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Daily Ipswich: Episode 123 - Nottingham Forest Preview
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Rob & Richard look ahead to this weekend's visit of Nottingham Forest. The lads look back on the previous meetings this season and how we've fared in them, discuss team news and share their predictions for Saturday.
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: Rob Binns
Guests: Richard Popple
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Transcript
Podcast Return and Illness Impact
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Ipswich, brought to you by the Global Sports Podcast Network. The only place to find daily content on every single Premier League club. Premier League wrap-ups in multiple languages and all your women's football news as well. We're going to start today's episode with a little bit of an apology for the lack of episodes this week.
00:00:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Unfortunately, due to illness, work commitments, all sorts of things, we've had a severe lack of manpower this week. so we have had to miss a couple of episodes but we are back today and they've got two of us here we've got myself rob bins and i'm joined by the man who has recently overcome a bout of the flu to join me today richard popple how you doing mate
00:00:51
Richard
Hello, mate. Yeah, I'm all right. I'm on the mend. Good to be back.
00:00:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah nice to have you back as well like i say we're we're slowly getting the numbers back after a nightmare nightmare week that always it seems to happen that How many times are all of us free in a week and then suddenly once one person starts being knock knocked out of place for a week, everybody starts dropping like flies.
00:01:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just the way it works.
00:01:11
Richard
Yeah, yeah.
00:01:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
But we should be back now. And like say, we've got two of us out today. We're going to do a preview for the game with Nottingham Forest at the weekend. That will be the plan for today's episode.
Preview and Analysis of Nottingham Forest Game
00:01:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, team we know very well. Haven't met each other at the time of recording about 10 days ago in the FA Cup. So,
00:01:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
A lot more recent experience to refer to than we have on a lot of games in the Premier League. So hopefully that sets us up to where the game goes. We'll say all the usual stuff. We'll discuss the team news because there's been some, since we've last been with you, there has been a big bit of news regarding injuries that we'll cover. We'll chat about the game itself. We're going to start off, we're going link back to that cup game, Richard, because you have to expect...
00:02:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
two very different teams to what we saw in that cup game. But is that an example that we can match Forrest in a game there? Because obviously we're faring very differently in terms of our seasons. A lot of people probably would have put us fairly close together in the table at the start the year, but we couldn't be much further apart. But we competed well with them for 120 minutes. but So admittedly, like I could say, it was very different 11 there. But does that give you hope coming into this league game?
00:02:28
Richard
and Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I think also that, I think you and I did the preview for that game. And also the hope is from the game we had in the league where we only lost one nil at the city ground earlier in the season. was a really tight game.
00:02:41
Richard
They managed to get a, you know, a bit of a dodgy penalty and stuff. So I think both games between the teams, I mean, that cup game, that feels like it's absolutely ages ago. It's only like 10 days ago. It really does feel a lot long time ago, but yeah, it was, it was a fairly even game and that,
00:02:56
Richard
as you say like they are they are going to be different teams you know the side we obviously played against Palace at the weekend is probably going to be closer to the side that we see again and but yeah maybe there are arguments for for one or two others coming back in I'm not too sure but yeah they've both been really tight games between the clubs this season despite who's been on the pitch in terms of like personnel
00:03:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, definitely. So it's about seven or and seven or eight different players when you compare the 11 that we took to City Grand in the league and the 11 that we took there in the FA Cup. And both teams battled incredibly well. And so penalties were the story of the day on both occasions. One time, obviously, one in the 90 minutes and the other time a shootout. But we have to, I said it in sort of in the aftermath of that game, that we've sort of been one of the few teams that Forrest struggle against, even though obviously they have effect they have beaten us both of times but in the at the end of the day. But you look how sort of comfortable they can be in games.
00:04:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're a team that can have can have a lot of possession and control the game, they're also just as comfortable sort of sitting back which is and hitting on the break, which is what they tried to against us.
00:04:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
So as we saw against United, it's part of a problem for us that we don't really know what to do in that case. But you look at their game, obviously the Huge game for when Weekend just got beating Man City to basically put them... If they lost that game, and everyone would have been expecting the wheels to come off because City would have overtaken them. And then you thought, oh, they won't get back in the top four now. It's all going to fall apart. But well and truly in their own hands now after that game. so And that showed that they can sit back. They have barely any possession in that game. They got the job done.
Ipswich's Struggles and Home Form
00:04:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
they They're a very confident team. But for some reason, it just things just don't seem to click when they play us.
00:04:44
Richard
No.
00:04:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
which is obviously brilliant for us. I don't know why i don't know why that is, really, unless it's because our systems are a near enough match because we also, particularly away from home, like to sit in and bring on the break. We play the same formation. I don't know whether that's part of it or what, but they never seem to click fully into gear when they play Ipswich, which offers us a bit of an opportunity there.
00:05:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
You'd think so. I mean, that's displayed by the fact that we put two different 11s out and and battled them well that in both games as well. There's something about us that they don't like and I don't know what it is but I'm hoping it's there again on Saturday because we really do need a result.
00:05:27
Richard
yeah oh yeah i mean it's it's uh it's last chance saloon time isn't it i i you know i think i wasn't around at the weekend obviously to kind of like comment on the palace game and stuff but yeah we've got we've got 10 games to go i think if we don't win on saturday then it's it's basically game over so it we are in must win territory at this point and you're right maybe side that has showed
00:05:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, it's tough one.
00:05:52
Richard
that they've not kind of been as comfortable playing against us as maybe you would have expected presents an opportunity. That being said, you know, we are going to have to be on the front foot the weekend and that plays in into Forest Sands, obviously, with, you know, giving up possession and all the rest of it.
00:06:09
Richard
Whether we can actually dominate possession, I'm not entirely sure. I just, and we just haven't all season. So, you know, maybe it'll be a bit more of an even game in terms of possession and stuff. But I think the one thing you could say about Forest is like they had a little bit of dip in form, really. They had, you know, a terrible result Bournemouth. They got smashed at Bournemouth 5-0.
00:06:29
Richard
They obviously then recovered against Brighton ridiculously. I think they beat them 7-0 at home or something like that. They obviously won couple of rounds of the FA Cup, including ourselves, on penalties.
00:06:41
Richard
But they also lost to Fulham and Newcastle directly after one of those after the fourth round of the Cup as well. So they lost a couple of games. And then their last two Premier League games, they've kept clean sheets against Arsenal and Man City. So that kind of goes to show how strong they are. I think defensively, for the most part, they obviously have a bad game every now and then. But defensively, for the most part, they've been pretty solid this year.
00:07:03
Richard
So, yeah, they're they're going to be a tough kind of nuts of crack, I think, and obviously allied to the fact that they've got good threats on the break and stuff. Makes it really difficult. But, you know, isn't every Premier League game... Excuse me. Right.
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, very much so. And so certainly the city grounds are one of the toughest places to go for people over the course of this season. But so we've gave a good account of ourselves the two times we've been there.
00:07:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now, I keep going for this argument, I keep it going, now they've got to come to Portman Road, but we are rubbish at home. So I keep trying to spin it that way and say, home home advantage, here we go.
00:07:38
Richard
Terrible.
00:07:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
But we don't make the moment with anything. We probably prefer playing away, but If there was a time for the home form to click into gear, it's now.
00:07:46
Richard
Yeah.
00:07:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
If we to suddenly string a couple of wins in a row at home together, there's no better time to do it because it's getting, like you said, it's it's an hour or never point now, isn't it? that I was fairly negative on Monday when I was reviewing the Palace game that I've not changed my view on that point.
00:07:59
Richard
Yep.
00:08:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm just trying to sugarcoat it a bit more for the sake of the podcast. I don't want to sit here and moan everything. I moan after a game, but don't want moan ahead of a game, but
00:08:12
Richard
No.
00:08:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Certainly, the odds are against us, but win your home games is always the number one thing you should do down the bottom. We haven't done it so far, but it might not be too late if we start doing that now. It'll be interesting. You'd expect Forrest to sort of sit back and play on the break, being the away side. But the big thing, I think, why they've struggled against us is that the wingers are so important how they play. and Alanga had a very good game, I thought, in the Cup, but Hudson-Odoi had a fairly quiet game in that one and so both wingers were kept pretty quiet when we went there in the league as well as any say one of the subs who came on in the end it was who won the penalty and which who gang ended up causing more of a threat but the two main wingers who are the pace on the counter attack so wood holds the ball up releases one of them lot they tend to have struggled against town and so particularly i look at that fa cup game and know we didn't
00:09:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've only had one of our first-choice full-backs, actually, in each game, because Twan Zabie would have been injured for the first one as well. We've played one of our backup full-backs in each game, and yet they've never really got the grips with the game, either of the Forest wingers. They've both sort of struggled, and that is the key element of their attack.
00:09:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Maybe that is part of the reason why they've struggled, but certainly that's the first thing we've got to do right, isn't it? We've got to keep those two quiet out wide.
00:09:37
Richard
yeah Yeah, yeah, absolutely. But yeah, they've been a threat all year. Morgan Gibbs-White is a really, really good player as well. Like he's been, he's been excellent for them this year. He certainly was at the start of the year. Maybe he's faded a little bit, but he's he's still like, you know, the quality player, I think, in their team that really makes them tick and stuff.
00:09:54
Richard
But I think all round there's kind of threats all over the pitch, really. Yeah. in the Well, I mean, I suppose the wingers are the main one and obviously Chris Wood's having the season of his life, but I just think Murillo is such an effective player for them, like bursting forward and having, you know, a defender popping out into midfield and stuff. And they kind of like overman you in there because they they're pretty powerful in there and stuff. So...
00:10:15
Richard
Yeah, that like that they are having an incredible season. And, you know, this weekend aside, I really hope they finish in the top four or top five or whatever it is to get the Champions League. I think it's a great story.
00:10:26
Richard
And they're a really historic club for us, a really nice club. But and yeah, it will be interesting. It's just really difficult to feel positive or optimistic, should I say, yeah about our home form.
00:10:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
right.
00:10:42
Richard
I mean, I think when all is said and done at the end of the year, you know, there'll be a bit of post-mortem into the season or whatever. And there will be a look at the fact that we have won one game at home all year.
00:10:53
Richard
And it comes down to, you know we've got five games left at home.
Ipswich's Survival Hopes and Quality Gap
00:10:57
Richard
I think one of them is against, let me just bring up the fixture list, one of them against Arsenal. I think everybody else is very beatable, including, i would put Forrest in there, including Forrest in there.
00:11:09
Richard
I think Brentford or or another one and Wolves, obviously, as well. as a massive, massive game. But if you did pick this win up this week... Wolves lost their game, you know, then it's three points, right? And then it's then it's that massive, massive six-pointer, the one against Wolves in a few weeks' time. So this is, as I said earlier, it's now or never. And whilst Forrester are brilliant and they're having a fantastic season and have a lot of threats, it does represent an opportunity, I think, because of what you said about us, you know, the way we've performed against them this season.
00:11:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, definitely. But we're going to pause there. We're going to have a quick word from one of our sponsors. And then when we come back, we're going to be looking at the form coming into this game because it could not be much further apart.
00:12:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we are back for the second part of today's show. So it's not going to fun conversation, this one, I'm afraid, Rich, but it's one we've got have. We've got a look at the form form table as we come into into the weekend because, as you can tell by where we are on the table, so the difference of third bottom compared to third, we've had very different campaigns. certainly And what's been start a season of struggle anyway, we're coming in on a poor run of form.
00:13:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
compared to Forest, where we we spoke about some of the results they picked up recently. So let's talk about our ourselves first. that We had that really tough run games, didn't we, to start so to start the year.
00:13:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
We battled through, got probably got a few points there, some some in games that we wouldn't have expected to. And then that sort of that all concluded with Southampton, which was supposed to be the big three points to kick us on for the next run of games.
00:13:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
That one passed by, and now we sort of We're looking back at the recent games. I mean, Spurs at home, yeah, they are doing very well now.
00:13:33
Richard
Mm-hmm.
00:13:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
it is a harder game than it was. It would have been a month prior, but that felt winnable. Man United-Old Trafford felt winnable. Palace, again, doing very well, a much harder game than it could have been if played at different point in the season, but still felt like you could go and get a result there.
00:13:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we've come out of those three games with zero points in a crucial time of the season, really, that How big of a concern is that? Because you could argue the next that every game left could go in that category because the cliche is you should you should hate playing teams down the bottom late in the season because they will scrap for everything. so is that So we're having games where there's not maybe not expectation, but certainly you look at it and think there's a chance here to go and get a positive result on the board.
00:14:23
Richard
Thanks.
00:14:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
How big of a concern is it that we're not?
00:14:27
Richard
Yeah, it's massive, isn't it? I mean, I think i think we've lost seven of the last nine. We've taken two points in that time. We obviously haven't won since Chelsea, which was at the end of last year.
00:14:41
Richard
So, yeah, the form I think the form table, we are actually 18th in the form table, which shows you how bad Leicester and Southampton are. So we are where we are in the league in the in the last kind of 10 games worth of form, really.
00:14:55
Richard
Forest, on the other hand, are slightly lower than that. I think they're like seventh or eighth in the table for the last 10 games. So they're slightly punching above where they were, which on the balance of play, maybe they are probably about the sixth or seventh best team in the league, realistically.
00:15:11
Richard
But, you know, obviously they had such an amazing start to the season that they they just accumulated a lot of points. They may well be caught before the end. You don't you don't really know. But, and yeah, I... It is a massive concern. I mean, we've we've we've all talked about it to death. You know, we've we've let really bad games go at home. The Southampton one obviously sticks out, but you could argue Everton, you could argue Leicester, Palace.
00:15:36
Richard
Everton, yeah, all of these games at the start of the season where you were like, oh, you know, we really needed to win those games. I don't think anyone for Soros having this poor home form.
00:15:46
Richard
And yeah, that that that ultimately seems to be the undoing. But you're right to highlight the last three games. Spurs, I think we did catch them a bit of a bad time. They just turned the corner fractionally, even though they seem to have kind of turned the corner again in classic Spurs fashion.
00:16:01
Richard
The Man United game was kind of ridiculous. I don't know why we conceded three. set-piece goals to Man United, who just look appalling to me every time I see them, but somehow they seem to get results somehow every now and then.
00:16:16
Richard
And then the Palace one was a tight game, wasn't it? They just didn't go our way and you could argue there's been five or six of those this season, including Forest away, where we haven't quite maybe got what we deserve out the game or it you know it could have just gone our way where we'd have picked up a few more points here or there. But The facts are what they are. We've got 17 points.
00:16:33
Richard
It's a really low amount for this time of the season and it's going to take something miraculous to get us out of it.
00:16:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, definitely. I mean, you said it right at the start there. we We haven't won in the league since Chelsea. We are the only team in the Premier League without a league win in 2025. And that includes the teams we keep looking at and saying how how poor are they?
00:16:50
Richard
Yeah.
00:16:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
And ah ah if if we're not very good, how poor must they be? they've but They've won more games than us since the turn of the year. Obviously, Southampton's one win coming against us as well.
00:17:04
Richard
Yeah.
00:17:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a huge, huge concern that its almost I don't know whether it's more concerning that we are competing in these games or whether it's like, you sort of feel like if you're losing this many games, you almost sort of need to be being outplayed.
00:17:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
But we're not in a lot of games.
00:17:21
Richard
Yeah.
00:17:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
We just haven't got the quality, which is frustrating. I mean, I said it on Monday. It's a certain conversation we've had loads of times. But while that game is nil-nil, you're sort of holding out your hope that we were going nick one and get in front.
00:17:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Once the clock turns 70-75, it became about hanging on for 0-0, didn't it? Because you know we're not going to compete at that point and once we start making the subs and the key players have run their race because they work so hard and have to come off.
00:17:46
Richard
Thank you.
00:17:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
that you saw Once we get to that point every game, if we're not winning by 75 minutes, then it becomes about protecting what we've got. And if we're losing by that time, you sort of give you seem to give up the hope that we'll go and get something out of the game, which is obviously a big problem we spoke about all the time, but Palace was just the latest example of that.
00:18:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
that nice see So you tend to be a bit more positive than me most of the time Where do you sit on that? where you of was it Was it about protecting a draw once we got late on in your eyes? Or did you was there that hope there that we'd go and have one?
00:18:24
Richard
i don't I don't think we've got the skill set to to hold on for the draws in the Premier League. i don't I don't think we have the quality to be able to do it, unfortunately. and we And we certainly don't have the confidence right now to see out a game because we just we haven't done it.
00:18:38
Richard
Nor did we really do it in the Championship. We talked about all this before where you know we were kind of outgunning teams in the Championship and you know coming from behind to win games and all that kind of stuff and outscoring people.
00:18:49
Richard
We're certainly not doing that this year. So you've got a bit of a perfect storm of being a little bit a little bit porous at the back. I don't think we've been terrible defensively, but I think we've been average at times where teams have kind of like cut through us and there have been poor days, obviously, but you're going to get that in the Premier League. But I think overall there's been...
00:19:09
Richard
probably 20 out of the 28 games where we've been kind of fine defensively, but we've just been really lacking going forward. And you're right to point out that, you know, we've all said the sort 70 minute mark when is going off the pitch and,
00:19:23
Richard
The lap's knackered and the the forwards are a bit toothless because they can't hold on to the ball and the combinations aren't really working. we We just don't look like we're a threat at that point. and I think with Palace, I think we had 15 shots in that game or something. That's quite a lot. And that's a lot for us away from home, for sure.
00:19:41
Richard
So we were carrying some kind of threat going forward. But obviously the lack of... you know clinical finishing which has maybe hurt us all year the lap maybe has dried up a little bit in the last few weeks which you can't really blame him for is i think that was probably inevitable at some point and the goal threats aren't really coming from anywhere else consistently you know people get the odd goal but it's not really consistent and CISO has not really had that impact and has been in and out with injuries so it's just a perfect storm of stuff in it really and and
00:20:11
Richard
It is a concern, but it's been a concern all year. And I think I actually listened to somebody who was talking about it the other day where they were being really critical of Ipswich in terms of like the recruitment last year.
00:20:23
Richard
and it was real Harry hindsight kind of stuff saying, you know, they bought for the championship and they bought championship players and all this kind of stuff. And I don't think anyone at the start of the season really thought that, you know, we drew four of the first six games and we were looking really competitive. And, you know, we were hoping we would go on and find that efficiency in front of goal. And it's just not happened, unfortunately. So and now and now the draws have turned into defeats more often than not. So you just, you know, that downward kind of feeling kind of takes over a little bit.
00:20:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think it's the quality issue, isn't it? I mean, if you look at the league table there, the reason why the three promoted teams are down where they are is because of a lack of quality in the squad. I mean, most people's squads down the bottom, on the whole, aren't very good.
00:21:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that's why they're down where they are. But if you look at, say, we're 18, you look at 17 Wolves, they've got Matthias Cunha who can win games on his own.
00:21:15
Richard
Yeah.
00:21:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
16, you've got West Ham, you've got Jarrod Bowen who can win games on his own and then they've got people they've got players like Mahama Kudas and Lucas Paquetta in there as well. Wolves have got the likes of Gio Gomez and people like that. You'd probably put De Lapp in that category for us.
00:21:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
davis on Davis when he's on form, but that's pretty much it. It's the same with Leicester and Southampton that in that category of sort of would get poached by higher club, particularly if they go down.
00:21:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
The teams above us who are holding that gap have a lot more players in that category, and that which is why the the drop-off is where it is and that is. That is naturally a money thing.
00:22:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's been, it again, something else that's come up a lot of over the course of the season about that gap getting bigger and bigger every year between the Premier League and the Championship. and We have spent a lot of money, but don't get me wrong, but still, like and so that that gap is evidently there.
00:22:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's going to be an ongoing trend I think we're going to see because I look at the Championship now and there's a few teams in there that they probably do better than Southampton but do they have more points than where us and Leicester are at this point?
00:22:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
I can't say confidently say they do.
00:22:33
Richard
No.
00:22:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Which is a bit is a bigger problem for for a discussion on probably a separate podcast with a bit few Championship fans and a few of us lot as well. they'll probably be a good listener at that point. Maybe we'll pitch that one on the GSPN network before the season's out but That closes up on part two.
00:22:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
We'll be coming back for the final part of the show and discussing team news after this short message.
00:23:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we are back for the final part of today's show.
Injury Concerns and Lineup Speculations
00:23:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
So let's start the Ipswich again. We're going to run through the team news we know about. And obviously the big story that's broke on Monday night, I think it was, or either way, since the last time we brought an episode to you this week, is that someone we've been learning to live without in recent weeks, Sammy Smoddix, has his season looks like it's going to be over. The club have decided that the best thing for him with his ongoing ankle injury, is to just have surgery now and make sure he gets a full pre-season and look ahead towards next year. He's been he and fighting it here and there. He came back for one game and went off injured again straight away.
00:24:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's clearly something isn't right there. and The decision has been made now that he will he will go and have surgery rather than try and fight his way fit for the running. Highly unlikely he is back for the rest of the season. He might just about scrape in there the bone.
00:24:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
the last game or two, if he has a stupidly quick recovery. But who knows what the league table will be looking like at that point by then. But that's that's the big news coming out. Obviously, we're still, as usual with Ipswich, we don't get many updates about the other injuries. Obviously, we're missing Twanzebi at Palace last week and the knock he picked up against Forest.
00:24:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Don't see too much of an update on that front. I don't think it's meant to be that long term. But like I say, the club won't give us anything in the build-up to the game. He could be on the team sheet. He could not be, but In terms of the XI we put out, Rich, compared to that XI we saw at Palace, obviously the other name missing from that XI was Hutchinson, who was dropped to the bench, driven CISO coming back, who I thought i'd actually had quite a good game. that What changes you were you sort of expecting to see from that Palace XI? Because obviously NCISO and Phillips was the other one who came back in that game. So Smoddicks aside, the injuries are starting to come back at a good time.
00:25:12
Richard
Yeah. Well, Morsi didn't go off the bench that game either, did he?
00:25:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
No. Probably due to the fact he played 120 Monday.
00:25:22
Richard
Yeah, but arguably had his bet best game in quite a while and in that Forest game. Yeah, for the most part, maybe in the second half of anyway.
00:25:34
Richard
and he So he might come back into it, I would think, potentially. Maybe not because it's you know that they've had a whole week, but Morsi, I would imagine, might come back into it.
00:25:44
Richard
Yeah.
00:25:47
Richard
Yeah, I don't know. it's twoan a Will Tuanzabi be coming back from suspension?
00:25:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah ah he I think he's back already. I think...
00:25:55
Richard
Is he?
00:25:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think he only had one game because it was two Putkins.
00:25:57
Richard
So why was... Oh, right. So is he injured?
00:26:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he went off at half-time against Forrest, didn't he?
00:26:07
Richard
Of course he did. yeah yeah yeah so we don't Yes, you're right. so yes we don't know that We don't know the full extent of that. yeah and Because O'Shea was at right back, of course, against Palace. so yeah i mean that that back for That back four, I would imagine, will probably stay the same, to be honest.
00:26:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:20
Richard
With Greaves and Woffendon in the middle. so yeah Aside from Morsi, maybe Hutchinson, but I kind of agree with you. I i think Nciso actually played quite well. Maybe Hutchinson comes back in for Philogene, who was okay. Yeah.
00:26:35
Richard
Yeah, and Hutchinson and Morsi, I would say, would be the two to come back in. I'm not entirely sure if Jack Clark gets a start either again, so maybe maybe Broadhead for him. But, you know, I've been advocating for that all year.
00:26:48
Richard
So I could see maybe, you know, two or three changes, which is kind of what he does in in most games anyway, to be honest, to change it up a little bit in that way. But, yeah, it won't be anything too radical, I wouldn't have thought.
00:27:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
You've got a very bold prediction there saying that we're going to line up with the same defence two games in a row. I don't don't know if that's happened all season.
00:27:07
Richard
That's true.
00:27:08
Richard
Well, who who would it be?
00:27:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
There'll probably be some...
00:27:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know. I imagine it would be either if it would be a five with Johnson in there again or just be like just for the sake of making a change like it feels like most weeks.
00:27:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's going to be probably Burgess would come in for Wolfenden or Greaves. He likes to throw one change in there every week pretty much. But...
00:27:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
no I like to think we keep the same four, but that' I don't know if we've done that all season. So it's a bit of a bold shout for us to try and so say that would be the case.
00:27:27
Richard
yeah
00:27:35
Richard
No, I think it will be. think it will be because Burgess didn't... Burgess come off at half-time as well against Forrest.
00:27:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he was back on the bench at Palace though. So he obviously is somewhat fit to make the journey, especially with McKenna.
00:27:47
Richard
Yeah. He's somewhat fair.
00:27:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
McKenna doesn't like putting centre-backs on the bench. So if he was on the bench, he obviously had a reason to put him there.
00:27:56
Richard
No. I mean, what else can you do? that you know, they're ingrained with this kind of one up front business. I'd love to see Hurst up there with DeLapp. I'd love it.
00:28:10
Richard
I think it'd be really, it it really could be a catastrophe. It might not work at all. But aren't we at the point in the season where we but we might have to try something a little bit more, you know,
00:28:21
Richard
direct potentially and getting a couple of big boys up there and just really running it for us and really chucking it in the channels and going for it a little bit. Because our tricky wing is, i think when when all is said and done, i think I think that's been the most disappointing part of our season, to be perfectly honest, because we spent we invested so much money in that area of the pitch.
00:28:40
Richard
And it doesn't really, at this stage, you know, these guys are all young, they're all very good players, and I'm sure they will develop or whatever. But at this stage, they've not had the impact. that we were hoping for and yeah like I say we spend so much cash in that area of the pitch it's not kind of worked out unfortunately
00:29:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I agree. I think that's a big problem area for us this year. I mean, how much did we spend? How much quality is there? When you look at on paper, you look at the forward options, but then combine them all together.
00:29:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Have they even scraped 10 goals yet between them all? Maybe just with Philogene's brace at United the other day?
00:29:16
Richard
don't know
00:29:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
that And even that even that chunk is all smodics, really, it isn't it? Apart from a couple for Hutchinson and a couple for Philogene, which happened last week in that case. So, Clark...
00:29:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
hasn't had the goal for it. He's looked bright in spurts. Broadhead's played very well, but hasn't been able to turn that into a scoring touch. We've had injuries out there as well.
00:29:37
Richard
no
00:29:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Some people like the likes of Burns and Ogben, obviously, or Benet especially, look really sharp. Smoddix now is is an out for the season one as well. Obviously, it sounds worse than it is in a lot of cases when you say out for the season now, because there frankly isn't long left to go, only a couple of months. I don't know. There's so much quality there on paper to ted I can't say with confidence they've got 10 goals combined in the league.
00:30:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Compare that to obviously having to laugh up front.
00:30:05
Richard
I wouldn't have thought so clark Clark hasn't scored in the league, has he?
00:30:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't think so.
00:30:12
Richard
Hutchinson's got like two or three. Schmodix has got three or four, maybe. Filagene's got a couple of goals. Yeah, so maybe about 10, maybe. Filagene's not obviously been there for that long.
00:30:25
Richard
Yeah, it's just it it just hasn't, I don't know. i think we've all kind of questioned, you know, why are we Why are we buying so many, you know, five foot seven tricky, tricky wingers? Yeah, I mean, Ogbené obviously was the one that had a different profile. He obviously gets injured right at the start of the season, which is which is a bad bit of luck and stuff.
00:30:48
Richard
I think he probably would have played quite a bit, actually, because I think he was strong and, you know, he was direct and could defensively hold himself up as well. But yeah, it's just not quite worked. I think McKenna has, like in his defence, really, like in the whole team, if I'm honest, and not really not really found the combinations that he has been comfortable with playing week in, week out, even in midfield. And that too, that's changed constantly.
00:31:13
Richard
you know who's who's coming in and out of there, even though we've had a lack of personnel. So it's kind of been the story of the season. But in a long winded answer to your question, there will there will be two or three changes, I'm sure, because there kind of always is.
00:31:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and then on the complete opposite of the spectrum, really, is how Nuno sets Forrest up. he does He likes to keep the majority of his XI together. I mean, I look at the XI that started that Man City game.
00:31:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, Sel's iron, Malenkovich, Murillo, Williams never changes unless there's an injury or someone needs a rest.
00:31:45
Richard
So.
00:31:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
and so Same at the other end. Wood up front. Hudson-Doy gives White Alanga behind. He's going to be the the front four that's going to play against us. You'd have to expect... It's just those midfield two that occasionally rotate around.
00:31:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's like when I was Anderson and Dominguez against City and say Anderson are probably playing and it's just that other midfield role is potentially the only difference how they lined up last week. So we know what you get with Forrest but knowing how to play against it is the tough bit because as I said they don't make loads of changes.
00:32:13
Richard
You do.
00:32:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
So you're able to do your analysts are able to get a lot of information out of them but very hard They're very hard to play against. You can say that about everybody. that You can sort of know what's coming because you see them, especially this late stage in the season.
00:32:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
But nobody seems to have a way to stop it really at the moment. But we seem to be able to frustrate them. that Obviously, there's a lot of quality there. We have to expect most of the same XI. Do you think Forest will change anything about their play really?
00:32:45
Richard
and
00:32:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Not that they need to, I suppose.
00:32:49
Richard
No. No, it's worked for them all year. They're absolutely not going to change. And Nuno's never really changed a manager. He's kind of always done his thing. And I think he's just like, they're just a They're good players, obviously, but they're also really quite big athletes. like They've got a lot of power and height and stuff in their team. You can think of Sangare coming off the bench. Ryan Yates is very happy to put it about and is really effective.
00:33:15
Richard
I'd love Ryan Yates and our team, actually. really like Ryan Yates. who's the Who's the striker that comes in for Wood sometimes?
00:33:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Our knee. alany
00:33:25
Richard
Yes, he's he's and he had a great season. Was it last year, maybe? it or a couple of years ago where he had a really, really good season for them. and They're just big, they're powerful. And obviously we know that later in games that tends to be a bit of an undoing for Upswich. So that's obviously a concern. i Like I say, I just hope we kind of, we're not going to play Hurst and DeLapp together, but I really hope we just kind of,
00:33:51
Richard
really try and go for it and and maybe do mix up that midfield combination a little bit just to try and try and be a bit more direct. But as you say, and if we can go back to being sort of optimistic, we have made life a little a bit difficult for Forest this season. And let's just hope that we can we can find a couple of early goals to really put them on the back foot.
00:34:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, you'd hope so. And I'd say you'd like to see a bit more adventure, wouldn't you? Like say, whether that's top front or something in there, but it's that balancing act because we have nothing and everything to lose because you can argue this might as well change it up. Now the gap, six points, something needs to change, go down that road, but at the same time, nine points and it's over.
00:34:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
So if if you go for something, get it wrong, walls win, then it doesn't matter that we've still got them to play. to try and get three points back. Nine points will not be overturned. So you can't push it too far the other way, but certainly something needs change. We've tried the same approach for three or four weeks now, and we've with we've not played badly, we haven't won the games.
00:34:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
So maybe even the maybe a sacrifice, despite what I just said about letting a gap get to nine points, you always have to try something against Forest as a trial game, knowing they're probably going beat us anyway.
00:35:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then you've got it in the locker ready for those more winnable games that you can go and where maybe against weaker defences where something might work. You never know. But to wrap up the show, want your score for prediction.
00:35:20
Richard
I going to say what I really miss, and this is before your time, Rob, is that at the end of the season, like a side at the bottom before this is before the transfer window, right? Because when it just used to be open for long, all the time, you can buy players whenever you want, but less transferred happen in a weird way.
00:35:38
Richard
and play people clubs would just clubs at the bottom would just buy a couple of players towards the end of the season and that would keep them up it would just completely change their season and like the last sort of five or six games or whatever and that i kind of love that mean you just don't really see it anymore because it's sort of fit like that goes back to the point of like if do we try stuff and get a little bit radical and you know, we can't be conservative and go to a back five again it's just not really
Formation Challenges and Season Outlook
00:36:02
Richard
working for us. We don't really have the personnel for it. We don't have the power coming from our full backs.
00:36:06
Richard
We don't have the midfield to be able to kind of like drive through other teams and all that kind of stuff. So that that doesn't really work anymore. and And our usual formation, we've just not found those combinations or whatever throughout the season. And we've just not been enough of a threat, unfortunately, and and we haven't quite found the goals that we needed.
00:36:23
Richard
So yeah, do you do you kind of you know just chuck a bit of a maverick in there and try and go for it? Who knows? I'd love to see it. let's Let's have them both up front together. and Prediction, don't know.
00:36:37
Richard
We need a win, so I'm going to predict a win. 2-0. two ni
00:36:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah ah go I like that mentality. We need to win, so I'm going to go for it. i think I think we need to win, but I think we're going to lose. try I keep trying to keep trying to put points and wins on the board and in these predictions, and it's not working. I do you think of the games we've got less, this is probably one of the least likely that we go and get something. There's even an argument you put Arsenal ahead of this.
00:37:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Although, by time we play and they'll probably have Saka back and
00:37:07
Richard
Yeah.
00:37:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
be be back to their full attacking strength again but I just can't see anything happening there yeah yeah true although to be fair the teams who've got nothing to play for so you is who you want to play at the late stages of the season yeah people should be more scared of teams like us and Leicester than they are of the likes of Brighton and that now who aren't going play for anything you never know but I just I can't see this game as being won when we do get points on the board I think this is going to be a
00:37:13
Richard
Well, they won't be playing for anything, so they'll be they'll be winning games again, so they won't be playing for anything.
00:37:35
Richard
Yeah.
00:37:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
i think I think it'll be tight again, but I think Forest will probably nick it 1-0. Because I think if they do score and then sit back a bit further, I don't see us breaking them down. And that's that's my concern with this game, is that what happens at the city ground in the league, what happens here, that at 1-0, Forest will just sit back that a little bit deeper. And as we saw in that game, as we saw it United, we won't have an answer.
00:38:05
Richard
So, Rob, I think we need to win five games to stay up. Where do you think the five wins are coming from if we're if we're not going to get one out of Forest?
00:38:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:38:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think, well, Wolves absolutely has to be. That's non-negotiable.
00:38:21
Richard
because Bournemouth away is next, and there they're pretty decent.
00:38:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's a tough one.
00:38:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
so I'd Wolves is a definite. Leicester's a definite. You've got and win both of those to have a chance. West Ham... as much as you wouldn't want it to go to the final day, West Ham at home on the final day, again, that argument having nothing to play for by then, that's a that's very winnable. I also think Brentford is... this This is my concern, really, that all of the last three three games to me, like especially because of, again, that cliche I keep going back to, you don't want to play. it The later the season gets, the more horrible teams down the bottom should be to play.
00:39:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Those last three games could so...
00:39:00
Richard
Yeah.
00:39:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
maybe not easily is probably the wrong word, the way we go about it, but when you really scrap them for your life, those last three games could be nine points. and the But the problem is is the way it's going is that even if we might be more than nine points away by that game, that's why I think that that's my issue really is I think it's got to be those last three, it's got to be Wolves and then it's one fluke one like Chelsea maybe.
00:39:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
they They seem to not like us the first time round. Again,
00:39:33
Richard
Bye.
00:39:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
How much have Arsenal got to play for by then, particularly when you factor in the Champions League as well?
00:39:33
Richard
ay
00:39:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because if they do, you'd expect them to progress. Well, obviously, by the time this goes out, we'll know if they've progressed or not, but I'd highly doubt PSV overturn a 7-1 deficit. and If they can beat one of the Madrid teams in the quarterfinal, that must be around semifinal time. And who's going to care about Ipswich away when you're second and nothing to play for when you've got a Champions League semifinal coming up? So you never know, but Yeah, I'd go Wolves, the last three, and one shock one that I can't decide what going to put it into.
00:40:07
Richard
I mean, if we win the last three games to stay up, that would be i I don't I don't think there would be a better story in football than that. That would be literally insane.
00:40:19
Richard
I think it would probably be better than the promotions. Oh, what a week, what a week or two that would be.
00:40:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
is I look remember when the fixers came through, I said the last four. the way Unless Everton have fallen off a cliff by then, I think you can rule out going to Goodison and getting something at this point. So the three after that, certainly. But the issue is, it's already six points.
00:40:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
It could very feasibly be nine or higher in the next few weeks. And I'm looking at these games that I'm trying to pick where a shock win happens, that we could win those last three and and still go down by a point because Wolves have picked one up in that time as well.
00:40:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
so Realistically, certainly.
00:40:54
Richard
So I guess Saturday would be a shock win.
00:40:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
next two are tough. You absolutely have to beat Wolves. Yeah, it would be for me.
00:40:59
Richard
Yeah, now I hear you. yeah
00:41:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, but so i'm gonna I'll be the boring negative one who puts us for a 1-0 defeat. You've gone the more hopeful two i'll win that someone's got to do it. I've given it up on it. I've given up on that side of things.
00:41:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm glad you haven't, at least. I'm not dragging the podcast out of my negativity.
00:41:16
Richard
No, I will.
00:41:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
for I hope you're right, but we will see. you And, of course, when we... when we are reacting to the result next week, we will hopefully have a crossover for you i haven through an episode tomorrow. Unfortunately, that's not guaranteed at the moment, but we will try our best to get that out to you.
00:41:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
And if we do not, we'll catch you next week for the reaction to Forest, where like to say, hopefully it's gone the way of Richard's prediction more so than mine. But we'll see you hopefully tomorrow, but we'll see it ultimately.
00:41:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
We'll see you when we see you. And that is it for today's episode. Goodbye.