Ipswich 3-2 Saints - Match Thread

[S-Clarke]

11 minutes ago, sfc4prem said:

All we need is to be within 2 points of Leeds come the final game.

Enjoy the ride.

No chance that game will mean anything. Will be a dead rubber with everything decided before that.

Leicester and Ipswich battling it out for 2nd may go down to the wire, but Leeds will have it wrapped up imo.

[Midfield_General]

18 hours ago, Turkish said:

if they keep doing it over and over again then it's not luck is it.

Exactly. 

Staying in games when you're under pressure for much of the match is called being solid at the back. 

Winning games when you've had fewer chances and less of the ball is called being clinical. 

Clearly they're both. We're neither. It's not luck. They do the stuff that matters, while we're fixated on pointless possession which means nothing. 

Edited March 30 by Midfield_General

[Midfield_General]

.

Edited March 30 by Midfield_General
Double post

[tdmickey3]

Looking forward to the “freshening up” of the team 🙄

Meaning Manning will come in and Stephen’s will be back in the hybrid role nonsense and we will continue to be wide open down the flanks when defending 🤷‍♂️

RM stubbornly sticking to same playing style despite the game pattern crying out for a change

Edited March 30 by tdmickey3

[Forester]

Bazanu

KWP, Bednarek, Stephens, Bree

Downes, Armstrong (S), Smallbone

Fraser, Armstrong (A), Brooks

[Saint Marky]

4 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

But there's no point in looking at the games they'll drop points in if we also drop points on the same gameday.

No one had Leicester and Leeds to drop points yesterday, so potentially we had some bonus ground to make up - but we fucked it and that is that. They'll probably drop a few points here and there in the run in, but inevitably so will we as we proved yesterday. We simply have too much to do, realistically we needed to win all 10 games and we've already failed at the first hurdle on that one. We can only get 100 points now I think, and the Top 2 are already on course to both hit 100+ points.

It'll be interesting watching from afar to see how Leicester can recover though, how they've made that into a 3 horse race is beyond me.

Glass half empty kind of chap?

[captainchris]

For Christ sake pick your best team, that is the one where players actually perform well in matches not at Staplewood! You should know your best team by now.

Could you also concentrate and focus on coaching players who show the same flaws every single week, take them aside and give individual coaching because it is not visible that you do that Russel… 

[Charlie Wayman]

We will be in the play off's (🤞) simply because of our long unbeaten run earlier in the season. We seem to be a poor imitation of that side right now and arguably are undeserving as a candidate for promotion on merit. We might pull ourselves together for the last few games and find some better form by the time the 46 game league season ends but don't hold your breath.

The appalling misses in front of goal yesterday smacks of panic setting in amongst the players, are they unsettled, over-trying whatever but they are certainly not the cool headed side that strolled through matches a few weeks ago. I hope the players have not given up on Martin but you wouldn't blame them if they had what with all the chopping and changing of the side that he alone is responsible for.

[Galway saint]

we’re not going up automatically but i’m interested to see how we do here as ipswich are the sort of team who could tear us a new one with their counter attacking pace down the wings  and our propensity for leaving massive gaps behind the FBs

hopefully fraser starts and puts them on the back foot - he’s such an important player for us

 

[SNSUN]

Baz, KWP, THB, Bednarek, Bree, Smallbone, Downes, SA, Brooks, AA, Fraser please - I know harsh on Stephens but that is probably our best side.

 

[drd]

🍒fans here but live in Fair Oak so watch you guys a lot. I don't think you should be throwing the towel in just yet. I honestly think when Saints are playing well, you are better than the other 3 teams up there. Ok Adams may be a poor goalscorer but is he worse than a 90 year old Vardy, Kieffer Moore or Patrick Bamford?  Think if you can avoid defeat on Mon you'll pick up 9/10 points from the next 4 and be right back in the mix

[trousers]

1 hour ago, drd said:

Ok Adams may be a poor goalscorer but is he worse than a 90 year old Vardy, Kieffer Moore or Patrick Bamford?

Yes. Next question....

[Lighthouse]

I'd rather have a 90 year old prawn sandwich.

[Wade Garrett]

4-4-2!  Let’s move the ball quicker and use the wide players.

Lumley, KWP, Bednarek, THB, Bree, Brooks, Downes, Aribo, Fraser, Adams, Armstrong.

I don’t think Ipswich are a very good side.  If we play our normal game of plodding propoganda football we’ll struggle.

Martin will find a way of fucking it up though, then gaslight us post-match.

[S-Clarke]

4 hours ago, Saint Marky said:

Glass half empty kind of chap?

Not at all, always one of the more positives on here - but I think there comes a point where you just need to be realistic.

No point in wasting energy in hoping for the impossible, sure if we were closer then it would be pretty exciting - but we're 10 points behind with 9 games to go, it's the biggest of tall orders - it took us a 26 game unbeaten run to overhaul their last 10 point lead. Time to focus on the Play offs.

Edited March 30 by S-Clarke

[Jack]

They cross the ball very early and from deep so our full backs are going to need to be on it and at them quickly. Definitely not a game for Manning (like every other game). 
 

Wouldn’t surprise me to see us concede similar goals to yesterday, but could be an entertaining one if we find our shooting boots 

[Osvaldorama]

We’ll win this.  2 or 3-1. Easy

[Turkish]

7 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

Exactly. 

Staying in games when you're under pressure for much of the match is called being solid at the back. 

Winning games when you've had fewer chances and less of the ball is called being clinical. 

Clearly they're both. We're neither. It's not luck. They do the stuff that matters, while we're fixated on pointless possession which means nothing. 

Sums it up. That’s the difference it might not be pretty or hipster but that’s what wins football matches, it’s a results business having a philosophy means jack shit if the results aren’t good enough

[Chris cooper]

                        Gav

kwp        THB          Bednerak        Bree

 

            Smallbone       Downes 

 

brookes        Stu Armstrong      Arma

 

                      Che Adams 

 

Ipswich 1-3 Southampton 

Chaplin 12      AA  18 & 54

                       Brookes  83

[Saint Marky]

2 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

Not at all, always one of the more positives on here - but I think there comes a point where you just need to be realistic.

No point in wasting energy in hoping for the impossible, sure if we were closer then it would be pretty exciting - but we're 10 points behind with 9 games to go, it's the biggest of tall orders - it took us a 26 game unbeaten run to overhaul their last 10 point lead. Time to focus on the Play offs.

Beat Ipswich, we are 7 points behind the current leaders, win our two games in hand, we are 1 point behind current leaders, not impossible at all, it was only a few games ago that everyone had written off Ipswich, after their bad form, now they are top. Yes I agree that throwing away leads is so frustrating, but we are dominating games and could quite easily go on a decent run, so although games are running out fast now, it’s certainly not impossible for us to get right back in the mix, so I will stay glass halve full at the moment, well until Kat sings.

[coalman]

Having rewatched the highlights from yesterday I don't want to watch Adams flailing around with a banjo any more and I'd like one of our wingers playing instead of Sulemana.

[saint lard]

I’ll be amazed if we come away from this game with anything. 
sad state of affairs having to be nothing but pessimistic about playing away at Ipswich. 
I really don’t rate our gaffer. 
the occasional highlight but so damn flawed in his methodology. 

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

9 hours ago, Osvaldorama said:

We’ll win this.  2 or 3-1. Easy

Let's be honest, would be a freak result if it happened.

[CB Fry]

7 hours ago, Saint Marky said:

Beat Ipswich, we are 7 points behind the current leaders, win our two games in hand, we are 1 point behind current leaders, not impossible at all, it was only a few games ago that everyone had written off Ipswich, after their bad form, now they are top. Yes I agree that throwing away leads is so frustrating, but we are dominating games and could quite easily go on a decent run, so although games are running out fast now, it’s certainly not impossible for us to get right back in the mix, so I will stay glass halve full at the moment, well until Kat sings.

Isn't it funny that in every one of these scenarios, we always win both games in hand. Always.

If our game in hand was a home tie against mid table Middlesbrough it would be absolutely unanimous between the scenario boys that would be a nailed on win, 3 points no bother.

 

It's irrelevant what happens tomorrow. Ipswich can beat us four nil and within two hours of the final whistle there will be posts like the one above saying "plenty of twists and turns to come, we'll win our two in hand and only be x points behind etc etc etc".

Lads, we're finishing fourth. Maybe, maybe, third. But not really. Fourth.

[StrangelyBrown]

It will be interesting to see whether RM is able to reflect on what has worked and what hasn't worked this season and pick out best starting 11.

My sad fucks 11 is:

Bazunu

KWP THB Bednarek Bree

Smallbone Downes Stuey

Armstrong Adams Fraser

While Adams has been hit and miss putting Arma in the middle isn't the answer and there aren't really any alternatives.

My suspicion is that we'll see Manning return, Stephens in and THB out, Arma play up front, Brooks in on the right and sulemana keep his place.... And a loss as a consequence.

[trousers]

1 hour ago, CB Fry said:

Isn't it funny that in every one of these scenarios, we always win both games in hand. Always.

If our game in hand was a home tie against mid table Middlesbrough it would be absolutely unanimous between the scenario boys that would be a nailed on win, 3 points no bother.

 

It's irrelevant what happens tomorrow. Ipswich can beat us four nil and within two hours of the final whistle there will be posts like the one above saying "plenty of twists and turns to come, we'll win our two in hand and only be x points behind etc etc etc".

Lads, we're finishing fourth. Maybe, maybe, third. But not really. Fourth.

Is us finishing 4th as much a certainty as Leicester being runaway champions though...?

(Fwiw, and my hilarious banter aside, I agree with you re: 4th being almost inevitable now)

 

[S-Clarke]

9 hours ago, Saint Marky said:

Beat Ipswich, we are 7 points behind the current leaders, win our two games in hand, we are 1 point behind current leaders, not impossible at all, it was only a few games ago that everyone had written off Ipswich, after their bad form, now they are top. Yes I agree that throwing away leads is so frustrating, but we are dominating games and could quite easily go on a decent run, so although games are running out fast now, it’s certainly not impossible for us to get right back in the mix, so I will stay glass halve full at the moment, well until Kat sings.

This is a point I made the other day, the 'games in hand' - I hate them at this stage of the season, horrendous. Give me the points on the board now, the games in hand are shit.

All it does is create a false illusion ''oh if we win those two games look at where we'll be'' - without them we're absolutely miles behind. My mind was dragged into that false illusion as well, but I've totally come to the conclusion that games in hand at this stage of the season are nothing more than a huge disadvantage. 

[Harry_SFC]

We have a big problem up top. Adams clearly not the answer to scoring goals but we have no one else who can actually play up top on their own. No doubt Mara is a better finisher but his hold up play is non existent, very much like Armstrong who has performed much better out wide. But we've had this problem for years and it's ultimately why we are where we are. 

[CB Fry]

21 minutes ago, trousers said:

Is us finishing 4th as much a certainty as Leicester being runaway champions though...?

(Fwiw, and my hilarious banter aside, I agree with you re: 4th being almost inevitable now)

 

If they win their game in hand* they would go top and the title still within their own hands, despite the dreadful run they've been on. That is testament to how runaway they were at that time.

In contrast we were never, ever in the running for the title then, or now. Or ever this season.

 

 

Edited March 31 by CB Fry
*obviously the winner of their game in hand has already been decided by SaintsWeb intelligentsia

[Fabrice29]

30 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

If they win their game in hand* they would go top and the title still within their own hands, despite the dreadful run they've been on. That is testament to how runaway they were at that time.

In contrast we were never, ever in the running for the title then, or now. Or ever this season.

 

 

You sound like you don't actually enjoy the football, stop engaging in it. We're in a shoot out for promotion, 9/12 games, this should be the bit you're excited about rather than laying the foundations to be able to say "I told you so" at every single opportunity you get.

[Sarisbury Saint]

48 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

We have a big problem up top. Adams clearly not the answer to scoring goals but we have no one else who can actually play up top on their own. No doubt Mara is a better finisher but his hold up play is non existent, very much like Armstrong who has performed much better out wide. But we've had this problem for years and it's ultimately why we are where we are. 

Did you not see Adam’s hold up play yesterday ? Sunday league standard.

His first touch is poor, his positional sense is terrible and as for his finishing, the less said the better.

Edited March 31 by Sarisbury Saint

[Harry_SFC]

8 minutes ago, Sarisbury Saint said:

Did you not see Adam’s hold up play yesterday ? Sunday league standard.

His first touch is poor, his positional sense is terrible and as for his finishing, the less said the better.

I didn't see it but clearly he had a poor game in that respect. It happens. Generally it's been decent though. 

[Fabrice29]

Always feels like Adams best games come when he's got a point to prove so even though he clearly has his issues and I'd have been happy to sell him at any stage over the last few years, I'd 100% be starting him tomorrow. 

[Wade Garrett]

I’ve said it before, Adams is a competent centre-forward outside the box and a poor one inside.

He seems to want to break the net every chance he gets, little composure, and is very static when we cross from dangerous positions (as we often do).

Play to his strengths, play another centre-forward with him in the more advanced role.  Give Che the role Shane Long had in his excellent partnership with Danny Ings.

Edited March 31 by Wade Garrett

[trousers]

12 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

I’ve said it before, Adams is a competent centre-forward outside the box and a poor one inside.

He seems to want to break the net every chance he gets, little composure, and is very static when we cross from dangerous positions (as we often do).

Play to his strengths, play another centre-forward with him in the more advanced role.  Give Che the role Shane Long had in his excellent partnership with Danny Ings.

The trouble is, we don't have a Danny Ings type player at the moment....

[Thereisonlyonemickychannon]

4-0 to Ipswich.

MARTIN AND HIS TIPPY TAPPY SHITE OUT!

[Thereisonlyonemickychannon]

16 hours ago, drd said:

🍒fans here but live in Fair Oak so watch you guys a lot. I don't think you should be throwing the towel in just yet. I honestly think when Saints are playing well, you are better than the other 3 teams up there. Ok Adams may be a poor goalscorer but is he worse than a 90 year old Vardy, Kieffer Moore or Patrick Bamford?  Think if you can avoid defeat on Mon you'll pick up 9/10 points from the next 4 and be right back in the mix

This just shows you how far Saints have fallen. Being condescended by a Bournemouth fan. For fuck sake!

[Miltonaggro]

When we played Ipswich at SMS early in the season I thought they were the typical physical, well organised, workmanlike Championship side that we would face this season.  Would have had £50 on us beating them in the return.  Remarkable that McKenna has got them where they are on merit with a tiny fraction of the resources of us, Leicester, and Leeds.  Think this will be a tense match decided by a single goal, which means that they will win.  Saints right on this season's script, obsession with possession followed by a finishing lesson.

[Wade Garrett]

1 hour ago, trousers said:

The trouble is, we don't have a Danny Ings type player at the moment....

We don’t, but I think this will play to Armstrong and Adam’s strengths more than Adams as a lone striker and Armstrong out wide.

Zero fucking chance of the arrogant Martin changing from 4-3-3 and if he did it would only be to  shoehorn Stephens into the side.

[bogwoppit]

1 hour ago, Miltonaggro said:

When we played Ipswich at SMS early in the season I thought they were the typical physical, well organised, workmanlike Championship side that we would face this season.  Would have had £50 on us beating them in the return.  Remarkable that McKenna has got them where they are on merit with a tiny fraction of the resources of us, Leicester, and Leeds.  Think this will be a tense match decided by a single goal, which means that they will win.  Saints right on this season's script, obsession with possession followed by a finishing lesson.

Personally think Ipswich will get 2 or 3 goals. Agree with the comment about where Ipswich are in the table and the resources they have. If they dont go up automatically, then I think they will be my favourites through play offs. However, if they get in the playoffs, Coventry wouldn’t surprise me if they got through/went up. 

[SNSUN]

1 hour ago, bogwoppit said:

Personally think Ipswich will get 2 or 3 goals. Agree with the comment about where Ipswich are in the table and the resources they have. If they dont go up automatically, then I think they will be my favourites through play offs. However, if they get in the playoffs, Coventry wouldn’t surprise me if they got through/went up. 

Norwich for me, though I'm slightly biased as they're the wife's team, but since the start of 2024 they've been excellent with 30 points from 14 games. I wonder if finishing 4th would be better than somehow finishing 3rd.

[macca155]

Nothing is over until it is over. Fat lady hasn't entered the building yet. Every sport is about staying in the game and fighting until the end.

The schedule for Saints is daunting and the window of opportunity is shrinking. Nevertheless they are still in it .... just.

Martin has to find some consistency. I'd suggest play a settled side would help.

Personally I'd go for as much experience as possible

Best defence is KWP THB Bendarek Bree so play it

A midfield of Downes, Aribo, Armstrong, and Rothwell seems to be the strongest. Rothwell in particular is needed for his finishing.

Up front Armstrong, Brookes, and Frazer offer the best opportunities.

That's 12 so maybe Armstrong/Rothwell alternate.

Just keep the team settled.

 

[Dr Who?]

If only we could blinking defend. I have no problems and we have no problems with scoring, but the last time we did not score was back on September (in the league).That was a 0-1 home defeat by…Ipswich! 

This match will very much depend on how Ipswich approach the game, as they are very capable of scoring for fun, and especially against our defence. But if they do attack then it could be a who can out score who anything 4-4? I do think they will be cautious, but I think they would be wise to just go at us from the off. If they are cautious, we could nick it 1-2 or 2-3. 

I can see this being a draw 2-2, but I do think there will be goals goals goals. 

So get your money on a 0-0. 

[Whitey Grandad]

7 hours ago, Sarisbury Saint said:

Did you not see Adam’s hold up play yesterday ? Sunday league standard.

His first touch is poor, his positional sense is terrible and as for his finishing, the less said the better.

He lost possession in the first half and it lead directly to them hitting the inside of the post.

[gammon cheeks]

Aribo ...Frazer and Bednarek to start ......Ipswich 0 Saints 3

[lambtiss]

8 hours ago, trousers said:

The trouble is, we don't have a Danny Ings type player at the moment....

In the last PL promotion chase I think we bought Billy Sharp in the January window and his goals were critical in getting us over the line. Exactly the sort of fox in the box that we needed in this transfer window, especially after Ross Stewart's hamstring injury. There have been so many occasions this season where a cross had been fired right across the 6 yard box, begging to be tucked away. 

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

4 hours ago, macca155 said:

Nothing is over until it is over. Fat lady hasn't entered the building yet. Every sport is about staying in the game and fighting until the end.

The schedule for Saints is daunting and the window of opportunity is shrinking. Nevertheless they are still in it .... just.

Martin has to find some consistency. I'd suggest play a settled side would help.

Personally I'd go for as much experience as possible

Best defence is KWP THB Bendarek Bree so play it

A midfield of Downes, Aribo, Armstrong, and Rothwell seems to be the strongest. Rothwell in particular is needed for his finishing.

Up front Armstrong, Brookes, and Frazer offer the best opportunities.

That's 12 so maybe Armstrong/Rothwell alternate.

Just keep the team settled.

 

I'd like to see this every week, but as with a lot of people here, I think RM will try and fit Stephens in somewhere.

Up front, Che's useless, Mara's useless, AA's useless in the no9 role. Didn't we try Stuart Armstrong there once but that didn't work? Even against Middlesbro, as well as Che's misses, there were a couple of chances where the crosses came across the 6 yard box but there was no-one there.

I'm stuck for an answer but there must be someone in the squad who can kick/header a ball in the net from 6 yards. Could Sule, even Rothwell stand in the middle?

[Holmes_and_Watson]

On having someone to tuck the ball in from a few yards out: RM's system devotes itself so much to the control of possession and patient creation of a chance.

Our attackers are part of that and it's difficult for them to then get into a postion to put the ball away, when they've also been somewhere else as part of the set up. We don;t generally set up for quick, direct counters using crosses to then have a finisher to tuck away.

We've tried a bit of that in the last couple with Sule, who really hasn;t created that much. Edozie or another, dribbling in to cut it back for attackers running in from set up positions has got more finishes. It allows AA or Che time to be part of the build up and get into the box. It suits AA a lot more than Che.

We could do with someone with a bit of Che's physical presence, AA's work rate, some psychic power of knowing when to be in the set up and when to make a run, and a decent finisher all in one player.

In the meantime, having a team that has a plan with the ball to incease temp and activate attacks from possession would at least give us more chances in the match, for those we do have to put away.

[Jack]

Anything other than a win and we’re completely out of it, even for the most positive here on here. We’d be 13 behind Ipswich and a minimum of 8 & 9 behind the others, likely far more. 
 

We’re just not showing signs of being capable of putting the huge run of wins together that we need 

[Saint Marky]

13 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

This is a point I made the other day, the 'games in hand' - I hate them at this stage of the season, horrendous. Give me the points on the board now, the games in hand are shit.

All it does is create a false illusion ''oh if we win those two games look at where we'll be'' - without them we're absolutely miles behind. My mind was dragged into that false illusion as well, but I've totally come to the conclusion that games in hand at this stage of the season are nothing more than a huge disadvantage. 

Yes, it’s frustrating and frankly unfair that we are at a disadvantage to the other teams with forced games in hand. I’d agree that lose tomorrow and it will be the play offs almost definitively , but win tomorrow and our two in hand and we are right back in the mix. Obviously the odds are against us and it’s more probable we won’t than we will, but we went 25 unbeaten,  that’s fucking awesome and proves we are a match for any other team in the championship. I’m not going to write us off yet, still too many games left and I still think we will do Ipswich tomorrow.