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Episode 82 - Crossover Thursday with Daily Fulham!
29 Plays8 days ago
On this week's Crossover Thursday Rob joined up with Gavin from Daily Fulham to look ahead to Sunday's match at Craven Cottage. The lads discuss how each will look to approach the game, January transfer targets and Town's chances of survival.
The Daily Ipswich Podcast, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, is the home of all your ITFC. Join us every weekday for the latest news, build-up and reaction in the club's first season back in the Premier League.
Host: Gavin Ruffell
Guests: Rob Binns
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Transcript
Introduction and Ipswich's Victory Against Chelsea
00:00:06
Speaker
sports podcast network Hello and welcome, welcome back. Welcome along to the Daily Fulham Podcast. It may be a new year but the fun doesn't stop and the football certainly doesn't stop. Today is our crossover episode as we build up to the game on the weekend. My name is Gavin Ruffell and it's a pleasure to introduce joining me from the Daily Upswitch Podcast. We have Rob. Rob, how are you doing? Are you still basking in the glory of that victory over Chelsea?
00:00:31
Speaker
Yeah, so we're not we're not have that many sort of of those results to go and celebrate really. So we're absolutely milking the life out there because nobody saw it coming. So particularly people outside the club that we go and do Chelsea over like that. So we all We will milk milk it all the way until Sunday and then we'll see how this result goes and well how we build from there. Yeah, absolutely. That's one thing these two team two teams do have in common is is winning over Chelsea, following the night from a fifth minute and Ipswich managing to muster their first home win of the season. Are you surprised it's taken this long for ah but them to win their first game at Portman Road? Yeah, I am actually, yeah. I thought it'd be the complete opposite i coming into the season. I thought that
00:01:10
Speaker
would be a bit like, a bit like Luton were almost, that they do quite well at home and then really struggle well, like how Brentford have been this year, maybe not to that extent of getting like two points away from home, but I thought we'd like all these sort of, these games like Leicester at home, Everton at home, them sort of games, I thought we'd win them like fairly comfortably and like we'd maybe nab a few results at home. And then it's almost been the opposite, we've been better away from home most of the time, but I think now we've sort of gotten the monkey off our backs.
00:01:38
Speaker
but getting that first one. So it took us 19 games in total. I don't know how many home games have been there, but yeah now we've finally got
Defensive Strategies and Team Improvements
00:01:46
Speaker
that first one off the line. I'm hoping we can kick on and get a decent run going at home now. Yeah, let's talk about that win then. What do you think the key was in getting that victory then? Well, youre honest we took we took some elements out of the game we had against Arsenal because So we lost we lost the game on the night, but we defended really well. like we lived Arsenal had probably two clear-cut opportunities in 90 minutes. I know they were missing Saka, who's obviously one of their most creative players. But but to limit a team who I think they scored the most goals and in at the a a club and has a car in England, I think. And they literally had the goal they scored and a corner header for Gabriel, which God knows how he missed, have unmarked at the back post. But to do that in 90 minutes against a team who's
00:02:31
Speaker
a team like Arsenal who are going to perform in front of goal that we sort of lifted the positives from that and then just tried to work on the the elements of that game that didn't work too well and then we just cracked it completely that we had all those defensive extra defensive elements say we dug in deep we rode our luck a couple of times to say I'm not I'll be the first to admit I wouldn't I'll be annoyed at that sort of penalty got given against they've got given against us and then then couldn't miss an open goal which was obviously nothing to do with us really that was just we don't we got away with that one but overall defended really well and we cut out those sort of sloppy elements so we we couldn't get a kick against Arsenal where we when we actually tried to go and break and we we got that into gear we actually managed to get the ball into the lap we stopped faffing about with the midfield just trying to run it out we just smacked it up with the lap and he had a field day against those Chelsea defenders because they're not physical centre halves any of the ones Chelsea have got so as for someone as physical as the lap is he just bullied them all game and we had a feeling that might happen but it went
00:03:29
Speaker
surpassed all sort of expectations there. He was unbelievable and that was a big element. That's what's missing was against Arsenal compared to against Chelsea, definitely. And do you hope that's now a springboard and now ah a boost to push on? And of course, as well, keeping the clean sheets, clean sheets are hard to come by in this league, especially playing against a team like Chelsea with the attacking players they have. So that's that's a bonus as well. Yeah, I mean, it's only the second one we've kept all season, I think. And so considering we changed goalkeeper going into the game as well, that we've all had serious, serious doubts about Mureich.
00:03:59
Speaker
Even in the Arsenal game, they only had two decent chances, really, but they had an offside goal. like He just threw himself. like He went with his feet. they went He almost went in for like a two-foot challenge as he attempted to save the ball, rather than just getting down and making himself big. And Jesus just rolled it under him from the tightest of angles. And we got away from the lineup. But he's been so unconvincing at different points here at various different points.
00:04:25
Speaker
like different things he's passed and sometimes looks a bit dodgy, sometimes takes 20 minutes to settle in a game. He's made some most heiress league to go up, anybody in the league that it was coming. Well, I say it was coming, but we didn't really expect it to happen at the same time because McKenna is not a manager who changes his goalkeeper mid-season, but he he took the brave decision. He took the risk and then say Christian Walton came back in, not played since the opening day when Meuris was injured.
00:04:51
Speaker
kept him and already matched Muirich for clean sheets now and he's played two games against Liverpool and Chelsea and he got a man the match as well so it was a risk it was a risk as much as we haven't really rated Muirich too highly but it's a risk it's always a risk of changing your goalkeeper and it paid off massively and I'm shooting Walton will be in net again on Sunday and going forward now until unless he has a run of bad games as well.
00:05:14
Speaker
And of course, this is a massive win in the great context in terms of the lead table. Go within just the point of Wolves.
Underdog Mentality and Premier League Challenges
00:05:20
Speaker
Wolves obviously are having a decent run, that new manager boost. And Everton, despite Everton having some decent results, getting points against the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal recently, they're within two points of Everton now. These two sides, they met at the end of August, the 31st of August. Do you feel more confident of survival now, or do you feel, would you have felt more confident headed into that game when the sides met early in the season?
00:05:43
Speaker
No, I think ah ah it was too early to tell, I think, at the start of the year. We we all sort of, and so especially at that point, it's early doors anyway, but we'd only play we'd got we had Liverpool at home and City away at that point. This was the sort of the first but normal game, if you can call it that. I don't want to say easy because nothing's easy in the Premier League, especially the way Fulham are playing this year, but but that was our first sort of We got thrown him in right at the deep end and then that was our the normal sort of game. we had't We didn't really know where we were at by the time we played Fulham last time. but We have a better idea now, half record of the season. and To be honest, if say if that Chelsea result would go on the opposite way, I'd probably be saying I'm less confident then, even though it was too early to tell, but because we've gone and got that Chelsea result, I think the boost that'll give us, Matt, like I say, getting that first home win finally ticked that off because the longer that goes on, the more shaky you're going to be and feel more pressure to go and get it. so
00:06:36
Speaker
and that's gone. I think that would be a big morale and confidence boost that we can we can take forward. And the pressure was on us. They say other teams have been picking up points in recent weeks. That gap was slowly creeping bigger. But so the advantage was like ever and especially that we made even get draws, which is obviously you can catch up fairly quickly by getting wins. we We it was really, really needed has come at a perfect time that Chelsea result and give us a new renewed sense of confidence going into the second half of season now that it's back down to one point. And we have got a tough run of games coming up.
00:07:05
Speaker
as well which is that that's where what works against us almost. And it's probably easy to forget for fans of other clubs just how rapid a rise this has been for Ipswich back-to-back promotions which is unprecedented really you don't see that in sort of modern modern day football and you've been used to winning a lot of games both in league one initially and then in the championship so how different a feeling has it been going into games now not expecting to win knowing that you are the underdogs for maybe 90% of them? i think we well actually I think we've learned to be better as an underdog now, because at the start, obviously, the start of last season, we didn't go into it expecting to win every single game. We thought that the goal for last season was like, in the early weeks, we we're thinking just stay up. And then we start building some good early points. and Then we thought, all right, maybe we've got a playoff push in us. And then and so as as the season went on later and later, we then start to keep up on the hopes and till we eventually got over the line with in the automatics. I think we knew it was going to be different this year, but I think that
00:08:04
Speaker
We've almost developed that underdog mentality. Like you look at the games we've won, they the two of our three wins all season have been two of the big six teams, obviously Spurs and Chelsea. And then we've got a point off Man United as well. We got a point against Villa at home when they were still flying at that time. I'd say that was literally two days before they beat Bayern and the Champions League. that And we went and got a point against them. But then it is those games like Leicester at home, Everton at home. We only drew it away at Southampton. It's those sort of games where we go in with more expectation that we're we haven't been stepping up in and up until walls. I think walls, like I say, that was the first game we went in with expectation to go and get something. And we did. And then now we follow that. Obviously, having that walls of our own, this Chelsea result in quick succession, I think will be a sort of two big things we had to sort of almost prove to ourselves we could do with that BIM. So turning up in one of those games and then getting that first home when we're showing we can do it now, we've ticked those off. And then let's try and set the standard now. but
00:09:02
Speaker
I think we work better as an underdog, so definitely this season. So I think so. I imagine we imagine most people would put us in the underdog going into this weekend, which I think will suit us quite nicely, hopefully.
Player Performances and Transfer Needs
00:09:14
Speaker
Yeah, and it gets brought up a lot, doesn't it, about teams coming up from the Championship, making the step up to the Premier League. We saw last season that all of the promoted teams went straight back down, and if we see the bottom three places, they're all occupied by those newly-promoted teams. don't I don't personally think it's helpful for the Premier League to so just see constant, the promoted teams get relegated, you want to see them making the fist of it, and which I think Ipswich would do. I'd be honest, I thought Ipswich would stay up at the start of the season, and I i still think you've got a great chance.
00:09:40
Speaker
I just wanted to know from someone that goes to the Games, what what are the noticeable differences in terms of that quality going from the Championship to the Premier League? I think in our case, ah ah last year we we won a lot of games like 3-2 or 4-3. We were leaking a lot of goals but we were sort of having to go out and we knew we could go and outscore people so we were all right to do that. like to the one game that stand out, we had Rotherham at home last year, considered an equalizer in the 90-something minute, and we literally scored from kickoff, one, four, three. eight That was just that mindset of, if you score three, we were going to score four. But we've we've known coming into the Premier League this year that we can't do that. We're not going to go, we can seek three to most Premier League teams. We'll lose we'll lose like 3-0, 3-1. We won't win 4-3. And that's been it. It's changed in that mentality or that
00:10:30
Speaker
how we play there, trying to be a bit more defensively solid. And so particularly with like, like I say, with Mureich, what we found is you can't get away with anything. nearly though the amount You make the slightest mistake at the back, you concede. And it's only really these last, so Newcastle was almost a wake up call really, because we were doing all right. and In terms of performances, maybe more than results, besides walls, we were playing very well. and We were looking fairly good at the back and then say Newcastle, we conceded in the first minute game plan, went out the window and we ended up losing 4-0 at home. That seems to have been a bit of a wake up call because the two games since then, Arsenal and Chelsea, we've set out with defence as a priority and then tried to hit on the break rather than sort of being our usual free flow and fast football, trying to interlink everything. We've sort of turned up five back, sort of set up hybrid five back almost with the having one wing back, get up and down as a winger as well. and
00:11:24
Speaker
to limit it to a 1-0 against Arsenal and we've kept a clean sheet and beat Chelsea. So I think that's probably the way we're looking at it now. Like I say, with the like seven of our next eight games are all fairly difficult. I think we've got Southampton at home and then we've got like City and there Liverpool's in there, United away. He's in there obviously, Fulham away. It's not an easy game at all. We've got Brighton in there as well. is That's all run now. I think we're going to go in with that mindset now. I think we're going to start trying to play a bit more for a clean sheet than we are to we happen to have more than two goals in the game all season. So that's the other thing. We can't go and outscore people because we don't score too many and we leap too many. So we're trying to become that sort of defensive side that can grind out results, which I've always said we we didn't have in our locker, but I've been sort of shown to, I've been proven wrong in the last couple of weeks that we can play like that and look good at doing it. So I think that's the sort of change we've had to make this year.
00:12:17
Speaker
Yeah, it's interesting you say that, and I think in the Premier you certainly do need to be adaptable and be able to change at the game, which I think if you look at Sephanton and Russell Martin, that's probably what cost him his job, didn't he? He just felt he could play the same way in the Championship with the same group of players, take it into the Premier League, and ultimately the step up, the difference in quality of the players you're coming up against. You're not able to do that with Sephanton, and he's paid the price for it, and you look at them, they're they're they're going to go down though almost certainly. So yeah, I think it's which credit to McKenna for acknowledging that and realizing that you do have to to change things up when the when the time calls for it. We'll continue this chat in just a minute as I want to focus on one or two of the Ipswich players. But before we do that, I just want to draw your attention to our sponsors here at GSPN. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform. Zencaster came out the clear winner with 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and r's
00:13:10
Speaker
It's super easy to start a podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description to learn more about Zencaster. So I want to just focus on one player who scored in that win against Chelsea, and that was Liam Delab. Get him back on the score sheet, albeit from a penalty. How big do you think that was for him? Why maybe have the goal stride up just in recent times? Has that to do with his performance level dropping off or is it lack of service?
00:13:39
Speaker
Well, so this is actually, we had a big discussion about this in our Chelsea preview episode and then where it was sort of instantly got proven wrong, but it has as partly like I say, why we linked to why we changed the way we play as well. But we've been sort of found out on the way we like to try and use the lap really that both in the sense of how we get him involved was like team just sort of fairly nullified his threat that say since the wolves game where he looked brilliant and he ran the show, then he had a few games in a row where and i actually a couple of games before Wolves as well that he just struggled to make an impact and service into him was getting blocked. So teams are starting to figure out, but they're starting to figure out his style of play as well because he's very physical. He likes to leave challenges in and he went from, I think he had one booking in the first sort of 10 games in the season, something or whatever, something like that. Then he go ah ah got four bookings in the next sort of
00:14:34
Speaker
He got three bookings in four games or something, or four bookings in six games to get banned. And then he got booked to get against Chelsea. He was in a little tussle against Arsenal, which I don't think he got a booking for. But it's the team just starting to know he's got that in his game and try and get to it to him. And they try and force him to get taken off because they know the options we have off the bench aren't as good. the That sort of... The teams know that if they sort of fight back, they can go that way and cut the service off, then it sort of limits what he can do. and He always felt that we thought we had a big conversation about that, then counted ourselves instantly that we said actually against Chelsea, we think it's the perfect game for them. If you look at what their build of centre halves is, the likes of Cole Will, Tossin.
00:15:17
Speaker
Dezazzi played in the end, even for Farna, who's injured. They haven't got that sort of big brute center half that would give him a good fight. They're all fancy ball playing defenders that aren't as strong as you'd think as as he is. And he could he felt that was a perfect sort of game for him for a confidence boost. And it worked brilliantly because he was fantastic against Chelsea. That was one of, say he's got a good catalog to pick from, but it was one of his best games of the season, definitely. hope I that sort of gives him that boost because I do think he was getting tired as well. and effectively haven't he had new class of off through suspension, he effectively had arsenal off because he barely got kicked. I think they're getting a bit of a rest in there that has helped him as well because he happens to form of especially he just looks shattered. And that's why we're desperate for but obviously January windows opened up now we are dying for a striker. Whether they say initially as a backup because we've lost first for injury again, but we were saying the other day that we're almost at the point now where
00:16:09
Speaker
someone's got to come in thinking they can knock the lap out of the team and then whether they actually can or not, you see over time or like someone's got to come in and we even need to change system and put two up from and give him more support of this and somebody new coming in or someone's got to come in and give him that serious fight because you know what happens sometimes, a bit of competition in there, players suddenly up their levels massively depending on what the sort of mindset he's got and he seems to have the right mindset to see when he's 21 as well that a striker coming through the door to maybe give him a bit of a fight, will either boost him on massively or when he does need a rest, we can actually give him a rest. We don't have to force him to play 80 minutes again because we haven't got good enough options on the bench to replace him. sir But he said he's been superb this season and I'm hoping that Chelsea games will kick on to get him back to the early season form now, but we'll see how it plays out.
00:16:56
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. He's going to be a massive player, if it's which artist in league, in my opinion, he has already been linked with moves, even back to Manchester City after they just let him go. Rumours that Pep would be interested in in bringing him back there. And he was very impressive in the in the game at Portman Road during the season. I thought he bullied, bullied Calvin Bassi in the city up. He was a real friend. and he He ended up scoring it.
00:17:16
Speaker
a goal from about 25 yards in that game as well. So we talked about one play who's been brought in in the summer. Are there any players maybe in the transfer window that came in that you expected more of but haven't they be delivered?
00:17:28
Speaker
Yeah, there's a couple in there in all honesty. I think Phillips is the obvious one. He's just, I'd say every time I get asked about Phillips or whoever does these crossovers gets asked about him near enough every week and I wouldn't really say him in my in my case, personally, my opinion on the signing hasn't changed from day one, which they say well but as soon as we got linked to him, and i think so I think actually you guys might have been one of the other teams, one of the three teams that was going for him before he picked us in the end. that I said on that day, as soon as that sort of tweet came out from Fruite Zero Romano saying that he was between these three clubs, I said, them not for me, too risky. it be is what maybe It would be good for a sort of statement of intent, maybe,
00:18:12
Speaker
We want to try and compete at this level. We're getting these names in, obviously but an England starter for many years, coming in from Man City. We know the player that was there years ago, but I thought he's not been at his best for three years now. And it's not only just the way he plays, but it's the fact he's a fitness record. luck Considering he hardly plays at City, he got an injury and train in training there enough every month. He got three injuries or something at West Ham last year. He's had a few injuries already that It's just, I thought it was a massive risk. Obviously, the difference of it being a loan, if you were going to go for someone else, you'd have to buy them. So it's a bit more cost effective. It's a good loan, Phillips in. But I was saying, I'd rather go and sign someone from the championship that had had say played 30 odd games last year and looked impressive, rather than Phillips, who played 10 games and looked quite poor, and a lot of them for West Ham. I always felt it was a risk, and it hasn't paid off so far, because he looked very good against Villa. That was his standout game. but then
00:19:06
Speaker
Most of his other games, he's looked fairly poor. And I can say he's picked three different, and he's picked up three different little knocks that made him miss games. So he can't even consistently be available.
Exceeding Expectations and January Transfer Priorities
00:19:16
Speaker
Yeah. So, so you don't see him maybe reaching the levels that he, he, he was at when he was at Leeds and a consistent member of the England team. No, I, I don't, I, in all I've seen though, I think that it's been too long since that's happened now to say but that final was three and a half years ago now, which was probably said near and that Euro's campaign, probably his peak.
00:19:37
Speaker
Let's say with three and now by the end of this season, if you look at say how this loan plays out and then obviously there's always a debate of do you go back in on the permanent, but that would have been four years by then since he's hit that sort of the peak of his powers almost. I'd say obviously players' careers peak at different points, but we were discussing this a few weeks ago on the podcast. we did I think he did just peak early. I think he did think that was his best the best level he could reach, I think, and that just happened to be at like However, it was a 24, 25, or whatever it was back then. I don't think, because of all these little niggly injuries he's picked up in the last two or three years, he can't really, even if he's playing well, he doesn't get more, he's not available for more than sort of five games at a time. I just don't think he can get back to that level. And so I wouldn't be, certainly not consider, I wouldn't be considering that ever becoming a permanent from the summer onwards, unless things drastically improve in the last sort of, well, the last half of the season.
00:20:34
Speaker
so we we've talked about there we focus on a player that's come with a high big reputation or hasn't maybe delivered and of course Ipswich have got a squad there's still players there that were there were in the league one day so they're on the flip side that there may be players in that squad that you felt couldn't cut it a Premier League but have pleasantly surprised you. Yeah actually yeah there's been there's been some players that I thought would do well but they've like like Mausie for example I didn't think I thought he'd do well but I always I thought he almost be trying to get phased out with like Phillips coming in. coyusa as well I thought he'd be the one to, because he started to drop out again on a bit, but he's adapted really, really well. He's taken to it just as he did the championship. He's just taken to it. Like he's played there his whole career, just really clicked into gear. But the big one for us, there Cameron Burgess, who says not played the last couple of games because he doesn't really suit the back three that pull the back five even that we've gone for the last couple of games. But he only like,
00:21:29
Speaker
He's come into the team. He was a key player, league one and championship, but he only came into the team because Greaves got injured. Like we went and spent 20 million pounds on the center back. We didn't think he was good enough for this level. So we wanted someone to start ahead of him. He only came in because Greaves got injured and he was just been, he's been fantastic ever since he came in. So he, he would struggle to, he's only come out the team because he doesn't suit the back three very well. That's the other, if we were still sticking with the back four, he'd have played, he'd have played both these games, I reckon there'd be no reason to take him out the team on form. He's been superb. And he was one of them that we sort of looked at the start of the year of like, if you get another, if you get a decent enough offer from championship or somewhere, you probably just take it because he's not, he would say he's an international footballer and he's clearly a top player, but he was one we sort of felt of same sort of bracket of people like George Edmundson who did go out on loan and Marcus harness and that bracket really that maybe they'd do a job occasionally or no sub appearance or
00:22:28
Speaker
the odd game on a rotation but we didn't think they'd be anywhere near good enough to consistently be a starter and say he's had a fantastic run in the team Burgess and then he's sort of been forced out by the change of system rather than anything to do with his own form. So he's our standout really of somebody who goes under the radar and surpassed expectations.
00:22:49
Speaker
Interesting. And you touched upon it there when we were talking about Liam Delappe, the need for maybe bringing in another striker just to take the pressure off his shoulders. Do you think McKenna will be busy, Ipswich will be busy this month in bringing in new players? Yeah, I think so. I think we need sort of three or four, really. i suppose is Obviously, you spent a decent amount of money in the summer, and made 11 signers, I think it was, but it hasn't had the ideal outcome. Some of them say some of them a fair bet than others. Like we said, I think we need striker is top of the list by far. I think we could do another winger as well, really, because we're still that right hand side spot. Still sort of no one's going to claim it as their own yet. Hutchinson's played quite well there, which is what we tend to be going with at the moment. But Burns was who actually, to be fair to him, was fantastic against Chelsea, but that was in a wingback role when he's played on the right. The only one who's sort of gone to claim it was Ogbenet and then he got injured out for the season. So
00:23:47
Speaker
because he is out for the season. I would go and look for another winger there as well. Probably a midfielder as well, because I'm not convinced on Phillips. Morsey and Koestas are two are very good. but If either of them gets a decent term injury, I wouldn't trust Calvin Phillips for a month or two in the team. But we've got Jack Taylor as well, but I prefer him further forward than I do in the pivot. That's just whether that's a personal thing, or I'm not sure how that compares with sort of the fan base in general. but So I'd be looking, so midfielder, winger, and ah ah but primarily a striker. And I probably would look for a goalkeeper as well, despite Walton's performance against Chelsea, because I don't, I wouldn't want to see Muric come back in, but I'm still, I'm not a hundred percent convinced of Walton as a consistent Premier League star. He's looked good the two games he's played, but his last consistent run of the team was back in league one. So that's a big jump up to then start playing Premier League football every week. So I'd maybe look at
00:24:44
Speaker
but Obviously, it's hard in January because it but pretend depends who's available, but that would be the four areas I look at, but absolutely have to go and get a striker. Anything else would say is kind of needed, but they're more they're much more luxury positions that we have got talent there. So striker and winger are the top two for me anyway, but say striker. If we don't sign a striker, we're in big trouble because if the lap gets injured, we don't score any goals.
00:25:09
Speaker
Interesting. And do you think McKenna, the way he looks at things, is he looking at Premier League experience or do you think he's equally happy enough to go shopping abroad?
Preview and Strategies for Upcoming Fulham Match
00:25:19
Speaker
ah To be fair, shopping abroad is not something we really do. like say It was really out like out of what out of the sort of normal comfort zone for Ipswich to go and get Cayuste on loan. that's said Obviously Brentford, he was basically nailed on to go to Brentford and I think he failed his medical or something, fell through late on. So we thought, well,
00:25:36
Speaker
He seems like a good enough player. And he's ah if he's available now and he wants to come to England, we'll go for it. But we don't often foray into the foreign markets of players. We tend to recruit from the leagues below us. So say we we picked up a lot of our League One squad. We picked up from bottom half League One and they're all League Two teams. And then we got promoted to championships. Some of the players we brought in, like Taylor, were signed down from League One. We've always been sort of loaned from higher up and signed from down below. So I think we probably look more towards a championship.
00:26:07
Speaker
But, so Mark Ashton has come out and said after with their co-stay loan deal that that's something we want to explore because it's not sustainable to exclusively buy from England. So especially if we want to stay if we want to stay up this year and establish ourselves as a Premier League club, we need to go and start striking some deals up in the foreign markets. So I'm interested to see, but I think for the sake of January, I'd imagine we just go championship and sort of look at the best players in each position and try and creep them up and see how they play at this level.
00:26:38
Speaker
And it's funny you mentioned Kaius, they'd be nailed on to go to Brent for there. Another player that looked like he was going to Ipswich as well was Rhys Nelson. You said he needed a wing and he would have felt fit that bill, but obviously you may he's gone to Fulham. Injured at the minute, but he's made a decent impact for Fulham. I'm sure if he did go to Ipswich, he probably would have been an improvement on maybe the players that's currently there. We'll look forward, just in a bit greater detail to this much, look at some team news, what we can expect from the game. But before we do that, let me tell you all about GSPN.
00:27:05
Speaker
The Global Sports Podcast Network is changing the face of football podcasts. With dedicated daily content for every Premier League team, women's football, fantasy football and a daily Premier League rapper broadcast in five different languages, it's your one-stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcasts. So let's look ahead to this game and are you expecting any team changes from the win against Chelsea?
00:27:32
Speaker
I'm not sure, to be honest, because I didn't expect the team against Chelsea at all, to be honest. too So we sat down and it's pretty much everything we shared doubts about in our preview episode, we stuck with and it worked. So I think when you get a result as good as that, the England is going to be, we see the same team out there, really. I thought it was a broad head. It was his first start of the season. He played very well. So I'd expect him to stay in, but it would be Smodex coming in for broadhead would be, or Burns maybe, and Broadhead going to the right would be the one you'd look at. But I think the broadhead and Burns both justified another, justified their name to be on the team sheet against Chelsea. So the only question mark would be whether McKenna sticks with the sort of hybrid five at the back against Fulham, or does he go for it a bit more? Does he reserve that for the sort of when the big six teams come to town or when we go away from home? Is that just, like I say, an Arsenal Chelsea to
00:28:26
Speaker
sort style player was that what we're going to go with now and as long as it's working so that being yeah was actually got as that was actually Yeah, sorry to cut, and I was actually going to be my next question is, how do you think McKenna's going to approach it? Because one of the things you said earlier was there's been more an emphasis on the defense destruction, a bit more solidity in the last couple of games, obviously playing Arsenal away, playing Chelsea at home. Do you feel like he will go into this game? Or be it Fulham, aren't Fulham, aren't in good form, maybe they don't have that name and they feel like they can go to go to Craven Cottage and win the game. So what do you think the focus, the emphasis ah ah is in terms of the approach for this game?
00:29:03
Speaker
think course I think it's going to be on a bit more of a defensive focus, certainly to start with. as That's what you need to do. And youre if you're going a tough game away from home, you know, obviously, the first rule of it is stay in the game as long as possible. So sometimes not even till late in the second half, DC teams really go for it. But I think the thing is with Arsenal and Chelsea is that we've also known coming into the game actually from using Fulham as one of the examples is that both Fulham, both Arsenal and Chelsea's previous games before playing Ipswich were against Fulham and Everton, who both played five back, well-drilled defensive setups, and they both struggled. So wea saw we had a template there to follow. It's always been what we expect Fulham to do, I'd say, because it's, do you come back in with, do you do three-cent-and-a-halves, Cassanya Robinson wing backs, and do that again? Or do you go back to a four and, yeah as I say, a home against a relegation team?
00:30:01
Speaker
at home, do you go for it a bit more? And that maybe means we can go for it a bit more as well to sort of match what Fulham do. I think it's always been mind given both managers, I think they'll be setting their teams up based on how they think the other one will rather than necessarily what they think is best. I think they'll go to match each other almost.
00:30:19
Speaker
Yeah, it's a very good question, actually. I'm not entirely sure what Fulham will do because when they did play the five in the back against Chelsea, they were almost forced into that in a way because they had a lack of options while they had some injuries. Sasha Lukic was fit for the game, but Sanderberger...
00:30:32
Speaker
was injured after going off in the Southampton game so that forced him into a change and also Anderson has recently just come back from injury I almost feel like he's at a point still where he doesn't want to drop his city up because he said the he made the mistake on the weekend which was the poem of equalizing goal which is unfortunate but before that he's been really saw didn't play in some tough games again as well against Arsenal Liverpool and he's not put a foot wrong So I almost felt the five at the back came because he didn't want to drop Isid Diopp but he also wanted Joachim Anderson in his team. So we kind of stumbled upon it and then he kept it for the game against Bournemouth and Anderson actually didn't have a particularly great game. Although Isid Diopp, his mistake was more highlighted because it led to a goal. He was probably better on that day than Joachim Anderson.
00:31:12
Speaker
So in terms of the Fulham section, I'm not entirely sure whether they do go back to a four. it It probably will depend on if Sander Berger is fit. If he's not, then they'll probably just continue to do what they've been doing. But looking at Fulham from an Ipswich perspective, what do you see as the strengths in the team? And maybe what are the weaknesses that Ipswich can look to exploit? Well, I think this ah ah one of the big things with Fulham recently is that ah ah you stay in the game until the dying moments. You always say it's like Ballmer for like that as well. You always felt that was a game that had a late goal in it. And then I've seen the turnarounds obviously against Brentford and Chelsea very late in the games. They're not a team that, especially when you're someone like us, and we don't tend to hold on to leads very well, that you wouldn't feel safe even if we're... Well, you play in a team that don't want to lead as well. Yeah. Well, for them in the same boat, I think Fulmer dropped more points than any other team from many positions this season.
00:32:09
Speaker
I think for Fulham it'll be interesting to see how they start in this game but because they have had a couple of games recently against teams towards the bottom end of the table. Southampton at home and ah Wolves at home which has been in the middle of a run of really hard games where they played the likes of Spurs away, they played Arsenal at home, they played Liverpool away, played Chelsea away.
00:32:27
Speaker
got positive results in those games, but in those games where they're probably more there's more of an onus and expectation on them to win those games, they've looked flat, lacked that urgency, lacked that energy, and the Southampton game is particularly disappointing. You've got a team there that's barely getting any points. and they created one chance in the whole game. So from a full-on perspective, you can hope they can replicate the performance levels that they've shown against the teams higher up in the
Key Players and Predictions for Fulham Match
00:32:50
Speaker
table. going back to Ipswich, who who do you think might be the key players in looking to make a difference and get a positive result in this game? Well, so obviously Dilap, because he had a fantastic game against Fulham in the reverse fixture at Portland Road. So the goal he scored was, he picked up on the
00:33:10
Speaker
when he almost got, when Chelsea he just picks up on half way line and just doesn't let anybody get near him until he's in the penalty area. it or And that was in the case of the Fulham one, he even reached the penalty area, he caught everyone out by hitting it early, but he had a really, really good game in that sense. that so i here He's obviously going to come into the game full of confidence after the Chelsea game and he's going to know that he's played this this defensive setup before and he and he enjoyed himself. So I think he will be full of confidence. And then Hutchinson as well because He has been with a bit lot of debate with the same debate on this podcast a couple of times where we talk about his season, like the expectation he had coming into it because of how good he was last year. But we went out. He was top of McKenna's list for science. We paid good money for him. that He has been fairly underwhelming in a lot of games this season. Arsenal especially, I thought he had a really poor game, and if I'm being honest. and then
00:34:03
Speaker
he was getting much like the team generally really just kept the feet the positives and he was very good against Chelsea. Took the goal well so he's only scored against United before that and missed a big chance against Wolves we ended up scoring from anyway but so yeah basically he's not looked very confident in front of goals so I think he's another one that will take a big boost from that Chelsea game and we look a lot better when he's on form also even all the way back to the run in last year in the championship when he's and he's flying and he looks like he's enjoying his football and he's playing well, we look a lot more threatening as an attack. So so if he if he is on form, again like he was against Chelsea, that will bow well for us. But if he has another game like Arsenal where he just holds onto the ball for too long and doesn't find his passes, then we'll probably struggle with ah to build any attacks together. and that's what so that's what we've That's been the concern of him is he has a lot of good games like that. He hasn't really put
00:34:58
Speaker
He's only able to one spell of two or three he games where he's consistently played well. He normally drops a fairly poor performance in there and this season as he still adapts to the level. So I'm hoping he doesn't, yeah I'm hoping he pushes on from Chelsea, but that's where the key is to me really on how well we play or not. Depends on how well he plays almost.
00:35:17
Speaker
Yeah, I guess the hope for Ipswich fans is you can take the confidence from that goal against Chelsea and take it forward into the games coming up in the second half of the season. We can't finish this episode without a score prediction. What are you going for? I think it's going to be a tough game, to be honest. I'll say Fulham, I don't really know what to expect because you're having a good season. You've got some very good results. You've got to say beating Chelsea away, point away at Liverpool, point at home to Arsenal. And you say, well, then it's Southampton own, Wolves own, there's almost guaranteed three points you think when you've learned that well around that you haven't, haven't got over the line, which sort of gives me hope coming into it. And we're going to be flying on confidence, I think, but so you're a very full on a good team. They've had a very good season. I think, I think we do well to go and win. I mean, I said all the same stuff against Chelsea and, and it worked basically. I sat there against Chelsea saying it's tough game that maybe if we play really, really well, we might, we might nab a draw and then we beat them. So I'm going to apply that same logic again.
00:36:16
Speaker
I think it's going to be a tough game. I think if we turn up, we can get a solid one or draw. And I'm going to hope that that actually means we beat you. Yeah. I'm going to go for a full and win, but I think it will be tight. I'm going to go for 2-1. I just hope they have learned from those games against Southampton and against Wolves. And they know in the Premier League you've got to be at it in every game, not just get up for it for the big games.
00:36:40
Speaker
and you know Sometimes the atmosphere at Craven Cottager can be flat. This is what a Sunday kick off at two o'clock, is it? Something like that. So it's up to the players to lift the crowd, not necessarily always have to rely on it being the other way round, as is the case when you're playing the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, e etc,
Conclusion and Sign-off
00:36:56
Speaker
etc. So a 2-1 win for Fulham to continue their unbeaten run to eight. Any final thoughts, Enrod, before we wrap up?
00:37:06
Speaker
although I think it's going to be interesting. I think it's going to be, I think it'll be an entertaining game, which I can say is something that we not really been involved in too many of recently that I've been saying, I think I said after the, we lost one nil to forest that it was switching boring games. Don't tend to go together. That was an outlier. And then we've had sort of three or four more boring games since then. and The one that wasn't boring until chair. So we got B four nil. So.
00:37:30
Speaker
I'm hoping we turn the corner again now and we don't we don't get another boring game. Because I say it's two-site, full and we're in good form and we'll be full of confidence. So I'm hoping it's entertaining if nothing else. Because so it's also safe for us say for our side of things as well. We don't yeah't tend to get on TV very often or play on Sunday very often. So hopefully it was a nice nice opportunity for us as well.
00:37:53
Speaker
Yeah, and as as you quite rightly said, there are often a lot of late goals in Fulham's games, sometimes going forward, then quite often going against them. So just don't switch off before the 90th minute, because there might be a goal in that game, no matter what way it's going, no matter which end it goes in that. That'll do things for today's crossover episode as we start the build up to the weekend's game against Ipswich. Many thanks to Rob for joining me on this one, and we'll catch you all on the next one. Every club. Every club.
00:38:25
Speaker
The Global Sports Podcast Network.