No Gain Without Pain.
Normal service has been resumed sooner than possible with another inept performance at home to a Plymouth side that at best could have been described as struggling pre hostilities last Saturday.
The difference between last season’s home form and that of this term is difficult to quantify or qualify for that matter.
The popular consensus of management and some player’s opinions is that teams come to Portman Road to defend and make life difficult for us. How dare they!
In fact four of them were so defensive they managed to win and a further difficult half a dozen have strolled away with a point, ‘The Pilgrims’ most recently. What is apparent in the face all this adversity is the inability to break down any sort of organised defending whether it be by tactical awareness, team selection or the introduction of new faces.
The responsibility for such inadequacy can only lay with the management and coaching staff.
The total upturn in results on our travels this season would indicate that the ability of the current squad of players is not in question. So could there be more underlying factors in the inability of the team to perform at what used to be ‘Fortress Portman Road’. Attendance figures have unquestionably been down along with the vocal volume of those within the ground. A lot of negativity has also been around amongst the so called ‘support’ calling for the head of the manager way too early into the campaign. So does all of this transfer as added pressure to the players in home fixtures? The fan base that follows Town away tends to be far more supportive both vocally and with their attitude. Don’t get me wrong, they are not without opinion or expectancy of the team to perform, but the fact that they choose to cover the length and breadth of the country in support of their beloved ‘Blues’ epitomises the “Till I die” mentality of the true supporter.
All of that positively vocal support and attitude will be required at the ‘Liberty Stadium’ this Saturday, because I fear anything less than a win would render our play off hopes virtually unreachable. Certainly anything less than a draw would condemn the season to mediocrity for all but the ‘mathematically possible’ brigade.
If we get a result in Wales and there is not a positive response at home to Blackpool next Saturday then the indication to me would be that we the fans are not worthy of a side capable of Premiership aspirations.
The transfer of ‘Bam Bam’ AKA Richard Naylor to Leeds although at the time on loan was sudden to say the least. I feel a little cheated at not being able to say goodbye properly to a player that has been mostly held in esteem by Town fans for over a decade.
Good luck “Psycho” and thanks for the memories.