Are The Play-Off’s Nothing But A Distant Dream?

We lie in 15th place in the Sky Bet Championship and nearer to the relegation zone than those illusive play off places. That said, in this league you cannot take anything for granted.

I am a little sympathetic to the Ipswich cause because a side that was seriously struggling came to Portman Road on Saturday with their tails up having just appointed Kenny Jacket.

It is extraordinary how many times over the years clubs have changed their manager just before they face the Tractor Boys and it is almost as if their chairmen think, ‘Now we cannot lost to that lot can we!’

The Rotherham players ran their hearts out on Saturday and overall were worthy of a point. They put their lives on the line for a common cause and in the end were a little unlucky not to take all three.

Town, by comparison, played their best football in the first half and after Freddie Sears got on the score sheet after only 3 minutes we conceded cheaply shorty after and dynamics of the game changed dramatically.

Why our defence has suddenly started leaking goals again is anybody’s guess but a lack concentration at crucial moments has been our achilles heel for some years now.

Some of the home supporters in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand had clearly had enough and aimed most of their insults at Mick McCarthy. This is what he had asked for and this is what he got but the irony is that the side he picked was rather attack minded.

David McGoldrick was making his first start of the new campaign and Freddie Sears was back as a central striker.

Freddie vindicated this decision and said pointedly afterwards, ‘Sometimes your confidence is not sky high but I played up front and scored a goal – so it shows if you play up front you will score a goal because you get more chances.’ Indeed you do and it is astonishing that our manager has finally realized something that we have all said for so long. Play Freddie where he belongs!

So then, where do we go from here? A lot depends on whether the team can regain its confidence? The return of Jonny Williams and David McGoldrick will help and it was encouraging to see that the two goals we scored were from natural born strikers.

Those play-off places are not completely beyond the realms of possibility but we have to be much closer to them by the time we reach Christmas to stand any chance at all.

Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich