Who is the Pantomime Villain At Ipswich Town?

Who is the Pantomime Villain at Ipswich Town after Boxing Day defeat?

Well, after another poor performance it is predictable that many Town fans have continued to aim their criticism of the team against the manager. There was chanting and booing at the end of the match against Fulham today and this contributed to a thoroughly miserable afternoon. And yet is it the manager who is to blame for Ipswich’s slide down the league table?

Let’s look at the possible culprits for our current plight:

The Manager :

Mick had admitted some of the blame for our position in the league because of his team selection and tactics. And that’s fair enough. However, for the second week in a row Mick has played more or less the team many fans were desperate for only two weeks ago.

This starting eleven again proved lightweight, as they did against Wigan in the first half last week. The team again looked much better when McGoldrick was brought back on however.

Mick feels under pressure but continues to be loyal to his owner, as any employee has to be, saying that he is always ‘supported’ by Marcus Evans. Yet we all know Mick has not been given the funds to compete at the top end of this league. Prior to this season it was really only the goals of Daryl Murphy that gave us an inflated league table position. Now he has gone and he wasn’t replaced by our owner in the transfer market we find ourselves are all at sea!

The Owner:

Marcus Evans must take some of the blame as he has not allowed Mick to buy top players as our rivals have. But hold on – Marcus Evans took on a club near to extinction and has continued to put money into it, despite significant losses almost every year.

Supporters say what he spends isn’t enough but how many of us would be prepared to finance a loss year after year and simply plough in more in the hope of pleasing fans? As things stand, Marcus is losing money and at the same time having a very rough ride with the fans. Not much fun for him!

The Players:

So is it the players who are to blame? Well, to a degree yes it is and they must take considerable responsibility for the poor passing, careless errors and the lack of goals.

But the players are only as good as they are and more talented reinforcements haven’t been forthcoming. Fulham were so very much better than us on Saturday!

The Crowd:

We pay to watch each week and feel entitled to watch good football and see our team play well. Yet many of the crowd are now booing our own management and players. That’s not going to help the confidence of our team, who now look frightened to be brave on the pitch fearing more negative reaction if they make a mistake. The creative players are being played but they are edgy!

Conclusion :

So in my view we are all partly to blame. We all have a problem and the only way to solve it is for all the above to work together to lift our team. I know some fans won’t agree with what I have said but getting rid of the manager or the owner does not solve our dilemma.

The only way to do that is for EVERYONE to support our team!

CMC.