Let's talk about the Ipswich Town game

[StocksArmy]

Ipswich will finish the season stronger than anybody in the division IMO. If they make the playoffs i fancy them to win it.

[scawsby steve]

Hardworking effort, just outclassed by a team far too good for us.

Ipswich are a big club, and they've got talent all over the pitch. No shame losing to them.

[ForsolongaRover]

We surely gave them too much room to play in the 1st half. We put them under pressure in the second and they looked more ordinary. Why did we not compete more intensively from the start?

[Chris Black come back]

I know this has been done to death but there are EIGHT potential senior starters who are out injured. Unreal. 

[andyst79]

No shame in that defeat against a very good outfit. Thought the keeper could have come and collected the high ball for the goal but made a couple of smart stops and his distribution was superb. We looked better as a 4 4 2 but this nullified Martin a little , also I thought if we pressurised the back line of Ipswichs's a little more it had a mistake or 2 in it

[Rovers91]

I thought that was awful, didnt get near them, when we did just a long ball booted up for their centre halves to win the headers. Could play another 90mins and we wouldnt do anything there were no ideas from us. Ipswich very good footballing team but thought we would have more fight tonight.

[scawsby steve]

I know this has been done to death but there are EIGHT potential senior starters who are out injured. Unreal.

I don't think those players would have been good enough to beat Ipswich, CBCB.

[Redroy]

We looked a bit leggy and a yard off it tonight, which is not what you need against a team that just knocks it about. They were neat and tidy on the ball and have a lot of quality in that squad but we didn't get anywhere near troubling them sadly. We had good defensive shape though which was pleasing and didn't just fold like every other game this season. Olowu again struggling with the positions he takes up and balls into the box.

Ah well, on to Pompey now.

[Arsenal Of The North]

Credit to Ipswich, played like prime Barca, we were 5/10 yards off them all time time, I’ve not seen a team at this level for a long time play like they did tonight, cracking one touch and move from them.

I don’t think there was much we could have done to combat them, fair play to Gardner who tried to get close to them, Rowe and smith were very poor first half.

We go again on Saturday and hope we play a little better

[BillyStubbsTears]

We played a team who played that game far better than Ipswich 7 days ago.

[donnievic]

Battled well a I thought but beaten by a better side and possibly best footballing side we have played this season but thought we defended well to keep the chances limited although not sure if they had a few more gears to go through just hope we can recover and go again Saturday

[colincramb]

Another game at home where it looked as though we were a plucky underdog from the lower leagues playing a team in the top couple of divisions. We had 0 shots on goal, at home against a team that was 9th in league 1. Our demise is staggering.

[Campsall rover]

Outplayed.
We had no answer.

So very disappointed after that great performance and result at Sunderland.
We did not create a thing. There keeper will not have another game where he has to do less that is certain.

We now need to win the next 2 games or we will have too much to do.

[scawsby steve]

We played a team who played that game far better than Ipswich 7 days ago.

That's why they're top of the league.

[drfchound]

We played a team who played that game far better than Ipswich 7 days ago.

Yeah, you said so earlier.

[Bentley Bullet]

Ipswich pinged the ball around like Brazil. Thank goodness their finishing let them down or they'd have got a hat full.

0-1 was a tremendous result for us on reflection of their complete dominance.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

No spark tonight. Maybe playing a containment strategy and hope we can nick one but sadly, couldn't get on the ball enough or press enough. Rowe nor Martin able to effect the game enough but Ipswich are a good well drilled team with a couple of tricky players. We were perhaps too one dimensional especially towards the end when we could have mixed it up a bit with either Agard and or Dodoo but midfield didn't seem to have the energy to press anyway.

As said before, I would have glady taken a point but nothing lost, still 8 points difference and we move on.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

Reo was a disappointment tonight. Expected a lot more. Love to hear why Agard has been cast asunder too when we need goals.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

Not footy related but the weather tonight was weird. Before the game it was really mild. At half time i was freezing my tits off. Didn't expect that! Anyone else?

[BillyStubbsTears]

The goal tonight was a microcosm of why we are going down.

Fundamentally we don't operate as a team. We are a rag bag assortment of 11 individuals.

For 30 seconds before they scored, we had individuals sprinting out of position to fill gaps, only to leave other gaps that they exploited. Often we make heroic blocks or tackles, but when you are as uncoordinated as that, eventually you get hurt. That's what happened with the goal. They inevitability worked a bit of space for the cross and a bit of space for the header. But the real problem was that we had been pulled ragged for 30 seconds before that.

It's the same going forward. Regular punts to an isolated striker with no structure around him. No supporting player. No-one making runs through the line. So that even if he gets a touch, it's not going to fall for us.

The attacking throw ins are glaring examples of this lack of structure. We have zero plan. We wait for someone to do something then throw it in their general direction and hope. We have no form if bog standard tactic where a couple of players make zig zag runs to try to work a little space. We look like a disorganised bunch waiting for something to happen.

It's been like that now for 12 months. We look like players meeting for the first time. I don't know if it is poor players or poor management - I suspect it's been both.

Contrast with Kidderminster on Saturday against West Ham. I assume that man for man their players are not as good as ours (although ...). But they were superbly organised. They defended and attacked as a unit. Players breaking in support when attacking. Players knowing where to slot into defensive gaps when a defender stepped up to pressure the opponents.

This should be a bare minimum. We were so much better organised under Moore, for all his faults. It is frankly shocking that we haven't had any semblance of that sort of disciplined structure for 12 months.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Ipswich have a team full of men, everybody knows their job. They are solid, don’t give stupid goals away and have the advantage of playing all season together.

We on the other hand started the season not fit enough. We had a change of management, change of ideas, turnaround of staff, have nearly a full team on the treatment table, plus we shop for players a lot lower down than they do.

Our average wage is nowhere near theirs, they are underachieving, we as fans believe we are too, when in reality we have overachieved for many seasons. We have been dropping back as a club for about three seasons, little has been done to stop arrest in our fortunes.

This transfer window it’s like a stick of dynamite has erupted underneath those who run the club. They suddenly realised we have a problem. Our club reacts to things, there is no forward planning, until that changes we will struggle to do well.

[Padge_DRFC]

What a waste of a signing Agard is if Barlow who is literally conference north at best comes on. Runs round scared.

[Chris Black come back]

You would hope that a good deal of our current problems can be sorted in time, ie the secret six coming back from seemingly career ending injuries, the entire squad having a pre-season behind them when many haven’t played for a considerable time, huge turnover in players over last six months and need to gel. There is a talented group of players in there, that needs time to gel and return to fitness.

What I still don’t know yet in what McSheffrey is trying to do and whether he is adding value. Unfair given what he was landed with to make this judgement yet, but you would be pressed to say he is doing a great job so far. Maybe more to come.

[bobbymax]

One positive tonight was another decent cameo from Gardner. There is also definitely something to work with in Griffiths but we've get to work out a way of giving him some service. Maybe the return of Galbraith will help.

[drfchound]

No spark tonight. Maybe playing a containment strategy and hope we can nick one but sadly, couldn't get on the ball enough or press enough. Rowe nor Martin able to effect the game enough but Ipswich are a good well drilled team with a couple of tricky players. We were perhaps too one dimensional especially towards the end when we could have mixed it up a bit with either Agard and or Dodoo but midfield didn't seem to have the energy to press anyway.

As said before, I would have glady taken a point but nothing lost, still 8 points difference and we move on.

Still eight points difference but one game less to make up the gap.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

We didn't play a containment strategy against Plymouth and were excellent. Defensive cock ups cost us. Then we play containment against Rotherham and Ipswich and get beat anyway with no shots. What's the point. We got smashed for 5 against Rotherham but i'd rather have seen us throwing caution the wind, having shots and chances and get smashed 5-0.

Containment at this stage of the season, at home is more negative than me! We need wins. Our goal difference isn't going to be made better so may as well get beat 10-0 than 1-0. Don't understand the mentality.

[Spud]

The goal tonight was a microcosm of why we are going down.

Fundamentally we don't operate as a team. We are a rag bag assortment of 11 individuals.

For 30 seconds before they scored, we had individuals sprinting out of position to fill gaps, only to leave other gaps that they exploited. Often we make heroic blocks or tackles, but when you are as uncoordinated as that, eventually you get hurt. That's what happened with the goal. They inevitability worked a bit of space for the cross and a bit of space for the header. But the real problem was that we had been pulled ragged for 30 seconds before that.

It's the same going forward. Regular punts to an isolated striker with no structure around him. No supporting player. No-one making runs through the line. So that even if he gets a touch, it's not going to fall for us.

The attacking throw ins are glaring examples of this lack of structure. We have zero plan. We wait for someone to do something then throw it in their general direction and hope. We have no form if bog standard tactic where a couple of players make zig zag runs to try to work a little space. We look like a disorganised bunch waiting for something to happen.

It's been like that now for 12 months. We look like players meeting for the first time. I don't know if it is poor players or poor management - I suspect it's been both.

Contrast with Kidderminster on Saturday against West Ham. I assume that man for man their players are not as good as ours (although ...). But they were superbly organised. They defended and attacked as a unit. Players breaking in support when attacking. Players knowing where to slot into defensive gaps when a defender stepped up to pressure the opponents.

This should be a bare minimum. We were so much better organised under Moore, for all his faults. It is frankly shocking that we haven't had any semblance of that sort of disciplined structure for 12 months.

The throw ins are awful, aren't they? Very amateur.
We did, for once, put one or two decent corners in though, as well as some bad ones. Would have loved to see, I think it was Seaman, try to score direct from one in the second half when their keeper & defence were strolling around in no man's land having a natter. Instead he played it short & then was given it straight back in an obvious offside position, d'oh !!!

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

Perhaps the flat atmosphere at home games also has an effect? Difficult to work out. Not for the first time though at home this season, our opponents kicked off and then proceeded to spend the next 15 or 20 minutes dominating possession and camped in our half. This makes the atmosphere flat and sets the energy feel on the pitch and around the ground. 

When do we get at teams from the off GM? When do WE stamp our home authority on visiting teams and get the crowd up for it straight away?

 

[tenacious tractors]

Couldn't catch the game was busy with other things but read reports from our leading fan pages, TWTD etc.   Some minor in-fighting between some of our fans about how the result went about.   Some weren't happy about our style of play and bemoaned missed opportunities while most were just relieved to get the victory and its all about winning without really playing well to get it.   We did the very same thing in our last game.

Some of your fans insist we're a good or very good team  would beg to differ as I've been with it right from the off and we're not mid-league or have been for no reason.   Yes McKenna has done excellent since coming in but we make a number of mistakes and our attack is often powder-puff and defence can sometimes be found in disarray.   We may string a few results together and be pushing in the right direction but no way is this team promotion material.    Not this season anyway.

I don't want Doncaster to fall into League Two.   Gritty Yorkshire club that deserves better, I do hope you can survive for another season even if the odds are against it.   

[donnievic]

The goal tonight was a microcosm of why we are going down.

Fundamentally we don't operate as a team. We are a rag bag assortment of 11 individuals.

For 30 seconds before they scored, we had individuals sprinting out of position to fill gaps, only to leave other gaps that they exploited. Often we make heroic blocks or tackles, but when you are as uncoordinated as that, eventually you get hurt. That's what happened with the goal. They inevitability worked a bit of space for the cross and a bit of space for the header. But the real problem was that we had been pulled ragged for 30 seconds before that.

It's the same going forward. Regular punts to an isolated striker with no structure around him. No supporting player. No-one making runs through the line. So that even if he gets a touch, it's not going to fall for us.

The attacking throw ins are glaring examples of this lack of structure. We have zero plan. We wait for someone to do something then throw it in their general direction and hope. We have no form if bog standard tactic where a couple of players make zig zag runs to try to work a little space. We look like a disorganised bunch waiting for something to happen.

It's been like that now for 12 months. We look like players meeting for the first time. I don't know if it is poor players or poor management - I suspect it's been both.

Contrast with Kidderminster on Saturday against West Ham. I assume that man for man their players are not as good as ours (although ...). But they were superbly organised. They defended and attacked as a unit. Players breaking in support when attacking. Players knowing where to slot into defensive gaps when a defender stepped up to pressure the opponents.

This should be a bare minimum. We were so much better organised under Moore, for all his faults. It is frankly shocking that we haven't had any semblance of that sort of disciplined structure for 12 months.

The throw ins are awful, aren't they? Very amateur.
We did, for once, put one or two decent corners in though, as well as some bad ones. Would have loved to see, I think it was Seaman, try to score direct from one in the second half when their keeper & defence were strolling around in no man's land having a natter. Instead he played it short & then was given it straight back in an obvious offside position, d'oh !!!

that was Martin who took the quick corner and ball played back to him and offside,to which idiots behind in south stand said he can’t be offside as he has played it behind him,couldn’t make things up sim of stuff same group come out with sumtimes