Post by davidm on Jan 20, 2018 19:10:34 GMT
Two points disappointingly dropped today.
As in nearly every home game this season, we had a second half fade away where the opposition has all the ball and we are just desperately hanging on. Normally this fade away start straight after half time but today it took 75 minutes before we collapsed but collapse we did.
In the end Ipswich could have won it with a shot against the post in the 90th minute but there were 2 poor sides out there today
At the end of the season, when we talk sadly about relegation, matches like today will be talked about as points very badly dropped.
We should have taken the lead in the first 10 seconds of the game. We kicked off, ball back to Wheater (as every time), big punt, Madine wins it and totally miskicks but the ball runs to Vela who is one on one with keeper. The keeper blocks it with his body. Good save or bad miss? In my mind, Vela should have scored.
Very little happened after that - Ipswich had a couple of quick corners with Alnwick making an excellent save from a flick on but overall nothing.
And that was it for the first half. A total travesty of a football match. Instead of us playing big boot, we had 2 teams playing big boot. At one stage it looked like a kid’s playground with the ball high in the air for 90% of the time.
We were poor and Ipswich were poor.
The second half improved a little and both sides attacked a bit.
We took the lead from a decent move, started by Ameobi on the right, a pass across field to Robinson whose cross was headed on by Vela for Madine (unmarked and I think onside) to poke it in the corner.
1-0 and hopes rose but we couldn’t really create anything which would count as a decent chance. Again, this is always the case – we just do not create much.
We had one decent move when the ball was played to Morais (who had come on for Buckley) only for his shot to go just wide of the post.
It was obvious that a second goal was needed but we were not playing well enough to find it.
Our second half fade away then started with about 15 minutes to go and Ipswich overran us – as practically every team who has come to our ground this season has done (including the ones that we beat!)
We reverted to mass panic at the back. When we got possession, we just hoofed it upfield for an Ipswich man to get possession and come at us again.
The inevitable happened. Ipswich played some neat passes on the edge of the area and got round our statuesque defence for McGoldrick to get to the by line and play the ball across for an unmarked Garner to tap in. Rank bad defending.
We did not improve after that goal and got more and more desperate until the last minute when after continual Ipswich possession, Waghorn hit the post with a rocket shot.
If this sort of performance continues until the end of the season and particularly the regular second half fade aways, we will be relegated.
Bristol City, Fulham and Cardiff are the next 3 games
Alnwick - 6 Very good save first half from a corner. Not a great deal to do after that. His distribution (mainly big boots) was haphazard as usual.
Little - 5 He has lost the knack of linking up with Ameobi and so a good line of attack has gone. Need to see to his involvement in their goal as it looked suspect.
Dervite - 6 Reasonably steady as a replacement for Beevers.
Wheater - 6 Some really poor bits of distribution but overall steady at the back.
Robinson - 7 Mixes exciting attacking forward runs with some really hesitant defending which almost got him caught. Centred for Madine’s goal.
Henry - 5 The centre of midfield looked more solid with him in place but some terrible panicky hoofs in the last 15 minutes when he constantly gave the ball away.
Derek - 4 Did not make the best of his chance in midfield. As with the rest of the team, his passing was appalling.
Ameobi - 5 He isn’t contributing anything like when he first got in the team this season. The spark has gone. Opponents double up on him and more often than not dispossess him. He is also very slow to get in the box when we attack down the left so we are short of numbers in attack.
Buckley - 4 I’m still struggling to see his value.
Vela - 5 Should have scored in 7 seconds. Last season when he was banging in the goals, he played behind a front 2 (Madine/Clough or Madine/Le Fondre). Now he plays behind a single striker and it is not working at all.
Madine - 7 Worked hard. Got battered. Battered back and got booked but scored which no one else looked likely to.
Morais - 5 Put one shot just wide but he is not that effective on the left.
Noone - 5 As with Buckley, I am still waiting for him to show me why we bought him.