One Step Forward Two Steps Back For Town

This has been a season to forget so far. The worst thing is, it is hard to imagine it getting much better and if we were to go out of the FA Cup on Saturday to non-league opposition, I think few of us would be that surprised.

Manager Mick McCarthy has grappled with team changes and new formations but seems unable to quell the tide of disappointment which is felt not only by supporters but everyone connected with the club these days.

Once again however, we were in the driving seat on Saturday after the Tom Lawrence screamer but we failed to capitalize on lots of possession and a number of chances that went begging, before Rangers got the decisive second with only minutes to spare.

Mick McCarthy seems to have a love affair with Jonathan Douglas but this is definitely not the case with the travelling faithful. He was roundly booed when he entered the fray and although I am not an advocate of this sort of behaviour, it was a strange substitution when another potential substitute Andre Dozzell, would surely have given us much more creativity going forward.

I suppose Mick was following his old mantra about a point always being a good result away from home. In the end we got nothing and perhaps in the end, that was all we deserved.

Defensively we are looking frail again and it is hard to pinpoint exactly why? Bart in goal has made the odd misjudgement of late but so too have most of the defence – including Christophe Berra and Jonas Knudsen and that is before we dare mention captain not so fantastic Luke Chambers!

I am desperately hoping we get some new talent into the building in this transfer window and who comes through the door might determine how much faith Marcus Evans still has in Mick McCarthy?

If it is more loan deals and cheapie charlie buys, then it may well indicate that the owner thinks there is no point investing in a season that finds us going backwards most of the time.

Ironically, we are in much the same place that saw Roy Keane dismissed and yet there does not seem to be any sort of hint of lightning striking twice, if we can believe everything that our manager tells us.

How cruel it was then that Jim Magilton was not given the same stay of execution because under ‘Magic’ we really did play some entertaining football – even if the results did not always match our creativity and we were much higher in the league as well!

Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich