Chelsea and Ipswich: Could Benitez have been talking about Town fans?

"At the end of the day,  they are not doing any favours to the club, to the rest of the fans and to the players."

Rafa Benitez's rant on Tuesday night was a rare moment of honesty and an interesting insight into the world of modern football. 

 

His criticism of the Chelsea management for defining him as an 'interim' manager confirmed what most of us had been thinking: this highly successful man could not be happy with being brought in just to tide the team over until the end of the season.

 

But it wasn't just that, Benitez openly revealed that the behaviour of a group of fans at Stamford Bridge was having a profound affect on his players. 

 

It relates back to a quote from our own Mick Mccarthy at the start of this year, when he told the East Anglian Daily Times:

 

"Don't believe us when we say it (the mood of the crowd) doesn't affect us, it does." 

 

Both managers claim the atmosphere created by the fans has an effect on the game. Of course it does, we are supporters and if we didn't have an effect on the game why would we bother going? Wouldn't we just stay at home and watch whatever game happened to be on Sky that day? 

 

So, as you sit there agreeing with Benitez about the terrible way he has been treated by the club and the fans, could you possibly take a minute to consider how this relates to our own situation at Portman Road?

 

I have long argued that the away support directly correlates with the away performances of the team. With the exception of Middlesbrough at home, our best performances this year have been on the road - in my humble opinion. 

 

It's no coincidence that on a Tuesday night, with the away end at Vicarage Road full of travelling Blues, we finally overcame the Watford voo doo. The game is a favourite among our away fans and they all put that down to the incredible atmosphere. 

 

Fast forward to Birmingham City away and the change of management at Town had brought fans a feeling of hope and optimism. The win there was possibly the most significant of the season and arguably our best performance. What's the common factor from those two games? Supporters who were there say the atmosphere was one of the best of the season. Can we say that about any of our home matches? 

 

The best performance I have seen was Bolton away. Though it was a dire first half in freezing temperatures, the performance picked up towards the latter part of the second half and it's a long time since I've seen a Town crowd celebrate in the manner that they did when Chopra scored his late goal at the Reebok Stadium. They didn't settle on the one goal though, the support seemed to lift them into a far more attacking game, they seemed determined to give us another goal.

 

At the supporters AGM in Bury St. Edmunds two weeks ago, Luke Chambers told fans that the players 'hear the crowd and really want to send them home happy'. He said that's what they did at Bolton and the way they celebrated with us at the end of the game tells me that's not just Chambo saying what he thinks we want to hear. 

 

So how does that compare to my experiences at Portman Road? 

 

Although I wasn't there for the opening game of the season I did listen to the commentary on Ipswich Player and I was utterly dismayed by the sarcastic cheers when Jay Emmanuel Thomas was substituted. Since when did we become the type of fans to so openly and horribly criticise our players at their home ground? On the first day of the season too, when he's not even had a chance to show what he might be able to do for us this year.

 

What I would say about is that, at the time, people were clearly dissatisfied with Paul Jewell (at a point in the season that I felt was far too early – but that's by the by) and JET had caused friction with several thousand fans by calling some ITFC fans 'mugs' on Twitter. I think the reaction to his poor performance that day might not have been so judgemental had he not alienated those who follow him on the social media site.

 

But, that wasn't an isolated incident. I will never forget the experience I had on New Year's Day, my most recent visit to Portman Road. In days gone by I have really enjoyed my seat in the Britannia Stand (Sorry, East of England Co-operative). Being in Block R we are close enough to absorb the atmosphere created by the North Stand, but far enough to be able to sit down. We are surrounded by season ticket holders who have been there for many many years and I've often enjoyed listening to some of the older fans discuss in depth their opinions on our performance and our players.

 

But, January 1^st this year, that stand was silent.

 

Dead silent.

 

As was the vast majority of the ground.

 

The only discussion I heard was one older gentleman at the front of the stand rising to his feet to swear at Lee Martin every once in a while (He has done this every game for the past three years – a self fulfilling prophecy there I feel).

 

The winger is the subject of my story here: when he came forward to take a corner. There was a notable absence of the usually resounding chorus of Come On You Blues at this point. (I mean honestly, we sung it louder when there were a few hundred people at Bolton away) As expected, the ball did not pass the first defender and there followed a collective groan from the entire stadium, the loudest noise created for the entire game.

 

I don't think it was meant maliciously, I think the reaction was borne from sheer frustration because this is what we see almost every time Town take a corner. But imagine how that must have made Lee feel. How would you deal with that? Would you be able to perform at your best for the rest of the game?

 

Martin has actually commented today in the East Anglian that he is aware of the criticism he is receiving from the crowd:

 

'I'm not stupid – you hear things from the crowd… I think I've been unlucky on certain occasions and you can lose confidence when that happens. I'm trying though, that's the key'.

 

In the interest of being fair, I ought to point out that he also says the only opinion that matters to him is that of the manager. But it's clear the shouts and boos he hears from the crowd are having an affect on him.

 

Back to the corner against Brighton and I want to explain that I am not complaining about the collective groan itself; to a certain extent it couldn't really be helped as it was a knee jerk reaction to what was taking place on the pitch. What disturbs me more is that fact that this reaction was so prominent; had there been more support throughout the game, that onemoment may not have stood out and had such a detrimental affect on the player and his teammates.

 

I'm not for one minute saying you are only a true fan is you sing and chant your way through every game. But there's currently a severe lack of encouragement of any kind. At Huddersfield last week there was literally no reaction when we made a good pass or defended well – I was gobsmacked. How can we consider ourselves 'supporters' when we can't even support the things that the team are doing right?

 

Finally, there is the example of Michael Chopra. When he came on against Blackburn at Ewood Park I was so disgusted by the boos from our own fans that I shouted at, not only a fellow Town fan, a friend who I was at the game with.

 

It is my own personal view that as fans we should never boo our own players. It's not right. It's never excusable.

 

Chopra has, to be perfectly honest, really messed up off the pitch this year and I understand some people's feelings of hate towards him. He has reacted badly and too often to fans on Twitter, he has alienated even more by singling out TWTD users as 'morons' and his recent involvement in race fixing has left some of our fans, understandably, finding it hard to trust him.

 

The Chopra debate itself is something for another day, but I believe you should never boo him while he wears the Suffolk Punch on his chest. If nothing else, a player of his quality could be what keeps us up this year, if he can continue in the form he has recently found and start scoring goals to build on that - he could be our saviour.

 

Booing him is not going to achieve that.

 

Benitez said last night that fans should take responsibility for the consequences of their actions: I believe the same could be said for our own fans.

 

Everyone has a right to an opinion and, though I disagree with it, everyone has a right to express that opinion – even if it does have to be at a match. But if they do decide that's the route they want to take, could they please think about the affect they might be having on the atmosphere at Portman Road, the players and their fellow fans.

 

Are they so determined to boo that they will accept the detrimental affect those actions might have on the result of the game?

 

As I have said above, the decision to boo may well be understandable. But using excuses like 'he slagged me off on Twitter' or 'he's a gambler and a cheat' or even just 'he's crap' does not, in my opinion, resolve people entirely of all responsibility.

 

If you have decided to do this and you're happy it's worth it: knock yourself out.

 

But it might be wise not to do it if you're stood next to me ;-)

Sent from Samsung Mobile

"Come the final whistle, I felt like we had won promotion": a fans eye view of ITFC's trip to Birmingham

At 16:54 on Saturday afternoon I received a phone call, it was one I'd recently come to dread - but this time it was different.

That call was just after full time at St Andrew's and came from a very good friend of mine: Jordan, a Town fan for 15 years, who had made the trip up to Birmingham to watch his team play for the first time under their new manager Mick McCarthy. I answered the phone to hear over a thousand Town fans singing, 'And it's Ipswich Town…'.

Listening to those travelling fans via the commentary on Ipswich Player, they were - once again – a credit to the club. And hearing the celebrations at the final whistle really brought home what a relief these three points were, how much hope Big Mick had brought and, sadly, the realisation that perhaps it might have been better to have parted company with Paul Jewell a little sooner.

I have long argued that the mood of the crowd can have a huge influence on the result of the game: a point I felt is somewhat proven when you compare our terrible home record to the increasing frustration or even apathy felt among fans at Portman Road. This is, of course, due to the inconsistent performances from our team – but I have always felt this creates a vicious cycle that's hard to break. The departure of Jewell may have ended this through and I was keen to find out whether the atmosphere had changed after an exciting week at Portman Road.

As I was unable to make what I saw as the most important game of our season, Jordan, who's studying to be a sporting psychologist, agreed to write the report for me. He has missed barely a handful of games so far this season and has witnessed the mood of fans fall lower and lower. Like me, he's always tried to have a positive outlook (despite the recent tough times), but this weekend sounds like it pushed those emotions to the extreme:

"Trying to capture the emotion, happiness and pure rush of Saturday is one of the most difficult things I think I've had to do.

Even after all these years, l sit down of a Friday afternoon and look ahead to the game; usually with excitement, but more recently with apprehension and nervousness. I'm often far too optimistic, but this season has been different to those previous to it and I predicted an actual mid table finish rather than the high hopes of a play-off push.  Rightly so, it seems.

Despite this, I had a feeling we'd break our duck this weekend. Yes I may have said it before Hull too, but I really felt our luck would change. It seems as though this feeling was shared amongst the other Town fans that made the trip to Birmingham from various corners of the country. Chatting with a few in the pub beforehand, I began to get the impression that 'MM' does in fact stand for Merlin Magician and not Mick McCarthy, as the Yorkshire-man famously said in his first press conference at ITFC. 

The mood was the same at St Andrews too, feeling even more buoyant in the build up to kick off: walking into the stand I was hit with a wall of noise as the Blue Army were already in full voice, singing the praises of the new boss.

This continued as the game started, but reached another level when crowd favourite DJ Campbell rifled in the opener. Fans have definitely taken a liking to the QPR loanee I think, more so than any other of the borrowed players brought in by Jewell; he seems to have three songs on the terraces, all sung by the masses, which is a very strange occurrence amongst Town fans!

The change in mood was hard to believe, to be honest. After witnessing fans fighting at recent home games, boos when we lost the ball and constant shouts for both the manager's and chief executive's head, the constant singing and banter I experienced this weekend was exceptional and unlike anything I've experienced for a long while. 

As the game progressed, one Birmingham fan became particularly annoyed by our buoyant mood: anyone that was there will know what to do if ever again they hear the words "Let's all do the chavvy"…!

Come the final whistle, I felt like we had won promotion. After battling and holding on for most of the game, there was a fear we would see the "same old Ipswich" creeping in. But with block after block by the tireless back four, there wasn't that eerie silence that so often hangs over stoppage time for a Town fan. Instead there was singing and the large majority of the travelling thousand were on their feet begging for that final whistle.

If I could describe to you the noise and relief when the final whistle blew then I would, but really can't put into words how it felt. 

After long trips to Blackpool, Barnsley, Hull and Brighton, coming away feeling like we'd lost even when we hadn't, it was an incredible feeling to finally get that monkey off our backs and come away with 3 points.

These blog posts are normally finished with a choice for man of the match, but I couldn't possibly pick one player who played better than the other. For once, all of the men in white played for the shirt and showed that desire and fight that we had all been longing for. I left St. Andrews on Saturday feeling as though, to some extent, we had our Ipswich back."

It kills me to be missing another important game for The Blues tomorrow night, but if you have enjoyed Jordan's report and you'd like to write one for our game against Palace please get in touch –amydownes84@hotmail.com or @tractorgirlamy8

 

Sent from Samsung Mobile

Will it be third time lucky for Town at Hull?

They say good things come in threes and this weekend Ipswich Town travel to the KC stadium for the third time in 2012.

In January, I made my first trip to what is now one of my favourite away grounds; thanks to the modern stadium, easy access from the train station and a great pub for away fans right next to the ground. Sadly, the football didn't live up to our pre-match 'Jimmy Bullard banter' with the home fans. Town were dire and slumped to a 3:1 FA Cup defeat to The Tigers.

Just two months later I made the second trip to East Yorkshire, the result was slightly more enjoyable this time as The Blues came back from 2:0 down thanks to a brace from former midfielder Grant Leadbitter. It was a great game from him, which formed part of our climb from the slump we found ourselves in in January.

Could this be the same again?

Then, as now, we were suffering from a terrible fall in confidence that was seeing us throw away leads and stupid individual errors leading to us conceding goals (I distinctly remember Sonko being shrugged off by Cameron Stewart to allow Hull their third goal).

But we have something different this time, something people won't like me stating as a 'positive' to Town's current predicament... our loan players.

Much has been made of Ipswich having signed their eighth player on loan this week, it's not what we'd hoped for our long-term development. However, I had an interesting chat with Dave Gooderham from the EADT about this today which unearthered a way that these short term acquisitions could work in our favour.

They come to our side without the pressure of the last two months weighing on their shoulders, as it visibly is on Scott Loach, Michael Chopra, Tommy Smith and co. Not only that but they bring a desire to prove themselves, even if it is for their future away from Ipswich.

It's not an ideal situation - and I'll be discussing the pro's and con's of loan signings with a Nodge fan in more detail next week - but it could well be just what we need at the moment.

I've seen three matches so far this season and each time the most important thing that appears to have been lacking is confidence, especially after half time. Against Middlesbrough, Barnsley and Cardiff we performed reasonably, if not very well during the first 45 minutes. We controlled the games, we played some good football and we looked like a side that could be competing in the top half of the table later on in the season.

But then the boys go off at half time and it's like someone sticks a pin in them. They deflate and come back out through the tunnel completely deflated and nervous about conceding a goal. They then start ot defend too deep (presumably under instruction from the management) and the onslaught from the opposition can only be withstood for so long.

Whether you blame that on the quality of players in the side or the man that's organising them we need a solution. Personally, I believe it is down to Paul Jewell that they lack confidence and it is his job to improve this - which he isnt' doing. But the fact is we now need a way to solve that... and the loan players could well be it. Fresh faces work well in any line of work: they bring something different, new ideas and a little bit of confidence. I certainly feel like the quality players we have in Reo-Coker, DJ Campbell and Henderson can add to a team that seems to be heading for rock bottom at the moment. Even if it is short term.

Whatever works to get us off the bottom of that table, surely?

Anyway, back to the day. As Dave said to me 'the one thing you can't fault this season is Town's amazing away following' and how right he was.

As I say, Hull away is one of my favourite away days - not least because it's one of the closest games to me!

The ground is a typical 'modern' ground and some mnore traditional fans may not like it - but I really do. It's really attractive and when you're there you really get the feeling your on a trip out for the football. It's on the edge of the city, so you don't have to venture into the dull surroundings of Hull itself, but it's close enough to the station to make it an easy journey for travelling fans.

If, like me, you're travelling by train - head through the bus station which is attached to the train station on the left as you exit the platforms. You'll come out of there with a shopping centre on your right: head past the petrol station, cross the road, and take the first road left. This road leads you straight to the ground, less than half an hour away. See? Easy!

One of the best things Hull has going for it is the great little pub that's recommended for away fans. Following on from the above directions, keep walking once you arrive at the ground. A path takes you across a park and you'll see a road running alongside it straight ahead. Along there you will find 'The Brickmakers Pub' where we were made to feel very welcome last year by Hull fans with a round of Jimmy Bullard songs pre-match. Their chant regarding the curly haired one differs slightly from ours, as you'd imnagine!

If you are at the match early I can definitely recommend that pub for a quick visit, come and see us!

As for other ways to travel to the KC, it is a very easy drive: the A63 dual carriageway takes you right past the ground (keep an eye out for the impressive Humber Bridge before you get there). But, I was warned by a colleague this week the A63 is the ONLY road in and out of Hull and as such becomes VERY busy on match days. So be warned! That said, to my memory, the car park at the ground is large and inexpensive and so the rest of the trip should be relatively stress free.

I've reached the point, as an Ipswich fan, where I am so confused about what to expect on the pitch when I go to a game that I decide to focus on the day I'm going to have as a whole. For that, Hull is perfect and I look forward to seeing my Ipswich family again so soon, after  - that's what makes being an Ipswich fan worth it!

Things in my life seem to happen in threes, lets hope a little of that rubs off on Town's third trip to the KC this year! 

One point gained or two points lost?

I must say, I'm starting to really feel for Paul Jewell and anyone else put up for interview at Ipswich.

They're in a position where, no matter what they say, they're going to annoy someone. For example, even I complained when in the build up to Charlton at home Carlos Edwards slipped into the terribly cliched expression of Portman Road needing to become a 'fortress'. I tired phrase which, to be honest with you hurts all the more because our beloved spiritual home moves every day further away from being a 'fortress'.

Jewell himself has this week come into some criticism for saying a draw at Barnsley was a good result. The trouble is these one line quotes don't go far enough to explaining the full extent of the situation.

And this is why I sympathise with him.

I wanted to open this article with 'a point away at the league leaders is an excellent result', but it didn't do enough to explain what a predicament that leaves us in as a club.

Before the game I'd have taken this scoreline and the performance we reportedly put in too. I'm happy with that. But that's not to say I'm happy with the fact that we let a one goal lead go or that we didn't build on that lead.

I'm happy we have now managed two games undefeated and hope we can now build on that to start winning again. But that's not to say I'm happy with the fact we've only won once so far this season.

I just think these things need perspective... and that's were Super Blue Stephen Bailey comes in!

Stephen has been to and intends to be at every Ipswich game this season, so his 'perspective' on Town's current performances is one I trust very much. He kindly offered to give me a few words after the game:

Town played really well and it was a much improved performance all round. 

We're looking alot more solid at the back with Danny Higginbotham at centre back.

The first half was, at times end to end and at other times one side to either team. Town had some good spells but didn't really create the chances, until we scored our goal.

Edwards delivered a beautiful cross and it was met by a great Daryl Murphy diving header to send the Town fans wild. Town ended the half on the up and were unlucky not to add to their goal count.

The second half was much like Barnsley on Saturday, with Town soaking up a lot of pressure, and throughout the half you knew they would have to get another goal. It wasn't completely one sided though with Daryl Murphy having a great chance to put us 2 up at the far post, but summer Town target Kuszczak pulled off a great save.

You could sense the Brighton goal coming, as I say, much like Barnsley and eventually it did come. There was maybe a little defensive mishap from us, a cross was delivered it took a deflection and went straight to an unmarked Will Buckley to slam into the empty net. So perhaps an unfortunate goal to concede but it was probably deserved as Brighton had upped there game for the second half.

It was now a case wether we would hold on or not, but we managed it and secured an excellent point away at the league leaders.

The Town away support was amazing. Great atmosphere throughout the game, all standing and all singing. The second (Watford first) best away atmosphere so far this season. The players showed appreciation at the end with Chambers, Edwards and Scotland all throwing their shirts into the crowd and Scott Loach his gloves.

My favourite moment has to be when we scored. It was right down the other end to us but we could see it clearly. As soon as the ball hit the next we went wild and loud. Brilliant.

MOTM: Carlos Edwards, great all round performance from Carlos 'He can't drive a car, he's getting the bus' Edwards. He's improved massively defensively and he's very handy going forward.

It's now time to build on these two away points and get a win on Saturday in front of the SKY cameras at Portman Road against Cardiff. 

Don't forget there's a special offer on for this match: season ticket holders can get up to four tickets for just £10 each. Keep an eye out on Twitter as Town fans have been pulling together to get as many of these tickets used as possible by allowing friends and followers to use their season ticket number.

Get behind the team and sing your hearts out for the lads!

COYB!

Don't forget there's a special offer on for this match: season ticket holders can get up to four tickets for just £10 each. Keep an eye out on Twitter as Town fans have been pulling together to get as many of these tickets used as possible by allowing friends and followers to use their season ticket number.

Brighton will teach Ipswich some lessons on and off the pitch tonight

Some very intellegent comparisons have been made today between Ipswich and their opponents tonight: Brighton Hove Albion.

Over the years I've heard of Brighton's fight up the leagues, their struggle to rebuild after being forced out of their stadium and the loyal fan base that pulled together for the sake of their club.

The hard work was richly rewarded last year when their first season in the Championship saw them storm up the table during the first half of the year: much like this year, they were top of the table in September. During the second half of the year they dropped momentarily out of the top half, before flirtating briefly with the play offs but finishing in a very respectable 10th place.

By comparison: Ipswich Town, the club with a rich history of success who most football fans expect to be doing well, are stumbling from one mediocre year to the next. The long term plan that has lead to Brighton's recent success seems like a dream to Town fans, who see player's contracts running out, loan players in and out of the side and a severe lack of youth players coming through from our once renowned academy.

Whether we like it or not our club currently bares more resemblance to our previous opponents, Barnsley. The Tykes are a club facing year after year of midtable finishes and a slow build towards a challenge for the Play-Offs.

Is it time to accept this may now be our own destiny? Or should we be fighting for a vision and plan that has given Albion their bright future?

Of course, before that we need rescuing from the very real scrape we find ourselves in at the moment. Until Saturday it felt too early to be worrying about our position in the league, but I'm afraid when the full time whistle blew at Oakwell on Saturday, I found myself thinking for the first time: 'I don't see how we'll get out of this'.

It seems there's always some drama taking place of the pitch at Portman Road nowadays, none more so than this week with Paul Jewell remaining absent from the Under 21's match on Sunday and the press interviews yesterday.

When it comes to match-day though, the only thing that really matters is the result. We (the manager, players and fans) must focus on that tonight.

To help prepare us for what lies ahead, I've been speaking to Brighton fan Brett Mendoza ahead of the match:

1. Last year, was it exciting to do so well as a newly promoted side or disappointing to not be able to carry on the good form enough to go up? 

Going up, I was always going to be happy as long as we didn't get relegated. When we got within touching distance, I started to believe the impossible would happen, but in reality we were an over achieving League One team in the division above. I'm glad it fizzled out with a few games to go. If we had missed out on the last game or in play offs, it would have been much harder to take.

2. Clearly been an amazing start to this year though, can you sum up the season so far?

 

The season has gone far better than I expected. We have added some real quality to our team. We've signed players from Manchester United, Manchester City and Valencia. The experience we have been lacking from last season has been added. Most importantly a goal keeper, Tomasz Kuszczak who has been (I think) our best signing of the summer. Ipswich nearly took him off our hands too.

3. What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses as a team? 

 

Weakness: maybe a lack of height and strength in the team. Maybe you could say we don't have a plan B, if our "pass pass pass" game isn't working.

 

Strengths: we have pace all over the pitch and can create and score goals from any number of players.

4. What are you expecting from Ipswich?

 

We are at home and have been playing well. We should win comfortably with Ipswich being out of form of late, but football has a habit of throwing up strange things. Ipswich have some great players on paper, so will give us a decent game.

5. We play you at Portman Road on New Years Day... do you expect both sides to still be in the same position at that point in the season?

 

I'd be amazed if we were still top in January, but I would like to be in the play off mix. Ipswich should have improved by then, so maybe both teams will be in the top 10, but Brighton higher up.

6. A lot is being said at the moment that Ipswich could learn a lot from Brighton's 'long term planning' compared to our own apparent lack of vision for the future. What would you say to that?

 

The long term planning is the way forward. However it needs a chairman with a great vision and him to find the right person to implement it and stick to the plan. It started off rocky for us, it took Poyet 18 months to sort us out, but we are almost 3 years into his reign and things have never looked better for us in my life time. Not all fans bought into it straight away, but with our chairman and manager I believe we have a very bright future.

7. One thing we do have in common is the lovely Mauriccio Taurrico, is he as popular at The Amex as he was at Portman Road? 

 

What's not to love? Tano is like a silent assassin, we don't see or hear much from him, but we all know that without him, Poyet's reign would not be as successful as he is now. He even played for us last season and his flair on the pitch as a defender at his age was a joy to behold. The fans definitely love him!

Finally, can I please get a score prediction and a 'player to watch from your side'?

 

Brighton 2 - 0 Ipswich

 

Player to watch: Bruno (our right back). He is way too good to be playing in the second tier of English football. Why he is at Brighton I have no idea, but watch out for his bombarding runs forward and Spanish flair.

 

Every game at the moment seems to be 'must win' for us, it's become a bit of a cliche that starts to mean very little. What we must do is our very best and the fans must continue to support the boys in the way they have.

 

I was very proud of those that attended Barnsley on Saturday, I'm sure I will be of those wonderful souls making the trip to to The Amex again tonight.

 

Have a great night and may this finally be the game we start to turn things around.

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

Sent from Samsung Mobile

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
 

Sent from Samsung Mobile