Holmes_and_Watson

After that nonsense booking, that last challenge could mean Manning gets subbed.

Top of the bar. Good header.

Surely a foul before Gnonto's strike.

Lovely from KWP too. We kept going, and directly. Leeds switched off.

Super Will!

Well, that didn't last long. Gave it away twice and concede.

A&A Striking team!

Yeah. There are systems that woul really suit Onuachu. Should we not go up, SR have decisions to make, not only on RM, but the type of manager they want next. We didn't get the strikers for Ralph. Paul came in when it was too late for Nathan, and then didn't suit Russ. Such a waste. We'll have different types of player back with us over the summer. Perhaps the next manager will actually want some of them.

As Humza was, Swinney is there to keep those skeletons buried. He's a serial failure, which means nothing to any political trougher, and things can bumble along until their next election. Unlike Humza, who sent a letter to the Conservatives, asking for help, Swinney has been a bit more reluctant to do a deal. He has to keep the Greens sweet while purging the dissenting voices within his own party. Which is the sad way they operate. Plenty of stories, like all parties, of them turning on their own. Support for any minority group isn't helped by denial of concerns from professionals, by those desperate to see their policies passed regardless of the harm to that minority, and others.

But that relegation is based on those results things. Just because we got relegated, doesn't mean that the underlying stats aren't going in the right direction. There are a lot of underlying stats. Any couple of them will do. And that broader picture is going our way. That relegation enabled us to slash wages at a stroke! Those so-called good players with the highest wages left, will move on. That allows us to bring in even more players on lower wages to sell on! All within the scope of the longer term gamble. 🙂

If there's any doubt over the full fitness of Downes, KWP, Che or AA it would be well worth limiting their time. No point in risking them, for a much more important game. If Downes is missing, it seems to not go our way. I'd consider a Charles, Stephens, Aribo combo in there. It would end up being a bit more direct. But a step up from Brooks somewhere in it. Smallbone available to come in as required. His passing game gets a bit post as Stephens and Aribo aren't really able to make the most of it.

I think it's fitting that the biggest club in SR's revolutionary sporting group, shines a light of hope, with their promotion to a top division, for the likes of Southampton. The closer any club's colours are to Melchester Rovers, is also a good thing. Perhaps this could be the standard across all SR clubs?

I think there's plenty of things you can worry about at the same time. One of them in Scotland, and the one Rowling is so involved in, relates to a party taken over by idealogical bigots, who in turn have helped a larger party go down the same route. Other parties have also helped them along their way, as incompetent and beholden to not seeming to be phobic to anything. The hate crime act was widely seen as a screen to allow one side of certain debates to be protected. The upcoming bill on women's rights is controversial as there are issues in defining what a woman is. While it's one issue, it's connected to others. For example, Kate Forbes has certain views opposed to the Green's campaigns. The SNP troughers depend on the Greens, Bute House Agreement or not. They have already said they won't support Forbes. They're essentially power brokers helping to nod through a candidate best aligned to them, never mind the majority who didn't vote for them at all. And who don't agree with their stance on a number of issues.

From what I've seen, Ipswich's attacking intent makes their opponents defensively cautious. They drop back, and it doesn't take much, giving Ipswich the room to break presses into their opponents half, to launch yet more attacks. We prefer more control, but at the expense of pressure and quicker releases (although RM has said he's looking for quicker movement)

I think I would like my pram wheeled down to the park today. 🙂 Not like me to be optimistic. IIRC, I gave a moment's thought about lower, but then felt we had every reason to think we could go straight back up.

Hospital

Well, that's spoiled any number of my future moans. 🙂 I'll need to start them all off with "It's not as bad as the club going bust, and I hesitate to even mention such a relatively trivial thing, but..." Still being in with a chance of promotion is not massively disappointing. 4th and going out with a whimper might well be. It's partly just where we could have finished, with our resources. Finishing lower than Leeds won't matter if we go up. If we don't, we've once again managed to finish below them both. So no change. So, the manager's philosophy and SR's supposed abilities made no difference (unless people felt that it could have been a lot worse without them). Recruitment and game management follow on from that. The stat Alex put up about losing points from winning positions. The uniped striker purchase. Disappointment considering the opportunity.

Bedders and KWP (possibly some McCarthy) would have been part of RalphBall when it was working. Also when it went pear shaped. But they can be good in the right system. And that applied to Martin's at times this season. THB and Bedders have looked solid a fair bit. With full backs pushing up, and deliberate flaws when it comes to dealing with counters, and on the flanks that's not been the easiest of asks. The whole defence is left exposed when our midfield can't disrupt, control or transition the ball. Often all 3, when JWP went and when Downes isn't playing. Chez pointed out the limitations. But a lot of the players aren't helped when the system isn't likely to work, or when the game changes. That's why it's so frustrating. There were time when I'd be watching other games, pleased that Martin was getting results from our possession game. But that faded when, even though he tried a few things, clearly wasn't going to change enough to help us see games out. While our poor end may have put some suitors off, the clubs most likely to pick him up, are the data obsessed ones, who will be looking at other things. I can't see them parting with him short of losing the dressing room. A poor start next season, if we're a bit adrift might make them reconsider. If he is staying, then hopefully, SR will actually recruit fully to back his system. It would a decent thing to do for at least 1 manager in 4.

Dressing

There could be some twists and turns on the final day. Providing us with something to distract us as our side ping the ball around their own half. 🙂

"Ipswich need one point! Leeds United need a miracle." If not a miracle, an underperforming Saints team might help them a bit. 🙂 Replacement ref didn't give anything for players falling over. So, a good flowing game. Two very tire teams, with Ipswich carrying some knocks, at the end. But they wanted it forward all the time. Quite controlled about it too. It pushed Coventry back, and made them make some errors in their own box, while on the back foot.

11 mins added time after the ref switch.

Coventry had played some daft stuff across their box, giving Ipswich momentum. Shot from a tight angle. Ipswich, who switched their attackers around, are always looking for forward passes.

Ipswich back in front

Coventry equaliser