Matty D
25th August 2004, 08:57
A big improvement on Peterborough, and hopefully something to build on against Stockport.
Not surprisingly Ipswich’s players showed more quality, and were much quicker than ours, but they never put us under sustained pressure, and we can count ourselves unlucky not to have at least forced extra time.
Frampton moved into the centre of defence, as expected, and Myers returned at left-back, and was miles better than at Chesterfield. He’s never going to have tons of pace, but he read the game well and offered something going forward. Frampton was solid and composed at CB.
Rhodes and O’Connor started on the wings, with Jay Smith deputising for Stewart Talbot in the centre, and Ryan Peters starting up front alongside Burton. After some early Ipswich pressure, with Nelson struggling to get the ball under control on a number of occasions, we started to get more involved, with Peters making good runs, and having our only effort on target with a fierce drive from 25 yards, unfortunately straight down the keeper’s throat. Ipswich did have a goal chalked off for what seemed a harsh pushing decision in the first half, and forced several corners, but generally it was fairly even.
Although Rhodes seems happier to play a conventional winger’s role than Salako, Tabb, or O’Connor, he didn’t quite have the touch or pace to take on and beat his man, and O’Connor was never going to do so on the other flank, and frequently drifted inside, leaving Dobbo exposed. This was amplified when Tabb came on for Peters early in the second half, replacing Rhodes, who went up front. Too often the midfield four were bunched in the centre, with Burton and Rhodes forced out wide to stop the full-backs advancing, meaning that when we got the ball in defence there was both no-one available with runs down the channels, and no outlet in the centre.
Still, we were trying to play the ball on the deck, mostly through Hargreaves and O’Connor, and although their passing could have been more accurate the intention was usually right. The less said about Jay Smith’s suicidal crossfield-pass/through-ball for Ipswich in the first half the better though…..
Having said that Smith played OK; he may still struggle to justify a place in a small squad, but he looked fit to be on the same pitch as the Ipswich players, and last season that would have seemed unlikely. In fact he might even have claimed a goal, failing to make a good connection with his weaker left foot when bursting into the box on the diagonal. Ipswich finally made the breakthrough on 75 minutes, Smith (I think ?) unfortunate that his attempted block on a long-range shot merely span it up and over the stranded Nelson.
The introduction of Rankin for Rhodes seemed to co-incide with a good period of Brentford pressure, as we went looking for an equaliser, and Tabb started to pull the strings in midfield (even if he was rarely seen in his notional position on the wing). Rankin might have done better in the six yard box following a scramble, and in injury time forced a good save from the Ipswich keeper with a glancing header. Nelson came up for the resultant corner, and a quick throw released a counter attack from which Ipswich scored a second with the last kick of the game, with Nelson still sprinting back. An unfair gloss on the scoreline, but still a performance we can be proud of.
To be honest we lacked two things – the ability to take on and beat an opponent, and a belief that we were going to get to 50-50s first, balls were going to fall for us etc., but for that we might well have won. I think O’Connor calms our play down, and brings others into the game, but the question is how to use him. He doesn’t have the pace or trickery to put opposing full-backs on the back foot, so I think he’s best used as a playmaker in the centre, but without criticising Jay Smith’s performance I don’t think Talbot’s position as the holding midfielder is under enough threat, and I can’t really see Hargreaves being dropped either.
Although he added a lot to the team it still only looked like 80% of Jay Tabb, and without him we lack someone who can run with the ball and scare defences. I was hopeful Rhodes would offer more of this but too often his technique lets him down. Peters showed in flashes that he is very assured for one so young, and may yet give us that extra dimension to our game.
Nelson 6 – kicking a bit better, handling OK after a few early wobbles
Dobbo 6 – reasonably solid, but passing still wayward
Myers 8 – good all-round game
Fitz 7 – up against less of an aerial threat than the league games, and looked happier for it
Frampton 8 – solid and composed
Smith 6 – now and then defied his fringe status
Hargreaves 7 – needs to win more tackles, and complete more passes, but some good ideas going on
Rhodes 6 – willing but not always effective
O’Connor 7 – good work let down by inability to play the winger’s role he was given
Peters 7 – lively and sharp
Burton 6 – bit subdued
Tabb 7 – gave Ipswich problems, but again only notionally a winger
Rankin 7 – fashioned our best chances, but didn’t score them
Talbot 7 – not on for long, but won a good few tackles and got attacks moving
Not surprisingly Ipswich’s players showed more quality, and were much quicker than ours, but they never put us under sustained pressure, and we can count ourselves unlucky not to have at least forced extra time.
Frampton moved into the centre of defence, as expected, and Myers returned at left-back, and was miles better than at Chesterfield. He’s never going to have tons of pace, but he read the game well and offered something going forward. Frampton was solid and composed at CB.
Rhodes and O’Connor started on the wings, with Jay Smith deputising for Stewart Talbot in the centre, and Ryan Peters starting up front alongside Burton. After some early Ipswich pressure, with Nelson struggling to get the ball under control on a number of occasions, we started to get more involved, with Peters making good runs, and having our only effort on target with a fierce drive from 25 yards, unfortunately straight down the keeper’s throat. Ipswich did have a goal chalked off for what seemed a harsh pushing decision in the first half, and forced several corners, but generally it was fairly even.
Although Rhodes seems happier to play a conventional winger’s role than Salako, Tabb, or O’Connor, he didn’t quite have the touch or pace to take on and beat his man, and O’Connor was never going to do so on the other flank, and frequently drifted inside, leaving Dobbo exposed. This was amplified when Tabb came on for Peters early in the second half, replacing Rhodes, who went up front. Too often the midfield four were bunched in the centre, with Burton and Rhodes forced out wide to stop the full-backs advancing, meaning that when we got the ball in defence there was both no-one available with runs down the channels, and no outlet in the centre.
Still, we were trying to play the ball on the deck, mostly through Hargreaves and O’Connor, and although their passing could have been more accurate the intention was usually right. The less said about Jay Smith’s suicidal crossfield-pass/through-ball for Ipswich in the first half the better though…..
Having said that Smith played OK; he may still struggle to justify a place in a small squad, but he looked fit to be on the same pitch as the Ipswich players, and last season that would have seemed unlikely. In fact he might even have claimed a goal, failing to make a good connection with his weaker left foot when bursting into the box on the diagonal. Ipswich finally made the breakthrough on 75 minutes, Smith (I think ?) unfortunate that his attempted block on a long-range shot merely span it up and over the stranded Nelson.
The introduction of Rankin for Rhodes seemed to co-incide with a good period of Brentford pressure, as we went looking for an equaliser, and Tabb started to pull the strings in midfield (even if he was rarely seen in his notional position on the wing). Rankin might have done better in the six yard box following a scramble, and in injury time forced a good save from the Ipswich keeper with a glancing header. Nelson came up for the resultant corner, and a quick throw released a counter attack from which Ipswich scored a second with the last kick of the game, with Nelson still sprinting back. An unfair gloss on the scoreline, but still a performance we can be proud of.
To be honest we lacked two things – the ability to take on and beat an opponent, and a belief that we were going to get to 50-50s first, balls were going to fall for us etc., but for that we might well have won. I think O’Connor calms our play down, and brings others into the game, but the question is how to use him. He doesn’t have the pace or trickery to put opposing full-backs on the back foot, so I think he’s best used as a playmaker in the centre, but without criticising Jay Smith’s performance I don’t think Talbot’s position as the holding midfielder is under enough threat, and I can’t really see Hargreaves being dropped either.
Although he added a lot to the team it still only looked like 80% of Jay Tabb, and without him we lack someone who can run with the ball and scare defences. I was hopeful Rhodes would offer more of this but too often his technique lets him down. Peters showed in flashes that he is very assured for one so young, and may yet give us that extra dimension to our game.
Nelson 6 – kicking a bit better, handling OK after a few early wobbles
Dobbo 6 – reasonably solid, but passing still wayward
Myers 8 – good all-round game
Fitz 7 – up against less of an aerial threat than the league games, and looked happier for it
Frampton 8 – solid and composed
Smith 6 – now and then defied his fringe status
Hargreaves 7 – needs to win more tackles, and complete more passes, but some good ideas going on
Rhodes 6 – willing but not always effective
O’Connor 7 – good work let down by inability to play the winger’s role he was given
Peters 7 – lively and sharp
Burton 6 – bit subdued
Tabb 7 – gave Ipswich problems, but again only notionally a winger
Rankin 7 – fashioned our best chances, but didn’t score them
Talbot 7 – not on for long, but won a good few tackles and got attacks moving