, might just leave this as an overnight cliffhanger (though will go on and probably complete the season).

Theoretically none of the 4 playoff spots are confirmed, and ourselves or Chesterfield could sneak in, but in practice it would be 2 out of 3 between Southampton, Swindon and ourselves. We have Middlesbrough at home, Southampton are at Wigan and Swindon are at home to QPR. Neither of them have a great chance of dropping points, and we're far from assured of winning ourselves, but we'll see.

[snootyjim]

Pity neither of their matches are harder, but you never know...

[DazRTaylor]

So, as I currently manage Norwich, should I hope you fail?

On a serious note, I hope you sneak in the playoffs.

[BazzRose]

I'm going for a Coventry v Ipswich play off final.

[AcidBurn]

It would be brilliant to sneak into the play-off's on the last day. I'm not sure Swindon will have an easy time against QPR, good luck!

[deltablue]

Pity neither of their matches are harder, but you never know...

I knew it was a big ask them dropping points.

So, as I currently manage Norwich, should I hope you fail?

On a serious note, I hope you sneak in the playoffs.

Well you have nothing to fear from us... yet.

I'm going for a Coventry v Ipswich play off final.

You were half-right.

It would be brilliant to sneak into the play-off's on the last day. I'm not sure Swindon will have an easy time against QPR, good luck!

As it happened, we failed because we were the ones who didn't have an easy time with them.

Apr 2022

Ipswich 0-2 QPR (CH)

Vellios and Silva were reunited up front against QPR (who despite being in mid-table, still had the likes of Balotelli on over 70kpw!), but they were the ones walking all over us in the first half, taking a 5th minute lead from Zaha, then getting another in the 32nd minute. That was bad enough, but apart from a late spell, there was little life from us at all.

Peterborough 1-3 Ipswich (CH)

It was typical of us that as soon as it seemed that not all was lost, we’d throw it away, and in a poor start at Peterborough, we went behind after 20 minutes. Tattersall drew us level 10 minutes later, and Joseph-Monrose scored twice in the second half to give us the win.

Southampton 0-2 Ipswich (CH)

I knew Southampton away would be tough, and they pushed us hard enough early on that it was a minor miracle that we weren’t behind after half an hour. Even better was Kayode giving us the lead in the 37th minute. They kept them quiet until half-time, but they were back applying the pressure in the second half, succumbing to a Silva goal in the 79th minute. That took us to just a point of the playoffs! H

Leeds 2-5 Ipswich (CH)

We were also in trouble early on against Leeds, conceding in the 5th minute, but Sakamoto kept a few other chances out, and we were rewarded by Vellios equalizing in the 25th minute, followed by Silva giving us the lead. Vellios scored twice more, either side of half-time, and though they pulled one back, a penalty from Vielma wrapped up a 5-2 win on the hour mark. Unfortunately for the second time this year both Silva and Vellios were injured and if we didn’t make the playoffs, that would be the end of both their seasons, and unless we made the playoff final, that would be the Greek’s last contribution in the famous blue shirt. We also lost Vielma with Mrkonjic (who would otherwise play instead) also injured.

Ipswich 2-1 Stoke (CH)

We finished off with 2 home games, starting against Stoke. Burey gave us the lead after just 16 seconds, but we struggled to building on it. Results elsewhere were not going in our favour which made it devastating when they equalized after an hour. Thankfully Burey soon scored again to give us the win we needed to take it to the last day.

Ipswich 2-1 Middlesbrough (CH)

Theoretically none of the 4 playoff spots were confirmed, and ourselves and Chesterfield could sneak in, but in practice it would be 2 out of 3 between Southampton, Swindon and ourselves. Again we started well, Garnier giving us the lead in the 24th second. This time we kept it up, and Kayode gave us another in the 24th minute. They pulled a goal back before half-time, but what mattered was what happened elsewhere. Swindon were winning but Southampton weren’t. That soon changed and it looked like we would miss out on goal difference. Late on we briefly went up into 6th, but it didn’t last until the end of the game. They came very close to equalizing a few times in the second half, but it wouldn't have mattered if they did.

This season had pretty much been a case of ‘will we or won’t we?’ regarding the playoffs. We had a great first month, followed by a dismal following couple of months, surged close to the playoff places again by December, then had indifferent form for a few months staying close to the top 6 but never breaking it, followed by a brief drop off and recovery in the Spring. Winning all of the last 5 games wasn’t quite enough. However it wasn’t results elsewhere that cost us. Given how many points we dropped that we shouldn’t have, we could easily have finished in the top 2. Plus some heavy defeats ruined our goal difference, and we might have sneaked in otherwise.

There was decent news in the cups, making the last 16 of the League cup (though losing to the first PL side we played),and the quarters of the FA Cup (with a fantastic win at Huddersfield on the way, and ending with a humiliation against Wolves), which admittedly did little to help our promotion cause, but were still good positives in the season. This was a potential ‘gelling’ season (and I hoped it was as that meant we’d be so much better next year), and we did well enough that even as early as December when we were getting close to the playoffs again, my job status became (and remains) ‘untouchable’. The problem was that we used up everything in the bank, so there would probably have to be a bit more trimming, and I knew I could get maybe up to 6-8M for Jamshidi if need be (though I hoped it wouldn’t be needed), but otherwise keep the gang together as much as possible, as if I did that, next year could well be a great one.

Squad Stats

Star player: Silva may be getting on a bit, but he still averaged either a goal or an assist each game. It was a pity that multiple injuries ruled him out of most of the second half of the season.

Special mention to Kayode, who I was a little worried about spending 1.1M on, but went for it as a) we needed another forward, and he looked a very good one, and b) Leeds and Chesterfield were bidding for him as well, and I certainly didn't want to be facing him. He got off to a flying start, almost doubling his value, and despite a few poorly timed dry spells, set a new club record for goals in a season (23).

[acidmonkey]

Unlucky on not making the play-offs, but with silva up front i think you should be looking at the play-offs at least next season.

[DazRTaylor]

Next year is your year!

[JackJCFC]

Shame that you couldnt make the playoffs at the end but if you can improve the squad during the summer you should be able to do it next season.

[noikeee]

Ohh that was ridiculously close! To finish this near might be frustrating but at the same time has to be encouraging as well, your side clearly has the potential it's just a matter of extracting a little bit more. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll make it next season.

[deltablue]

Unlucky on not making the play-offs, but with silva up front i think you should be looking at the play-offs at least next season.

It may be via the playoffs, but I'm after promotion simple as that. We're capable of it as well. Silva's just turned 32 so we'll see how long he can keep it up for, hopefully one more year.

Next year is your year!

We'll be gelled by then, so I'm sure it will be!

Shame that you couldnt make the playoffs at the end but if you can improve the squad during the summer you should be able to do it next season.

Hopefully not too much, after signing so many players last year, it'll be about just a few changes at most.

Ohh that was ridiculously close! To finish this near might be frustrating but at the same time has to be encouraging as well, your side clearly has the potential it's just a matter of extracting a little bit more. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll make it next season.

I'm sure we will. There will have to be a few changes for budgetary reasons (Vellios released, Jamshidi sold), but the squad depth is so good that it doesn't weaken us too much, even if the squad replacements aren't as good. Most of the squad will be the same, which could give us a massive boost, and if it does, promotion will be ours for the taking.

[snootyjim]

Ah that's a shame, really thought you'd make it. You'll be in a very good position next year to make it though.

[B.W.G]

Unlucky on just missing out on the playoffs.Will be your season next season.

[deltablue]

Ah that's a shame, really thought you'd make it. You'll be in a very good position next year to make it though.

Unlucky on just missing out on the playoffs.Will be your season next season.

I agree, very confident about next season.

PL 2022

CL 2022

FA: Man Utd 1-0 Liverpool

LC: Man Utd 1-0 Liverpool

EL: Malaga 4-0 Basle

La Liga: Barcelona; R Madrid; Malaga (for 3rd year running)

Serie A: Juventus; Napoli; Udinese

Bundesliga: Leverkusen; Dortmund; Bayern

Ligue 1: Monaco; PSG; Marseille

[roganp]

An interesting career so far deltablue. Unlucky on narrowly missing out on the playoffs with Ipswich, but as others have said it should make you stronger for next year.

[deltablue]

An interesting career so far deltablue. Unlucky on narrowly missing out on the playoffs with Ipswich, but as others have said it should make you stronger for next year.

Well I don't do uninteresting

World Cup 2022

Wow! Of special interest was that my Ipswich keeper Sakamoto was Japan's first choice. I knew it was quite a coup getting him on a free agent last summer, but did't expect to have a soon-to-be World Cup winner on my hands! Hopefully it'll inspire him to improve considerably from an average-at-best year last time.

[deltablue]

Summer 2022

Ideally I’d keep the squad together, and get a big boost next year. This time it wasn’t quite possible. The money in the bank raised last year as already gone, and I had to take advantage of all the interest in Jamshidi from the Premier League, raising 6M we’d need to avoid going into the red next year, and along with that, and the letting go of Vellios (regrettably) and Cook saved 45kpw, again losing a quarter of the wage bill (like last year) without doing much damage to the squad, though incoming transfers wiped out a lot of the saving.

We needed a full-back and centre-back, also a forward and maybe a winger, though we might be able to manage without one more. It would be great if I could find another winger/forward like Burey. As it happened the full-back was secured as early as May, a young German free-agent on just 3.5kpw. I also paid nothing from the winger, at the end of his Rennes contract. Unlike last year, I the transfer activity was done pretty quickly as I found the players I needed without having to pay anything in transfer fees. The emphasis was on finding gaps in the squad and providing more options rather than changing the first 11 too much, so hopefully we’d still be able to have the benefits of a settled squad, and good depth.

I decided to gamble on a very strong defender (another free agent) as a 5th signing slightly later however, especially given the troubles we had last year, and the defender I signed earlier, while already reasonably good, was rather young (he had just turned 17). I also succumbed to the temptation or two more players, both fantastic youngsters, but I’ve always had a weakness for exciting young talent, as you guys all know by now.

If the ‘settled squad’ plan wasn’t out of the window before, with 7 signings it was now. However we were still very strong, and even if we weren’t as likely to shoot for automatic promotion, we should still be aiming for the playoffs at least, having come so close last time despite an inconsistent mess of a season. Playing it safe just in case, I kept the board’s original expectation of ‘top half’, and helped myself to a new 3 year contract, but there was no doubt that it was just promotion in my mind.

Financially, we had 6.8M in the bank, and were expected to lose just 1M of it over the course of the year. How we’d do that with a wage bill similar to last year, where we lost all 6M or so, I have no idea, so I’m taking it with a pinch of salt (the projection when I arrived at Raith was similarly odd, though in the opposite way), but it was good having that as a financial buffer this year. If we failed to go up, we could probably have another crack at slashing costs without having to make new signings to fill up the wage bill again, and there were still players (especially the youngsters) who could bring in good money.

Not that I expected to fail, but it was good to prepare anyway, rather than assume ‘we’ll go up, so it doesn’t matter if we end up massively in the red at the end of the season’. If that ever happened we would have to wave goodbye to the strong squad we had now and stand little chance of being able to get in decent replacements, so I wanted to make sure we didn’t make the mistake of countless other teams (Leeds most famously). That said, having such a wealth of assets and squad depth meant we would hardly be at risk of a serious crisis for some time, even if a few players had to go, but doesn’t hurt to be mindful of such things.

Hajji

Lacroix

Martinez

Savkovic

Vetter

Transfers

Ones to watch:

I don't always splash out 2M in the Championship, but when I do, it's on two potential Premier League stars. Can you blame me for failing to resist the temptation? We're talking 'Magical Milan' potential here, and even a fraction of it should be very good down here, and useful if/when we're in the Premier League. The sooner that happens the better they can develop.

Anyway, played the first league game before stopping, it was away to Barnsley (decent mid-table last year) and ended in us tearing them apart 7-2! Obviously it means nothing, but if we can get the consistency we were almost completely lacking last year, this could be an epic season!

[DazRTaylor]

Don't blame you at all. Mumlek especially looks beastly.

[AcidBurn]

Nice, two youngsters with lots of potential. Unlucky in the race for the play-off's but hopefully you'll have a good season next season.

[DizzyPenguin]

Hadn't read this since you were at Raith. Was an interesting catch-up read at four in the morning (i can't sleep tonight...)

Good luck at Ipswich

[AK22]

Frustrating end to the season. I hope the new signings make the difference this time!

[B.W.G]

Those two youngsters look like they are going to be brilliant in the future.

[deltablue]

Don't blame you at all. Mumlek especially looks beastly.

Nice, two youngsters with lots of potential. Unlucky in the race for the play-off's but hopefully you'll have a good season next season.

Those two youngsters look like they are going to be brilliant in the future.

Can't wait to see them grow.

Hadn't read this since you were at Raith. Was an interesting catch-up read at four in the morning (i can't sleep tonight...)

Good luck at Ipswich

Frustrating end to the season. I hope the new signings make the difference this time!

Unfortunately things haven't gone as I hoped this time.

Aug 2022

Ipswich 1-0 Brentford (LC)

We opened against Brentford in the League Cup. It was one of those games when one team batters the other but finds it hard to score, with a sinking feeling that they might snatch a goal at any minute, but Savkovic gave us the win in the 75th minute. Sadly Vielma went off injured in stoppage time and would be out for 5-6 weeks.

Barnsley 2-7 Ipswich (CH)

The league started at Barnsley, and saw Silva give us the lead from a penalty after just a few minutes. The game remained even for about 20 more minutes, then Silva scored again, this time from open play. Albornoz immediately got a 3rd, and there was only going to be one winner after that. Silva completed a hat-trick before half-time, and Martinez headed in a 5th a few minutes into the second half. Clean sheets were hard to come by last year, and we didn’t start with one this time either as they pulled one back. Silva and Garnier made it 7-1 before they got a 2nd, in what had been an epic start to the season.

Ipswich 3-0 Peterborough (CH)

I hoped to wow the fans against Peterborough, and again we were pretty dominant. Kramer gave us the lead in the 13th minute with his first goal for the club, and we should have had a couple more before half-time. Albornoz gave us our second goal early in the second half, and although Mrkonjic went off injured, Muftah came on and converted a free-kick to finish the scoring after 82 minutes.

Leeds 2-1 Ipswich (CH)

We had an early ‘promotion 6 pointer’ at Leeds, which was expected to be far tougher than the first two games. Kayode gave us the lead after 20 minutes in an even first half, but they equalized a minute into a second half which they dominated. They got a winner in the 68th minute, and it could have been far worse. However it was not unexpected, so I wasn’t so disappointed.

Ipswich 2-1 Notts County (LC)

Joseph-Monrose gave us the lead after 20 minutes against Notts County in the League Cup, Kayode extending it just before the break. The second half was pretty lacklustre, and saw them get a goal back, but Sakamoto (who had definitely improved so far this year, I guess winning the World Cup does that to a player’s confidence) kept them from equalizing.

Ipswich 2-2 Charlton (CH)

I hoped we could get back to winning ways in the league against Charlton, especially when Silva gave us the lead in the 7th minute. We failed to build on that though, and they equalized before half-time, taking the lead from a penalty after an hour. Silva scored again to level it, and we should have got a winner as well.

Sept 2022

Chesterfield 1-1 Ipswich (CH)

We were severely on the back foot at Chesterfield, thankful that Sakamoto absorbed chance after chance, at least until the 68th minute. Kayode soon equalized to give us a point, and while I was unhappy at being outplayed so much, I was delighted to avoid one of the catastrophic defeats we had too often last year.

Ipswich 2-2 Blackburn (CH)

We were also feeble against relegated Blackburn, going behind in the first half. As we fought back in the second half, we missed a penalty, but Kiemba headed us level with 15 minutes left. They retook the lead, but Kayode gave us a very late point.

Ipswich 3-3 Stoke (CH)

Again we drew against Stoke, but this time we should have won. Kayode gave us a 2-0 lead after 33 minutes, but they pulled one back before half-time. Kayode completed a hat-trick at the start of the second half, but they fought back to snatch a 3-3 draw.

Blackburn 5-2 Ipswich (LC)

We crashed out of the league cup at Blackburn. They took the lead in the 12th minute, but though Silva equalized, a shocking defensive display saw us 3-1 down. An own goal at the start of the second half gave us another, but they were all over us and won 5-2.

Middlesbrough 4-2 Ipswich (CH)

Again we took the lead from Kayode at Middlesbrough, but we still couldn’t get anything. They ended up going 4-1 up before a second Kayode goal in stoppage time.

Ipswich 0-1 Leicester (CH)

More disappointment came against a Leicester side who were in the relegation zone. We didn’t really do anything until we went behind in the 63rd minute, then we were denied a penalty as the closest we got to anything.

Oct 2022

Huddersfield 1-2 Ipswich (CH) 100th Ipswich match!

I hoped a trip to Huddersfield (in my 100th game for the club) would inspire memories of the 4-0 cup win against the then-Premier League club. Kayode gave us the lead in the 13th minute, but it was a close call for most of the game before he gave us another in the 69th minute. They pulled a goal back 10 minutes later but we got what was alarmingly our first league win in 8 games!!!!!!

Ipswich 3-3 Brighton (CH)

We pounded Brighton most match long, but that was rather at odds with what was happening goal-wise. It wasn’t so much a case of ‘how were we not ahead at the break?’ as ‘How were we 2-0 down at the break?” Silva pulled one back after 50 minutes, but they scored a 3rd. Mumlek gave us another, and Garnier snatched a point in stoppage time, which only made it marginally less embarrassing.

Birmingham 2-0 Ipswich (CH)

We went to Birmingham, who were sadly too strong, scoring a goal in each half as we should have done better.

Ipswich 4-3 Oxford (CH)

Oxford were on an even worse run of form, having started as well as we did. Silva gave us the lead in the 6th minute, but they had levelled it by the break. Just as I thought ‘not again’, Muftah scored twice in the first 5 minutes of the second half, followed by another Silva goal in the 62nd minute, but even then we very nearly let it slip as they scored twice.

Fulham 2-1 Ipswich (CH)

In the first half at Fulham, we were just as dire as at Birmingham, going 2-0 down after 12 minutes. It didn’t help that Sakamoto was away for a while again, but there were other culprits as well as Heard. Hajji pulled a goal back in the 49th minute, and in the second half we actually looked like getting something, but didn’t.

Oh dear, after a flying start, this has turned into something similar to last season, though not quite as dire. I'm confident we can catch up rather better than we did last time, but maybe after 7 signings (a few of them young) I've got a longer wait before things turn in our favour. On paper, this is as strong a side as I've ever had at this level, though some of the competition is at least just as good, but even if you take out the games where we were genuinely poor, we still should have quite a few more points (at least enough to sit in the playoffs) on what I've seen. It admitedly doesn't help that due to needing 6 homegrown players in the matchday squad, I have a problem with only being able to have a few first-team subs at a time (though there are a couple of young defenders with decent enough potential to be ok options to throw on) until some of the younger payers get that status (though I have quite a few who will), and when I do switch them around to have 'first team' cover for different positions, I end up having needed the players they've replaced on the bench instead. Most irritating, as has a lot of the season been so far.