#ipswich – Under The Hammers

It was only Nottingham Forest for heaven’s sake! Having said that, I’ve got to give them some credit for the astonishing achievement of qualifying for European football next season. Who would have guessed it? Last season they finished in seventeenth place. This time they have more than doubled their points tally from the last campaign. We could still end up there (17^th) if we don’t win at Ipswich and both Manchester United and Tottenham defy the odds to finish their poor domestic seasons and beat Aston Villa and Brighton respectively, both of whom still have something to play for.

Forest could even still qualify for the Champions League, and it will probably be a disappointment, albeit slight, if they don’t after holding one of the qualifying places for so much of the season. Nevertheless, any European qualification is good as we know from a couple of seasons back. How we would love to be there again! A Conference League spot would be a decent consolation though, but with their last game coming up at the City Ground against an inconsistent Chelsea side, they will be confident of making the premier European competition.

Watching last weekend’s game against Forest I didn’t believe that we were ever going to score a goal after the first minute. But our captain, Jarrod Bowen was on the pitch and his wonderful touch and finish five minutes before the ninety were up and all of a sudden Forest looked nervous. West Ham finally came alive. At least there were some better attacking options on the pitch by then compared to the defensive nine we started the game with. With a small amendment to a quote by (in my opinion) the best football writer of all, Brian Glanville, who died recently, until the changes, “our midfielders seemed to wander around the pitch like well-intentioned dinosaurs”.

Eleven minutes was held up on the board but Forest’s time-wasting display with players laying down like sleeping lions, and more weird and pointless VAR checks, meant that it turned out to be another 21 minutes. In truth it should probably have been even more but another game was kicking off shortly and the people at Sky were getting nervous. Despite some promise in those final minutes the only real chance came when Sels pulled off a fine save from Fullkrug’s header.

And what about the officials? Recently the standard in so many games I’ve watched has left a lot to be desired. This game was no exception. I really hate to be critical as it is a massively difficult job. They may well understand the rules but so many of them don’t really seem to understand the game.

Graham Potter suggested it was an even game. Really!? He said we came up a bit short. A bit?! The Premier League Match Centre said that the referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR, with Milenkovic in an onside position and Dominguez in an offside position but deemed not to be impacting on play. It took me about 20 seconds at most to see that when the picture was shown on the screen. But why did it take them six minutes? I’m afraid that is just not spectator friendly. In fact it is a disgrace. Was it the late Bill Shankly who once said “if a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage then what the hell is he doing on the pitch?” or something like that. But then the offside rule like the handball rule and several others really needs to be looked at further, don’t they?.

The defeat brought the curtain down on a miserable season with spectators at the London Stadium enduring a torrid time with just five wins in nineteen games. We beat Ipswich, Manchester United, Fulham, Leicester and Wolves. Teams currently occupying 19^th, 16^th, 10^th, 18^th and 14^th places.

Every summer is important in preparation for the season to follow, and this one even more so with mounting unrest surrounding Graham Potter and increasing pressure on the board as frustrations grow among the fanbase, many of whom appear to have serious doubts as to if he is the right man for the job. Four wins in eighteen matches since taking over from Lopetegui doesn’t even match the record of his sacked predecessor and they are statistics that take us back to the days of Avram Grant. He doesn’t seem to be able to turn things around or get the new manager bounce that sometimes happens. We’ll have to see if he can do better with some players of his own choosing.

The slow, lethargic style with lots of short, sideways and backward passes that may pad out the possession statistics is leaving fans bored. Not to mention the fact that we are among the worst team in the league for shots and goals since Potter was appointed. The atmosphere at the London Stadium is flat which doesn’t bode well for season ticket sales ahead of the crucial summer window in which West Ham have made it clear (according to some?) that they have little money to spend without selling players first. Apparently, Sullivan only wanted to give our new boss a six month contract but was persuaded otherwise (with Everton waiting in the wings to give him a longer contract?). If there is any truth in that I wonder what the position would be now? It’s not hard to guess. I’m sure Everton are really pleased with the effect Moyes has had (so far anyway).

So here we are facing an away trip to Portman Road to close the season. Relegated Ipswich are the only team that we have put four goals past, in fact we only managed three once (Fulham). Our opponents will be up for it, hoping to end the season on a high and with a possible chance of moving up one place and the extra (£3 million?) that would bring them to boost their finances for their return to the Championship. We too have the incentive of possibly finishing above Wolves and also remaining above Manchester United and Tottenham, adding more funds to the kitty. But how much enthusiasm is there in the players? Ironically at least two of the departing players, Coufal and Cresswell had decent games against Forest and really looked up for it.

There are likely (and need) to be big changes in personnel in the summer. Two players who may go but I’d like to keep are Guilherme and JWP. In his (very limited) cameos Guilherme has shown to me that he possesses potential and looks like the type of player we need. He is still young I know but why hasn’t he been given a bit more of an opportunity?

Unlike most fans I believe there is a place of JWP in the team. I appreciate some of his limitations, but I would see him in a role similar to a quarterback in American football. His striking of a deadball is an asset, but I believe his inclusion in the team would work if he is supported in midfield and attack by players with pace, (not Soucek, Paqueta, Alvarez, Rodriguez etc). Also, if Soucek is retained for his ability in both penalty areas, then again it would only seem to work for me if he too is supplemented by skilful attacking footballers with pace.

It will be interesting to see if any of our loanees who return, or academy players, can stake a claim for a place in the squad if they are good enough. Apparently, Potter has said he wants to reduce the size of the squad, so I guess that should mean one or two places for these players if they are up to it. Scarles, Casey, Orford, Kelly, Marshall, Earthy, Potts. Perhaps a couple of these? Perhaps others? I’ve no idea but it would be sad if none of them come through wouldn’t it?

My player of the season? No surprise it has to be Wan Bissaka by some distance. What a buy he has turned out to be. Bowen has done well once again too. Nobody else really stands out for me. I’m looking forward to the return of Summerville next season as I believe he has great potential.

So, another summer of big changes, wondering who will leave and who will arrive. Yet again I wonder if we can get it right this time? Who knows?

We haven’t played against Ipswich Town since our promotion winning season of 2011-2012 when we were both in the Championship. That was the season when we finished third (Sam Allardyce had been appointed as the new manager at the beginning of the campaign – the aim was to gain promotion at the first attempt following relegation under Avram Grant). Do you remember Big Sam’s first signings? They were four of his old Bolton players, Kevin Nolan, Matt Taylor, Joey O’Brien, and Abdoulaye Faye.

Despite losing just one of our last 18 games (to eventual champions Reading – yes you read that right – Reading) and leading the table at the start of that run we were unable to secure automatic promotion. However, we were successful in the play-offs defeating Cardiff over both semi-final legs and Blackpool in the Wembley final. We would have gone up automatically if we had done better in our two league games against Ipswich who finished in the bottom half of the table.

At Upton Park we lost 1-0, and then at Portman Road on 31^st January we were thrashed 5-1. A certain Aaron Cresswell was in the Ipswich side for both of those games. Following the 5-1 defeat we began that 18 match run where we lost just once. Victory in just one of those games against Ipswich would have been enough to finish the season as champions. The home defeat was the most annoying one to lose. But all is well that ends well, we secured promotion and Ipswich spent many years in the doldrums. And despite promotion to the Premier League where are Reading now? In the lower half of league one.

The last time we beat Ipswich was in the Championship Play-Off Finals in 2005. After drawing the first leg 2-2 at Upton Park (we were 2-0 up in the first 15 minutes – Zamora and Harewood)), two second half Bobby Zamora goals secured a place in the final in Cardiff where we nervously beat Preston 1-0 – Zamora again.

Ipswich didn’t like playing us in play-off semi-finals. Two years earlier they had won the first leg 1-0 before we came back at Upton Park with Matt Etherington’s superb shot early in the second half and a winner from Christian Dailly following a corner 20 minutes from the end. Unfortunately, our trip to Cardiff for the final that time ended in a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. That season Ipswich had finished third in the league 12 points clear of us – we had finished sixth just scraping into the play-offs.

Those of you who are old enough may remember the two games against Ipswich in the semi-final of the FA Cup in 1975. The first game played at Villa Park was possibly one of the most tedious games of football I have ever witnessed. It ended 0-0 with neither side come close to scoring. The return at Stamford Bridge in the snow the following Wednesday was won 2-1 with Alan Taylor scoring both goals, as he had done at Highbury in the quarter-final, and as he did at Wembley when we beat Fulham 2-0 in the final. Ironically, a couple of weeks after our semi-final replay win over Ipswich, and a week before we played in the Cup Final, Ipswich beat us 4-1 in a league game.

Ipswich are now back in the Premier League for the first time since they were last relegated in 2002. They have achieved this with two record-breaking back-to back promotions under the impressive Kieran McKenna and have begun this campaign without a victory in their six games played to date. There was no disgrace losing their opening two games to Liverpool and Manchester City, but since then they have become the draw kings sharing the points with Fulham, Brighton, Southampton and Aston Villa. Their two defeats and four points leaves them 15^th in the current table, one point below us in 14^th. Five of the six teams they have faced so far are currently in the top nine of the Premier League including four of the top six.

In the first half of the season opener against Liverpool, Ipswich started strongly, nullified the Merseysiders attacking threat in the first half, but couldn’t quite match their stronger second half performance and went down 2-0. It didn’t get any easier for the Tractor Boys with a visit to face the champions Manchester City the following week. After surprising their hosts in the first few minutes taking a lead against the run of play, they were 3-1 down after just 15 minutes and ended up losing 4-1 which included a Haaland hat-trick.

They led against Fulham in the next game and were perhaps the better team but were pulled back and drew 1-1. A difficult trip to the Amex Stadium followed and Brighton displayed their attacking skills throughout the game. However a dogged defensive display saw Ipswich hold on for another point in a goalless draw.

Away at St Mary’s in their next game Southampton took the lead in the first few minutes but Ipswich fought throughout for an equaliser, and their relentless never give up attitude saw them snatch a deserved 95^th minute equaliser. Last weekend they took the lead against high flying Villa, fell 2-1 behind and then rallied to equalise the game at 2-2 in the second half with both goals coming from ex-Manchester City player Delap who looks quite a handful. I don’t think he takes throw-ins like his dad though!

Their games to date sum up how it will not be easy for us to beat them this weekend. If we underestimate them they could make us pay. They’ve made some fine acquisitions in the summer to add to the players who have shone in the past couple of seasons. Apart from Delap from City, Hutchinson from Chelsea, Szmodics from Blackburn, the highly skilled Jack Clarke from Sunderland, Greaves from Hull, and Kalvin Phillips (who we never saw the best of, but who is a very good combatative midfielder), they have a superb attacking left back in Leif Davis.

Geoff’s excellent article (published on Tuesday) sums up our season to date. It’s well worth a read and really sums up the current state of affairs at the start of a new season under our new head coach. Excellently described as always Geoff highlights how the players don’t seem to understand much of what the coach is looking for, how the formation and tactics don’t appear to be clear to them, and how they don’t seem to be aware of their roles and responsibilities within the team. He questions whether they even have the necessary skills and ability to follow what the manager wants them to do. It seems like we are watching a group of individuals not a collective team, players not playing in their best positions where they can be most effective (e.g. Kudus), and I just don’t know what Summerville has to do to be picked in the starting eleven.

The sub-heading of Geoff’s article sums it up succinctly in a sentence: “As the stuttering disjointed start to West Ham’s Julen Lopetegui enters its third month we are still awaiting signs that the tactical plan and player capabilities are converging.” Following this game we head off to the second International break after just 7 games of the season. Ridiculous! Lets hope we go into it with our second league win of the campaign