The thought of a miracle fleeting passes through my mind. It is normally when I am sleeping and then I wake up and reality sets in! Now Don’t get me wrong, I would love the Blues to defy the laws of football logic – in fact it would make a miserable season a magnificent one but what are the chances?
Well, the arrival over the last few days of veteran defender James Collins and injury-plagued Alan Judge has certainly made me sit up, and of course, that win against Rotherham United ensured that any lingering hope of survival in the Championship has not been not completely extinguished.
Manager Paul Lambert is doing everything, both on and off the field, to try to make the impossible escape a bit more possible but he has a mountainous task on his hands. Getting into the winning habit has not happened all season but it would have to start almost immediately if we are to claw back the eight-point deficit ( goal difference included) that has left us clinging on by our fingernails, at the foot of a long drop into oblivion.
What happens away at Blackburn on Saturday could define our season once and for all. We must get something out of this game and if we cannot sneak an unlikely victory, then we must come away with a point in order to maintain some sense of momentum.
In fairness to owner Marcus Evans, he has given the gaffer some dosh and what perhaps surprises me more is that players like Collins and Judge have found the idea of being involved in a relegation dogfight something they seem happy to have bought into. I guess with James Collins it is a case of relishing a challenge and we all know that there were other parties interested in Judge – given the fact that when fit he is a super player who is something of a free-kick specialist, so it is pleasing to see he has signed for Ipswich Town.
The squad certainly has more depth and quality to it with the additions of those two, and Collin Quaner, Will Keane, Callum Elder and of course Simon Dawkins, and if they could all hit the ground running then we have a chance – albeit a painfully small one at this moment in time.
F.W. – editor of Vital Ipswich
