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00:00:01
Crossover Special: Ipswich
47 Plays8 days ago
Gavin speaks to Rob from the Daily Ipswich podcast as the build-up to Sunday's clash begins. We get the lowdown on the Tractor Boys in terms of survival chances, transfer targets and how they will look to approach the game.
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Overview
00:00:08
Global 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.
Ipswich vs Chelsea: Post-Match Analysis
00:00:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
My name is Gavin Ruffle and it's a pleasure to introduce joining me from the Daily Upswitch Podcast. We have Rob. Rob, how are you doing? and Are you still basking in the glory of that victory over Chelsea?
00:00:31
Rob Binns
Yeah, so we've not had 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 we will me milk it all the way until Sunday and then we'll see how this result goes and well how we build from there.
00:00:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, absolutely. That's one thing these two team two teams do have in common is is winning over Chelsea, full them in the night from a fifth minute and Ipswich managing to muster their first home win of the season.
00:00:56
Rob Binns
Hmm.
00:00:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Are you surprised it's taken this long for ah but them to win their first game at Portman Road?
00:01:04
Rob Binns
Yeah, I'm actually, yeah, I thought it'd be the complete opposite, like coming into the season. I thought that 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.
00:01:32
Rob Binns
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 got the monkey off our backs while getting that first one. So it took us 19 games in total. I don't know how many home games had been there, but yeah so now we've finally got that first one off the way. I'm hoping we can kick on and get a decent run going at home now.
Defensive Strategies and Key Performances
00:01:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, let's talk about that win then. What do you think the key was in getting that victory then?
00:01:56
Rob Binns
ah Well, you're 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. 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 that to limit a team who I think they scored the most goals and in at the a a club and it as 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, unmarked at the back post. But to do that in 90 minutes against a team who's
00:02:31
Rob Binns
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 there's not 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 and that might happen but it went
00:03:29
Rob Binns
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.
00:03:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
And 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.
00:03:51
Rob Binns
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. 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 he 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 with it from the lineup. But he's been so unconvincing at different points here at various different points. like Different things. He's passing sometimes, but it's a bit dodgy. sometimes takes a
00:04:30
Rob Binns
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 and 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 Muris was injured. Kept him and already matched Muris 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 Miurich too highly, but it's a risk it's always a risk of change to goalkeeper and it paid off massively and I'm shooting Walton will be in net again on Sunday and going forward now until and I see as a run of bad games as well.
00:05:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
And of course, this is a massive win in the great context in terms of the lead
Ipswich's Season Evolution and League Strategy
00:05:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
table. Go within just the point of Wolves. 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. um 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
Rob Binns
No, I think it was too early to tell, I think, at the start of the year. We it 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, because 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 in right at the deep end, and then that was our normal sort of game.
00:06:10
Rob Binns
that 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 it's 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 we look more shadde longer that goes on, the more shaky you're going to be, and feel more pressure to go and get it. So no, that's fine. I think that'll be a big morale and confidence boost that we can we can take forward. And the pressure was on us. Like you say, other teams have been picking up points in recent weeks. That gap was slowly creeping bigger. They said the advantage was like everything, especially that we've maybe been getting draws, which is obviously you can catch up fairly quickly by getting wins. we we It was really, really needed. It's 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 as well, which is that that's where what works against us almost.
00:07:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
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.
00:07:33
Rob Binns
i think why actually I think we've learned to be better as an underdog now because at 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 and the early weeks we were thinking just stay up and then we started 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 started to keep up on the hopes and until 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 we've almost developed that underdog mentality like you look at the games we've won there are two of our three wins all season have been two of the big six teams obviously Spurs and Chelsea and then
00:08:15
Rob Binns
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 away at Southampton. It's those sort of games where we go in with more expectation that we we haven't been stepping up in and up until Wolves. I think Wolves, I'd say, that was the first game we went in with expectation to go and get something.
00:08:43
Rob Binns
And we did. And then now we follow that. Obviously, having that walls of our on 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 it's trying to set the standard now. But I think we work better as an underdog. So definitely this season. So I think so. I imagine we can imagine most people with some personal underdog going into this weekend, which I think will suit us quite nicely, hopefully.
00:09:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
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. um i 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, um 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.
00:09:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
I just wanted to know from someone that goes to games what what are the noticeable differences in terms of that quality going from the Championship to the Premier League.
00:09:51
Rob Binns
I think in our case, ah last year, we we won a lot of games, like three, two or four, three, although we were leaking a lot 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 rather room at home last year, considered an equalizer in the 90 something minute. And we'd actually score from kickoff, one, four, three. 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 see 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's changed in that mentality and all that, how we play there, trying to be a bit more defensively solid. and So particularly with like, like say with Mureich, what we found is you can't get away with anything. nearly 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.
00:10:50
Rob Binns
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 so limited it to a 1-0 against our storm. 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 think seven of our next eight games are all Fairly difficult. I think so. We've got Southampton at home and then we've got like City and their Liverpool's in there United aways in there obviously full them away. It's not an easy game at all. We've got Brighton in there as well that
00:11:46
Rob Binns
It's that sort of run now. I think we're going to go in with that mindset now. I think we're going to stop trying to play a bit more for a clean sheet than we are to could be very, we haven't scored more than two goals in a 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.
00:12:15
Rob Binns
I think that's the sort of change we've had to make this year.
00:12:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
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 it? 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 going to go down goal, 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
00:13:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
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.
Player Focus: Liam Delab's Impact
00:13:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Getting back on the score sheet, albeit from a penalty. How big do you think that was for him? Why maybe have the goal strived up just in recent times? Has that to do with his performance level dropping off or is it lack of service?
00:13:41
Rob Binns
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 said, 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 walls as well, that he just struggled to make an impact and service into him was getting blocked. So 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 got, he got four bookings in the next sort of, he got three bookings in four games or something, or four bookings in six games to get banned.
00:14:40
Rob Binns
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 ah the pet team's just starting to know he's got that in his game and try and get to it to him and 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, 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 and then counted ourselves instantly. that he said that actually against Chelsea we think it's the perfect game for him. If you look at what their build of centre halves is, the likes of Cole Will, Tossin, Dezazzi who played in the end, even for Farner who's injured, they haven't got that sort of big brute centre half that would give him a good fight. They're all fancy ball playing defenders that aren't as strong as you'd fit as as he is and he could 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
00:15:36
Rob Binns
one of say He's got a good catalog aue to pick from, but it was one of his best games of the season, definitely. I hope that sort of gives him that boost, because I do think he was getting tired as well. And effectively he had't he had Newcastle off through suspension.
00:15:47
Rob Binns
He effectively had Arsenal off, because he barely got kicked.
00:15:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:15:50
Rob Binns
I think they're getting a bit of a rest in there that has helped him as well, because he had a Bournemouth, especially. He just looks shattered. And that's why we're desperate for, but obviously, January windows opened up now.
00:16:01
Rob Binns
We are dying for a striker. whether they say initially as a backup, because we've lost Hurst for injury again.
00:16:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:16:07
Rob Binns
But we were saying the other day that we're almost at the point now where 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.
Transfer Needs and Managerial Preferences
00:16:21
Rob Binns
So listen, somebody new coming in, or someone's got to come in and give him that serious fight. Cause you know what happens sometimes, there's a bit of competition in there. Players suddenly up there, they're all massively depending on what the sort of mindset he's got. And he seems to have the right mindset 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 game's a kick on to get him back to the early season form now, but we'll see how it plays out.
00:16:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
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 peppers. Rumours that pep would be interested 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.
00:17:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
a goal from about 25 yards in that game as well. So we talked about one player 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 maybe delivered?
00:17:31
Rob Binns
Um, yeah, there's a couple in there in all honesty. I think Phillips is the obvious one. He's just, I would 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 in my, in my case, personally, my opinion on the signing hasn't changed from day one, which that I say, well, as soon as we got linked to him. And I think, so I think actually you guys might've 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 that sort of tweet came out from Fruite Zero Romaino saying that he's between these three clubs, I said then, not for me, too risky. it be is what Maybe it would be good for a sort of statement of intent, maybe. We want to try and compete at this level. We're getting these names in, obviously, an England starter for many years, coming in from Man City. We know the player that was there years ago, but I thought,
00:18:25
Rob Binns
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. Considering he hardly plays a city, he got an injury 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 sort of, I thought it was a massive risk. Obviously the difference of it being alone, 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.
00:19:01
Rob Binns
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 stand-out game. But then most of his other games, he looked fairly poor. And I could say he's picked three different and he's picked up three different little knocks that made him miss games.
00:19:15
Rob Binns
So he can't even consistently be available for the bench.
00:19:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
so so you you would yeah so So you don't see him maybe reaching the levels that he he was at when he was at Leeds and a consistent member of the England team?
00:19:21
Rob Binns
that
00:19:27
Rob Binns
No, ah I don't, i'm in all I've seen though, I think that it's been too long since that's happened now. I'd say but that firing almost three and a half years ago now, which was probably said near and that Euro's campaign, probably his peak. Let's say with three now by the end of this season, if you to look at say how this loan plays out and then obviously there's always a debate of do you go back in on a permanent, but that'd have been four years by then since he's hit that sort of the peak of his powers almost. and 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 ah just happened to be at like, however, up to 24, 25, or however old he 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, even if he's playing well, he doesn't get more that he's not available for more than sort five games at a time. I just don't think he's
00:20:23
Rob Binns
can get back to that level and so I wouldn't be certainly not consider i wouldn't be considering that that but can' ever becoming permanent from the summer onwards unless things drastically improve in the last so or the last half of the season.
00:20:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
So we we've talked about that. We focus on a player that's come with a high, a big reputation or hasn't maybe delivered. And of course, Ipswich have got a squad. There's still players there that where they were there when the league won. These are 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.
00:20:56
Rob Binns
Yeah, actually, yeah, there's been, there's been some players that I thought would do well, but they've, like, like, Mozzie, for example, I didn't think, I thought he'd do well, but I also, I thought he almost be trying to get phased out with, like, Phillips coming in, Kaius there as well. I thought he'd be the one to, cause 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 is Cameron Burgess.
00:21:25
Rob Binns
who say he's 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, 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,
00:21:55
Rob Binns
He's only come out of 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 both these games, I reckon. There'd be no reason to take him out of the team on form. He's been superb. And he was one of them that we sort of looked at at the start of the year of like, if you get an offer 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 so 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 occasional, no sub appearance or on the odd game on a rotation, but we didn't think they'd be anywhere near good enough to consistently be a starter. And so then he sort of been forced out by the change of system rather rather than anything to do with he's open form. So he's the he's our standout really of
00:22:50
Rob Binns
Somebody goes under the radar and surpassed expectations.
00:22:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Interesting. and 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?
00:23:10
Rob Binns
Yeah, I'd think so. I think we need sort of three or four, really. ah mayor is Obviously, we spent a decent amount of money in the summer, made 11 signers, I think it was. but it hasn't, hasn't had the ideal outcome. Some of them say some of them are fair better 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
00:23:49
Rob Binns
sort of gone to claim it was Ogbenet and then he got injured out for the season so 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 I'm not convinced on Phillips. Morsy and Kostas the two are very good if either of them gets a decent term injury I wouldn't trust Calvin Phillips for ah 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 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 100% convinced of Walton,
00:24:38
Rob Binns
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've maybe look at the, obviously it's hard in January because it pretend depends who's available, but that'd be the four areas I look at, but absolutely have to go and get a striker. Anything else would say it's kind of needed, but they're more, they're much more luxury positions that we have got talent there.
00:25:06
Rob Binns
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.
00:25:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
And do you think McKenna, the way ah he looks at things, is he looking at Premier League experience or do you think he's equally happy enough to go shopping abroad?
00:25:26
Rob Binns
So 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 Causte on loan.
00:25:37
Rob Binns
that say that was Brentford he's basically nailed on to go to Brentford and I think he failed his medical or something fell through late on so we thought well 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 we'll go for it but we don't often foray into the foreign market suppliers 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 then all the two teams and then And we got promoted to championships. Some of the players we brought in like Taylor, we signed down from league one that we've always been sort of loaned from higher up and signed from down below. So I think we'd probably look more towards a championship.
00:26:14
Rob Binns
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'd just go championship and sort of look at the best players in each position and try and recruit them up and see how they play at this level.
00:26:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's funny you mentioned Kyuse, 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 might he's gone to Fulham. Injured at the minute, but so he's made a decent impact at Fulham, I'm sure. If he did go to, he probably would have been ah an improvement on maybe the players that's currently there.
00:27:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
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 I do that, let me tell you all about GSPN. 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 rapid broadcast in five different languages, it's your one-stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcasts.
00:27:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
So let's look ahead to this game and are you expecting any team changes from the win against Chelsea?
00:27:40
Rob Binns
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 at the season. He played very well. So I 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 they 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
00:28:35
Rob Binns
sort of style of play. Was that what we're going to go with now and as long as it's working? So that the that's my question, Mark.
00:28:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I was i was actually gonna ask, I 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? Albeit, 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. ah So what do you think the focus, the emphasis ah is in terms of the approach for this game?
00:29:13
Rob Binns
um 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 you And 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 until 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 sort of five back, well-drilled defensive setups, and they both struggled. So wea sort 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 get, as I say, a home against a relegation team?
00:30:11
Rob Binns
at home, do you go for it a bit more? And that maybe means a week and go for it a bit more as well to sort of match what full of them do. I think it's always been mind from 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.
00:30:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
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 they had some injuries.
Match Preparations: Ipswich vs Fulham
00:30:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sasha Lukic was fit for the game, but Sanderberger... was injured after going off in the Southampton game so that forced him into a change and also ah 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 he made the mistake on the weekend which was the ball with equalizing goal which is unfortunate but before that he's been really solid and playing some tough games again as well against Arsenal Liverpool and he's not put a foot wrong
00:31:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I almost felt the five at the back came because he didn't want to drop Isidio, 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 Isidio, his mistake was more highlighted because it led to a goal. He was probably better on that day than Joachim Anderson.
00:31:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
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 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?
00:31:44
Rob Binns
Well, I think there's one of the big things with Fulham recently is that ah you stay in the game till the dying moments. So you always heard say it's like Bournemouth or like that as well. You always felt that was a game that had a late goal in it.
00:31:55
Rob Binns
And then they we've had, I've seen the turnarounds obviously against Brentford and Chelsea very late in the games that they, it's nothing, 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 a goal up in the 85th minute or whatever.
00:32:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, you're playing a team that don't hold on to Leeds as well. Yeah, not full of them in the same boat, I think full of them have dropped more points than any other team from winning positions this season.
00:32:14
Rob Binns
Yeah.
00:32:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
think for full I'm going to 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. So, Phampton 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.
00:32:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
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 fuller perspective, you can hope they can replicate the performance levels that they've shown against the teams higher up in the table.
00:33:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
um But going back to Ipswich, who who do you think might be the key players looking to make a difference and get a positive result in this game?
00:33:12
Rob Binns
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 one he almost got at the end of the Chelsea, where he just picks up on the halfway line and just doesn't let anybody get near him until he's in the penalty area. is it or And that was in the case of the Fulham one. He didn't reach the penalty area. He caught everyone out by hitting it early. But he had a really, really good game in that sense. that So he obviously going to come into the game full of confidence after Chelsea game and he's going to know that he's played this this defensive set up 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, we've been with a lot of debate, we have 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
00:34:08
Rob Binns
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 he was, again, much like the team generally, really, just kept the feet and 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 that we ended up scoring from anyway. But so yeah, ba 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 go 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 to ah to build any attacks together. and
00:35:05
Rob Binns
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 and he have sort one spell of two or three a games where he's consistently played well. He normally drops a fairly poor performance in there in this season as he still adapts to the level. So I'm hoping he doesn't, I'm hoping he pushes on from Chelsea, but that's where the key is for me, really on how well we play or not. Depends on how well he plays almost.
00:35:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
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?
00:35:43
Rob Binns
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 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, pointing at home to Arsenal. But then you say Southampton at home, Wolves at home, 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 you're a very you 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 never draw and then we beat them. So I'm going to apply that same logic again. I it's going 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.
00:36:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. um i 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. They know in the Premier League you've got to be at it in every game, not just get up for it and for the big games.
00:36:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
and you know Sometimes the atmosphere at Craven Cottage can be flat, this is what a Sunday kick off at two o'clock is it, something like that. So um it's up to the players to lift the crowd, not necessarily always have to rely on it being the other way round, um as is the case when you're playing the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool e etc etc. So a 2-1 win for Fulham to continue their unbeaten run um to eight. ah Any final thoughts then Rob, before we wrap up?
Conclusion and Match Predictions
00:37:21
Rob Binns
Um, 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.
00:37:46
Rob Binns
I'm hoping we turn the corner again now and we don't get another ballroom game. As 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 it's also safe for our side of things as well. We don't tend to get on TV very often or play on Sunday very often. So hopefully it was a nice opportunity for us as well.
00:38:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and as as you quite rightly said, there are often a lot of late goals in Fulham's games, um sometimes going forward, and quite often going against them. So just ah 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.
00:38:22
Rob Binns
Yeah.
00:38:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
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.