For bit part players in The Ipswich Town Story we’re doing rather well.
With Sky’s team doing their very best – with obvious exception of Darren Eadie – to big up the hosts and skip over the deficiencies in their crude brand of football, it must have crushing for them to look on as City ruined what was supposed to be the day the tide finally turned in favour of the history-makers.
Shame eh?
Daniel Farke in the exhausting pre-match build up spoke fairly and professionally, as ever, and refused to go ‘too deep’ into City’s unbeaten run in East Anglian derbies that stretches back to 2009; citing the Premier League years as mitigation for our friends in blue.
But I’m neither fair or professional and am more than happy to point out that in that time we’ve played Ipswich nine times; winning six, drawing three and with cumulative ’19 for/6 against’ goal difference. While we’ve managed only a modest three clean sheets in that time, our friends from the south have not scored more than a single goal in any of those games.
All they have to show for it is ‘the best four minutes of their lives’, a pair of auctioned shorts and ‘a small part of Norwich that will always be Ipswich’ – apparently. That’s until the next time – in February – when we have to go through it all again.
To offer a reluctant modicum of balance, their time is edging closer and but for David McGoldrick’s missed header and Jonas Knudsen’s (with a K) shot hitting the wrong side of Angus’s post it could quite easily have been today. But the header only troubled the bloke in row J of the Churchman’s Stand (is it still called that?) and K-nudsen’s shot flew back into play rather than into the net.
The margins are getting finer and the gap in quality is unquestionably closer than it has been for some time, but for all Mick McCarthy’s pained expressions and logic the scoreboard at the end read, ‘Ipswich Town 0, Norwich City 1’. And, for all the hand-wringing south of the border, that’s not about to change.
As Mick was quick to point out, no-one’s about to argue that those in blue marginally had the better of the first half – particularly the final 20 minutes of the half when we struggled to get out largely due to being unable to keep the ball – but in those moments of pressure those in yellow were unbowed. Waghorn and Garner, despite their best efforts, were unable to bully and bash and niggle in the way McCarthy demands but it is fair to say the half-time whistle was a welcome sound for Team Farke (and all of us).
It’s also fair to say we did ourselves few favours by giving away a series of free-kicks in the final third to invite said pressure. Yet, despite Danny Higginbotham postively willing a blue head to get a final, decisive touch, Angus was spared having to even make a proper save.
Typically these occasions hinge on a mistake or a moment of exquisite skill and luckily in James Maddison we have someone capable of the latter, and someone who’s in the richest vein of form of his young life. The calmness he showed to use Webster as a shield and then bend the ball into Bialkowski’s net belied his tender years; so too his ‘sshh’ celebration in front of those who’d spent the game calling him unholy names.
Until the goal the fate of those much-lauded bragging rights hung in the balance but with a lead to protect this team comes into its own. Game management is something at which we currently excel and despite lot of huffing, puffing and hoofing from Mick’s men they were countered with another masterclass in squeezing the life out of a game of football; an art that had seldom been witnessed in these parts since the Lambert years but which is now a staple of our away performances.
That Angus had only two saves to make in the maelstrom of El Tractico (I hate it too) was a credit to those tasked with protecting him, including Grant Hanley who, despite appearing a little laden with rust, was in the right place at the right time on a few crucial occasions. He now will feel part of the group having been on the fringes and it was heart-warming to see him play his full part in the celebrations at the end.
There is a clear togetherness right now that is seeing us through times of crisis and pressure. Five straight away wins is not something that happens by accident and it’s certainly not something that occurs when the dressing room is fractured and disharmonious. We are nearly all pulling in the same direction right now and it feels like the few stragglers who were awaiting a downturn to unleash further wrath on those in charge have had a collective arm placed around the shoulder and been brought back into the fold.
Few things can bring us together like a win on enemy soil; when that soil is in Suffolk the impact is tenfold.
So let’s enjoy the moment and spend the next couple of days milking it for all it’s worth. The prospect of defeat, while unpalatable, was something I had prepared for – and I’ll hold that thought in readiness for when it does happen – but for now we’re fulfilling our little cameo role rather well.
?All the Germans…?
I was nervous pre-match, after all, all unbeaten runs come to an end at some stage.
But this is Farke-life, and if we get ahead, we just don’t get beaten. The change in defensive attitude post-Millwall is little short of remarkable, and I’m getting the feeling that we DO have a top quality coach on our hands. Indeed, it is all beginning to seem a little like the Lambert years and that cannot be a bad thing. With Pritchard, and a fully fit Oliviera still to make an appearance, surely the only way now is up? However, given the club’s finances, will we be able to keep hold of Maddison if the vultures with big cheque books come calling in January?
Onward to the Emirates on Tuesday!
O T B C
Can’t see us selling major assets in January, but the outcome of the season is crucial. Promotion, and everything is possible (Huddersfield were able to buy key players they’d had on loan last year). Stay in the Championship, and finances will dictate that we sell either Maddison or Pritchard.
I agree with Stewart. I’m very happy with how the season has turned around, but there remains the nagging feeling of “what if we’re not promoted”. I’ll put that aside for the week after Sunday’s result.
We are grinding out 1 nils like the old boring boring arsenal of years ago …..except we are not boring 😉
I hope we get some contracts sorted out before January I would say most importantly for Daniel farke himself firstly then your trybuls etc I don’t know if we can extend maddisons and olivieras contract but I would if we could ….
Top class day and to be honest I love the way the club is now stark contrast to last year and you have to say well done to delia and them for the decisions they made big smiles .
Just hope we can get through January without losing our best players and manager 😉 otbc
It’s certainly not boring Canaryjim. This eleven, including the subs who came on, have a real sense of purpose, to the extent that I often feel, if we are to concede, it will be down to our own lapse of concentration. It’s a feeling that rarely happens in football – this is beginning to feel like something very, very special.
Exactly Gary and I feel the goal we conceded against Hull was of our own making.
I too saw the similarity with the old George Graham years at Arsenal – I hope our defence can continue to give that impression. There is also a sense of togetherness in the team at present, where everyone is working hard for each other. Gunna seems to be inspiring confidence in those in front of him, and it’s significant that the goal started with an intelligent ball from him to Wes. Don’t suppose there’s any chance of extending his loan beyond this season or even persuading Man City to sel him back to us.
Yes John, I made a comment a couple of weeks ago that this season is slowly resembling the Lambert years and while Jerome doesn’t test the opponent’s goal, he does get through a tremendous amount of work and I read somewhere that Oliveira’s groin was playing up again. Let’s hope it can be resolved soon, as we need him to start plundering goals.
I’d love to see the board extend both Webber’s and Franke’s contracts (not forgetting Trybull’s). Maddison recently extended his to 2021 and as #John says, PL teams will be doing their best to lure Maddison away for around £20M.
Strange isn’t it. Alex Neil was responsible for bringing him to CR and wanted him to go back to Aberdeen in the New Year!!!!!
OK
We are not like the Lambert years.
We are not a Blur song. Those are cliches already well worn.
We are a team constructed in the vision of a manager unlike any other we’ve had. Time we stopped the comparisons and accepted him for the clever man he is. This is a new chapter and he is writing it well.
Ipswich fans must be horribly jealous right know.
All true and a point well made… we’re happy with a bit of Farkelife aren’t we? ? That one is not going away I’m afraid ?
Cityfan – Yes, fair comment and you’re right when you say that this is not like the Lambert years, as his motto was – we don’t care if y score 3 goals, as we’ll score 4!!!! Whereas, in our last 7 matches in the Championship, we have only scored more than one goal when we beat Reading.
As Maddison said in his interview n Radio Norfolk, we are playing as a team and everyone is doing their bit t prevent the opposition from scoring and I believe we’ve conceded 2 goals in those same 7 games (I can’t remember when we’ve had so many ‘clean sheets’!!).
I’m VERY happy with our style of play and long may it continue!!!
One day, one day. Fair comments. COYB.
Cheers for taking time to comment mate… and you’re right. And that day edges closer.
It will need to do more than “edge closer” – we could be playing in separate leagues in the near future (one way or another!!)
I love what we’re doing and share in all the platitudes being given to the team and the staff; everything is brilliant.
One of the best things about the day was seeing how useless little 1p5wich are. They only hit the post because of an increasingly rare piece of stupidity by the otherwise fantastic Ivo and their other shots and headers showed that their strikers would be unlikely to hit a cow’s arse with a banjo. And their fans are no better; in a week where they had been talking up how much of a big team they are, 5000 seats remained unsold.
I’ll be turning my clock back one hour next weekend, in !p5wich they will probably go back 40 years.
Who’s the pride of Anglia?
Happy Days, for sure. Great to feel the togetherness again, both among players and supporters.
DF is so different, his comments on Friday about the coach journeys home from away games after we’ve won are priceless.
I am concerned over our goal scoring rate and 13 from 13 has to improve because the 1-0’s won’t continue. Would like to think the search is on for a striker. We had a number of good chances yesterday but little conviction in front of goal.
Great day, great feeling, looking forward to The Emirates, time for Josh Murphy to impress??
Really enjoyed the article above and the resulting comments.
Know we all want to if possible progress in this cup competition but I would also like Team Farke to experiment a little it would be great to see one or possibly two of the under 23’s getting a chance Fonkeu, Abraham or the lad from Liverpool if it means we go out of the cup so be it, We know Wenger will use it to give his first team players a rest so should Farke.