The writing was on the wall a long time ago and once Andre Dozzell got his chance at Hillsborough, we knew that manager Mick McCarthy knew it too and that our play-off ambitions had all but disappeared for this season.
What we still don’t know however is what he is putting it all down too? Losing key players at key times in the season. Players loss of form at critical periods? Goal shy strikers? A midfield that does not seem to score or create very much? The lack of activity in the transfer window? An insistence of playing players out of their comfort zone? Players personal problems? Poor officiating? The weather? Very bad luck?
All of these factors influence results of course but the stand out factors for me are the two he seems to refuse to seriously address. They are, no activity in the January transfer window because he could not get any better than he had and playing players out of position and ignoring the round pegs in round holes football philosophy.
What we still do not know though and perhaps never will, is how much of an influence owner Marcus Evans had in all this? Mick is not stupid. He must know how to bend his ear but was his ear not for bending I wonder? Is Evans still of the view that throwing money at a problem only brings more problems, as we witnessed with both Roy Keane and Paul Jewell?
Whatever the reasons for our sad demise, someone must carry the can. We are likely to finish this term in or around the same position that got former player Jim Magilton sacked so is this what Evans regards as progress – or more akin to a backward step given our lofty position last time around?
In fact, as the season ebbs away into banal nothingness, is it not time for a more thorough inquisition into where it all went wrong?
I am not looking for McCarthy to go especially; although he was never my favoured choice but I do think we need some answers and so far they have not been forthcoming.
Do we really know the whole story or is there more to this than meets the eye? It seems extraordinary that some of these questions are not addressed by the media because supporters ask them week in and week out but I never here Mick explain why he chooses to play Luke Chambers as a wing back or why Freddie Sears has become a winger all of a sudden. Is it because there is a lack of pace up front and if that is the case why was he still played out of position when Ryan Fraser was in the team?
Anyway, back to tonight at Portman Road where we will see 16 year old Andre Dozzell make his much anticipated home debut! He is really buzzing right now after his goal against Sheffield Wednesday when he came on for the second half and I just hope he can make a lasting impression – in the same way that Teddy Bishop did before those long term injuries.
I would not expect many changes tonight for Town although Luke Hyam has served his one match ban and Cole Skuse could return in midfield. The subs bench could have some unlikely lads on it though from the under 21 squad one would hope.
The Football League have now announced the Match Day officials that will take charge of the game against Fulham this evening.
The kick off is at 19.45 and understandably is not all ticket.
Referee: Paul Tierney
Linesmen: Adrian Sannerude and Oleksandr Saliy
Fourth Official: Richard Kendall
Match Day referee Tierney has officiated in just one Ipswich game so far this season.
He has however already taken in 38 other matches so far in 2015-16 and in those games, across all competitions and football divisions, he has handed out a total of 107 yellow cards and three red cards.
He was most card happy in the match between Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers on August 28 with a total of eight yellows being shown and one red card but that was a local derby remember!
Frank Weston – editor of Vital Ipswich
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