No Town News As Window Slams Shut

I must say I am a bit disappointed with this. We have lost recently two of our more useful squad players in Jonathan Parr and Tommy Oar and yet it seems that our manager is satisfied with what he has got and is not actively seeking.

I am not convinced that the vast majority of supporters would share his optimism but as usual he is unmoved.

The argument he makes is that there is no point recruiting new players if they are no better than what we have got but sometimes I wonder could they be any worse?

In midfield in particular we seriously lack flair and unless Teddy Bishop gets his boots on before the season’s end we will continue to do so I fear.

I guess the trouble with Mick McCarthy is that flair players are not his cup of tea ad even when he acquires one in the shape of Freddy Sears, he sticks him out on the wing!

I think it is no coincidence that since Sears lost his central striking birth the goals have dried up. He is versatile and can put in a good cross but surely we are being deprived of his prolific goal-scoring prowess when he is played out wide?

There will be no Jonathan Douglas tomorrow, as he begins the first of his three match suspension.

The slightly better news is that Bart Bialkowski will come in for the injured Dean Gerken and I am sure he will feel he has something to prove! Mick McCarthy says they are just as good as each other – although I get the feeling that this is not what he really thinks!

Playing at Portman Road on a Tuesday night has paid real dividends and we go into tomorrow night’s game against Reading having won our last fifteen games under the lights!

I doubt that McCarthy will make many changes but after another enforced break, we must take advantage of the game Reading played at the weekend and start positively.

We have another good reason for wanting to win this one, as it was Reading who trounced us 5-1 in front of the Sky Bet camera’s in September of last year.

Portman Road takes on a whole new mood when we play there at night. Supporters seem somehow more up for it and so too do the players it seems.

My only fear is that this remarkable winning home run at night cannot go on forever and statistics have a habit of biting you in the bum.

But we need three points urgently tomorrow so here’s hoping!


Frank Weston – editor of Vital Ipswich