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00:00:01
Daily Ipswich: Episode 125 - More misery! 4-2 defeat.
40 Plays14 days ago
Join Richard and Rob as they dissect yet another miserable defeat at home, this time to surprising Champions League contenders, Nottingham Forest.
Host: Richard Popple
Guest: Rob Binns
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Transcript
Ipswich's Defeat and Ongoing Struggles
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Daily Ipswich on the Global Sports Podcast Network. Happy Monday to you all. I hope you all had a very nice weekend. Unfortunately, Ipswich Town didn't as once again we fell to a horrible home defeat to Nottingham Forest. To join me and dissect the game, it is Rob Binns. Good morning, Rob. How are you
00:00:31
Rob Binns
Mate, I'm not um not too bad. I've learned to not let football ruin the weekend by by this point, to be honest. We're past that.
00:00:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh yeah, yeah.
00:00:41
Rob Binns
hope so It just doesn't make it any less any and more fun to sit and dive dissect through it on the Monday pod every week. but Oh well.
00:00:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, absolutely. We're sort of immune to the yeah to the emotions of it, I feel, at this stage of the season. um Yeah, as I mentioned at the start, Town fell again
Defensive Errors and Confidence Issues
00:00:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
at home. Our dreadful, dreadful home form for the season continues. it's slightly unfathomable how bad we have been at Portman Road this year.
00:01:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
And unfortunately, against Nottingham Forest, who came as third place in the league, obviously, and left still as third place in the league, strengthened their position in that and at the top of the table there.
00:01:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
and We went down 4-2 at Portman Road. The first half particularly was, um well, abomination might be the right word for it. It was catastrophic the way that we conceded three goals so quickly, um having for the first half an hour seemingly competed.
00:01:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
McKenna was quite scathing really about the first half performance in his post-match interview. How did you see it, Rob?
00:01:41
Rob Binns
thing is that and for the first 35 minutes or so, we weren't that bad, really. we We had some chances at the other end. It was a fairly even game. I don't think anybody would have had any complaints on either side had it got in at 0-0.
00:01:54
Rob Binns
ah And then, as we normally do, we give a poor goal away. And then it just looked like we gave up at that point. It was just sort of like, oh, 1-0. We've been here before against Forest. They're tough to break down. It's like heads dropped and then two and two.
00:02:10
Rob Binns
two more goals going in quick succession. The second one I'll give Alanga his credit. It's a good goal. Probably should be a defender to be yes, but it's also a lot quality. But the third one's shocking.
00:02:21
Rob Binns
Just a long punt, nothing nothing punt up the pitch.
00:02:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, third one's terrible.
00:02:24
Rob Binns
But like I say, our heads went off the first one. So it's just completely given up. We didn't want to be on the pitch. And one long ball, Wood misses it, but it doesn't matter because Alanga's the wrong goal nobody watching him anyway.
00:02:37
Rob Binns
So I don't know where it comes from, but I think it's the frustrating point is that you want to say it was just an all-round terrible first 45, but for 35 minutes it wasn't. Then we had five minutes complete collapse and then it was just shell shock to get in until half-time.
00:02:54
Rob Binns
We went from thinking 0-0 would be fair to trying to keep it at only three in the space of five minutes. its just Abomination is a good word i think to describe that five-minute spell.
00:03:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah, exactly. No, you're right. I mean, I think i think it is it's too critical to say that the whole of the half was was poor because it wasn't. It was it was fine. um And we competed. But, you know, we we can we can repeat ourselves about the story of the season in terms of of us not being able to get in front in games, particularly at home. i mean, I don't know how many games this is now where we haven't scored first at home. It's a lot.
00:03:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
But... you know when we don't for that period of time, and you mentioned there, obviously the heads dropping after that first goal, that that is the massive concern, right? I think the players know at this stage of the season that they're not going to turn games around. And so when we do fall behind, there is that slightly unforgivable, really at home, that sense of, well, you know where where do we go from here? And I think you're right with the second goal. I don't think you can put much blame on anyone. I mean, Greaves didn't have a great half. He obviously got hauled off at half-time,
00:03:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Arguably, you could have bought off Wolfenden as well. I mean, his his role in that third goal was was pretty abject. And then O'Shea, for me, is not a right back. i don't I'm not sure why we're shoving out out him out to right back, really, because arguably he's our best central defender. So you probably put your best central defender in there and don't just try and stick him out on the right to fill in a gap. um You know, where's Ben Godfrey? all of the All of these questions could be asked. But I think the...
00:04:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
the kind of lack of confidence from the players really shows through in those moments where it's just like, well, we're kind of defeated already and you're only 35 minutes into the game. In terms of these, in terms of these kind of like blocks of conceding, we've, we've kind of had it a few times. Is, is it down in your opinion to just like this sort of lack of confidence? um You know, when we first concede and, and kind of like a, a sort of collective switching off.
00:04:52
Rob Binns
ah ah That would part of it, yeah. I don't think it's the full reason. There will be a whole horrible mixture of things that just combine together. But say certainly, if we were put if we were defending better on a general thing notice and then had more confidence amongst defenders because of that, then I don't think it would happen as often. But then momentum comes into it as well because the opposite side happens
Challenges in Defense and Attack
00:05:15
Rob Binns
to Forrest.
00:05:16
Rob Binns
you go like You take the lead and you straight away in this sort game where obviously they're expected to win against a team down the bottom, thinking, right, let's kill it as quickly as possible. So they've got their tails up at that point. they're They're pushing. They know that this is the moment. They've swung a bit of momentum in a fairly stalemate of a game by that point. And they pushed them on that side of things as well. that and so That's confidence, I suppose, as well, because of how high they are. that it so like It was a mistake for the first goal. It Something tipped on the scales there. And like say, part of it's confidence, mate. Like say, bit momentum, maybe. Or just generally just the fact Forrest are better than us.
00:05:54
Rob Binns
We'll play a factor as well that is tough. but So it tipped the scales, definitely. And then from that point, we'd have done well to get to half-time at one ni and then it ended being 3.
00:06:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah but it Yeah, I mean, I suppose so. But as you say, we have 35 minutes where we don't look particularly in that much danger. You and I talked about the two previous games against Forest where we weren't conceding a load of chances to them at all across those two games.
00:06:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And then all of a sudden you kind of concede three goals in six minutes. that that that That does speak to a lack of kind of belief almost, you know, and almost kind of like conceding and giving up to a certain extent.
00:06:24
Rob Binns
Night.
00:06:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because, yeah, you can we again, we can we can say Alanga took the second goal really, really well and he did. But we're talking about these kind of like get-out passes, which are really, really straightforward, where we they bisected the whole team, particularly for the third one, obviously, and and we can sort of dissect that a little bit.
00:06:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
But for the first one, it kind of comes back to this thing, which we've we've seen in the second half of the season... little areas of our defence and our setup where teams seemingly have worked us out a little bit or where we've conceded enough goals that now we don't really know, you know, we don't have the confidence to deal with it. And that's balls into the box.
00:07:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's another ball into the box that we don't really deal with. It comes back, it gets recycled. De Lapp's clearance is terrible and obviously it falls. um Who scored their first goal? can't remember now.
00:07:22
Rob Binns
Malenkovic.
00:07:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Malenkovich falls to him and he sticks it in the in the roof of the net. I do want to pick up something about the lap. And this isn't me, you know, trying to make a headline or whatever, but his body language in recent weeks, I don't think has been that great, particularly in the defensive end, because obviously he's always back there for crosses, corners, et cetera, um free kicks and stuff.
00:07:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
And you see, you therefore see his reaction if we're conceding goals. And obviously we've conceded quite a few goals and from those situations in recent weeks. Now, obviously he's kind of to, you know at fault arguably for for for his part in this goal. um But there's a lot of arm waving and flapping going on from him at the moment. And I guess that's probably just a frustration with where Ipswich are at. But have you noticed that? And is there a is there a concern around that?
00:08:15
Rob Binns
ah I've noticed it, yeah. I'm not sure if it's concern, but I think it's it's just purely frustration because, I mean, it's just ah it's a natural thing in football anyway. Strikers don't like conceding.
00:08:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sure.
00:08:27
Rob Binns
You'll see it on the halfway line. they It could be a 30-yard wonder strike and they'll be throwing their arms in the air asking their centre-half why he's not blocked it. It's just, there's a natural reaction. But I think, in his case as well, is that there probably is that element of frustration is that the the lack of the balls he seems to get a lot of the time now that when he was on form and firing loads of goals, it's because we weren't as bad defensively as we were now.
00:08:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:08:52
Rob Binns
we were sort of, we were keeping tight. We were able to spring, get some, get opportunities and he was getting chances and taking them. Whereas now he sort of, he spends a lot of the game, just stood up on the halfway line, not much to do.
00:09:05
Rob Binns
had The players that stand behind him are not getting in the ball, are struggling to get us out. And this becoming a bit onslaught at times. And I think, It's also the element of that he's far and away the top performer at that end of the pitch. I think there's that growing element of frustration. I think that it feels like it's all on his shoulders.
Financial Moves and Strategic Planning
00:09:26
Rob Binns
So when he has a game where he can't really get involved, I think he takes it a bit harder than perhaps he would have done a couple months ago because it feels like we look to him as like as a team and as supporters, especially at home, we look to him to sort of
00:09:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:09:42
Rob Binns
produced a bit of magic to get us out of trouble. And he can't do that in a lot of games at the moment. He's on a mini-goal drought. And I think that's all things are part of that. think he's just he looks a very frustrated character.
00:09:55
Rob Binns
And I think sometimes that just gets taken out when, I say, and I think in the case of when you leak as many goals as we do as well. Because I think he'll also have the confidence he can dig us out of games. But when we concede two or three goals, you're then thinking that...
00:10:11
Rob Binns
is it all on him to go and get a hat-trick now? I think he's, I don't know. It does very much feel like he's getting, there's frustration there, but I don't know whether that's at individuals or if it's just, because nobody likes where we are on a table, but I'd the body language has dropped in the last few weeks, certainly for, I'm assuming, a variety of reasons, but he probably knows he'll be playing Premier League football next year regardless. So,
00:10:40
Rob Binns
Maybe there's also that element of that he's not put himself in the shop window as well as he could he was two months ago. Maybe, I don't know.
00:10:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, maybe. i mean, even from our point of view, you know, obviously we are going down at this stage, and but we kind of need him to perform pretty well until the end of the season so that we can get as much value for him as possible, really.
00:11:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Yeah, no, I think that's very fairly put, to be honest. And I think you're you're right, it's probably no more than any, you know, just ah frustrated with the situation, obviously, of of what's been going on. But it has his body language has been noticeable, I think, for the last few weeks. And maybe a few other players, maybe not as quite and as just demonstrative as he is, but... um There has been a general feeling. I mean, even Burgess, I think, in the second half, you could sit you could physically see like an expression of of the situation, unfortunately. and it does It does look like it's got into the players' heads a little bit.
00:11:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Anyway, okay, that'll do for the ah first part the show. We'll be back in a second.
00:12:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
we're back here on the Daily Ipswich. So I was listening to the game, Rob, on the radio. It was on Five Live on Saturday afternoon. And ah halftime, when Mark Chapman was handing back to the commentary team,
Upcoming Matches and Coaching Challenges
00:12:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
he said, we'll stick with this unless it's a foregone conclusion.
00:12:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then we might head over to Wales to listen to the rugby between England and Wales, which I thought, one, is slightly... ah not his job because he's the presenter rather than the editor or producer.
00:12:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
But two, I was a bit like, wow, that's that's where it's got to that, you know, we kind of know the games. I mean, obviously at 3-0 down, you know, most of the time that game is over, but there's such a sense with Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester that it's just like, you know, the whole of the media, the whole of the narrative around it is just like, it's over, it's done.
00:12:52
Rob Binns
Thank you.
00:13:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then maybe there'll be a post-mortem into it, you know, at the end of the season or whatever. But, If that's the kind of feeling from the outside, what must McKenna have been saying, do you think, at half-time? Because he sent them out early.
00:13:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
He obviously gave them a bit of a rollicking. He made a couple of changes. What do you think he's saying at half-time and what did you see in the second half that was different?
00:13:26
Rob Binns
I can't imagine it was a ah positive team talk to to be a part of, definitely. But I think all he can do is just point out the ah clear...
00:13:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:13:36
Rob Binns
it's just It's basic errors, isn't it? It's like every it's the same every week. that He's fairly calm as a manager McKenna, but I feel like we're pushing him to a snapping point.
00:13:48
Rob Binns
like It's just such such basic errors week on week that...
00:13:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, yeah.
00:13:54
Rob Binns
not clearing your lines from a ball, like, De Lapp gets a solid head on it and just heads it backwards if they're over into the box.
00:13:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:14:01
Rob Binns
And then, like said, to be done by a nothing punt up the pitch from a centre-half and that end up with a winger ending up throwing goal, it's just, like, it's so, it's so poor and it's like, you can't put in, like, as a manager, there' what are you supposed to do about that? Like, you can set your team up in a certain way and it was clearly working for 35 minutes and then it's just, like,
00:14:24
Rob Binns
You can't plan for basic errors and we make them every week. It must be so frustrating for him that he just has to, at some point, it was going to have to just go, and something like this was going to have to happen so he could roll up them at half-time. And we did improve, but I think there was also an element of Forrest toning it down a bit because we would never score them four. Everybody there, everybody knew that.
00:14:46
Rob Binns
yeah We could have played the game. We could played for to the rest of the the whole evening. we would we wouldn't have had four goals by midnight. the way we are this season. It was game over, but
00:14:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
No,
Investment in Future Growth
00:14:57
Rob Binns
ah it was about showing a bit of spirit.
00:14:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
no.
00:14:59
Rob Binns
They say the cliche is go and win the second half. And so we, which we said we drew, we score both in the second half?
00:15:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, we did. We won the second half.
00:15:07
Rob Binns
Yeah, we did. Yeah. so Yeah, that's the list thats that's the cliche, isn't it?
00:15:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, we we won the second half.
00:15:11
Rob Binns
Go and win the second half to make up for the poor first half. so
00:15:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:15:15
Rob Binns
And that's what we went and done in the end. And that's all you can do. And that's like, you know, when you know you're not going to, there's no coming back from it that, put bit of dignity into the second half performance so don't walk away embarrassed because, say, if we hadn't have stepped it up, we could have, or we know, that could have been six or seven by full time.
00:15:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, um and obviously we did you know perform ah a lot better in the second half. You could argue that maybe Kiyuste's goal was actually all right. It took a little bit of a deflection and stuff.
00:15:46
Rob Binns
Mm-hmm.
00:15:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
But um anyway, we'll get to that in a second. He did make a change at halftime, McKenna, and as I say, sent him out early. um And clearly with his post-match interview and and talking about the game and stuff, he was very, very unhappy with the first half performance. And I think, again, going back to what we talked about, that That attitude almost at the first goal being conceded to to allow that to kind of snowball into the second and third to happen so quickly straight away was was obviously the the telling point in the game.
00:16:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
But he hauled off Greaves for Burgess. Why do you think that Greaves was the sacrificial lamb? Was he worse than anybody else?
00:16:22
Rob Binns
um Not particularly. I just think he and i think he struggled the most, I think. But that's probably because he was on Alanga's side. And that threat was there for me. I mean, to put the state we've got to now. that is so now I saw my fantasy team out this week and one of the first people I put in was Alanga because I looked at Forest options and thought, well, we know what we know how high Davis goes. Alanga is the Forest counter-attack threat.
00:16:48
Rob Binns
That pocket's going to be abused immediately. the entire game. I could see it coming that he was going to be one of the main men in this game. And I think that was how it turns out. so The pocket's there behind Davis. It is every week. It's just whether the players are good enough to make the most of it.
00:17:04
Rob Binns
He did and Greaves just looks so uncomfortable. It happened to then come across and try and deal with him. I think that it was more a case of we need a ah different profile of player.
00:17:17
Rob Binns
Out in that role, I think, was rather than it being him specifically, I think McKenna identified the problem position rather than a problem player and tried to rectify it.
00:17:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, it's a tactical thing, isn't it? And it's a setup thing. And I think it's something we can probably talk about in tomorrow's episode, Tactics Tuesday. but The Davis high up the pitch set up of Ipswich with a back four, obviously that's worked so well for the last two years, hasn't worked in the Premier League.
00:17:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
um There's multiple reasons for that, but it's not worked. It's not worked with him going forward. He's not got any any of those numbers, the and anywhere near those numbers, obviously from the championship season or anything. And defensively, he has been found out a little bit. Now, I think Davis would improve at that level, given more exposure to it.
00:18:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
But the tactics haven't helped him out. And obviously when we've switched to a back five, that's obviously changed the system and we've looked a little bit more solid on occasion or whatever. But it doesn't seem to me that Greaves can play in that system with with a left back high up the pitch. he He seems to get pulled out of position quite a lot.
00:18:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then if you've if you've moved O'Shea over to the right-hand side and taken him out of the middle with a bit more recovery pace that he does have, then you're relying on Wolfenden and and the back four just gets stretched all over the place.
00:18:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
So that's just not worked. Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting. And Burgess, you know, obviously is more comfortable, as we've discussed several times, playing with Davis and stuff and and covering that space and being a bit more positionally sound.
00:18:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Greaves grevees is an interesting one, isn't he? Because there was so much promise at the start of the season. And I think there is with him. He's still only 22, 23, but he has not looked comfortable for a lot of this season. And and it's an interesting kind of thing moving forward to see how Town can get the best out of him, really, because the profile of him as a player is is quite high. The ceiling seems to be quite high, but it's just not really worked with how we've set up this year.
00:19:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
um As we say, we did win the second half. Kiyuste scored a nice goal, was deflected. How did you... He actually completed the 90 minutes, didn't he?
00:19:19
Rob Binns
Yeah, i was going to say that.
00:19:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think he might have done.
00:19:21
Rob Binns
i don't think it's a coincidence that we talk... It's something we talk about every week about not finishing games well and that the pace of the game, in our case, drops off when he comes off a bit. I don't think it's coincidence he played 90 minutes and we scored two late goals for... We hadn't scored late goal for weeks until then we got two. I don't think that's a coincidence. ah Not just because he got one of them himself.
00:19:43
Rob Binns
But we just look... as ah we We just look so much better when he's on the pitch. And I know obviously there's there's the automatic clause if we stayed up that we'd get him fairly cheap, but you'd have to think that we're going to we go all out for a permanent.
00:20:00
Rob Binns
Even if we get relegated, it probably cost us a bit more money, but you have to think we'd go and try because he's he's so good. And so this little deflection, but we'll take we'll give him the credit for the strike. that Just to turn beforehand as well, like say almost the arrogance.
00:20:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
I
00:20:16
Rob Binns
You're 3-0 down at home just to whip that It's a Turn like that and smack in the top corner. he such a sos like It's been a revelation since November sort of time when he nailed his place down on the team. And hopefully this is a sign he got some more 90 minutes in him because he's essay is important and some goals as well.
00:20:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
i personally think though he's better further up the pitch. ah don't He doesn't really have like a lot of pace and athleticism. He's good and strong on the ball. He can hold on to the ball and stuff. But he's a bit like um Taylor in that sense, where he kind of like is slightly in between the positions.
00:20:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think he's probably better a little bit further up the pitch. I actually think the the evolution of Ipswich needs to be with another midfielder in there, I think. um We need someone more centrally if we're going to play the way we are with our full-backs.
00:21:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I mean, obviously that's a conversation for another time, but that area of the pitch has basically been the undoing, I i think, of the season. And I think when you've seen him at his best and his best attributes, turning on the ball, running with it, pressing, moving forward, etc., I think that requires him to be a little bit further up the pitch, stitching the play together.
00:21:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
And therefore, I think he can bring the attacking players into the game a little bit more. um But that does, as I say, require a different profile of player around him, I think, and behind him, which Morsi and Phillips, i'm I'm not sure if they are that player.
00:21:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
um What about the attackers? Because there was there's been so much discussion about the chopping and changing of combinations, trying to find the right three behind the lap. didn't really work. The ball wasn't sticking. it wasn't, the the combinations weren't really that effective particularly. And it's been the story of the season in that sense. What, what did you see and in this game that was any different potentially from, from previous weeks?
00:22:05
Rob Binns
ah It's so tough, that area. I think that's the big frustration for me. i expected we conceded a lot of goals that we did last year, but I thought we'd score a fair amount as well, particularly when you look at the so the quality we had at the start of the year and then quality brought in in January.
00:22:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yep.
00:22:20
Rob Binns
that We said it on the other day, didn't we, that they even got 10 goals combined, that group of like six players. that raing yeah i mentioned I've mentioned my got mate who's a Forest fan over the course of the He sent something in our group chat now that after this game, Milenkovic has scored, has the same amount of assists and more goals than Hutchinson.
00:22:43
Rob Binns
And Hutchinson's the top scorer of the ones we've got currently fit there because obviously it was is Smoddix who, but hit with him now after the season and like, that pretty much sums it up that obviously they are, they're a point of second now after this game with Arsenal, because Arsenal haven't played at time of recording, but like,
00:22:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yep.
00:23:02
Rob Binns
I'd say a centre-half, admittedly, for a much stronger team, having more goals than somebody who's like our third top scorer and plays in the number 10 every week, just sort of sums it up, really.
00:23:14
Rob Binns
And we we can't we haven't found a combination that sticks. We spoke about at the defence changes, but we never seem to play the same three for more than like two games in a row as well. and it's because the combinations just haven't been found there yet. And the best little spell we had...
00:23:31
Rob Binns
was back in sort of November, December time when it was actually Chaplin in the middle and Hutchinson out wide because they knew each other well. That that worked last year doing that. And that was sort of, that was like the most confident we've looked for a stage.
00:23:47
Rob Binns
And it's almost like it's a bit concerning.
00:23:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:23:49
Rob Binns
We've said about the defence before, but that we are at the point now where there is only eight games left and we still don't know, we don't know our best 11 and we don't know our best three to play across there.
00:24:00
Rob Binns
Because there's no obvious, even like relationships between two, there's no obvious ones that are built up that, right, we'll play these two and someone else on the other side. It's just, feel like you could pick anybody there and you near enough get the same result, which is so concerning.
00:24:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
i think I think an interesting thing as well is that the types of players they all are, we've we've spoken about how similar ah lot of them are realistically to to each other, particularly Philogene and Hutchinson, I say overlap quite a lot.
00:24:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
um None of them, apart from maybe Broadhead, and I'm talking about all of the options in that front line and maybe Schmoddix to a certain extent, none of them are particularly very good passers of the football They're not like we are we're really consistent, crisp parts of a football. We don't have the vision.
00:24:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
They've got other attributes, absolutely. Pace, trickery, can take people on, all that kind of stuff. But the reason why it's not all stitching together, I think, is because they can't pass to each other very well, not not to a consistent level. So they they are often, and Dillap's included in this, they are often playing kind of like individual football up the pitch. They're trying to kind of like,
00:25:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, go on 20 yard runs all the time by themselves and then release it to someone or release it into space or whatever. But, you know, for a number of reasons, it feels, and and consistency of selection might be one of them and injuries and all the rest of it.
00:25:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
They don't seem to have that combination. And the club have bought and picked, presumably at the manager's behest or whatever, the same profile of player that kind of do a similar thing.
00:25:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
But if you haven't got people that can pass the ball to each other, it's kind of irrelevant. And I think that's where we've lacked consistency all year, really. ah don't think Hutchinson is a number 10. I certainly don't think he's a number 10 at Premier League level. He might do it in the Championship.
00:25:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I don't really know why we've kind of persisted with that. I know Chaplin was deemed not good enough. Schmodix is now injured. Broadhead's never been tried there. Kiyuste's never been tried there. But we've kind of consistently gone back to Hutchinson as an answer to that problem.
00:25:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
And he's not good enough on the ball. I don't think he has that vision at the moment. And nor should he necessarily. He's 22 and he's been a winger all of his life. So that's just not really worked ah for me.
00:26:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, yeah, I don't know. we'll We'll see sort of like moving forward. But anyway, let's give it another quick break and then we'll come back for the final part of the show.
00:26:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Don't know what happened there. We're back for the final part of the show. um Rob, so we did get a second goal. We scored two goals at home for the first time in quite a while. And it was Georgie Hurst again getting on the score sheet.
00:26:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Is he going to be our number nine next season, leading the line again back in the championship?
00:26:41
Rob Binns
ah I think so at this point because it seems like we don't we haven't had any much interest in looking at strikers. Certainly we didn't in January that De Lape will go. That's nailed on.
00:26:53
Rob Binns
And it's then whether you go and recruit somebody else or do you hope your wing has chipped in with more goals to cover up the slack because actually, to go back to the previous point about people not being to pass to each other, that's actually something Hurst does really well compared to De Lape is that he
00:27:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it does. Yep.
00:27:11
Rob Binns
he gets he He drops in, he gets involved and gets the wingers in play rather than having to do it all himself like the lap seems to try to do all the time.
00:27:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yep.
00:27:19
Rob Binns
Because again, that's probably back to the frustration we say that he probably feels like he has to do it on his own because other people aren't stepping up. that ah That is what something Hurst brings, I think. and um actually think there's a lot of people in the squad that because of how fast track we've been, whether they've been recruited this season or say oh I have been there from League One. There's a lot of players in the squad that I think would actually benefit from a year in the Championship. that it might be ah ah This year might almost be a hit and another year in the Championship to build up confidence, get some better numbers on the board, hopefully go up again and then attack a Premier League on the second attempt.
00:27:58
Rob Binns
I think there'll be a lot players up. So people like Clark Hutchinson, I think, in that category as well.
00:27:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:28:04
Rob Binns
Hurst, if he's a regular starter. Again, I think there's a lot of players that could really have a year to almost come. Maybe they probably haven't been ready on this occasion, but another year next year, strong a strong year that. and And they probably would be ready the time after You've seen it with players before that someone like Mitrovic, for example, how good he is.
00:28:27
Rob Binns
He didn't succeed in the Premier League to about third or fourth time coming up. It was always a joke that he bagged 30 goals in Championship and then about five in the Premier League the following year. Then one year it just clicked.
00:28:38
Rob Binns
And then he had three really good, consistent seasons that sometimes players do just need that drop down. And you um if you sometimes you're not ready, you drop back down, you come back up and you are ready. that I think we've got a lot in that category that could maybe do with a... It might be a good thing for him in a way that if we go down and then hopefully if we then can come back up, we get more of a fight of it the next time, we more confidence and bit more experience because like said, we've got a young squad as well.
00:29:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's that ultimately is the beauty of the DLAP situation because He will go and Ipswich will get good money for him. And I think if you can almost completely validate the a the sort of process that they went through last summer and the and the and the kind of profile of players that they bought, because, you know, if Ashton gets 50, 55, 60 million for De Laap, we won't need to sell anybody else. We'll obviously get the parachute payments from the first year of going down.
00:29:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
And you'll still have a squad that has got a year of Premier League experience, you've just mentioned. that clearly has holes in it that you have a summer to kind of like go out and try and bring in two or three quality players and kind of know more than that. Cause I think if it's just kind of rip it up again and do the whole thing again, then you're constantly going to have to be building that kind of connectivity with the squad and stuff. So ultimately their, their plan long-term might work out because of how well the lap has done. And obviously because of the kind of profile and the potential of the player, um,
00:30:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And yeah, as to say, he might be the only one that we have to sell. I'm not sure if there's going to be a massive market for Davis. We were we were the ones, you know, we were all concerned at the start of the season that he'd have a good year and then go.
00:30:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah That might be the case, but you're not going to get him for a great price. You're not going to get a load of money for him based on the season he's had, I don't think. So he will probably stick around given that he signed a contract mid-season anyway.
00:30:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
So yeah. the the grand plan might actually work out after all. And I think you're absolutely right. Players will hundred percent improve from, from the experience as Will McKenna in terms of like, you know, pitting himself up against quality managers who have, let's be honest, probably worked us out um in the second half of the season. And that's, that's why we've had as poor runners we've had.
00:30:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
and Let's finish on something a bit more positive in, in today's episode. Well, actually that was quite positive to be honest, because I think next season could be really interesting for, for the club. Um, You know, at this stage, I think you mentioned actually, she Rob, we are now nine points behind Wolves because obviously they won at Southampton.
00:31:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Is it game over at this point?
00:31:13
Rob Binns
ah For me, I think I think i accepted it a few weeks back now.
00:31:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
To put you on the spot.
00:31:19
Rob Binns
But I don't know, the only sort of thing keeping the hope of alive for me is that we've got two weeks now. And it is a make-up to say the fact that in a way it's weirdly benefited us going out of the cup because I think having two weeks here because we haven't got too many international players and obviously the second week everyone's back anyway that iss like It's almost like a mini but it's having like having a pre-season in March.
00:31:47
Rob Binns
Get the heads together because obviously the second guy first game back is Bournemouth away. That's going be really tough, but they aren't great in these sort games at home, Bournemouth.
00:31:57
Rob Binns
ah walls Wall's got draw there, I'm pretty sure. I think... um got some Randomly, I've got my head Southampton, got a nil-nil there. I haven't fact-checked that at all, but Bournemouth struggle. like i I mean, Brentford aren't in the same category as us, but
00:32:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, they, that,
00:32:11
Rob Binns
They lost to Brentford this weekend.
00:32:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
They, yeah, they lost to Brentford.
00:32:13
Rob Binns
it's the sort of so It's the ones at home that they should win, that they're struggling.
00:32:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah.
00:32:19
Rob Binns
i Like I said, that Wolves game, but they where Wolves got a point. Bournemouth batted them. They could have been out sight at one point in the game. They didn't kill it off. Brentford last night, at 1-1, they had a few good chances. Brentford weathered a storm and scored a goal at the other end.
00:32:39
Rob Binns
It is... there's a chance there, but almost that almost is like a confidence builder for Wolves the following week. Because that's like any chance you have to win that game.
00:32:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:32:53
Rob Binns
Because that's a guaranteed three-point difference on the gap that's completely in your own hands. And I think having the fact with this two weeks now, like I say, effectively a little pre-season in March is...
00:33:06
Rob Binns
completely make or break this is where you devise up a new style of play or something like that something a new tactic to experiment with you' got two weeks to sit and mess about with it and train and you can play behind closed doors friendlies if you want to as well as other that we can say obviously over the international break there's barely anybody's playing hey you can speak to a championship club about coming up and just having a game this is where like we spoke before about trying out two up top or so if we do throw an extra midfielder in there maybe you'll
00:33:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:33:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yep.
00:33:35
Rob Binns
or try all try so somebody else in a different position. This is your two-week window try and go and do that. because And then you've got time to work around with it, try stuff out, see what works, and then throw it into into that Bournemouth game and then onwards for the other seven games after that. lady thats That's the chance, I think, is that if we hadn't had this two-week window, I'd have completely given up. But there's still that sort of glimmer of hope that McKenna's a good enough manager that he can he can conjure something up over this little two-week window that could work.
00:34:09
Rob Binns
And ultimately, I don't think the morale is going too low because ultimately, money we there's still a club going in the right direction as well. So going back to about people that leave is that it's not a like it wasn't the project isn't derailed because you failed at the Premier League at the first attempt that not many people expected us to stay up because we've
00:34:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:34:32
Rob Binns
fast track promotions from League One. that It's a club, it's it's going in the right direction and I don't think you're going to have disheartened players that are desperate to get out like you do a lot of times when teams go down.
00:34:44
Rob Binns
and so it's not ten it's not over yet, mathematically anyway. yeah So this is my last dying thing I'm clinging on to this two weeks.
00:34:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think that's fair. I think that's fair. You know, Bournemouth will have an FA Cup game against Man City, I think, at home three days before they play us or four days before they play us. their folk you know They're obviously very safe.
00:35:05
Rob Binns
Yeah, exactly.
00:35:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
they might They might qualify for Europe, but obviously going for the Cup has got to be the priority for them because that would just be the most incredible. um achievement So, yeah, that could play into our hands, but it has to be six points that week, ultimately, which is a huge ask. But look, I think you're right. It's it's one more shot, isn't it? and then we'll see where we fare um at the end of that Wolves game off after those two games in three days.
00:35:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
and But just to finish on a positive in terms of where the club is going, because you're absolutely right. No matter what happens this season, it feels as if this journey is very much still going forward. I think there's there's an even better chance because of the way things have gone that we keep McKenna anyway.
00:35:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
um So that would be interesting. And he sees the project through. And a big part of that project is the new training ground, which was announced this week that there is £30 million pound investment that's going to go ahead. Planning permission has been given to the club.
00:35:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
So over the next year, two years, I believe, it's going to be ah fully operational state-of-the-art training ground, which is going to drag town back up to... ultimately being able to compete at the top level if you know should we be able to get back up there ah if we get relegated this year so how how big is that Rob in terms of just this bigger project picture
00:36:18
Rob Binns
Oh, it's it' huge because it it benefits the it benefits the whole club, not just the not just the first team as well. Because improving the facilities then let the lets the academy, gives them what they need to group to step up to Category 1 status, which then you can start pulling in a higher class of youngsters. Obviously, you can then eventually come through into the first team.
00:36:40
Rob Binns
See the women's team going strong. again this year that there's there's a real project there. They want them to get it up into the Women's Championship that they get the benefit of the facilities as well to help them on their case.
00:36:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:36:51
Rob Binns
And it's also a selling point to players. like Obviously, the majority of players who come in will look at what's happening on the pitch, but it can like better facilities can win a tight decision if you've got two clubs offering you a similar contract. that Sometimes ah those since the facilities can make the difference in that case. And it'll be a huge but say It'll be a huge investment, obviously, to get it done, but it will really bring us up to the level because so we haven't been at this level for 20-odd years, so we've fallen behind.
00:37:26
Rob Binns
and you can i see You see it at clubs that even who have not been in the league for that long, like I've been at Stoke City before, just while I was at university, I've been up there, done a little big thing. Their facilities are fantastic. That's why they've got a Category 1 academy that They came down from the Premier League eight or nine years ago.
00:37:47
Rob Binns
And that's just that's only sort of 10 years or so after we were last in there. And the difference in the setup and everything is massive. that Keeping up to a Premier League level, if you don't do that, you felt you fall behind very quickly, which can have its repercussions in all areas of the club. So it's much needed. And I think it will be, ah say interpret when we talk about a project, this benefits the entirety of the club and it will I hope say it's the next stage on that.
00:38:14
Rob Binns
And it's a sign that, so we want, this is a stick around. This isn't little, this isn't like a little five-year boost where everything goes as well then it all falls apart again.
00:38:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah,
00:38:23
Rob Binns
This is investing for the long-term future of the club.
00:38:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah no, it's absolutely huge. And it means that, you know, whatever happens on the pitch this season, we can have that huge positive ah that's going to be going on over the summer and stuff. And hopefully, as you say, it means that personnel stick around, people want to come here and and it just improves the overall productivity of the club in general.
00:38:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
All right, fantastic. Thanks very much, Rob. um See you maybe tomorrow for Tactics Tuesday, where we can dive a little bit further into Towns' defeat to Nottingham Forest. But we're trying to finish on a bit of positive day here on Monday. Hope you all enjoy your start of the week and we will see you soon.