Ipswich fan in Barnsley: match preview

Barnsley fans are a funny lot. Wherever you go in the town you will see people's who love that club. A bit like Ipswich, I'd like to think.

It's a funny place for an Ipswich fan to live too. Friday nights routinely consist of me asking the pub which game they would like to discuss: Wembley 2000 or Oakwell 2011. Give them their dues, they always take it in good humour.

Their amazing 5:0 win against Birmingham at the weekend is a long awaited, long deserved one. They're proud of the new manager, proud of the players they've managed to keep hold of (Vaz Te leaving last year was a disaster) and yet they seem to have an everlasting patience. I hear no whining about how long they've been in the Championship and, though they have hopes this may finally be the year they reach the Play Offs, it's not the be all and end all.

My feeling is Town fans could learn a lot from them - though that's not to entirely discount the understandable concerns about our current situation.

That game at Oakwell stands as one of my favourite ever Ipswich games: it's up there with Wembley and the San Siro in the pure emotion and pride I felt for the club and fellow Blues fans.

I'd love for that to have an affect on the player's moods before the game today. But, interestingly it's a very different side to what it was less than 12 months ago.The starting line up on December 10th last year was: Stockdale, Cresswell, Collins, Sonko, Edwards, Martin, Bowyer, Andrews, Murphy, Chopra and Scotland. 

Just five of those are likely to be playing today, admittedly one of those not doing so is Chops who Paul Jewell has confirmed as unfit to play.

More significantly though we've no Keith Andrews to pull us out of a rut this year, he really was the engineer of that victory. I thought Taylor could be our man, sadly his long term injury is a real blow.

But enough about us, I've spent too long worrying about us in recent weeks, what are the Tykes expecting? I've asked fan and blogger Liam Fountain for a match preview from their point of view.

1. Barnsley have had a mixed bag of results so far this season, how are you feeling about it?

It's definitely not a true reflection of where we are in the league table so far this season, that's for sure. We've only really deserved to lose one game, and that was away at top of the league Brighton after which Keith Hill said the team's performance was 'unexplainable'. 

Apart from that we've looked like an extremely strong team who will give anyone a tough game. We ought to have beaten both Blackpool and Blackburn by two or three clear goals but we're just one or two players away from having a squad capable of anything. 

At home we're unbeaten so far and have only conceded once - it was Tom Ince who scored for Blackpool and he's probably the best player in the league which speaks volumes.

2. I still can't believe your result on Saturday, was it expected or a bit of luck?

It was an excellent result and it's a bit of both - the performance in the game against Blackburn was just as good if not better, but undeservedly we came away with nothing. I'd say around half of the fans expected a performance like that, but based on our away record and Birmingham's home record, it was a bit of a shock to see a five goal margin in our favour. All the more sweeter with it being live on TV! 

I think the result has made every team in the league aware of what we can do and how unpredictable the division is.

3. Our last game against you was our last win at Portman Road, how have you changed since then?

We've got more strength in depth and we've replaced the players we didn't in January, to put it simply. If you play us between August and December there's a bigger chance we'll beat you, as we're known for getting our squad ripped apart in January and not repairing it. That may change this year with there being no chance of Jacob Mellis leaving and Craig Davies has stated he wants to stay with us which is a massive boost. 

We're also more of a unit since we last played you, which is obviously key in any squad. Keith Hill's philosophy at the club is paying its dividends and these are exciting times for all connected to the club!

4. What are you expecting from us this weekend?

I'm expecting you to throw the kitchen sink along with everything else you've got at us on Saturday. You're in bad form at the moment with one point from five games, however, you were in worse form last season and you thumped us in front of millions, so who knows. I think we will run out as clear winners, maybe 3-0. 

It sounds arrogant, but with Paul Jewell in charge you're not going up the table any time soon. I had you down for relegation before the season started and I believe he will take you down. 

5. What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?

Our strengths? Well, we're a brilliant team that play on the floor and in Keith Hill we've got one of the best managers outside of the Premier League. We've also got the top scorer and second top assist leader in our ranks, and if that fact doesn't fill any team with fear, I don't know what will. I'd say our biggest weakness is our inability to put away all our chances; if we'd done that with the ones that strikers put away 99/100 times then we'd be sitting pretty in second place right now, and it'd be nothing more than we deserve, but that's football for you. 

However, a temporary factor that you may be able to take advantage of is if this takeover talk gets our players into the wrong mindset for Saturday's game. The last thing we need right now is something that may cause a lapse in concentration while we're in this rich vein of form. As a team you should be worried all over the pitch; up front we can score plenty of goals and our strikers put in endless effort (excluding Harewood, ask any fan), in midfield we have creativity and composure in abundance, and at the back we have extreme solidity but have a tendency to switch off sometimes, and between the sticks we have Luke Steele - the league's best shot stopper without a doubt, though he's injured so it's thought Ben Alnwick will continue to deputise.

Score prediction: 3-0 (Davies, Mellis, Cywka) 

Player to watch out for: I couldn't give you just one because it's so hard to pick; Craig Davies - has an eye for goal and is as strong as an ox. Jacob Mellis - bags of potential and can pick out a pass. Tomasz Cywka - very exciting to watch and is brilliant when on the ball. He'll have your defenders quaking in their boots. I could go on; Dawson, Cranie, Stones...

So, welcome to Barnsley those of you who are making the journey up here. As a local resident I wanted to give you a few 'inside tips' for while you're here.

Journey up:

If you're driving it is an incredibly easy journey thanks to the roadworks that I've had to put up with for the past 5 years or so! The A1 is now a straight road with no roundabouts to deal with and I'd say it'll take you 3 - 3 1/2 hours.

Your sat nav will try to take you via the M1, ignore it and keep going until junction 37 of the A1. If you turn right on to Park Springs (A6195) and then follow through to Barnsley (past my house!), you will be on the road that takes you to the ground (A628). This way also avoids the notoriously terrible Stairfoot roundabout.

Top tip for parking is the Ward Green Kia garage on Oakwell View, opposite the ground. If you're there reasonably early there will be plenty of space on the road and it's free! However, other street parking around there is mostly all permit holders only.

Failing that, the two multi-storey car parks are a short walk and really priced or there's Barnsley College, which is well sign posted as parking for away fans.

Off t'pub?

Away fans are recommended the Barnsley Metrodome, which we really enjoyed last year. It's right next to the ground and over the road from the station.

If you're in town, like us, there are quite a few nice pubs around: Joseph Brammah's Wetherspoons is a great little chain pub but gets very full of Barnsley fans just before the game.

On the square in the middle of town there's a sports bar but also my personal favourite The Corner Pin. If you go there make sure you have the Club Sandwich: I make trips into town just for that!

Whilst you're here you have to try chips and gravy too...

Wherever you go I am sure you will have a great time because they really are a great bunch up here.

I just hope we have as good a time whilst we're watching the game...

#coyb

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Middlesbrough Away Match Preview

The Riverside is a totally new experience for me and I'm looking forward to adding that to my list of visited grounds.

But I hate to admit that's the only part of today I expect to be exciting. It just feels to me like we are in limbo, and that's a feeling I am getting all too familiar is.

I've spent the international break trying to right a blog to explain how I feel about our dealings in the transfer window, or lack of them.

To summarise, it basically says:

I'm getting tired of hearing 'we need a centre back'. We know that, Jewell knows that. Stop stating the bleeding obvious.

For whatever reason, it hasn't happened for us and I've considered the possibility it may be down to Evans, Jewell, Clegg, the club itself or even just there's none out there. I just wish the club could be more open about it.

But the fact is we don't have one, we must do the best with what we've got and I honestly believe the first team we have now are better than this time last year.

So I say it every week and Ipswich fans always make me proud with the support they give on match days, but let's leave the worries behind and see what we can get out of today. The last trip to Middlesbrough was far more successful than we expected, could it be the same today?

On the other side of the fence, it seems Boro fans are similarly dubious about the start of their season. The big difference for them is that they have had a few reasonable new players sign up. Including, of course, the man Town fans inexplicably loved to hate: Grant Leadbitter.

I spoke to Chris Powlay, Boro fan and great tweeter to follow.

1. How has the start of the season been for you? 

Not so much happy, rather disappointed away from home with losses to Barnsley and Millwall. At home no complaints, some superb football vs. Crystal Palace and a well fought victory over Burnley.

2. What was the transfer activity like for you?

 

I personally thought the transfer activity was very good, Jonathan Woodgate returning was a huge signing. The guy is head and shoulders above anything else in this division. The club did a lot of work very early in the window for once and brought in a lot of players for no, or little transfer fees.

3. How has former ITFC midfielder Grant Leadbitter been getting on for you? What was your view on him before he came and has that changed?

 

He has settled quickly, he adds some bite to the team that went missing when Barry Robson went on his Canada trip. I knew what to expect as i'd seen him play for Sunderand. A very committed player who will do ok at this level but may lack that little something for the premier league.

4. Our result against you at Riverside last year was one of our most unexpected of the season (even if it was only a draw), any memories from that for you?

 

Scotland smacking the post and Sonko being an idiot in the way he went about himself. It wasn't a match for the home team to want to remember, we were the second best side that day and were lucky to get a point.

5. What do you expect to see from ITFC on Saturday? Any players you expect to be impressed with?

 

I hope that Scott Loach doesnt have a game like he did for Watford against us last season. The guy was amazing, stopped everything that was thrown at him. I've seen some of players like Carlos Edwards, Daryl Murphy and Chopra from their time in the North East. Chopra on his day is as good a finisher as there is in this league. Hopefully he has an off day.

6. Is there anywhere you can recommend for the traveling ITFC fans (including me!) to go before the match? Any good places to eat and drink? Tips for parking!?

 

If people are driving in just for the game and not a pre match drink then stay on the A66 until you get to the ground, come off and aim for the ground and there is a roundabout just before the bridge in front of the Riverside, turn right there. There are cars parked all the way along that road and its a few minutes walk to the ground. In the ground definatly sample the Parmo in a bun. Its a local food and its worth the experience. Chicken with a bechemel sauce then breaded, in a bun. Pop a bit of Garlic Mayo on and wowzers. You will see why the people are so fat!

 

Otherwise go into the town centre and find a pay and display park probably near the cinema just off the A66. (make sure you dont park in a leisure bay as you will be ticketed!) There are plenty of pubs in the centre places like walkabout, Yates etc. Im not a pre match drinker so im not the best person to ask that question to!

7. Finally, can I have a score prediction and a Boro player for us to watch out for please?

 

Middlesbrough have not got the best record against ipswich but i feel our home form is crackling a little. Players are combining well. Adam Reach is a young youth player (and of course from my twitter @boroyouths you can tell i keep an eye on those!) who has been on fine form this season. He smashed a wonder goal in vs. Burnley and Speroni of Palace had to be alert when Reach let rip from 40 yards a few times vs. Palace. If he starts then expect a fine performance from a classy young player. If he doesnt start then...George Friend. A cheap summer import from relegated Doncaster. Has come in at left back and the sale of Joe Bennett doesnt look all too bad. Friend looked brilliant so far this season, accomplished going forward (won a penalty vs. Millwall) and not half bad in defence!

 

Prediction. Middlesbrough 2 Ipswich 1.

Will definitely be getting a Parmo I think! Enjoy the day all who are going.

#coyb
 

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The rollercoaster ride from Blackpool to Blackpool: my year supporting Ipswich

This weekend marks almost a year since my life as an Ipswich Town fan changed forever.

The travelling faithful have an amazing weekend ahead of them as the Blues face Blackpool, no matter what happens on the pitch.

You see, when my sister and I went to Leicester away on the final day of the 2010/2011 season we made a pact for which games we would definitely be at during the next season. Both of us live away from Ipswich so it was nice to have these games to look forward to.

First on the list was Blackpool away, so as soon as the date was announced we booked a hotel (for the female fans reading this I can highly recommend Christine's Hotel, though we didn't realise until we arrived that this is a lesbian hotel, the welcome here was warm and it's a great location).

I also tweeted in the week leading up to the game to see if any other 'ITFC tweeps' were staying for the weekend and would like to meet up and celebrate the game together. It seemed a popular idea.

After the match we went to the Wetherspoon's pub and were happy to discover a line of young men at the bar discussing the game in Suffolk accents, we'd obviously made the right choice to stop around after the game.

We were ushered over to a table full of blue shirts and sat for quite a while chatting about the game and being given advice for our night ahead in the bars of Blackpool. Two months later we were to be reunited with this group at Barnsley away and it was the beginning of a new way for us to experience games - with lots of other people!

Much later on, we had been invited to meet a group of Town fans in the Revolutions bar so we made our way there, not before stopping off at a VERY dodgy karaoke bar-cum-strip club.

We had a wander around a packed 'Rev's' but couldn't see anyone we recognised, so decided to head to the bar for another blue cocktail… but then above the noise of the crowd we heard a rousing chorus of 'Oh Jimmy Bullard….' And so a new chapter of my life began.

For me, it's never been about the desire to go to a pub and drink before a match - I've never really understood that football tradition - it's about finally being with people who share my one big passion in life.

Growing up away from Ipswich, I've never been able to share the ups and downs of the season with anyone other than our wonderful Dad. It was a great trio for many years (me, him and my sister) but now I get to do it very differently when I choose. And I'm so grateful for the chance to do that.

Since Blackpool away I have been to eight more away days with this group and they have been so welcoming. I can honestly say it feels like I've known them all my life and I consider several of them good friends who I hope to be travelling with to away games when I'm 70.

Our little group has grown and grown as others who, like me, had no-one to share their experiences with can now do so. For me, this is what football should be about: no matter what is going on on the pitch or behind the scenes at Portman Road, we all stand together as one club. We celebrate like we've won the cup when we score the 5th goal at Oakwell, we sit in silence after we've lost 4:0 to Burnley and we stand on a roundabout in Doncaster to wave the team bus off at the end of an amazing season (for us anyhow). And we do it all together.

I know some people don't approve of some of the things that the groups of friends that travel to matches together do and when it comes to destruction of property or causing a nuisance we are the first to agree. But nothing is done with the intention to harm and it really is a great little community to be involved with.

The thing I really have to thank for my life changing so drastically in the last year is Twitter. Because it's not just this 'away day' group that have welcomed me in, the social media network has been my refuge from a life over 200 miles away from the place I call home - Portman Road.

In the past year this other community of ITFC fans have seen a lot: we've celebrated births, we've congratulated a friend who tweeted a picture on his wedding day, we've consoled others on the deaths of a family member, we've helped one seven year old boy with a brain tumour raise awareness for his dream to help other children who are ill like him.

When I made the massive decision to quit a job where I was unhappy I received so much support from my followers. I was so grateful for that and it gave me the strength to start again in my career, it even lead to one Tweep offering to help me get a job in his office!

If you're reading this you have probably found my blog through Twitter and I want to say thank you, thank you for helping me fill the hole in my life left void by far away fellow Blues!

But most of all thank you to the group of people who I've enjoyed so many great away days with, you know who you are. From Barnsley to Leeds and then Doncaster, you make this rollercoaster worth putting up with and I really can't wait for you to come up to Oakwell again next month.

And if you are off to Bloomfield Road tomorrow, firstly good on you for making such a long trip. Secondly, have a brilliant time and enjoy yourself. Trust me - you'll make memories there that will last you for a life time!

#ibelieve

Ending the Hornet Hoodoo: Ipswich vs Watford match review

Town's first 3 points of the season are an absolute relief.

When the fixture list came out in June there was a real consideration that we may not pick up any points for the first 3 games of the season. 

I hoped for a draw against Blackburn, but did not expect it, and I fully envisaged us coming home from Watford empty handed: how could we dare to think about anything else against the 'bogey team'!

When Michael Chopra scored in the dying minutes at Vicarage Road, he lifted a weight from my shoulders. It wasn't just about finally ending the Hornet Hoodoo, it was about sealing an unexpectedly decent start to the season.

What a relief it was to see Chops score his first, the striker says he's desperate for a total of 20 this season and the look on his face when he celebrated with Martin showed how much that meant to him.

What a relief it was to see JET have a far better performance than Saturday. We still need him to find a way to the back of the net, but I have heard his name mentioned by several Watford fans since Tuesday night.

What a relief it was to have our hopes for Scott Loach proved right. The keeper put in two decent performances, by all accounts, but more importantly has genuinely cheered each goal, just as any fan does. His support for the team lifts fans and players in equal measure I'm sure. 

All this is not to say I'm getting cocky, the same old cracks are appearing. After listening to commentary on Radio Suffolk I summed up the first half to my boyfriend as 'we can't hit a barn door'. As good as it was to see Chops score we had plenty of chances to bury the game and didn't, just like so many times last year.

The other noticeable worry was how terrifying it was every time we conceded a corner. I quote Radio Suffolk co-commentator Mick Mills after one corner in the first half: 

'Their two players managed to find better positions for that than all 3 of our defenders' (Cresswell was on the far post as he always is!)

Quite frankly it's still not good enough, but to balance that it was widely reported that Chambers had a good game. Perhaps I am being a little harsh, it's hard to know for sure when you haven't been able to see the game first hand.

I wondered at full time, was it as nerve wracking for the 1400 (incredible following for an everything match btw) in the stands? 

Daniel Crackers kindly talked to me about it on the way home to Suffolk on Tuesday:

Thoughts on the game?

Thought we were great yet again, Lee Martin was quality and JET had a great first half. He was quiet in the second half though and I was nervous at times, especially at set pieces.

It was nice to hear he played better and I'm glad he was chosen to start, were you happy with the line up?

Definitely, I thought Chops was isolated again though. 

Yes, that's something we were discussing on Twitter after the game. He had lots of chances on goal, as did a few of the players - did you worry we might live to regret missing those chances?

Yeah I did, I was definitely thinking they would equalise after we scored. There was a corner really close to the end and I had my scarf over many face! Luckily the ref blew the whistle soon after that!

So, how did it feel when Chops did score? 

The reaction from the crowd was great, everyone went mental and their were flags waving - it was great.

Finally, who was your Man of the Match and what was your best Moment of the Match?

Man of the Match was Lee Martin, though you couldn't fault anyone tonight in many opinion. I just thought Martin was very quick and showed a lot of skill. 

The best moment was definitely the goal, everyone went nuts and it was fully deserved.

Can Town make it 3 games without defeat? I've decided if I don't expect it it just might happen!

#ibelieve 

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'We have Almunia now which is probably an upgrade': Watford vs Ipswich Preview

• Ipswich Town head to Watford tonight, a team they haven't beaten for eight years…
  
  As if you haven't heard that enough today, right?!
  
  I've spoken to a Hornets fan about whether that record makes him more confident. But first, what can Town fans expect from their trip to West London today?
  
  The truth is, whether they return with three points or none Vicarage Road has long been one of my favourite away days.
  
  Being so easy to get to from Central London is definitely it's biggest plus point: there's three train stations to chose from which use National Rail, Overground and Underground trains. I recommend Watford Junction, from where you can walk down Clarendon Road onto Watford High Street.
  
  Here there really are a huge number of pubs to chose from. It's always easiest to go for a Wetherspoons pub and the Moon Under Water is one of my favourites: it has a massive bar, lots of seats and a sizeable beer garden. I liked it so much here I made a return visit when my sister and I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in April.
  
  Alternatively, I know a lot of town fans enjoyed their welcome at Old Fellows on Fearnley Street which is just behind the High Street and a little closer to the ground.
  
  If you're driving, plenty of multi-storey car parks are signposted the minute you get into Watford and they're all based on the one way system - I have used Church and Queens. I've tried finding on street parking here before but never succeeded, you've been warned!
  
  Finally, a MASSIVE tip for the ladies -go to the toilet BEFORE you get to the ground and refrain from drinking until you leave!! There are THREE cubicles for ladies in the whole of the away stand and last year the queue went from the concourse, back into the stadium and down several steps. One steward actually apologised to me for the wait and explained 'we have this problem every week'.
  
  So I can pretty much guarantee you a good evening off the pitch, but what about on it? What can we expect from Watford tonight?
  
  I spoke to Watford blogger James Fitz about his views on tonight's match:
  
  

   

  It's been an interesting summer for Watford, can you sum it up for us?

  
  

  It is a Summer which one would never want to end; but, with the closing of the transfer window, the reality of hard work and graft are just around the corner and it's something everyone is keen to focus on. 

  
  

  The Pozos are now the new owner of Watford FC and their ownership of Udinese and Granada has offered a loan facility to the club. Sean Dyche is unfortunately gone and Gianfranco Zola is now the new manager of the club.

  
  

  You had a great start to the season (two late goals saw Watford seal victory at Crystal Palace in the 90th minute), what were your first impressions from that game?

  
  

  It was a great result, but Palace can consider themselves unlucky to lose having been 2:1 up. I dare not take negatives from a win on your first match, let alone your first away match, but I'm afraid defensively we will either have to improve, or expect the bottom half of the division to gobble us up effectively.

  
  

  What are your expectactions for Watford this year?

  
  

  This question is best answered after about four weeks ,but I will say this: if the 'loanees' from Udinese and Granada (example Pudil with 22 international appearances for The Czech Republic) play well then I expect we will challenge for sixth, if they flop, then we could struggle to be outside the fight in the bottom six.

  
  

  
  

  What are you expecting from Ipswich tonight?

  
  

  I'm expecting a feisty encounter from a young Ipswich side with a lot to prove. They have the talent in Chopra and Scotland you constantly flatter to deceive and a young group. 

  
  

  Ipswich have spent a lot, they have a good manager who at one stage was in for the Republic of Ireland job, so I expect them to turn up to win.

  
  

  You're known as our bogey team, are your fans as aware of that as ours!?

  
  

  I'm sure the fans know the names of the teams we beat on a regular basis, as there are not many we have such a great record against! You don't have a John Wark up front any more, but you do have good players.

  
  

  Tonight sees a very quick return for keeper Scott Loach; how do you think he'll be received and what are your opinions on him?

  
  

  He's obviously a good keeper, but whether the fans will give him a good reception or not may be down to him deciding to jump the other way if we get a penalty! We have Almunia now which is probably an upgrade but maybe Scott will be as good if not better in the future.

  
  

  Finally, can I get a score prediction and a 'player to watch' for you guys please?

  
  

  Murray is the player to watch: the Irish International is highly rated by the Manchester teams amongst others. Vydra from the bench is class too.

  
  

  My prediction is Watford 1: Ipswich 1, 

  Murray to score for us and Chopra for yourselves.

  
  

  Many thanks to James for taking the time to talk to me, you can read his blog Watford Hornet at http://watfordhornet.tumblr.com 

  
  

  Have fun tonight those of you who are going!

  
   #ibelieve 
  
  Sent from Samsung Mobile
  

  
  

   

A View From The Stands: Ipswich Town vs Blackburn Rovers

After a divisive season last year and an equally frustrating summer, it was nice to see the Ipswich Town faithful united once more.

For a few hours at least.

We do have a talent for debating and arguing over manager, owner and players outside of match day, but once we cross the threshold of Portman Road all that is left behind and we have one goal - back the boys.

From where I was sat, at my computer in Barnsley listening to the action on Ipswich Player - as I do every game that I can't attend in person - it seemed that all the right noises were coming from Suffolk. 

A lap of honour for the county's Olympians set the tone nicely for a day of being proud of our home grown talent. Jewell's new young side (as described on the BBC's Football League Show) more than measured up to their opponents on the day; newly relegated Blackburn were given a shock treatment in the need to bury a lead early when you are in this league.

Having not been able to be there myself, I asked Jordan Mitchell (who sits in the Sir Bobby Robson Lower) to pass on his thoughts after the game:

We started well, attacking right from the off but faded as the half went on. When Blackburn scored we went into our shells. Then in the second half we didn't get going at all, but we got what I feel we deserved eventually. 

Before the game I'd have taken a draw for sure, even more so after not playing our best.

Can you see any improvements from last year?

It's hard to tell at this stage, you can't base a summer's work on one game. Early signs show that we've improved our passing game but, at times, this seemed to have been focused on too much.

Conceded from a corner, did you see much of that?

That was at the other end to me, so wouldn't want to say too much. We looked shakey from set pieces as a general note though.

How about our goal? I know it was an own goal but was there good build up play?

That was a result of constant pressure for a good 5 minutes from us. It wad well deserved though and the ball in from Hyam caused the own goal.

The noise from the crowd sounded impressive on the radio, what was the mood like where you are?

The atmosphere was superb. There are still the same old idiots popping up every now and then, but on the whole it was great support, especially in the first and last 15 minutes.

Finally: your Man of the Match and favourite moment of the day?

Luke Hyam ran non-stop, he really shone for me. 

Favourite moment of the day was the new anthem "My Way" being sung by the masses before kick off. This, followed by the roar as the players left the huddle was the stuff of hairs standing up. The moment that told me that football was back!

No matter what does or doesn't go on off the pitch this week, with regards to transfers, I'd really like to let Jewell and the boys do their talking on the pitch.

They did almost everything we've asked for on Saturday: Jewell played Hyam and he lived up to expectations, we managed a good draw against the promotion favourites, we looked fitter and showed the desire to go on and win once we'd equalised.

That's not even to mention how nice it was to hear of Scott Loach, proudly making his debut at the club he loves, celebrating 'like a fan' when we equalised.

Of course there are concerns, the defensive errors that led to the goal are worryingly familiar and I pray that JET was just having an off day and doesn't take half a season to get going again. But, in my opinion, the positives outweighed the negatives.

Whether or not Davies does sign this week, I think that's a great jumping off point for the season.

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'Ipswich will be a tough nut to crack': match preview with Blackburn Rovers fan Mike

My earliest memory of Blackburn Rovers goes back to 1995.

I was in my last year at primary school and a classmate of mine was a huge fan. We used to tease each other about results and argued over who's team was better, of course he eventually won that argument: Rovers became Champions of England while town were relegated to the second tier.

Since then I've always kept an eye out for how Rovers were doing and always kind of took it for granted that they would continue to be a Premier League side. So their relegation last year left me a bit shocked and, from the massive media coverage they and their manager Steve Kean have attracted, I'm guessing I wasn't the only one.

As one of the Championship's newest members they make an incredibly tough first opponent for Town. I spoke to Blackburn Rovers blogger Mike Delap to see how they are feeling about their exit from the top flight and their first test of the season.

How much has changed for you over the summer? 

The short answer is a fair bit has changed, in the circus that is Blackburn Rovers things always change!

We've lost two big names in Junior Hoilett and Yakubu which was inevitable given relegation but we have surprisingly been very active in the transfer market without losing 3 or 4 more which was the fear given the "mass exodus" warnings the papers were firing out in May.

In have come Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Leon Best (who's already injured sadly), Nuno Gomes, Colin Kazim-Richards and an influx of cheap Portuguese talent which stands us on 8 new players as we try to reshape for a new division.

Player wise it's been a rather unlikely surprise given the aggressive cost cutting and talented player stripping we've witnessed so far from owners Venky's, so as far as the squad quality goes, for the Championship it's very strong.

How about Kean? Have fans got any faith he'll get you promoted, or even last the season!?

Any faith in Kean? None whatsoever. Sure he gets stick in places where it just isn't merited but largely the vitriol and abuse you see heading his way is because I don't think you'll ever meet or see anyone in your life who is quite so sneaky. He plays the media to his advantage, he's a smooth talker and he knows his way around the footballing world. 

The problem is most of what he says is total bullshit and he's spent the last 18 months getting sections of the crowd to turn on each other, promising us actions that haven't been delivered and generally just being a yes man and a mouthpiece for the owners who've hidden behind the Scot.

That and he's just simply not very good. His win/loss record tells you all you need to know.

We could still go up in spite of Kean, but I doubt this time round he'll last the season given the change of operation at the club implemented over the season.

With that in mind: ITFC fans have been split by their opinions on Paul Jewell this last year, do you sympathise or does it annoy you given the rough time you've had as a club?

Doesn't annoy me at all, every club and every fan has a right to be annoyed and voice concerns. Given the character that Jewell tends to be I am not surprised he divides opinion.

As a fan of Rovers I would wager we've had a fair bit rougher time than most this last season or so but that doesn't mean problems don't exist elsewhere. For what it's worth I've always thought Jewell was a little bit underrated.

What are you expecting from the Championship? 

It is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive league. Looking down the squad lists I can see as many as 10 teams fighting for the the top 2 spots and that's not accounting for the usual surprise packages that emerge out of nowhere with the mandatory "didn't see that coming" push for the top.

The promoted sides don't appear to be weak and seem to have big ambitions so I expect every game to be worth something which in it's won way makes it a better watch than the Premier League (I'm not bitter honest).

It'll be tough, it'll be different, but I'm looking forward to it.

And what are you expecting from Ipswich today? Are you going to be there?

I'm not personally at Ipswich on Saturday, I was at Norwich last season (yes, I know, boo hiss) but I can only make that long, 12 hour return trip once every so often!

I'm expecting Ipswich to be a tough nut to crack and as with most Jewell sides to play with a freedom that should create an open game - not to mention we're not the greatest defensively!

I've always rated Carlos Edwards who has a skill and a flair to him that makes him an easy watch and not to mention Michael Chopra who's been in and around the Premier League and the Championship scoring goals in both.

I tend to hear good things about Ipswich given the set up at the club, it's always come across as a family club (like Rovers) so I expect the banter to be strong and fair.

Finally: can I get a score prediction and a 'Player to watch' from your team.

Absolutely. As always I'd like to think we'll get off on the right foot so I am predicting a win for the Rovers - 3-1 if you want a scoreline with Kazim-Richards, Gomes and David Dunn the scorers.

If you want a dark horse to watch keep an eye out for young Fabio Nunes, you won't have heard of him but he's looked the business in pre-season pacey winger with a bag of tricks in his locker.

Thanks to Mike for taking the time to talk to me, see what he has to say after the match at http://www.thewildblackburnrover.com/?m=1