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Match Review 18/02/2017 Ipswich Town 1 Leeds United 1

IPSWICH TOWN 1 LEEDS UNITED 1

Portman Road, 18 Feb 2017

Mick McCarthy had a decision to make before Saturday’s game against Leeds. Now, Mick McCarthy might be an experienced manager, but he’s fundamentally a centre-half from Barnsley, and British centre-halves hate making decisions. Recall the panic one sees in the eyes of Gary Cahill or Grant Hanley if they’re forced to act on anything other than pure instinct. When confronted with any kind of choice – bring the ball out of defence, or play it down the line? Stand off some nippy little blighter of a number 10, or dive in? Their faces betray a literal petrification as option anxiety overwhelms them. These people aren’t genetically pre-dispositioned towards weighing up possibilities, or cost-benefit analysis. They just want to be confronted with a situation which requires them to do something determined with a ball that’s pinging around their penalty box, the sort of thing they can look upon with an air of glowering self-satisfaction.

(Contrast this, by the way, with the likes of Mats Hummels or Gerard Pique, who positively revel in the opportunity for studied consideration of options. Their approach to defending is less “if in doubt kick it out”, and more a case study in live-action moral philosophy.)

(By the way. I know this sort of stuff isn’t what you clicked on this link for. Tough. I’m only doing this because the regular guy couldn’t be bothered. If you want the sort of match report which contains sentences like “beyond the goalkeeper’s despairing dive”, buy the Football League Paper. For this one, I’m riffing all over it and there’s nothing you can do about that. My gig, my rules. If I leave a mess here then Grant can clear it up when he deigns to return to the little corner of cyberspace he’s left me to fill).

So anyway, the decision required of Ipswich’s granite-faced gaffer was how to fill the hole in his team left by the suspension of Tom Lawrence, the loanee from Leicester whose twinkle-toed skill and right-foot screamers have lit up an otherwise mundane season at Portman Road. Pre-match, it had been rumoured that Lawrence’s absence would provide a first start for Keiffer Moore, a 6’5” January signing from Forest Green. Had McCarthy opted for Moore, it seemed likely that the passing game which his team had tentatively started to adopt in recent weeks might possibly be sacrificed for the more direct style that Town fans had been literally screaming at him to abandon. As it was, however, McCarthy decided to re-introduce the popular Freddie Sears to the starting line-up, a striker who has recently been goal-shy, but whose pace and willing are always welcomed by the Portman Road crowd.

McCarthy’s opposite number on Saturday was another former centre-half, Garry Monk, but one whose teams tend to have a contrasting habit. It was only 18 months ago when Monk, then at Swansea, was being praised for his progressive style and touted as a future England manager. Eyebrows were raised when Monk took on the Leeds job – of late, a tenure as secure as that of an Obama appointee in Trump’s White House – but he has already exceeded the achievements of his recent predecessors, firstly by lasting in the role for longer than six months, and secondly by guiding Leeds into the top six.

The away end for this all-ticket fixture was packed, a jolt to the senses of a latterly moribund venue. Town continued in a 3-5-2 formation, with the returning Christophe Berra playing the sweeper role. Leeds were content with a flat back four, a busy midfield, and wide men Stuart Dallas (an Ipswich transfer target in his Brentford days; his eventual move to Leeds became something of a soap opera) and Hadi Sacko supporting Chris Wood. Wood has been around this division for so long that it’s hard to believe he’s only 25, but this appears to have been a coming-of-age season for him, having hit 20 goals by the end of January. Wood is a former Ipswich loanee, but so many players have arrived at Portman Road on short-term contracts over the last few years, this is about as remarkable as finding a bloke in a Manchester pub who used to be in The Fall. Wood wasn’t a success in a Town shirt but was clearly going to represent the main danger to his former team-mates today.

The game was only taking place on FA Cup Fifth Round weekend at all because both sides had been knocked out of that competition by non-league opposition in Lincoln and Sutton. Before kick-off, news of Lincoln’s latest triumph at Burnley had at least cast Town’s replay defeat at Sincil Bank in a marginally less humiliating light.

Even given Town’s recent improvement in form, it was difficult to see where the goal threat was going to come from in a team lacking by far its most potent threat, but it took only nine minutes to justify McCarthy’s faith in Sears. Emyr Huws, yet another loan signing, brought the ball enterprisingly out of midfield, and played it to the right of the box, where intelligent movement had left Grant Ward in space. Ward’s delicate cross evaded the defence and dropped invitingly for the onrushing Sears to steer it past Robert Green.

Buoyed by the early goal, Town took the game to Leeds, showing some neat passing and a cutting edge which left the visitors unsettled. Both Leeds full-backs shanked the ball into touch within a few minutes of each other. Another strong run from Huws saw the ball fall at the feet of Jonas Knudsen, only for a Leeds defender to divert the ball over the bar. Dallas got into a state on the edge of the box and was robbed by Ward, whose snap-shot flew narrowly over. Further neat passing ended with David McGoldrick heading just wide. “Who are you?” demanded my friend Rob of the men in blue & white, “and what have you done with the real Ipswich?”

The aesthetically-pleasing and mostly-effective way in which Ipswich were playing was indeed in marked contrast to most of what had gone before in 2016/17; Leeds, meanwhile, seemed oddly lacking in co-ordination. It was clear that they had a team of capable players, but those players weren’t gelling into whatever style had got them into the top six.

Formations and personnel in the Ipswich defence may change, however – even, perhaps, evolve – but the propensity for a collective brain-fart remains. Shortly before half-time, Sako swung the ball over from the right wing, there was a general flailing of limbs in the box, and Dallas popped up on the grassy knoll at the far post to steer home the equaliser.

(Look, I know there isn’t really a grassy knoll, or anything resembling one, anywhere near any post on the Portman Road pitch. I’m just trying to use up all the serviceable wordplays that I’ve got on the name Dallas. I agree it’s not that strong, but you get what you pay for: I’m only doing this because your regular correspondent had something better to do this weekend. Think of me as Sara Cox to Grant’s Chris Evans: it’s not quite what you were hoping for when you tuned in, but it’ll all be back to normal soon and everything will feel better.)

Despite the late setback, the Ipswich players were warmly applauded off at half-time, the crowd recognising the enterprising spirit and wholehearted efforts shown by McCarthy’s young team. The Leeds fans were singing about their team going up, but the first 45 minutes hadn’t indicated much to suggest that as a safe bet.

The visitors were a more significant proposition at the start of the second half, their hard-working midfield enabling most of the game to be played on the edge of Ipswich’s defensive third of the pitch, but Bartosz Bialkowski still wasn’t over-worked. Berra and Wood seemed to be enjoying their tussle, both men playing right on the edge of the law with shirt-pulls and ankle-taps a-plenty. Neither sought to complain about the other. It was all quite old-fashioned, but no less enjoyable for that.

As the half progressed, Ipswich’s disciplined play saw the balance swing back in favour of the home side. Lawrence might have been grabbing the headlines recently, but the improving form of McGoldrick has played at least as much of a role in Town’s improvement. For some years, McGoldrick has been easily the most talented player at Portman Road, but has never quite stayed fit long enough for the team’s play to be built around his sophisticated style. An in-form McGoldrick is a nightmare for opposing defenders: dropping deep, pulling wide, never afraid to run at them, and that in-form player is finally re-emerging. It’s McGoldrick, just as much as Lawrence, who is giving McCarthy the confidence to play something other than a long-ball style.

McGoldrick was the key figure in the second half, probing the Leeds defence and creating several promising situations. This also highlighted some of the deficiencies in McCarthy’s current team – for all their willing spirit, young wing-backs Jordan Spence and Myles Kenlock didn’t have the quality to turn those situations into real opportunities. Nonetheless, Town came close to a winner, with McGoldrick hitting the bar following a corner, and having a shot turned away at the near post after another fine move.

Leeds, by contrast, looked like a well-organised team who were starting to run out of the ideas which had clearly worked for them in the earlier part of the season. Actually it was my friend Steve who made that observation, but I’m happy to nick it, and if any Leeds fans disagree with it, you can blame Steve, but either way I’m a few words closer to finishing this report and that’s something we can all agree on as an objective.

The lanky Moore was introduced just as two minutes’ additional time were signalled, and instantly dwarfed everyone else on the pitch, bringing to mind the schoolboy who’s made to play with the younger kids as punishment for some misdemeanour or other. With Moore up front, there was a brief flurry of Knudsen’s trademark long throws, but just as he was sprinting across to the right to take another one, the whistle blew and that was that.

For a game that was only taking place because of both teams’ incompetence in the Cup, it was a surprisingly enjoyable afternoon. Leeds will probably have been happy with a point which they might easily have been without. Town fans were frustrated not to win it, but were clearly appreciative of their team’s efforts. And maybe – given the absence of the cat-calling which has greeted the manager at the end of several recent matches – starting to think that Mick McCarthy’s decision-making might not be so suspect after all. For a centre-half, that is.

Match review by Gavin Barber

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Match Review 03/02/2017 Ipswich Town 2 – Reading 2

IPSWICH TOWN 2 READING 2 Saturday 3 FEBRUARY 2017

Four days is a long time in football. On Tuesday 31 January Derby County humiliated Ipswich Town at Portman Road, beating them by three goals to nil. In truth it could have been more. Meanwhile Reading had snatched another impressive away win, scoring late in the game to beat Birmingham 1-0 and secure third spot in the Championship. So on paper the Royals should have swaggered into Portman Road on Saturday afternoon, sneered down their noses at the Suffolk peasantry and disdainfully pocketed the points, without raising an unseemly sweat.

Like all authentic dramas, the reality of this story was far less predictable. Ipswich tore into Reading from the first minute, playing not only as though their lives relied on it, but with a confidence and positivity that, given this season’s plotline, should have been Reading’s and not theirs. What prompted such a turnaround?

Mick McCarthy made five changes to his team: Taylor and Huws were handed debuts and McGoldrick, Emmanuel and Diagouraga were brought back in. It worked with a vengeance. Emmanuel made a powerful run as early as the 4^th minute, shooting from very close range at a tight angle. Taylor was outstanding and came close to a debut goal with a powerful header in added time of the first half. He constantly pushed Ipswich’s refashioned back three to a higher line, several yards further up the pitch, and verbally organised those around him. The effect on the rest of the team was transformative. Those extra few yards enabled a similarly refashioned central midfield three to be more offensive in intent. When Grant Ward replaced Cole Skuse in the 17th minute, following an unfortunate injury, that attacking trend was further reinforced. Indeed Ipswich’s first goal in the 43rd minute arrived as the direct result of mobile, direct midfield aggression. Following Reading pressure and a corner, Huws challenged for and won the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. Surging forward at considerable pace he carried the ball for around 30 yards before finding Lawrence in space. Mesmerised by Lawrence’s pace, sway and perhaps partly by his growing reputation as well, three Reading defenders hesitated a few seconds before deciding who should challenge him. By then it was too late. At speed, he struck the ball from inside the penalty area with minimal back lift and great force. It rocketed into the roof of the net and despite the relative close range, the goalkeeper stood no chance.

The half time lead could easily have been greater and when the whistle blew, Ipswich’s players were cheered off the pitch; a rare treat for them in what has been a dark season.

The second half continued in the same vein. In the first few minutes McGoldrick had two shots into both right and left side netting, and set up Lawrence to graze the post. Then and rather unluckily,

Ipswich’s attacking ambitions indirectly led to Reading’s 52nd minute equaliser. Luke Chambers is a model professional, who played Saturday’s game as though liberated from Tuesday’s demons. Yet following Ipswich pressure in the Reading half, Chambers was temporarily crocked on the half way line. Reading took advantage to move the ball swiftly up the left wing; their speed of thought and response was impressive throughout. Within 30 seconds of being under pressure at the other end, the half time debutant and January loan Mutch was keeping a commendably cool head to side foot the ball past Bialkowski.

The goal was well taken, scored against the run of play and with a different Ipswich line-up might have shattered the home team’s self-confidence. The fact that it didn’t was down largely to the home crowd – who had given strong, noisy support from the start – and the galvanising effect of McCarthy’s experienced new players. Diagouraga and Huws together willed for something different and they got it. Together with their team mates they merely carried on as though nothing had happened and it was no surprise when, in the 61st minute, McGoldrick confidently controlled the ball, whilst running at speed on the half way line; then played the pass of the game for about 30 yards, taking out several opposition players and finding Lawrence. The Welshman hit the ball with his trademark force, this time with his left foot, low into the Reading net.

It was the third excellent goal of the game, but it was not to be the last. With commendable tenacity Reading refused to give up. Despite having been outplayed throughout, the second Ipswich goal prompted the Royals into a period of high pressure themselves. In the 69^th minute McLeary sent in a superb cross from the right and with Kelly running forward into a perfect position to finish the move, he was miraculously thwarted with a firm outstretched flick off Taylor’s wise defensive head. But there was nothing that anybody in the Ipswich team could have done about Reading’s second equaliser, in the 78^th minute. Taking no longer than McGoldrick or Lawrence had to create their moments of magic, the Reading number eleven Obita volleyed home an outstanding long range effort with the outside of his left foot. A corner had been cleared, to nearly 30 yards from the goal line, by an Ipswich defender. The danger ‘should’ have been minimal but for the second time in the game, despite having made a couple of decent saves, Bialkowski was beaten and could do nothing about it.

Although the scoring had stopped the chances didn’t. As in the rest of the game spells of Reading pressure were punctuated by clearer Ipswich chances, with long throws from Knudsen and a deft cross by McGoldrick creating acute dangers in the Reading penalty area during the game’s closing ten minutes.

It was a shame that only 15,000 fans from Ipswich and 500 from Reading had turned up to watch what turned out to be an enthralling game; but as one the spectators stood to clap their teams off in the 94^th minute. For Reading it was a hard earned and slightly fortunate point, perhaps typifying a season in which they have exceeded reasonable expectations and are challenging for promotion. For Ipswich the point was welcome but the display far more so. Quite literally it threw a life line to players, manager and fans, who had been drowning in a sea of despond. Whether it proves to be a flash in the pan or a true turning point, only time will tell. But Portman Road, dull? Not this time it wasn’t…
Grant Bage

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IPSWICH TOWN 3 BLACKBURN ROVERS 2 14 January 2017

IPSWICH TOWN 3 BLACKBURN ROVERS 2 14 JANUARY 2017

In a week when MI6’s former employee Christophe Steele dominated international headlines, after a right shower leaked his dossier on Donald, let’s dive undercover ourselves. What do football fans really think of each other’s teams, or indeed of their own?

Agent Harry (let’s call him) is from Bath, otherwise known on Twitter as @HarryFromBath. Living deep in the West Country purely as cover for his behind-the-lines scouting on Ipswich’s opposition Harry (let’s call him) dead drops excellent dossiers before most match days on the twtd. co.uk site. He had uncovered a few gems for Saturday, from Blackburn Rovers’ fan forums. ‘Ipswich are genuinely one of the most dreadful teams to watch in this division’ commented one. Who to be honest might have been a disgruntled visitor from Suffolk, given how poorly Ipswich have played for many of the last 25 games. Another comment was rueful and perceptive: ‘Right now Ipswich are basically us [Blackburn Rovers] but with a decent manager.’

And it was some pretty decent, and daring, or perhaps even desperate management that won this very important day. Ipswich’s Mick McCarthy was brave enough to continue with a 3-5-2 experiment that has been ongoing during the last few matches, and for which many fans have yearned for years. It just about worked. The reliable Bialkowski in goal, the captain Chambers in front of him then the outstanding Skuse in front of Chambers offered the backbone – physical and moral – that Ipswich have sought for months. All three were excellent and it was their reliability and strength which provided the platform from which, for the third game running, Tom Lawrence mounted a glittering challenge to be doing something more glamorous, than hauling Tractors out of dung heaps. Lawrence’s first goal on 38 minutes was a neatly stitched three man move. Though as it was from a free kick the only passes involved, from Skuse touched to Bru, to Lawrence, rolled no more than a yard before Lawrence struck the sweetest of daisy cutters, a fraction above the turf, low into the furthest right corner of the goal. Somehow it crept underneath the Blackburn wall’s crumbling foundations; and everything on Rovers’ message boards made instant sense.

Haven’t they got TV in Lancashire – or perhaps Rovers need their own Harry-from-Bath? Since Lawrence scored stunning long range goals in his previous two games, that free kick should hardly have come as a surprise. Given current Ipswich defending, neither did Blackburn’s equaliser a few minutes later. Ipswich and Scotland’s slightly off-form Christophe Berra dwelled too long on a scrappy wing ball, not far outside his own penalty area and on the Blackburn right. Under pressure that he had put himself under, his weak clearance was hit back to the lively ex-Ipswich loanee Feeney, who quickly played it into the box. Out it came via a lovely touch to Akpan who with a commendably cool head, given the pressure Rovers players are currently under, powerfully and accurately side-footed it home from 12 yards out. It was a very good finish and 1-1 at half time. Slightly out of recent character there were no boos from disgruntled home fans despite that giveaway equalising goal. Ipswich’s wing-backs had got themselves into threatening positions and their team’s passing was improved, occasionally slick. Had fans spotted an Ipswich revival in the making?

After 57 minutes they had because Ipswich went 2-1 up. A strongly struck dipping Lawrence corner towards the near post, was helped on by Skuse’s backward-facing flick: and Christophe Berra gratefully swept the ball into a gaping Blackburn goal on the far side post, from a few yards out. If that was good, what followed shortly was brilliant. Picking up a loose ball in the centre circle Tom Lawrence ran straight at the Blackburn defence. After two or three strides he had picked up considerable pace before, on his fifth touch, he hit the ball with such velocity from around thirty yards that it swerved in an instant into the top right hand corner of the Blackburn net. Replays suggested it may just have brushed a Blackburn defender, but if so it made little difference to the ball’s trajectory. It was another moment of footballing genius from the 23 year old and Lawrence’s fifth goal in three games. If Ipswich could find a forward partner just to tap them in, as had Berra, then it might even work for the rest of the season: though Freddie Sears unfortunately missed at least two chances from inside the box, which might have secured him that role.

Game over? Or course not. Despite looking every inch an ordinary side, Blackburn were able to put on Emnes for the skilful Bennett in the 61st minute and 12 minutes later pulled a goal back. Akpan, who had been lively throughout, was awarded a penalty area foul after a robust challenge by Webster from the side, but slightly behind. Graham showed the same cool with the penalty as Akpan had for Rovers’ first goal and suddenly it was close once more. With Ipswich under pressure in the 79th minute Chambers played himself into trouble with a soft header out to the edge of the Ipswich penalty area, following a Blackburn attack, then stood up brilliantly in front of Graham to block the consequent threat. After further Ipswich chances had been wasted, four minutes into injury time and deep in that same Ipswich penalty area, the young right wing back Emmanuel similarly stood up to Blackburn’s Williams running with him shoulder to shoulder, in pursuit of the ball. Down the Rover crashed and a few seconds later, up went the whistle to the referee’s lips. Was it to be a penalty repeat? No, he had decided to blow for full time. Blackburn’s stalwart, stoical 295 away fans didn’t register much surprise at that disappointment, or indeed at anything else the footballing gods could throw at them during a chilly Saturday in Suffolk. Ipswich fans meanwhile cheered their team off, a rejuvenated Luke Chambers pumped his fists joyfully at the end. My friend Dave neatly summed up the entertainment value: ‘chaotic … but fun’.

Mick McCarthy doesn’t warm to chaos. Some critics say (unfairly) that he doesn’t even like creativity. But if Lincoln can be beaten, a cup run secured and this team continue to improve then he might stick with 3-5-2 and even keep his job. Meanwhile the managerial options for Blackburn’s owners, the unpopular Venkys, have surely run out, after frequent and unsuccessful chops and changes.

How do I know? Well, let’s call him Harry…

Grant Bage

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Match Review 14/01/2017 Tottenham Hotspur 4 – 0 West Bromwich Albion

Tottenham v West Bromwich Albion 14 Jan

Tottenham Hotspur 4 West Bromwich 0

Goal Scorers H Kane (12, 77, 82), G McAuley (26 o/g)

When you have a team such as the current in-form Tottenham Hotspur to play, away sides need to be at their very best. West Bromwich Albion likely didn’t anticipate being outplayed completely but deep down probably knew going into this match that is was destined to go only one way. That being the way of Tottenham, and it was at 12:30pm on Saturday the 14th of January 2017 that saw them both take to the pitch at White Hart Lane in front of some 31,613 spectators.

Tottenham fans have come to half expect a masterclass of football action whenever they know that Harry Kane is going to be in the team line up, and fans were certainly left feeling contented after this match, as the powerful number 10 went on to score a hat trick.

From the very minute the match started, Tottenham dominated the match, and before the half time whistle blew they were already two goals up, the first scored by Kane. As luck would have it the second goal that put them on the way to victory was an own goal by the unfortunate Gareth McAuley.

However, it was Christian Eriksen’s great work in driving a shot from the edge of the box which deflected off Jonas Olsson first and then McAuley that created the goal.

Kane had in fact missed the previous weekends FA Cup win over Aston Villa, having taken compassionate time off for the birth of his first child, and it was at the 77th minute mark that he treated fans to a very fine volley to score his second goal of the match. When Kane does get the bit between his teeth he’s capable of ripping teams apart. He was playing right at the top of his game, and there was more to come still.

After just another five minutes he performed an almost identical volley which marked yet another hat trick for this now legendary Spurs forward. That third goal was set up by his teammate Dele Alli, and it seems that Alli and Kane have something of a bond on the pitch.

This 4–0 win against West Brom means that Tottenham are now second in the league table above Liverpool who will be playing Manchester United next. This win also sees Tottenham having had their sixth consecutive Premier League win, which is a club record, and one that they are going to hope they manage to break when they play Manchester City next week, which will be a match worth watching for sure.

Even the most hardened and cynical Tottenham fan would be glowing with pride after watching this display. The team is certainly consistent and many other teams will be fearing playing them. The only concern for Mauricio Pochettino now is the injury to Jan Vertonghen. The full back appeared to twist his ankle in the second half and went straight down the tunnel for treatment.

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Match Review 08/01/2017 Tottenham 2 – 0 Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Aston Villa

FA Cup Third Round, White Hart Lane Stadium

Goals: Davies (71′), Son Heung-min (80′)

This was a match where Tottenham fielded a largely second choice team, looking to keep up the momentum that they’d gained from their comprehensive win over Chelsea. After a pretty weak first half Spurs picked up the pace and eventually snatched victory, scoring two goals in the second half of this FA Cup third round match against Aston Villa. It marks Villa’s ninth defeat to Spurs in their last ten competitions against the White Hart Lane outfit.

After a slow start, during which a struggling Vincent Janssen yet again failed to make an impact, a second half substitution in which Mauricio Pochettino replaced him with Dele Alli finally gave the team the inspiration they needed to succeed. A late goal from Ben Davies at 71 minutes put the side on the up, but it was the second goal from Son Heung-Min 80 minutes into the game that put the seal well and truly on Tottenham’s place in the FA Cup fourth round.

The Spurs team saw a major overhaul in its line-up for this match, with Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier being the only members remaining from their previous victory over Chelsea. Pochettino changed nine players, giving Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane (whose wife has just given birth) a break for the weekend.

The Villa line-up had also seen alterations since their previous defeat against Cardiff. Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, on loan from Manchester United, was given his debut, while Gabriel Agbonlahor was also given the opportunity to start the match since the team’s top goal scorer, Jonathan Kodjia is currently away playing with Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Although Vincent Jannsen was given a place in Tottenham’s opening line-up, he failed to impress during the first 45 minutes, once again missing the opportunity to score his first open play goal for the team. Since his £17 million transfer, he has so far only managed to score 3 penalties despite having made 23 appearances, making his lightweight performance especially disappointing. He cut a frustrated figure as he left the field of play.

The first half was lacklustre indeed, and although Spurs managed to dominate the ball (having possession for 71% of the game) they failed to get even one shot on target. It wasn’t until the 28th minute that any serious action took place, but Villa’s Leandro Bacuna’s shot was weak. Villa’s Chester tried again for a close range shot on goal at 66 minutes, but last-ditch blocks from Alderweireld and Cameron Carter-Vickers left Steve Bruce’s team frustrated once more.

However, this was a turning point in the match, with substitute Georges-Kevin Nkoudou taking only 90 seconds to pass a cross from the left to Davies, who got his first score for Tottenham in the two and a half years since transferring from Swansea with a skilful glancing header. This taste of success seemed to spark a frenzy of activity for the home side, with Sissoko’s pull-back allowing Son to sweep the ball into the net from 12 yards for a second goal that put the seal on Spur’s progression to the next round.

Referee: Mike Dean

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Match Review 04/01/2017 Tottenham 2 Chelsea 0

Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Chelsea

Premier League, White Hart Lane

Goals: Alli (45+1, 54)

Whoever it was it that coined the phrase, “Revenge is a dish best served cold”, certainly had a point. Indeed the night air at White Hart Lane was a bit on the frosty side, but the revenge served up here would best be described as “clinical”.

This was the match that would be a defining moment for both of these big clubs’ seasons. Tottenham badly needed to win to reduce the gap between the two sides and and thus keep in touch with the title race. Chelsea were gunning to set a new record of consecutive Premier League wins. But let’s just rewind a little bit and see why smart pundits had Tottenham as favourites to win this clash well before kick-off….

Reasons to be vengeful

Cast your mind back to last season’s race for the title and, nearing the end of the season, only two teams could still possibly win it – Leicester and Spurs. Both teams had to play Chelsea before the final day, so the points coming from them could make all the difference. Chelsea players came out and stated publicly that they did not want Tottenham to win the league and that they would ensure that Leicester would secure the title. That meant that they would surrender to the Foxes if they needed to. The title race was effectively over by foul means.

It’s this kind of thing that can make the latter day Chelsea a team that is, well, quite difficult to warm to. These things add up over time. Maybe like how the club’s current owner mysteriously came in to the league with billions to spend after dubiously becoming a multi-billionaire by his early thirties, buying the league’s best players to provide instant success. Add to this captain John Terry’s very public indiscretions. Maybe throw in a little bit of the arrogance of Jose Mourinho before his fall from grace on his second sacking there.

And also for Spurs, other things that have been just a bit difficult to take. Like when Chelsea celebrated like they had indeed won the league themselves after managing to salvage a draw at Stamford Bridge in that 2-2 match last season. In reality they celebrated simply because they had spoiled Tottenham’s party.

Enough said.

Dominant Tottenham breathe life back into the Premier League

Much like their win over Manchester City earlier in the season, Tottenham just didn’t allow Chelsea to get going. Even though the statistics may show that the away team had more possession, that possession was mostly under pressure. Chelsea did have their chances to score, but couldn’t convert. In particular, Eden Hazard wasted a wonderful opportunity to connect with a ball that came to him just yards from the Spurs goal. Perhaps it was the intensity that Tottenham put the league leaders under, but something wasn’t right.

Mauricio Pochettino had, as predicted, matched up Conte with three at the back while keeping faith with his excellent wing-backs – Kyle Walker and Danny Rose. This proved just too much for the sub-par Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses.

It was hard to believe that this was the same Chelsea team who had won 13 straight games, such was the manner of their play, but all good things must come to an end. This was a tough assignment and it should be remembered that the Blues had not tasted victory at White Hart Lane for some five years now even before this match.

The two goals in this match were like identical twins. On both occasions, Christian Eriksen was afforded enough space by the Chelsea defence to plant the ball onto Dele Alli’s awaiting bonce. We are used to seeing Alli score goals, but not very often from headers, and these were calmly steered into the back of the net.

Danny Rose was a stand-out performer for Tottenham all over the left side of the pitch, while Victor Wanyama proved to be a pivotal player in the centre of the park. All in all, this was a quality, high-tempo game of few mistakes and the end result is good for the Premier League.

The referee did a good job of keeping the play flowing, while some may have thought some of his decisions bewildering at times. In the end, there was little of the spite that might have been anticipated. If the result of the match had been in Chelsea’s favour, it would have meant a 13 point gap between these two rivals. It’s now just 7 points, giving hope to the chasing pack that it’s still possible to win the 2016/17 Premier League. Don’t write Chelsea off, though, as every team is going to fall at some point.

Fully expect them to go on another run of wins.

Referee: Martin Atkinson

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Match Review 30/12/2016 Ipswich Town 2 – 1 Bristol City

Summer holidays are, according to flimsily researched articles I googled in newspapers that I must admit to rarely reading, rivalling the Christmas break as peak periods for divorce decisions.

It could still be a long hot summer of 2017 for Mick McCarthy and Marcus Evans, and indeed for Bristol City’s beleaguered leadership team of Lee Johnson and multiple Bristol sports’ owner and multi-millionaire, Stephen Lansdown, who (planning carefully ahead) moved to Guernsey in 2013 to ensure himself a safe distance from any irate Bristol football, rugby or basketball fans. But following the fractious family row at Portman Road on Boxing Day there was something locally more pressing to resolve. Might the Ipswich family tear itself apart and finally call it a day – or at least a Friday night – in a massive moaning, hooting and Trumping boo-fest? Alternatively might the team just turn up and play … a football match?

Thankfully for those of us who have had enough of 2016 surprises, the surprisingly pleasant latter outcome was the one everybody opted for. Mick McCarthy, after carefully considering the fact that none of the 11 players he picked for the last game did very well, changed 4 of them. McGoldrick, Bru, Ward and Kenlock all started. City boss Johnson brought in Little, Golbourne and Wilbraham. Both teams had been in poor form prior to this game and City’s has been especially depressing; despite which the opening passages of play were reasonably constructive, at both ends of the pitch. For Bristol, Brownhill struck an accurate if optimistic free kick from well outside of the penalty area – safely scooped from the slick green turf by Bialkowski, just in front of whom it had bounced.

Abraham then had a clear sprint on goal deep inside the Ipswich penalty area. He looked likely to score but Ipswich captain Luke Chambers somehow, shoulder to shoulder, edged him enough to stay legal but force a mistimed shot that tamely bounced out. It was excellent and experienced defending. Meanwhile Ward and Lawrence for Ipswich, from both flanks, used younger legs and positive thinking to attack with pace on several occasions. Having said that neither side had created a clear chance following Abraham’s 16th minute run, until Ipswich took the lead in the 39th minute. Following a few minutes of sustained pressure and two good corners, Ipswich’s Webster found himself yards outside of a crowded Bristol penalty area. With a cool head he picked out a beautifully weighted pass for Lawrence to his left; whose decisive cross was turned in by Bru running into the six yard box at Bristol’s near post. Ipswich’s half time lead had been secured by the best move of the game so far; but nobody could have quibbled had it been nil-nil.

And soon after, it was one-all. Two half time substitutions appeared to galvanise Bristol and it was from one of those (Bryan) that a 52nd minute cross resulted in a City equaliser. Struck with force across the Ipswich six yard box Bialkowski and Berra appeared to bump into each other during a panic-struck moment, and Bristol’s Abraham tapped in his 15th goal of the season. That is an impressive tally, for a young loan striker in a struggling side. He might even one day get a game, in Chelsea’s reserves.

After that though, it was growing and in the end relentless Ipswich pressure. Even before Ipswich’s second half substitutions a deflected Chambers header had bounced off the Bristol bar and Ward and Lawrence had created chances to shoot. City’s chances were further restricted by Magnusson picking up a hamstring injury and being replaced in the 66th minute – meaning they finished the game with only one of their original back four still in place (Flint).

Mick McCarthy meanwhile sent on Dozzell for Bru in the 71st minute and Sears for Ward in the 78th; and Sears’ pace created several half chances in the next few minutes with toe pokes, mishits and goal bound efforts all adding to the total of 14 shots that Ipswich managed during the game. But it was Dozzell who, without actually creating a clear cut chance, caught the eye. Several passes from a variety of angles cut their way through Bristol’s midfield and as his manager eulogised afterwards ‘he came on and gave a masterclass, he had his laser working tonight didn’t he?’ Which is high praise for a 17 year old and especially welcome, as like the rest of his team Dozzell had been overrun by Fulham’s midfield following his first start to a league game of the season only days before.

Yet it was Freddie Sears and Brett Pitman, both ten years his senior, who combined to provide the decisive moment in the 86th minute. Lawrence had sent Sears down the right wing, whose pace and strength enabled him to send a brilliant cross into the Bristol box moments before he reached the touchline. Just before he did that I screamed despairingly ‘there’s only one (Ipswich) player in the box’. I need not have worried. It was Brett Pitman who, responding to Sears’ perfectly placed and weighted pass, fell deliberately backwards and volleyed the ball, whilst hanging nearly upside down, into the Bristol net.

The fact that he simultaneously beat two Bristol defenders and their goalkeeper to the ball says everything you need to know about the quality of his finish and of the assisting pass. It was tough on the Bristol players and on their excellent travelling support; both of whom had given their all. But as Gary Johnson said after the game “this league is relentless … it doesn’t feel sorry for anybody.” A sentiment with which after that Boxing Day roasting by Fulham, anybody from Ipswich will agree. Meanwhile I suggest McCarthy phones his lawyer to suggest staying together, for the sake of the kids? If he dares to risk blending home grown youths like Dozzell, Kenlock, Emmanuel and the soon to return Bishop, Smith and Hyam with astute signings like Pitman, Sears, Bru and Webster: who knows? Fans might turn up to watch. And without feeling the need to boo…

Match review by Grant Bage

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Match Review 26/12/2016 Ipswich Town 0 – 2 Fulham

For centuries the ghost of Christmas past has been haunting the Christmas present; and at Portman Road the festive spectre was at it again. Fifty three years ago to the day, late December back in 1963, Fulham humiliated Ipswich at Craven Cottage. The score was an unbelievable ten goals to one. That remains the deepest ditch the Tractor Boys have ever driven into. But the events of Boxing Day 2016 have left Mick McCarthy too, in the boggiest of mires.
For it could have been 10-1, again. This was advertised as a Championship game but it was played by two teams who, on current form, are leagues apart. Fulham were magnificent. From their goal keeper Button at the back – standing tall in emergency yellow but never pressed – to the truculent centre forward Chris Martin (whose every touch was booed as a former Canary) they outplayed Ipswich in every department. Ipswich lined up 4-3-3 against a fluid, 4-5-1 Fulham. Yet from perhaps 15 minutes in it was clear that, whatever formation Ipswich had played, their destiny was to be ripped apart. A bright moment flickered for the home team after 11 minutes when a diagonal ball was flashed across the outer edge of the Fulham box. Lawrence stepped purposefully towards it, disguising his true intention of letting the ball run to Douglas, just behind him. Unfortunately the football was fooled too. Douglas – so often and sometimes unfairly criticised by Ipswich fans for a lack of pace – had arrived a second too early. The ball ran harmlessly behind him. That flicker was perhaps the closest Ipswich came to a goal in the first half. Indeed they did not have a goal attempt, of any sort, until a wayward banana of a shot bent far beyond the Fulham left post, from Jonas Knudsen in the 63rd minute.
Fulham meanwhile were thwarted only by an extraordinary Berra challenge from yards behind the Fulham player in possession, deep into the Ipswich penalty area in the 17th minute. A fraction of misjudgement and it would have been a clear penalty. Fourteen minutes later and after further long spells of threatening Fulham possession, Bialkowski made an instinctive save from Martin: with his shin, or was it his ankle?

A few minutes after that the same two players were involved in Fulham’s richly deserved first goal. Starting a rare Ipswich attacking break, centre half Webster shimmied, winger-like past two Fulham midfielders – and as a result Skuse raked a pass thirty yards directly back to the opposition. Within seconds Skuse was back on the edge of the ‘D’ of the Ipswich penalty area, in desperation fouling Johansen. A wall of blue shirts stacked themselves in front of the Martin free kick: then crumbled the moment he hit it. It dipped with force but from no more than shoulder height, through rather than over the wall.

For the second home game running Bialkowski was embarrassed by the opening goal: yet in truth it was barely his fault, and far less than Fulham deserved. Aluko and Ayite, elegant and nimble wide attackers, had frequently sliced through or round Ipswich in both midfield and the penalty area. Ipswich’s only goal threat came during first half injury time when a powerful header had to be diverted behind by Button’s fist for a corner; though its originator had been the man playing centre half in front of him, rather than an Ipswich attacker. Moments later a vocal minority of Ipswich’s second largest crowd of the season were booing off their own players; a judgement with which most of the others could barely disagree, even if they had decided not to voice it.

In decisive desperation McCarthy made two half time substitutions, pulling off the old and young heads of Pitman and Dozzell, to be replaced with the Nottingham boyhood friends of Best and McGoldrick. Fulham substituted nobody. Why should they? They had been dominant and despite a brief McGoldrick-inspired rally in the first 10 minutes of the second half, that dominance strengthened as the half progressed. Ayite several times and Madl could have scored, Martin did score (but it was disallowed) and in the 76th minute, Bialkowski made another amazing safe with his lower left arm, somehow deflecting a powerful ball wide. But it was judgement delayed and not averted; he could do nothing to stop Sigardsson soaring above the punch drunk Ipswich defence from the consequent corner and nodding the ball into the net. It was Fulham’s most simply constructed chance of their numerous second half efforts. Further attempts were saved by Bialkowski from Cairney – the magnificent Fulham captain around whom so much flowed in midfield – and the incredibly annoying (to his opponents) Chris Russell.

Ipswich, meanwhile, managed only three goal attempts in the whole game. None of them were on target. Playing at home against a team who started the day a mere five points ahead of them, they could muster a meagre 39% possession. It was a miserable performance from Mick McCarthy’s team, prompting an equally miserable response from their fans. Throughout the game (I registered the first boo only 12 minutes in, directed at Douglas) anti-McCarthy, anti-Evans and despairing critical songs could clearly be heard. After months of very poor football significant sections of the Ipswich crowd have perhaps understandably become poisonous towards the current regime; and to the shame of this writer, even against some of their own players. It is a situation that simply cannot continue.

Evans and McCarthy need either to go their separate ways, agree to sign some new players or jointly, decide to do something radically different with the current and theoretically, capable squad. 3-5-2, 4-5-1, 4-2-4? Almost anything seems preferable to the current humiliations. Mick McCarthy is too proud and too good a man and Ipswich is too proud and too good a club, for such rancour to be sustainable.

Fulham meanwhile, bolstered by the millions of both Shahid Khan and the Premiership parachute payments, look a real prospect for a promotion run. Good luck to them: theirs was always attractive and just occasionally, beautiful football.

Match review by Grant Bage

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Match Review 10/12/2016 Ipswich Town 1 – 1 Cardiff City

Followers of football politics may remember a row that rumbled on for several seasons, when Vincent Tan changed Cardiff City’s playing colours from blue to red and white as part of a comically entitled ‘rebrand’. That dispute was resolved in January 2015 when the Cardiff owner finally backed down. But when Cardiff emerged onto the Portman Road pitch on Saturday there were once again dressed in festive red and white; and apparently, imbued with lashings of seasonal Christmas spirit. For short of having some authentic elves to gift wrap open goals for boys in blue and white: what else could they have done to present Ipswich with 3 points? It was Cardiff who contrived to hit the post and not the net, with a cracking volleyed shot in the opening stages of the game.

A red Cardiff shirt helped to chest the ball past their own keeper, when Ipswich’s Varney equalised in the second half. They then conspired to go to ten men for the last 20 minutes via an utterly needless sending off: centre half Bamba having a touch line, nose to nose physical confrontation with his own manager following that dismissal. Over the course of what was in some ways a reasonably entertaining game they also handed Ipswich 66% possession of that small, white sphere we had all come to watch: the football. Oh and I nearly forgot. According to widely reported pre-match rumours, half the squad had the squits.

But the team in red must have all been very good boys for the rest of the year, or in another life, or at least under Neil Warnock’s nine games. And that Imodium is wonderful stuff. Because the truth is that despite this generosity towards their beleaguered hosts, Cardiff thoroughly deserved the point they smuggled back to Wales. They had as many shots and corners as Ipswich; and it was from one of those consistently threatening corners that they opened the scoring. Peter Whittingham has for years been one of the finest players to watch in England, Wales or anywhere else.

He may be in the career twilight but Peter has lost little of his glitz. Even the two yard run up he took for his first corner was more strictly-come-dancing than agricultural hoof; he stepped forward, backward and a little to the side in a cha-cha-cha before lancing the ball into the danger area, accompanied by wildly varying dips and swings. That first corner in the third minute was exquisite, dropping at great speed onto the edge of the six yard box. It actually did much to set up the Cardiff goal from a subsequent Whittingham corner on 37 minutes. The first corner had made such a big impression on Ipswich’s keeper Bart Bialkowski that, expecting something similar, he launched himself a fraction too early. Meanwhile Whittingham had somehow managed the even harder task of similar speed and delivery, whilst dropping a few yards further and nearly in front of the far post. Bialkowski found himself literally the wrong side of the ball and despite twisting desperately to retrieve could not keep hold. It squirmed out of his grasp and Gunnarsson slammed home.

To Ipswich’s credit they had played neatly for most of that half. Despite heavy drizzle greasing the grass, the ball was played often on the floor and mostly kept in possession. Lawrence made incisive, weaving runs into space, from both wings and the centre. McGoldrick tried three shots in as many minutes just before the Cardiff goal. Webster always looked threatening, bringing the ball forward from defence. Yet was 0-1 an unfair half time score? No. Cardiff had defended strongly, forced Ipswich into familiar lateral runs across midfield, had others shots saved and hit the post with a brilliant volley.

Coincidentally Ipswich’s equaliser just after half time, originated from the same corner spot as Whittingham’s whizzer. Ward won the corner for Ipswich with one of his stronger, but disappointingly infrequent runs towards the Cardiff penalty area. Lawrence hit the corner with pace, if not with as much guile as grandad Whittingham. It came back to Lawrence, who ran at speed towards the goal. Out it rebounded to Webster who cut it back to the edge of the Cardiff penalty area for Varney to slam home: via the obliging, if unlucky chest of Cardiff’s goal scorer Gunnarsson. I thought it was pretty close to an own goal, but it was a good shot from Varney.

Ipswich now had momentum; and it wasn’t long before they also had a one man advantage. Bamba, Cardiff’s physically imposing centre half, was felled in what appeared to be no more than a strong tackle by Douglas. In common with many of his team mates and most teams playing away, Bamba stayed on the floor for longer than seemed really necessary. But then galvanised perhaps by the famed wet sponge, or some swift acting hallucogenic drugs injected from Douglas’s studs, he literally went a bit bonkers. The referee, the fourth official, his own physio and manager were all on the receiving end of random shouting and various intimations of physical threat. It was baffling if hugely entertaining: and has since prompted a public apology to the manager, fans and referee although perhaps not to Mr. Tan.

Cue Pitman, Sears and a little later Bishop all coming on for Ipswich – who surely now would besiege and then slay the Welsh dragons? Not a bit of it. Cardiff played better with ten men and in the five minutes of added time (there was a good case for double that) had several half chances to win the game.

Meanwhile Ipswich, despite those attacking substitutions and persevering with starting the young wide men of Ward and Lawrence, made no clear cut chances throughout the game. Theirs was a story of frequent possession, occasional pressure and no killer Suffolk Punch. What would the Club give for a return of Daryl Murphy? Sadly not, offers Newcastle their three and a half million pounds back…

Report by Grant Bage

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Match Review 3/12/2016 Tottenham 5 Swansea City 0

Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 Swansea City

Premier League, White Hart Lane, December 3, 2016

Goals: Kane 39′ (pen), 49′, Son 45′, Eriksen 70′, 92′

Tottenham completed an easy 5-0 demolition of a Swansea City side devoid of ideas at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

With both Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane chipping in with braces and Heung-Min Son scoring a stunning volley, Spurs were in control for the vast majority of the match.

The Welsh visitors offered very little resistance, frequently losing possession and allowing the home team to control proceedings for long periods. Dele Alli started the procession after he won a dubious penalty – there was contact but it was minimal compared to his reaction from Kyle Naughton’s challenge. However, a goal was coming as it was hard to deny that given the one-way traffic until that point that a breakthrough wasn’t imminent. Kane smashed in the penalty with power, as is his usual way, giving goalkeeper Fabianski no chance to save it.

The 20 year old Alli looks to be hitting his best form of the campaign, as does Christian Eriksen who has noticeably upped his game following some disappointing, sub-par performances. With Harry Kane back and firing, this is what Tottenham Hotspur need if they are going to be able to keep up with this season’s title race pacesetters.

After the Chelsea result a week before, Tottenham certainly were in desperate need of a morale-boosting performance. This would have pleased manager Pochettino, particularly as his team had only won 10% of all matches in all competitions in their last 10 outings. He won’t be getting too cocky, though, as the Swans were poor. Swansea only had one shot on goal in the entire match whilst Tottenham managed 28 of which 15 were on target. Swansea were so woeful that they didn’t even win a solitary corner in the game or a shot on target.

Next up for Tottenham it’s a difficult away trip to Manchester United, who they lead by six points at this stage. It could be a season-defining match for both teams, with United the bookmaker favourites. If United do end up with a win, they might just take Tottenham out of the title race for 2016/17 in the process.

Referee: Jon Moss