Alf’s Photo of the Week

Grandma shows her discontent of milky soft performances at Portman Road.

Town struggle to gain a point in a ‘must not lose’ encounter

Ipswich Town 1 Peterborough United 1

Town’s soft underbelly was once again exposed in the opening minutes of this encounter with visiting Posh at rain soaked Portman Road. In a continuation of the dismal defending displayed at Leicester the previous week Alf endured another milky soft forty-five minutes from his boys in blue and rather wished that he had brought a good book to read.

There was a significant improvement after the break although it was hard to see where a Town goal would come from. Peterborough handed Town the opportunity when Lee Martin tricked his way past Tomlin and was tripped. A definite penalty, a soft penalty but aren’t they all these days?

DJ Campbell put the ball on the spot and his penalty kick was confident and emphatic. Town fans were in raptures unlike Alf who was reprimanded by a steward for taking a photograph of the spot kick! Why?

Ipswich failed to capitalise on their goal scoring momentum. Town went very close when DJ Campbell was just unable to get a toe onto a dangerous cross but it was Peterborough who looked most like stealing the two vital extra points in the frantic closing minutes.

This performance underlined the fact that there is no quick fix to Town’s problems and that a long haul struggle to avoid relegation is very much underway.

Alf’s Photo of the Week

Cashback offer at the King Power Stadium – Yes please says Alf!

Mick’s Mantra

“Our defence was milky and soft.”

Just when Alf thought it was safe to watch Ipswich away …

Leicester City 6  Ipswich Town 0

Alf and his entourage plucked up courage to make a day out of it in the city of Leicester. Walking through Nelson Mandela Park; strolling past Leicester Tigers rugby ground; the shock on the cards that awaited at the King Power Stadium was to put it mildly, not the one that Alf was anticipating!

Town were on the back foot from the kick off and the lack of communication and dithering that had within minutes led to a penalty and the first goal set the tone for Town’s abysmal performance.

David Nugent continued in his role as Town’s nemesis. He promptly smashed home the penalty and moments later gratefully chested in his second after being gifted the opportunity from the palm of West Ham’s loanee goalkeeper Stephen Henderson. At fault for both goals his day started badly and was going to get a good deal worse.

Alf was not impressed when he announced his arrival by stating that he was not a bench warmer and would soon be West Ham’s number one. Well if you talk the talk then you have to walk the walk and if Alf was manager that walk would have been off the end of a plank in the post match bollocking! His positioning has been poor, his kicking is weak and he is prone to schoolboy errors such as palming the ball out instead of pushing the ball away for a corner. It’s all basic stuff and it has left Alf speechless.

Bradley Orr must be a candidate for having made the worst debut in a Town shirt after being skinned alive by Lloyd Dyer at every opportunity. Bradley had clearly been thrown into the fox’s den without the benefit of a few days training. We all know that he is a good player and could be a great asset for struggling Town in the future, but on this performance he was way off the pace and not on first name terms with his team mates. He was not alone!

Ipswich were second to the ball and a yard off the pace in every department as Alf and the Town faithful were to endure more embarrassment in this away day shocker. What is worse is that Leicester fans were in agreement that their side had not really turned on one of their better displays. Every goal was the result of an Ipswich error and all credit to Leicester in that they took advantage of all the gifts they were presented with.

In the away stand a few tempers flared between fellow supporters but the majority of those who had made the journey from Suffolk were determined to enjoy their day at any cost by indulging in spells of gallows humour, Mexican waves and self deprecating chanting, much to the amusement of the home supporters. Some even called for a seventh in anticipation of another free away day!

All credit to those Town players who off their own bat acknowledged the applause from the away stand and especially to Luke Chambers who was man enough to take the long walk over to the loyal Town fans to acknowledge their support. Well done Luke we really appreciate that. Shame on those who had to be redirected over by Mick McCarthy. Alf noted that the only hand of consolation for Town’s keeper was from the fox mascot!

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Alf’s Photo of the Week

Mick’s Mantra

“Look East did me a disservice, they made me look like I was dour .”

The McCarthy effect produces the first home win in eight months

Ipswich Town 2 Burnley 1

At last!

It’s been a long wait; since March to be precise; to see  Alf’s finest leave the field at Portman Road with three points under their belts.

Whilst Mick McCarthy may say it wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t sexy, to Town fans every moment of this match was a delight to watch, with the exception of the own goal of course.

It was a slightly shaky start with the new back three formation looking a little uncomfortable during Burnley’s early attacks but once they had weathered the storm and worked out who was doing what the back four pushed up on a high line and made every effort to be first to the ball. Tommy Smith had a terrific game and since being left out of the side under the old regime his role at the club had seemed in doubt. Mick has clearly looked at his strengths and has found a system in which he fits.

The midfield worked tirelessly none more so than Guirane N’Daw who not only used his physical strength to protect his defensive line but also had a creative influence as the Town pressed forward.

Town went ahead through Daryl Murphy’s back header after Lee Grant had run into his back and then claimed to have been fouled. Fortunately the match officials were not persuaded by the inevitable but rather over enthusiastic Burnley protests. Alf had a perfect view and there was clearly no foul.

The goal lifted the supporters spirits and at last the noise and atmosphere that was a familiar feature at Portman Road in days gone began to return to the terraces.

It was so noticeable that Mick and his coaching staff had stressed the need to press the opposition high up the pitch and Town succeeded in playing a large part of the game in Burnley’s half. It was only as Town began to tire and concentration lapsed towards the end of the second half that Burnley were able to achieve any sustained pressure and the inevitable result was an equalising goal.

At this point heads have dropped in blue shirts, but this time the boys in blue rallied. Three minutes from time Carlos Edwards, who had enjoyed his more attacking role in midfield, broke away down the right and picked out a perfect cross for DJ Campbell to bundle into the side netting. The 16,000 Town supporters sounded like 26,000 at the sheer relief in seeing their team win at home after such a long and agonising wait.

Every Town player had put in a 100% performance. Alf was particularly impressed with the midfield unit and would dearly like Reo-Coker and Wellens to be made permanent signings. This is early days and Ipswich are still very much in a relegation battle but at last there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Mick’s Mantra

“We may not be able to play like Barcelona but we can work as hard as Barcelona.”

Mighty Mick ends two months of turmoil

Birmingham City 0 Ipswich Town 1

Mick McCarthy signed in a new Town era with an unlikely away win at Birmingham City to end a run of exceedingly miserable football that has left Ipswich Town cut adrift at the very bottom of the Championship table.

Why it was left so late to make the change has been baffling.

Four games into the new season and Town fans had seen enough to realise that a relegation battle was on the cards and radical action needed to be taken to turn the club’s fortunes around.

The result of procrastination had put Town into an ever deeper crisis. There was lack of a clear vision, a plummeting league position and so many loan players in the squad that unrest from within was inevitable. It needed a strong leader and in Mick McCarthy that’s what Town have got.

With only a day of preparation Mighty Mick made the right choices in team selection and tactics and he has clearly got the work ethic message across loud and clear. The players were acutely aware of what they needed to do to impress the new manager.

Town were right at it from the start and DJ Campbell’s early strike had a touch of class about it. Alf for one would like to see his loan signing made permanent as he is the type of natural goal scorer that Town have been missing for many seasons.

MM had impressed Alf in the way he built his promotion winning team at Wolves. In his first season he stabilised the struggling club and built a solid defensive unit. In his second season he concentrated on building a hard working and balanced midfield. A section of impatient Wolves fans wanted him out, but the signing of two quality strikers in the January transfer window completed his team building and promotion followed.

Mick had a plan, he built from the back, was given time to complete the jigsaw and the rest as they say is history. It may not have been pretty football at first, but they played fantastic football in their promotion winning year.

If Mick repeats that scenario at IP1then Alf and the success starved Town faithful will be ecstatic.

There is a very long way to go on this journey and if Mick earns his one million pound bonus by keeping us up then Alf will be delighted.