Ipswich 3-2 Saints - Match Thread

[davefizzy14]

I really can't believe how we lost that this evening. We were in total control at half time, going in 2-1 up. Second half we just needed to take one of the opportunities that we had to make it 3-1 and we would have seen the game out. So frustrating. The red card was a joke and I would hope we will appeal it. Bree certainly wasn't the last man as THB was covering behind. We have to bounce back from this on Saturday.

Edited April 1 by davefizzy14

[sandwichsaint]

35 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

Just got home.

... whereas they had players blocking shots inside the 6 yard box without even realising where the ball was or where it was going ffs. Multiple times.

How very, very dare they. I hope our coaching team and defenders don't get any ideas of us adopting such base methods.

[SaintBobby]

Disappointing. Wtf we were doing with Jan B injured and us controlling the match...at 68 mins....they had made 4 subs, we had made zero....

Fair play to Ipswich.

We are in the weird position of nhaving nothing to play for in the next eight games! Then a lot to play for in the 2 or 3 that follow...

[Appy]

No team in this league is good enough to drop Kyle Walker-Peters, yet we did it anyway. 
 

Playing Stephens doesn’t bother me that much, if he’s that keen to start him, drop one of the others and play two full-backs. 

[SW11_Saint]

1 hour ago, hypochondriac said:

Martin on Kyle Walker-Peters’ omission from the starting XI: "James Bree deserved to play. Nobody is guaranteed a start in the team. The guys on the pitch did fantastic."

Simply unbelievable. 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

1 minute ago, SW11_Saint said:

Simply unbelievable. 

Apart from Baz and Stephens it would seem.

[SW11_Saint]

58 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

Or maybe he just dropped the guy who was at fault for the goal on Friday? Maybe the simple explanations are the best. 

Bree?

[captainchris]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

It’s unbelievable isn’t it. All of of them has to do is stand in front of the ball, all of them stood off whilst a weak toe poke trickles past them and Bozo in goal 

Totally. We don’t have coaches, it’s obvious. 

[musesaint]

Let’s be honest. With the squad we have we should be nailed on for automatic promotion. Martin is the problem - though he’s sufficiently arrogant that he will never admit that in a million years. Every time we get on top by pressing forward we fail to push home the advantage by reverting to tippy tappy Russball. 
 

I would love us to win at Wembley. But I can’t see that happening with the form clearly drifting away. Sadly no one is scared of us. The standard Russball tactics have been comprehensively absorbed and countered by every team we now play. No stability in team selection or game plan outside standard Russball . 

[Fabrice29]

12 minutes ago, musesaint said:

Let’s be honest. With the squad we have we should be nailed on for automatic promotion. Martin is the problem - though he’s sufficiently arrogant that he will never admit that in a million years. Every time we get on top by pressing forward we fail to push home the advantage by reverting to tippy tappy Russball. 

With the squad we have we should be nailed on for automatic promotion - Not true. Although most other seasons we would be, you’d do well to remember both Leeds and Leicester finished above us last year and probably had less disruption to their squads. Pretty sure they’d want their squad over ours so nope, we shouldn’t be nailed on for automatic promotion at all, but do have a ridiculous amount of points compared to most teams in most seasons.

Martin is the problem - though he’s sufficiently arrogant that he will never admit that in a million years - he’s blamed himself for various things over the season so again, not true. 
 

Every time we get on top by pressing forward we fail to push home the advantage by reverting to tippy tappy Russball. - We’ve won 22 games this season  so again, literally not true we fail to push home advantages every time. 
 

Good post though. 

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, wadesmith said:

We’ve conceded the same amount of goals as QPR & 1 more than Sunderland. That’s the story.

And the same as Ipswich.

[warsash saint]

Just back from the game - what is it with these Premiership refs officiating in the Championship?? ... thats 2 with had had in the last few games & they have both seen absolutely shite!!

Have to say our fans were top hotch during the game BUT the some of the drunken 'yoof' c*unts after the game were an absolute disgrace!!  Witnessed one headbutt an innocent Ipswich fan just outside the ground whilst another 'fan' punched another in the face - police quickly arrested the second luckily.  Their fans before & after game, the stewards, the police were a great bunch - despite the awful result, they did not deserve our bellends wading into blameless supporters!

Edited April 1 by warsash saint

[SW11_Saint]

7 minutes ago, warsash saint said:

Just back from the game - what is it with these Premiership refs officiating in the Championship?? ... thats 2 with had had in the last few games & they have both seen absolutely shite!!

Have to say our fans were top hotch during the game BUT the some of the drunken 'yoof' c*unts after the game were an absolute disgrace!!  Witnessed one headbutt an innocent Ipswich fan just outside the ground whilst another 'fan' punched another in the face - police quickly arrested the second luckily.  Their fans before & after game, the stewards, the police were a great bunch - despite the awful result, they did not deserve our bellends wading into blameless supporters!

That’s depressing to hear…

[Dragon_man]

1 hour ago, maysie said:

I do think people are a tad over reacting on here and I wonder how many actually pay to go to games. As a season ticket holder the last two seasons in the Prem were generally shite football and us not being competitive and crappy VAR.

i’ve enjoyed this season much more, we’ve scored lots of goals and I like the style of football but I get it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I’ve definitely left games more times with a smile on my face than not.

Season ticket holder here and done 7 aways this season.

I take your point that its been better than the last 2 seasons, but also painful at times. 

I don't really enjoy the possesion thing at all costs. Its not great to watch. Tolerable if it was enough for promotion. But if it persists for mid tableness, then I'm not sure it's something I'd continue to pay for.

I keep saying we should leave St Mary's at HT as second halves are generally painful.

Realise we cant win every game, but the limp defeats and draws or not easy on the eyes. It's not like we go down all guns blazing.

Not missing the VAR at all. Am missing lively football though ...

 

 

 

[Dragon_man]

11 hours ago, warsash saint said:

Just back from the game - what is it with these Premiership refs officiating in the Championship?? ... thats 2 with had had in the last few games & they have both seen absolutely shite!!

Have to say our fans were top hotch during the game BUT the some of the drunken 'yoof' c*unts after the game were an absolute disgrace!!  Witnessed one headbutt an innocent Ipswich fan just outside the ground whilst another 'fan' punched another in the face - police quickly arrested the second luckily.  Their fans before & after game, the stewards, the police were a great bunch - despite the awful result, they did not deserve our bellends wading into blameless supporters!

Been to 7 aways this year and have seen bits of that. Starting to put me off going to aways. I challenged one 'yoof' at a game to pack it in and got 'its all part of away's mate'.

No it f******g isn't. People can get seriously hurt and suffer life changing injuries. And all for what? Madness.

Edited April 2 by Dragon_man

[wadesmith]

21 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

And the same as Ipswich.

Yeah..but they’ve scored 8 more than us 😆 

[verlaine1979]

4 hours ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Spot on. His touch was pathetic & gave them the opportunity to get it forward one more time. 

Was actually a lovely chipped ball to him in the middle with acres of space. As it was floating towards him I allowed myself a tiny glimmer of hope that he'd bring it down, run into the gap and create something. But no, he just shinned it ten yards straight to an Ipswich player.

[Saint NL]

Ipswich had an XG of 0.98 and managed 3 goals.

That shows that it was either a fluke or our defense has a serious problem (or both).

 

[Saint86]

50 minutes ago, warsash saint said:

Just back from the game - what is it with these Premiership refs officiating in the Championship?? ... thats 2 with had had in the last few games & they have both seen absolutely shite!!

Have to say our fans were top hotch during the game BUT the some of the drunken 'yoof' c*unts after the game were an absolute disgrace!!  Witnessed one headbutt an innocent Ipswich fan just outside the ground whilst another 'fan' punched another in the face - police quickly arrested the second luckily.  Their fans before & after game, the stewards, the police were a great bunch - despite the awful result, they did not deserve our bellends wading into blameless supporters!

Well, i think we all know that the prem doesn't want 3 relegated sides getting promoted... 😑

[Jonnyboy]

Interested how you can get five points from two games 🤔

[captainchris]

1 hour ago, musesaint said:

Let’s be honest. With the squad we have we should be nailed on for automatic promotion. Martin is the problem - though he’s sufficiently arrogant that he will never admit that in a million years. Every time we get on top by pressing forward we fail to push home the advantage by reverting to tippy tappy Russball. 
 

I would love us to win at Wembley. But I can’t see that happening with the form clearly drifting away. Sadly no one is scared of us. The standard Russball tactics have been comprehensively absorbed and countered by every team we now play. No stability in team selection or game plan outside standard Russball . 

We played well today that’s for sure…

However, our defending is abysmal every game and RM’s faith in Bazunu is now beyond ridiculous. The Bree thing today was also just weird, again he was dreadful…

Martin just continues to make baffling decisions all the time and clearly he cannot coach defending at all because the schoolboy errors are tactically well just that schoolboy errors every game… 

Has Martin never heard of marking because it definitely ain’t happening….

[austsaint]

2 hours ago, SaintBobby said:

Disappointing. Wtf we were doing with Jan B injured and us controlling the match...at 68 mins....they had made 4 subs, we had made zero....

Fair play to Ipswich.

We are in the weird position of nhaving nothing to play for in the next eight games! Then a lot to play for in the 2 or 3 that follow...

Yes, I thought that was a crucial mistake by RM.   Should have freshened things up at about the 65 minute mark.   Not just because Bednarek was injured, but Ipswich were pressing and threatening at the time.

Yet on 82 minutes, with us needing to win the game, Martin brought on Smallbone for Aribo (one of the best players on the pitch today).  Why not bring on someone like Sulemana and go for the three points rather than a steady-as-she-goes midfielder?   Were we trying to win the game or save a point?       The omission of KWP also needs explaining - player-of-the-season by a mile; crucial game.....where's our best player?

Also thought the Jack Stephens as an inverted LB or hybrid midfielder confused things today.  Our best Football this season has been with THB and Bednarek as CB's, KWP and someone like Bree at LB.

Such a blow to lose like that, after playing much great attacking Football - The Armstrongs' goal a thing of beauty.

[Dark Munster]

3 hours ago, John B said:

I have never thought that we were likely to get automatic promotion I just do not feel the players are manager is good enough

Fixed it for you!

[HKsaint]

This must be RM’s strategy to avoid playing against Ipswich in the playoff. 

[CB Fry]

6 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

And the same as Ipswich.

 

6 hours ago, wadesmith said:

Yeah..but they’ve scored 8 more than us 😆 

....but played two more games (as have QPR).

Of course our games in hand will be nailed on clean sheets as well as nailed on wins obviously.

Edited April 2 by CB Fry

[Lord Duckhunter]

Bree played ok Friday, so I don’t blame Lego for playing him, particularly with Moore’s size up top. I can even understand leaving KWP out due to his recent injury and doubts whether he’d be fit enough to play 2 games in 4 days (although he said this wasn’t the case) But to make it a Bree/KWP thing afterwards stinks. Personally, I reckon he tried to be too clever & wanted JS in his John Stones role & Brees height at the back. Because he fucked up & won’t admit it has chucked Bree under the bus. 
 

What was wrong with Bree & KWP as full backs (if we believe KWP was fit). Old fashioned I know, but what most managers would have done. 

Edited April 2 by Lord Duckhunter

[beatlesaint]

2 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Bree played ok Friday, so I don’t blame Lego for playing him, particularly with Moore’s size up top. I can even understand leaving KWP out due to his recent injury and doubts whether he’d be fit enough to play 2 games in 4 days. But to make it a Bree/KWP thing afterwards stinks. Personally, I reckon he tried to be too clever & wanted JS in his John Stones role & Brees height at the back. Because he fucked up, won’t admit it and has chucked Bree under the bus. 
 

What was wrong with Bree & KWP as full backs (if we believe KWP was fit). Old fashioned I know, but what most managers would have done. 

Yes but Lego, as you call him, isn’t like most managers, he’s much cleverer 🙁

[Whitey Grandad]

19 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

Yes but Lego, as you call him, isn’t like most managers, he’s much cleverer 🙁

Troo dat. He’s so clever that I haven’t got a clue what he thinks he’s doing.

[Totton Saint]

 Just blame the curse of TV.  Just joking.  I think Baz has a lot to think about. He was not good at all. I agree,. being wise after the event, but poor choice of subs

[musesaint]

Martin and Russball are our main problems. The squad is better than our league position.
 

If we don’t go up this season we will lose our best players and will struggle in 24/5.  Martin loves to say “I take the blame for this and that “. He seems to wear cock ups as a badge of honour. If he was good enough he wouldn’t keep having to make these empty apologies. 

[AlexLaw76]

16 minutes ago, musesaint said:

Martin and Russball are our main problems. The squad is better than our league position.
 

If we don’t go up this season we will lose our best players and will struggle in 24/5.  Martin loves to say “I take the blame for this and that “. He seems to wear cock ups as a badge of honour. If he was good enough he wouldn’t keep having to make these empty apologies. 

Obviously, because he is 'brave'

[wadesmith]

2 hours ago, CB Fry said:

 

....but played two more games (as have QPR).

Of course our games in hand will be nailed on clean sheets as well as nailed on wins obviously.

I think my point still stands....we’ve conceded too many goals this season 😊 

[Whitey Grandad]

11 minutes ago, wadesmith said:

I think my point still stands....we’ve conceded too many goals this season 😊 

Indeed we have. Clean sheets are rare.

[Miltonaggro]

Thought Ipswich were a horrible side to be honest, dirty, direct and with a targeted game plan for individual players and the officials. But they were relentless, worked as a team, dug deep and McKenna fully deserved that nasty win. That was an industrial win, but in this league often the difference between winners and losers, promotion and stagnation. In contrast we have a team of individuals, arguably the best technical players in this league, but with little appetite for a fight or an ability to close ranks as a unit. Martin’s management style seems to be rather like a spiky overprotective dad with a kids team, rigidly sticking to the mantra whilst projecting and overreacting to any reasonable criticism of his charges. Said all season that this lot won’t have an appetite for the play offs and sticking with that. We will then lose the core of our technical ‘better’ players in early summer - KWP, THB, Downes, Brooks, Fraser, so I hope that the rumours that the Board are already looking for Martin’s replacement are correct. We need a winner allowed to impose his character and then bring character and backbone into this group. It might take three seasons, step back to go forward, but you wouldn’t need gimmicks and goal music to attempt to galvanise the saints support then. Most know the difference between shit and shinola when they see it. 

 

[david in sweden]

17 hours ago, Totton Saint said:

It's academic as we will probably not get to the pay offs.

Oh ! .....does that mean we have to bribe someone....or  ?

[stknowle]

13 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

That's the thing - it's all nearly goals which make you think ''hmm, could he have done better?''  ''should he have saved that?'' - there's more of those ''hmm'' moments than ''What a save!'' moments that's for sure.

If he'd have got to at least one of those goals tonight it would have been a ''what a save moment'', which is kind of what you need your GK to pull out every now and then - but he doesn't seem capable.

Generally agree but I don’t see that first one as a “what a save” moment if he’d saved it. He’s way too easily beaten there. 

[david in sweden]

whilst we talk about "swings and roundabouts " in luck and decisions .....and late goals, maybe it was karma that we have dropped 

points in successive games...... because of late goals.  Certainly, that run of good luck with unbeaten games seems to have deserted us.

Only mathematicians will come up with possible scenarios of an eventual finish if we win remaining games, so we need to secure our play-off place. 

[Whitey Grandad]

7 minutes ago, stknowle said:

Generally agree but I don’t see that first one as a “what a save” moment if he’d saved it. He’s way too easily beaten there. 

There has been a lot of criticism along similar lines but I am struggling to remember any similar shots being saved by any goalkeeper. There’s simply too much pace on the ball for the hands to be raised in time. The shot goes past the keeper before he has time to react.

[for_heaven's_Saint]

Wasn’t at all surprised when that winner went in. 
 

This team has no bottle at all and Martin’s in game management is so poor compared to the managers of other teams at the top. Can’t see us beating any team in the playoffs at the moment. 

[malcolm waldron]

14 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Play off dates are 12th, 13th then 16th, 17th May. Final is the 26th. Close out your diaries now.

Sadly I'd been looking at those dates (or rather wondering which specific days they'd be) since September (2-1 away to Boro).  

[rallyboy]

Just watched the highlights - fine margins, and no consistency from the officials.

They should have been down to ten men when we were leading, moments like that change games, and seasons.

 

[captainchris]

Apart from our woeful defending which has been pretty constant apart from a brief spell the other most consistent aspect of our games has been poor second halves. Are we unfit, does RM demotivate at half time,  does RM change tactics at half time for the worse? What is going on with our second halves? 

[saintant]

27 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Just watched the highlights - fine margins, and no consistency from the officials.

They should have been down to ten men when we were leading, moments like that change games, and seasons.

 

The ref clearly allowed himself to be influenced by the baying Ipswich fans who'd howled their derision every time a free-kick rightly went to us for the multiple bad fouls committed by their dirty players. We were basically kicked off the park and the ref should have sent off Morsy for numerous thuggish assaults.

[Give it to Ron]

18 minutes ago, captainchris said:

Apart from our woeful defending which has been pretty constant apart from a brief spell the other most consistent aspect of our games has been poor second halves. Are we unfit, does RM demotivate at half time,  does RM change tactics at half time for the worse? What is going on with our second halves? 

Away manager works out game plan and changes tactics and players we play rigid 4-3-3. Teams start to switch play to gaps on wings or the other side of our defence .

Watch the Boro goal we had 1v2 that side was all game not sorted by our management. Wingers get so much time and space Leif first goal last night had all the time . 

[badgerx16]

13 hours ago, wadesmith said:

We’ve conceded the same amount of goals as QPR & 1 more than Sunderland. That’s the story.

Same as Ipswich.

[saintstowin]

The comment about dropping KWP (which I admit I haven't heard, just read) isn't great. And feels like a bit narky after being asked about it and wanting to snap back, although RM too will have felt gutted straight after the game.

The bigger issue is, however, KWP was a sub. And when JB got that knock, the simple and effective thing to do was bring on KWP and tell JS he's now a CB for the rest of the game, not a roving whatever. After all JB didn't play on Friday presumably due to fitness so taking him off is hardly weird at that stage. 

[RedArmy]

4 minutes ago, saintstowin said:

 

The bigger issue is, however, KWP was a sub. And when JB got that knock, the simple and effective thing to do was bring on KWP and tell JS he's now a CB for the rest of the game, not a roving whatever. After all JB didn't play on Friday presumably due to fitness so taking him off is hardly weird at that stage. 

Don’t be silly, a CB playing as a CB? Much bette to keep him at LB where he can maraud up the pitch into a number 10 position and make the manager look like Pep Martinola live on sky sports. 

[SNSUN]

Hopefully we can get the idea of Autos out of our heads now (it ain't happening) and give some of the younger lads a run out. SAA, Dibling, Meghoma - I can't see us dropping out the play off spots so why not give the youth a bit of a run out?

[malcolm waldron]

Ipswich remind me a little of our 11/12 team who also went straight through the division.  A hard working side, sticking to a plan but with versatility if that plan isn't working - coupled with a relentless ethic to take games deep.  I watched the last part of one of their games a few weeks ago (Bristol C I think) where they went 2-1 down quite late on, and still went on to win - having missed a penalty too.  That - and a healthy degree of luck having seen some of the Blackburn game on Friday.

All I will say for next season though, if we don't go up, is that there are good players available if managed correctly.  I thought Woolfenden was a real rock at the back last night, Davis was a threat down their left, and Broadhead took his goal well.  I doubt any of these cost much, and yet have been galvanised to perform at very high levels.  Which begs the question - how many of our players (in a technically stronger squad) have been similarly galvanised?   

[Totton Saint]

2 hours ago, david in sweden said:

Oh ! .....does that mean we have to bribe someone....or  ?

Good reply1