Sorry, Oscar, we were not "the better team".

[kevtherev]

Three basic mistakes that I think Oscar made yesterday, that I believe would have made a difference.

1. Dunk played two games, won them both and should have started. This was the very reason El Abd wanted to leave. Get your chance, do nothing wrong and then get dropped. Whatever happened to keeping the shirt
2. Stephens should have played, as he is probably our most creative midfielder, who can pick a pass and also gets in the box.
3. Hoskins should have been on the bench, to come on with 20 mins to go, for the very circumstances we found ourselves in.

I don't think it's all doom and gloom and I think we still have our destiny in our own hands. But these are pretty basic decisions that should have been made and weren't and this is a concern. People will say we have a game Tuesday, blar blar blar. But home form is the key to success and it's the points we have dropped at home this season, which could ultimately see us just miss out on the top 6.

 

[Hamilton]

As ever, too ponderous, too square, too defensive....and if you hadn't noticed......2-0.

Total attacking football my arse!

I have to agree with this.

Ponderous, square and too defensively minded sums us up. We're no attacking side, and that can be dull.

Still we're eighth and in with a shout, but we have to put our foot on the gas a bit now.

 

[Hamilton]

Three basic mistakes that I think Oscar made yesterday, that I believe would have made a difference.

1. Dunk played two games, won them both and should have started. This was the very reason El Abd wanted to leave. Get your chance, do nothing wrong and then get dropped. Whatever happened to keeping the shirt
2. Stephens should have played, as he is probably our most creative midfielder, who can pick a pass and also gets in the box.
3. Hoskins should have been on the bench, to come on with 20 mins to go, for the very circumstances we found ourselves in.

I don't think it's all doom and gloom and I think we still have our destiny in our own hands. But these are pretty basic decisions that should have been made and weren't and this is a concern. People will say we have a game Tuesday, blar blar blar. But home form is the key to success and it's the points we have dropped at home this season, which could ultimately see us just miss out on the top 6.

Agree with this too.

 

[Diego Napier]

I have a big problem here with one of your points - the best premier teams don't pass the ball across the back like we do. We don't look like we are looking for an opening we look like we don't know what to do.

We pass the ball across the park in order to pull defensive minded teams out of position. Some but not all of the time it's across the back because the opposition is pressing us high up the pitch. Expecting us to perform like the best Premier League teams is a bit of a stretch.

Also premiership teams that pressure those teams high at the back when they are passing it around have crushed them (think Chelsea on arsenal yesterday or Liverpool)

Yes but there are just as many games when teams that have the best players in the world fail to break down stubborn opposition

We are so predictable we get turned over by any manager that puts pressure on our defence either fast in play or from set pieces - we can't defend when pressed

Again very one-eyed and just plain wrong. Until yesterday, our defence was being described as the meanest in the league. We are predictable, we set out to play attractive, attacking football. Other teams are equally predictable, they set up to be very defensive, hit long balls into the mixer and hope to score from set play. We don't always succeed in winning games with our style of play but, as fan of attractive football, I'm glad that we are on this journey and heading in the right direction. Yes, yesterday was disappointing after the results against QPR and Bolton but we're still a work in progress; this is still OG's first year.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Other than the first half of the Cup replay v Hull, Ipswich away was our worst performance of the season. Ipswich didn't look great, but we were woeful. Yesterday, we didn't play as badly as we did at Portman Road, but still got beat 2-0.

This season Ipswich have put 4 past us (13.3% of all goals conceded in the league this season), have conceded none and have taken 6 points off us. There must be some learning there for Oscar and the rest of the coaching staff.

I wonder what they will have learnt and what changes to tactics they will make the next time we play a team that plays like Ipswich.

 

[Questions]

We were the better team. How Ipswich scored 1 let alone 2 was amazing. That's football though.

Just like the game away at Bolton last week. All we did was score last time. At home though we should be working there keeper more.

 

[Acker79]

I wasn't trying to get into an argument or binfest either. It's just that football is results based; everyone was really happy after the QPR and Leeds home matches, and also after last week's win at Bolton. The tactics for all those games were no more positive than yesterday. And the results show that, more often than not, we'll come away with a W. The difference yesterday was not taking our chances and a poor bit of keeping to let them get their noses in front.

So far this season we have 15 Ws and 21 not Ws, so more often than not we don't come away with a W.

 

[W.C.]

Just like the game away at Bolton last week. All we did was score last time. At home though we should be working there keeper more.

True. And I guess that's why Oscar sounds a bit like a broken record when he talks about being clinical. Personally I think all the right foundations are there and we're not to far off a finished product.
Think we created some good chances yesterday though.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Indeed. Anyone who knows about football saw that today. Unfortunately theres a whole lot of negative twats on here who will tell you different because they are just never happy. We played good football today. Lingard and Ince were superb. Everyone I was with in the North Stand just shook hands and said the luck wasn't with us. Only complaint I had was Garcia taking Lingard off. Couldn't understand that.

Who only seem to appear when the team loses ..i wonder why

 

[Napper]

Three basic mistakes that I think Oscar made yesterday, that I believe would have made a difference.

1. Dunk played two games, won them both and should have started. This was the very reason El Abd wanted to leave. Get your chance, do nothing wrong and then get dropped. Whatever happened to keeping the shirt
2. Stephens should have played, as he is probably our most creative midfielder, who can pick a pass and also gets in the box.
3. Hoskins should have been on the bench, to come on with 20 mins to go, for the very circumstances we found ourselves in.

I don't think it's all doom and gloom and I think we still have our destiny in our own hands. But these are pretty basic decisions that should have been made and weren't and this is a concern. People will say we have a game Tuesday, blar blar blar. But home form is the key to success and it's the points we have dropped at home this season, which could ultimately see us just miss out on the top 6.

Good post mate

 

[Acker79]

Who only seem to appear when the team loses ..i wonder why

Because losing is something to be negative about, whereas winning isn't? Really I don't understand why people show surprise that there are negative people when we lose and when we win there aren't. After wins we get "where are all the moaners now?" comments, chances are they are celebrating the win.

 

[nwgull]

True. And I guess that's why Oscar sounds a bit like a broken record when he talks about being clinical. Personally I think all the right foundations are there and we're not to far off a finished product.
Think we created some good chances yesterday though.

I think we created far more decent chances yesterday than we did last week.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Because losing is something to be negative about, whereas winning isn't? Really I don't understand why people show surprise that there are negative people when we lose and when we win there aren't. After wins we get "where are all the moaners now?" comments, chances are they are celebrating the win.

i'm not surprised..and they are away celebrating?..hmm if u say so.

 

[Kumquat]

Very much agree about Dunk. He should have started but i still think we had enough in ourselves to win the game when we went 1-0 down. The key decision was taking Lingard off. Why? He was a real threat and started to really link well with Lua Lua when he came on. But agree it was basic managerial decisions that undid us yesterday as well as not getting the rub of the green. I love Oscar and what he's done for us, but he really played into the hands of those who cricticise him for being too cautious. Everyone knew Ipswich would be hard to break down but susceptible against real paceand Lua Lua would be the key player yet he didn't start him. The ref was a bit comical too. That decision to give them a free kick when our player was shoved over in the box in clear sight of the ref (he was looking directly at it) just summed it up. Wrong tactics yesterday but the team gave everything for me.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I have a big problem here with one of your points - the best premier teams don't pass the ball across the back like we do. We don't look like we are looking for an opening we look like we don't know what to do.

We pass the ball across the park in order to pull defensive minded teams out of position. Some but not all of the time it's across the back because the opposition is pressing us high up the pitch. Expecting us to perform like the best Premier League teams is a bit of a stretch.

Also premiership teams that pressure those teams high at the back when they are passing it around have crushed them (think Chelsea on arsenal yesterday or Liverpool)

Yes but there are just as many games when teams that have the best players in the world fail to break down stubborn opposition

We are so predictable we get turned over by any manager that puts pressure on our defence either fast in play or from set pieces - we can't defend when pressed

Again very one-eyed and just plain wrong. Until yesterday, our defence was being described as the meanest in the league. We are predictable, we set out to play attractive, attacking football. Other teams are equally predictable, they set up to be very defensive, hit long balls into the mixer and hope to score from set play. We don't always succeed in winning games with our style of play but, as fan of attractive football, I'm glad that we are on this journey and heading in the right direction. Yes, yesterday was disappointing after the results against QPR and Bolton but we're still a work in progress; this is still OG's first year.

We aren't playing Premiership teams we played a very average Championship team yesterday, QPR were technically better in both defence and attack. You make it sound be are playing better than last season we are not some of the football is dross and we were lucky to get points.

Of course its difficult when teams park the bus, its when they have time to park the bus and score two goals you know you have problems.

This is still Gus's team, I'm not Gus's greatest fan but the players who are performing Gus brought in and the players who replaced the ones that left are not as good. Whether thats down to Oscar or lack of funds I can't say yet but to say we are heading in the right direction is one eyed and naive.

You could make a fortune if you could bet on what happens on the 60th minute if Lua Lua is on the bench and thats whatever the score is and Gus was doing that for seasons before with greater effect. I'd like to see Oscar do something that makes his mark on the team that is different but better than last season. The litmus test is what happens when CMS, Hoskins and Crofts get back because I'm sure if we had them fit we would have made the playoffs easy unless the problem is the manager.

 

[Arkwright]

So they picked us off then? Got their tactics spot on!

I think this is the case, McCarthy did his homework. Ipswich weren't great but played to a plan and it worked.

I read somewhere on here that with us it all depends on how we start, I agree with that, we had no tempo or pace in the first 10 / 15 minutes, start how you mean to finish.

 

[edna krabappel]

I'm not bothered whether Greer or Dunk start to be honest, and I can't see why anyone thinks Dunk playing would have affected the game in any way.

I thought Ipswich did to us what we did to QPR- sat back, let the opposition dominate possession & then steal a couple of fairly undeserved goals on the break. We were the better side, by and large (apart from perhaps in the last fifteen when it all got a bit desperate & we played into their hands somewhat). I understand totally why Oscar said what he did. It's just our own fault we've lost that game, thanks to poor shooting/ penalty box decision making.

Maybe I've missed it on NSC so far but I can't be the only one who was deeply underwhelmed by Kuszczak yesterday. Should have done better with that first goal, and was saved from embarrassment by an offside flag in the first half (which he didn't have a clue about). Distribution continues to be weak. Not his greatest game.

 

[Brighton Mod]

Unfortunately football is not like Dancing on Ice, there are no judges, games are won by teams who score goals. yesterday Ipswich scored two and we didn't score any.Maybe we could resort to being the tallest team, the fastest team or the loudest team, its all an irrelevance. Whether we were the better team or not is irrelevant, they scored and we didn't and that's the end of it.

 

[Brighton Mod]

I'm not bothered whether Greer or Dunk start to be honest, and I can't see why anyone thinks Dunk playing would have affected the game in any way.

I thought Ipswich did to us what we did to QPR- sat back, let the opposition dominate possession & then steal a couple of fairly undeserved goals on the break. We were the better side, by and large (apart from perhaps in the last fifteen when it all got a bit desperate & we played into their hands somewhat). I understand totally why Oscar said what he did. It's just our own fault we've lost that game, thanks to poor shooting/ penalty box decision making.

Maybe I've missed it on NSC so far but I can't be the only one who was deeply underwhelmed by Kuszczak yesterday. Should have done better with that first goal, and was saved from embarrassment by an offside flag in the first half (which he didn't have a clue about). Distribution continues to be weak. Not his greatest game.

I can only agree with your sentiments, some make the excuse that teams come and park the bus at the Amex and we find it difficult to break down. That of course is on contrast to us who go away and do exactly the same thing! We know what is going to happen and should be setting strategies to counteract this, what do we get, more of the same. There was a thread a few weeks ago about Kuszczak being out of contract at the end of the season and we need to sign him up, I'm inclined to agree with you that his dealing with crosses is generally poor, his distribution at times is laughable and his positioning sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. He can stop shots, that's why he's paid, but he has is frailties and yesterday he was exposed, cost us the game in my opinion. Whilst we all 'love the man from Argentina' as the song goes, I have to ask what his conversion rate is as he has a lot of opportunities being our main focus up front?

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I can only agree with your sentiments, some make the excuse that teams come and park the bus at the Amex and we find it difficult to break down. That of course is on contrast to us who go away and do exactly the same thing! We know what is going to happen and should be setting strategies to counteract this, what do we get, more of the same. There was a thread a few weeks ago about Kuszczak being out of contract at the end of the season and we need to sign him up, I'm inclined to agree with you that his dealing with crosses is generally poor, his distribution at times is laughable and his positioning sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. He can stop shots, that's why he's paid, but he has is frailties and yesterday he was exposed, cost us the game in my opinion. Whilst we all 'love the man from Argentina' as the song goes, I have to ask what his conversion rate is as he has a lot of opportunities being our main focus up front?

Kuszczak is a great shot stopper but needs to work on his crosses and is frail when the ball is passed back to him and under pressure.

Ipswich's second was possibly down to Upson I couldn't quite see but perhaps Kuszczak could have done better on it too.