Away Match Day Thread 20/02/2021 L1 Ipswich Town v OUFC

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After digesting yesterdays match fully here are my thoughts fwiw.

1. It was in the end a decent point although we are without doubt a little out of sorts. So what I believe is needed here is a gigantic bottle of that strawberry flavoured tonic jollop I was given as a kid when you were slighty off the pace in life (you've probably got to be over a certain age to know what f*ck I'm on about here) and this pink bottle of jollop had written on it somewhere in invisible ink 'reverse psychology B*****s'. It was a nothing formulae which tricked many a young brain in those innocent days (not) into thinking it was getting one back to top dog health. Get the team swigging some of it soon and we'll be alright.

2. For all the half time talks that probably takes place in the dressing room why the hell do we always start so slowly and look highly likely to concede? If we cut this crap out and be on the right foot rather than the left in the changing room foot we'll again be ok.

3. And ffs Gorrin's habitual early yellow? Somebody ought explain quicky in Spanish that 'él es una responsabilidad de setanta minutes si esto continúa'! Control this and we have a chance.


4. Other than that a big 3 points Tuesday and today's point becomes a valuable table mover.

So to reiterate:- we'll be alright, we'll again be ok and finally we have a chance.

I'll take that this season.

COYY'S.
 
I’ve been thinking about it and I think the pitch had a bit of a role in our trouble. It was rough and bobbly and you could see the ball take an extra half second on long passes on the deck, which we had trouble with. Moving the ball in the air instead was to Ipswich’s advantage (obviously they’ve had to get used to playing on a paddock). The thing I couldn’t understand yesterday is how almost every clearance or rushed forward pass we did went to them. It wasn’t random - it always seemed to break to them. Something about our heading/passing accuracy, or maybe our shape on the pitch creating holes in the wrong place?
 
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Over the course of a whole season, yes, but not over the course of a second half of a season if you’ve lost all of your first half games! (Not saying we did that, but there could come a time when drawing away and winning at home wouldn’t be enough for a team to go up)

Like I said, a crass over-simplification.
 
I’ve been thinking about it and I think the pitch had a bit of a role in our trouble. It was rough and bobbly and you could see the ball take an extra half second on long passes on the deck, which we had trouble with. Moving the ball in the air instead was to Ipswich’s advantage (obviously they’ve had to get used to playing on a paddock). The thing I couldn’t understand yesterday is how almost every clearance or rushed forward pass we did went to them. It wasn’t random - it always seemed to break to them. Something about our heading/passing accuracy, or maybe our shape on the pitch creating holes in the wrong place?
The passing has become a bit ragged in recent weeks and it could , in some way be due partly to those deteriorating pitches and players taking an extra touch. We are not producing those quick , short, passing drills in the middle of the park and haven’t pressed as well
either in recent weeks. You get spells like this in a season and the amount of games being played in quick succession
is bound to have an effect. Certain players look a bit ‘ leggy ‘.

Tuesday night against Portsmouth is a big game for sure and it’s a huge selection for Robbo to get right. Whether to rest Taylor, bring Long back in, is McGuane able to give us anything ( we’ve missed him ) , can Barker and Lee go again after not playing much football before joining us.
Does Mide come back in? Do you play Brannagan sitting at the base of the midfield and rest Gorrin?

Portsmouth are stuttering and it would be a massive boost to beat a team above us and in a play-off position.

Massive calls for Robbo to get right.Too many changes can be disruptive but fresh legs are needed.
 
I’ve been thinking about it and I think the pitch had a bit of a role in our trouble. It was rough and bobbly and you could see the ball take an extra half second on long passes on the deck, which we had trouble with. Moving the ball in the air instead was to Ipswich’s advantage (obviously they’ve had to get used to playing on a paddock). The thing I couldn’t understand yesterday is how almost every clearance or rushed forward pass we did went to them. It wasn’t random - it always seemed to break to them. Something about our heading/passing accuracy, or maybe our shape on the pitch creating holes in the wrong place?

I watched with the one Ipswich fan in Texas and we observed the same. Neither of us could work out why the hell it was but it was insanely frustrating
 
Thought Ipswich had the greater claim to 3 points, but overall a draw probably fair.

I think Brannagan sitting instead of Gorrin is a good shout, CB still benefitting from getting minutes under his belt and perhaps Gorrin needs a rest.

I think Forde has done well at right back, so no need to rush Long back. Though McGuane looks needed to me, if fit I think a 3 of McGuane, Brannagan and Sykes is the way to go. Henry has looked sharp coming off the bench in recent weeks, thought he made a difference yesterday so I’d probably keep him as a bench option at the moment.

Taylor will come good, he is not hiding away and is getting into the right positions. It’s great having an improving Winnall as an option, and I doubt any of us will lose any sleep if he starts

Tuesday night will be interesting, Fratton Park always seems to be a good playing surface and I think that will help.

Plenty of reasons still to be positive at the moment.
 
IMO Winnall needs to start on Tuesday. Taylor seems to have gone missing as of late.

Revert back to a 4-1-4-1 type formation. Too many times yesterday could you see gaping holes in the middle of the pitch where a player out wide had no options of passing infield, so would have to lump it forward or try something tricky and 9 times out of 10 it would fail. Teams have worked out that as long as they press us we can't play football. We need those passing options to get out of trouble, keep possession infield instead of just passing back to the keeper every time.

I expect Pompey to be sharper than Ipswich in the final 3rd also, so we cannot go into it relying on the other team missing chances otherwise we will be due a pasting very soon.
 
The L1 table on December 2nd after 14 matches.

The U’s have subsequently picked up 30 points from a possible 39.

EoQ-SS6WEAEkNGE
 
I watched with the one Ipswich fan in Texas and we observed the same. Neither of us could work out why the hell it was but it was insanely frustrating

Was he pedalling the bike for power?
Has it not been a bit "rough" over there?
 
After digesting yesterdays match fully here are my thoughts fwiw.

1. It was in the end a decent point although we are without doubt a little out of sorts. So what I believe is needed here is a gigantic bottle of that strawberry flavoured tonic jollop I was given as a kid when you were slighty off the pace in life (you've probably got to be over a certain age to know what f*ck I'm on about here) and this pink bottle of jollop had written on it somewhere in invisible ink 'reverse psychology B*****s'. It was a nothing formulae which tricked many a young brain in those innocent days (not) into thinking it was getting one back to top dog health. Get the team swigging some of it soon and we'll be alright.

2. For all the half time talks that probably takes place in the dressing room why the hell do we always start so slowly and look highly likely to concede? If we cut this crap out and be on the right foot rather than the left in the changing room foot we'll again be ok.

3. And ffs Gorrin's habitual early yellow? Somebody ought explain quicky in Spanish that 'él es una responsabilidad de setanta minutes si esto continúa'! Control this and we have a chance.


4. Other than that a big 3 points Tuesday and today's point becomes a valuable table mover.

So to reiterate:- we'll be alright, we'll again be ok and finally we have a chance.

I'll take that this season.

COYY'S.
Calpol
 
The L1 table on December 2nd after 14 matches.

The U’s have subsequently picked up 30 points from a possible 39.

EoQ-SS6WEAEkNGE

16 games in we had 16 points, relegation form, 11 games later and we are just outside the play offs having picked up 28 points from the those 11 games (at a 2.55 a game average, which would see you get a 117 point record walk the league title).

We have had a phenomenal run, 9 wins, 1 draw and a loss has turned the season around completely from the middle of December starting with the Northampton game (that 4-0 home win must of given them a massive boost) to the point where a draw away at Ipswich is seen as disappointing.
 
I’ve heard some say that its concerning we can‘t seem to beat the teams above us but who really cares ? Three points are three points and I think we can afford to lose every other game as long as we are winning the games in between the defeats. That formula should be achievable and there’s enough games against teams below us to do it.

We beat a ‘big team’, so to speak, in a double header semi final last season and then lost to a ‘smaller team’ in the final so I don‘t think there’s anything to really suggest we are flat track bullies either.
 
If we can get through until after the Easter fixtures ( Mon 5th April) and are still in the mix then our run in is , on paper , a decent one where points should be accumulated.
 
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