Big Match Review - Ipswich 3 Sheffield United 0

Ipswich Town 3-0 Sheffield United

Saturday February 5, Portman Road, (Att: 18,280)

Ipswich made it three league wins on the bounce under new boss Paul Jewell with a comfortable victory over a beleaguered Sheffield United side.

The home side took the lead just before the hour mark when Damien Delaney powered a header from Jimmy Bullard's outswinging free kick past Steve Simonsen.

Goalscorer than turned provider early on in the second half as Delaney's ball into the box was acrobatically volleyed in from close range by David Norris for 2-0.

The Tractor Boys were dominant, and almost stretched their lead when a long ball over the top caught out the United back line, but Tamas Priskin's shot came back off a post.

The same man was then brought to the ground in the area by Shane Lowry to hand the Suffolk outfit a penalty, but Simonsen was equal to Grant Leadbitter's spot kick.

However, they weren't to be denied a third - and it came in some style. Teenage sensation Connor Wickham's sensational run from inside his own half saw him beat half the Blades team before slipping the ball home.

Things then went from bad to worse for Micky Adams's visitors with two sending offs in as many minutes.

First, Rob Kozluk was given his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident with Lee Martin.

Incensed at the decision, Lee Williamson then earned himself a second yellow card for dissent to complete the Yorkshire side's miserable afternoon.

The result lifts Ipswich up to 14th in the division, the Blades, however, now lie four points from safety.

Big Match Preview - Ipswich vs. Sheffield United

Ipswich Town vs. Sheffield United

Saturday February 5, 15:00, Portman Road

Two teams languishing towards the wrong end of the Championship clash at the weekend as relegation haunted Sheffield United take on an Ipswich Town hoping to move further away from the bottom three.

Both sides are under relatively new management, too, with Paul Jewell having replaced Roy Keane at Town and United onto their third manager of the campaign in Micky Adams.

Adams joined his boyhood club from League Two Port Vale at the turn of the New Year. However, it's been a tricky start to his Blades managerial career, with United yet to register a victory in his five league games in charge.

The latest ended in a 1-0 home defeat to his former club Leicester, which plunged the South Yorkshire outfit into the bottom three of the Championship for the first time since the opening weeks of the campaign.

So far, Adams has also accrued a couple of draws, against Doncaster and Coventry, and suffered defeats to Norwich and away at Burnley.

Their record on the road has seen them lose half of their 14 away trips, and no side has scored fewer away goals in the Championship than the Blades.

Three wins - all by 1-0 scorelines - have been achieved at Derby, Millwall, and Hull. They've also recorded respectable points at the likes of high flying Cardiff and Nottingham Forest.

Welsh striker Ched Evans is United's top scorer this season with eight, and wide man Mark Yeates has been another stand out performer with five goals to his name.

New Blades boss Micky Adams is still awaiting his first victory as manager

Opponents Ipswich, having finally had their interest in the League Cup ended in the semi finals last week by Arsenal, are now hoping to pull away from the battle against the drop themselves.

Jewell inherited a side that, under predecessor Roy Keane, went on a run of seven defeats from nine games - a run which ultimately cost Keane his job at Portman Road.

Ironically, Town's fortunes have taken a nosedive since their victory over United at Bramall Lane in November, when they sat in the play off positions after the first third of the campaign.

However, they've won two of their first three matches under former Wigan boss Jewell, a 3-2 victory over Doncaster and then a midweek 2-1 win at the new manager's former club, Derby.

He'll be looking to build on those results as he aims to turn around a chequered home record. The Tractor Boys have six victories on home soil to their name this term. However, they've also suffered half a dozen losses too.

They were able to strengthen their squad during the transfer window, with Tuesday's match winner, Jimmy Bullard, joining on loan from Hull, and promising winger Andy Drury being signed from Luton for £150,000.

With Ipswich up to 17th now, confidence will be returning to the team and they face a United side without a win in seven games, with morale at a new low with them now finding residing in the danger zone.

I'm backing Paul Jewell to continue his revival of the Suffolk club's fortunes therefore, with another narrow, and probably not particularly pretty, three points.

Nobes' Prediction: Ipswich Town 2 Sheffield United 1

Please Stand Up

After Ipswich Town appoint Paul Jewell to succeed Roy Keane in the manager's chair, Nobes looks at the new man in charge and whether he can take them back into the Premier League.

Jewell has twice taken clubs into the Premier League during his career

For some, he was the architect behind bringing Premier League status to two unfashionable northern towns better known for rugby league than football.

To others, he was the failed messiah. The man who was supposed to resurrect the fortunes of two of England's most traditional clubs, yet floundered during short and unsuccessful spells.

You can forgive Ipswich Town supporters for being unsure of what to expect from their new manager therefore. Will the real Paul Jewell please stand up?

Few bosses have such a hit and miss record as the 46-year-old Liverpudlian who, a decade ago, appeared to be one of the most promising young managers in the division.

When Jewell took Bradford City to promotion to the Premier League in 1999, he brought to an end the West Yorkshire's side's 77-year exile from the top flight of English football.

It was an achievement backed by the big-spending of City chairman Geoffrey Richmond, with Jewell shattering the club's record transfer fee twice in a matter of weeks.

Big money moves for the likes of Isaiah Rankin, Lee Mills, Dean Windass, and Gareth Whalley, alongside a series of experienced veterans, propelled the Bantams into the big time in Jewell's first full season at the helm.

What's more, against all the odds, 12 months later he kept them up and ensured back-to-back seasons in the top flight. Then, he resigned. Talk about quitting on top.

Five years later, and he repeated the trick at Wigan Athletic. The Lancashire town, better known for its Warriors than Latics, had only joined the Football League in 1978.

However, in four years Jewell took them from the third tier to the top flight for the first time in their history.

Once again, the elevation had been driven by the deep pockets of benevolent owner, Dave Whelan. Strikers Nathan Ellington, Geoff Horsfield, and Jason Roberts all cost Wigan a million pounds or more.

What Jewell was given, he spent wisely though. Wigan finished 10th on their top flight debut and reached the League Cup final.

They struggled in their second year but, again, Jewell saw them to safety on the final day in 2007 before resigning, citing he needed a break from football management.

It's that half of his CV which will give Town supporters, and shadowy owner Marcus Evans, cause for great optimism.

The Suffolk club were relegated from the top flight in 2002 after just two years back. Since then, two play off semi finals under Joe Royle is the closest they've come to returning - despite significant spending, particularly under Evans.

It's what cost Jim Magilton his job in 2009, although his record now looks like manager of the year material compared to the failings of the past 18-months under the combustible Roy Keane.

However, Evans and chief executive Simon Clegg are intent on establishing Ipswich back into the top flight - hence their latest appointment.

If Bradford and Wigan are the good of Town's new man though, then his spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County are both the bad and ugly.

Jewell endured a miserable time at Derby, winning just seven league matches

In hindsight, his move in 2000 across Yorkshire from Bradford to the Steel City appears to have been a case of biting off more than he could chew.

While the Hillsborough job may well have been a step up in terms of prestige, he was joining the Owls at a turbulent time in their rich history.

Wednesday had just been relegated from the top flight with huge debts and an ageing squad poorly suited for the rigours and pressures of winning promotion back at the first attempt.

Jewell struggled to halt the slide and just eight months into his reign was fired from his position with Wednesday battling to avoid relegation to League One.

His time at Derby was similarly traumatic. Having replaced Billy Davies mid-season, he oversaw the Rams relegation from the top flight in 2008 accruing just 11 points - the lowest total in Premier League history.

Indeed, it took time 10 months and 29 league games to finally register a league win at Pride Park. However, just half a dozen more followed at he resigned from his position at the end of 2008 with Derby just five points above the Championship's drop zone.

Ironically, his last match in charge came against Ipswich, and he arrives at Portman Road with Town sitting even closer to the drop zone than his Derby side were.

Having left Derby despite guiding them through to the last four of the League Cup, he also takes over in Suffolk with his new charges facing Arsenal over two legs at the same stage of the competition.

He will, however, walk into a dressing room with morale at an all time low. Sunday's 7-0 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup following a run of nine defeats in 13 league games.

Arguably, despite Ipswich's top flight pedigree in the '70s and '80s, his long-term challenge in East Anglia is more reminiscent to the ambitious projects he embarked upon at Bradford and Wigan.

He will hope the similarities continue with Evans sanctioning a further spending spree to bring in the additions necessary for the Tractor Boys to be challenging at the top end rather than the bottom.

While Ipswich do possess some quality, Roy Keane seemed unable to find a settled side and recipe for success.

A questionable record in the transfer market as well as misgivings over his ability to improve and motivate his players also proved his undoing.

Jewell, on the other hand, has proven he can find the right balance between youth and experience and produce a winning team - as well as spending his money well.

While ensuring they don't slip any further down the Championship standings must be Town's initial priority, Evans and Clegg must match their ambition by backing their new man.

While nothing can be certain in football, the law of averages, if nothing else, suggests Jewell's latest mission in his chalk and cheese career should be a hit.

Cup Half Empty

Semi-finalists in the League Cup but struggling in the Championship, Nobes looks at the situation facing Roy Keane and Ipswich Town ahead of this weekend's game at rock-bottom Preston.

Under fire: Roy Keane's Ipswich have lost their last five league matches

The longest run of league defeats in 15 years or reaching the last four of the League Cup? Deciding whether you're a happy Ipswich fan or not probably depends on whether you're the sort of person whose cup is half empty or half full.

Last weekend's defeat to Swansea saw Town slump to their fifth loss in succession and eighth in ten games overall. It's a run which has left them in 17th - just four points above the relegation zone.

It followed hot on the heels of a crushing 4-1 loss at local rivals Norwich, the heaviest defeat they'd ever suffered in a game against their East Anglian neighbours.

However, sandwiched in between was last week's win over West Brom which secured a League Cup semi final tie against Arsenal - with a trip to Wembley potentially just 180 minutes away.

It's the first time the Suffolk club have made the last four in nine years, and only the fourth occasion in total in a competition they've never won.

As daunting as taking on the Gunners over two legs may be, boss Roy Keane is just three matches away from securing Ipswich's first major trophy since the UEFA Cup nearly 30 years ago.

Of course, back then Town were hosting top flight matches and welcomed Europe's finest thanks to the management of the legendary Sir Bobby Robson.

The way things are going at the moment though, the latest incumbent of the Town dugout won't be remembered anywhere near as fondly. Keane is a man under increasing pressure.

Flailing in the bottom half certainly wasn't part of the plan when the Irishman arrived at the tail end of the 2008/9 campaign. Elusive owner Marcus Evans recruited Keane to replace Jim Magilton with the aim of a return to the Premier League.

However, a nightmare start to last term that saw the team without a win after 14 games scuppered any hopes of promotion and an eventual finishing position of 15th was well below pre-season expectations.

Evans and chief executive Simon Clegg stood by their man over the summer - patience which appeared to have been rewarded with Keane's side nestled in the top six with just a single defeat after their first eight games.

Which is why their current slide down the Championship standings is a major cause for concern on both the terraces and in the boardroom at Portman Road. How much longer do Evans and Clegg give Keane to get things right?

Half full: Town players celebrate reaching the last four of the League Cup

It had seemed that, after much re-shaping and movement in and out of the club last term, the boss was now reaping the benefits of a more settled squad and a team he could call his own.

Recent defeats suggest the opposite, with fans becoming increasingly restless with Keane's 4-5-1 tactics and, prior to his injury, a refusal to play promising youngster Connor Wickham.

Certainly injuries to players like Wickham and defender Gareth McAuley have not helped the manager, and it's difficult to blame him for the kind of individual defensive errors which contributed to the defeats at Carrow Road and against Swansea.

However, his apparent inability to stem a run of poor results has echoes of the form which led to his voluntary departure as Sunderland boss in 2008. The question must be asked: does the former Manchester United midfielder know how to turn things around?

Keane, one of the finest midfielders of his generation, established his managerial credentials largely thanks to the kind of winning run reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson's sides in the second half of a campaign.

It propelled Sunderland from the bottom three of the Championship to take the title on the final day of the 2006/7 season. The Black Cats won 16 and lost just one of their last 20 games that term, making Keane an instant hero on Wearside.

While such a run is highly impressive, it's not unheard of. A group of talented players high on confidence and full of momentum can become almost unstoppable - as Keane experienced at United.

Just as winning can become a habit though, so can losing - one much more difficult to kick and one largely alien to a man who almost exclusively tasted glory during his playing days.

Some critics suggest that could be Keane's greatest weakness. Just as other talented players have found when stepping into management - working with inferior players can range from infuriating to nigh on impossible.

Does the 39-year-old, renowned for his fiery temperament, also possess the required man-management and motivational skills needed to turn around a dressing room low on confidence and morale?

If so, then Saturday's match at bottom of the table Preston, seemingly bound for League One, provides Ipswich with the perfect opportunity to get their Championship campaign back on track.

Defeat to Darren Ferguson's strugglers, and it could be the manager's time at Town - rather than the side's poor form - which comes to an end.

A win though, and Keane may be around long enough to focus on plotting an unlikely Cup upset - securing his place in Ipswich history and a few more doubters over to the half full side.

Top Of The Flops

With Gordon Strachan resigning as Middlesbrough boss following a disastrous start to the season, Nobes looks at pre-season favourites of the past who failed to live up to expectations.

Things went badly wrong for Gordon Strachan at the Riverside

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by Middlesbrough, most bookies favourites for the Championship title, struggling towards the start of the season. After all, they received the ultimate kiss of death when even the Soccer AM/MW backed them.

Gordon Strachan should have been preparing to pack his bags there and then - and I'm reliably informed he frequents the site often. He'll have even more time to do so now.

Granted, there's still plenty of time for things to turn around at the Riverside - but failure to do so and, after some heavy summer spending, this Teessiders team will go down in history as one of the game's biggest flops.

Not that they're the first team to fail to live up to such huge pre-season hype though. Here's my rundown of the Top Ten Flops of recent seasons.


10. Millwall - 2006/7

After relegation from the Championship the previous season, the Lions overhauled their squad - investing good money into bouncing back at the first attempt.

Alas though, they decided to hire Nigel Spackman as their manager, and he continued his woeful managerial record at the start of the campaign.

The Londoners collected just five points from their opening ten games, earning Spackman the boot and replacement Willie Donachie having to pull them out of the mire.

They ended up 10th, way short of even a spot in the play offs.


9. Oxford United - 2001/2

There was an air of gloom around Oxford United in 2001 - the club had ended their time at Manor Ground with relegation from the third tier.

Step forward former Oxen player, local boy done good, and ex-England international - Mark Wright. He had impressed in his first manager's job at Southport and seemed like the man to get Oxford moving again.

He wasn't. The squad looked strong, vastly experienced, and well capable of challenging at the right end.

With 19 games played and sitting just three points off the bottom, Wright - already suspended by the FA after alleged racist comments to a match day official - resigned.

Successor Ian Atkins inherited a shambles of a squad which ended up a pitiful 21st with just 47 points to their name.


8. Hull City - 2002/3

Tigers Tigers burning bright. The future looked optimistic for Hull in the summer of 2002.

Their money troubles behind them, a new ground on the way, and a big name manager proven in the lower leagues.

Everyone was tipping City to finally realise their potential. However, things didn't quite go according to plan for Jan Molby.

The Tigers registered just 12 points from their first 12 games and a loss at Kidderminster - the club Molby had walked out on months earlier to join Hull - saw his reign brought to a quick end.

Peter Taylor assumed control, but even he failed to turn around their fortunes. Despite resources the envy of the rest of the division, they ended the season in 13th.


7. Leeds United - 2006/7

Leeds had ended the previous campaign as losing play off finalists to Watford. Hopes were high that Kevin Blackwell's side could now go one better.

Perhaps it was a reaction to their close miss a few months earlier, but the Yorkshire side got off to a miserable start and the manager was fired after just eight games.

He left United in the bottom three, but with enough time and a squad more than capable of getting themselves out of trouble.

So you'd think. Replacement Dennis Wise failed to get the most out a team that had come to within 90 minutes of the Premier League and Leeds dropped out of the division with a whimper having entered administration.


6. Sheffield Wednesday - 2003/4

How the mighty had fallen. Wednesday had been a staple of the top flight during the previous decade, but fell down to League One in 2003.

Boss Chris Turner revamped his squad - aiming to steer his home town club back up at the first attempt.

They almost did make it out of League One - but at the wrong end. The Owls ended up 16th - just three points above the relegation zone and a place in the basement division.

Financially troubled off the pitch, perhaps, but Wednesday's squad's toiling and finishing below the likes of Wrexham and Hartlepool was embarrassing.


5. Bradford City - 2007-10

Still flopping. The pre-season choice for League Two winners of every national newspaper for the past four seasons, City continue to disappoint.

They were relegated to the basement division in 2007, promptly installed legend Stuart McCall as manager, and sold 13,000 season tickets on the cheap.

McCall failed to get them even challenging for the top seven for two-and-a-half years before Peter Taylor was appointed his successor.

Last season's positive end has been followed by a dreadful start this term though - they currently sit in 19th. Still time to turn it around and avoid another flop.


4. Ipswich Town - 2009/10

Resources. Check. Money invested. Check. Decent crowds. Check. Proven manager at this level. Check.

Everything seemed set up for Ipswich last season. How they could fail to challenge now Roy Keane was manager?

How? Try not recording a win in their first 14 games - a run which left them bottom of the table.

Albeit there were plenty of draws in that run - which saw Keane avoid an early axe - but Town fans were not getting value for considerable money.

The Suffolk outfit ended the campaign in 15th - well short of a place in the top six, which had been the minimum requirement.


3. Nottingham Forest - 2005/6

Forest made history in 2005 when they became the first winner of the European Cup to drop into their country's third tier of domestic football.

Their embarrassment didn't stop there though. Despite the lower league experience of manager Gary Megson, Forest failed to get to grips with life in League One.

When Megson was eventually sacked - they sat just four points shy of the bottom four and a possible second successive relegation.

Ultimately, a late rally at the end of the term saw them just miss out on a place in the play offs. A talented squad had made a complete meal of the season though.


2. Coventry City - 2001/2

He may yet get onto a future list with Boro but, for now, Gordon Strachan will have to make do with this failure at Coventry.

The Warwickshire side had just been relegated from the top flight under the Scot after over 30 years amongst the country's elite.

However, they were determined to bounce back immediately - ambition illustrated by the £5 million signing of West Brom striker Lee Hughes.

Three losses in their first five games saw Strachan dismissed though, and replacement Roland Nilsson was unable to coax any consistency out of one of the division's strongest squads.

An end of season 11th place was well below-par, particularly as a Hughes-less West Brom went on to gain promotion.


1. Bristol Rovers - 2001/2

You could probably excuse Rovers for still being in a state of shock when they began their League Two campaign in 2001.

Just 12 months after finishing 7th in the third tier, they had been relegated down to the basement division. Unthinkable.

Still, at least they had retained a strong squad - including promising striker Nathan Ellington. At least they would walk all over opponents and gain promotion with ex-Spurs boss and club legend Gerry Francis in charge.

How wrong they were. Francis was a flop, and the Gas ended the campaign in 23rd - second bottom of the entire 92 club and the lowest position in the club's entire history.

Had they done the same 12 months later, they would have been relegated into the Conference. Rovers got lucky.

Big Match Review - Plymouth 1 Ipswich 1

Championship

Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Ipswich Town

Saturday October 24, Home Park, Att: 10,875

Roy Keane's Ipswich were left still searching for their first win of the campaign after coming from behind to draw against a Plymouth side reduced to 10 men late on.

Both sides began brightly creating a few half chances, but it was Argyle who took the lead mid-way through the first half. Jamie Mackie laying the ball back for Carl Fletcher to power a shot past Richard Wright from outside the area.

It was the boost the Pilgrims needed and they had a couple of penalty shouts turned down before they were indebted to 'keeper Romain Larrieu for a fine save from a Grant Leadbitter shot.

However, it was a careless piece of defending by Plymouth's Gary Sawyer with just twenty minutes remaining that gave Ipswich a route back into the match. His woefully underhit backpass was intercepted by Town's Jon Stead and the former Blackburn striker slipped the ball past Larrieu to level matters.

Ipswich could have then taken the lead when some neat build-up found Alan Quinn but despite beating the keeper his shot was cleared off the line by Rory Fallon.

And the home side were then reduced to 10 men when Darcy Blake's clumsy challenge from behind earnt him a straight red card with ten minutes remaining.

However, the Suffolk club were unable to break through the Argyle backline to find a winner and remain rooted to the foot of the Championship, a point and place behind Paul Sturrock's Plymouth.

Big Match Preview

Championship

Plymouth Argyle vs. Ipswich Town

Saturday October 24, 15:00, Home Park

The Championship's bottom two clash down in Devon this weekend as Plymouth host an Ipswich side expected to challenge at the top of the division but still seeking their first win of the season.

It's been a disastrous start to the campaign for Roy Keane's visitors. After coming in at the tail end of last season and conjuring up two wins, Ipswich have failed to register a single victory in their first 13 league games this term.

They haven't come much closer to winning than Tuesday night though. Leading Watford 1-0 for the majority of the game, a 94th minute equaliser for the Hornets left Town stunned and cursing their inability hold onto a lead.

Indeed, injury time goals have been a feature of Ipswich's poor start to the campaign. In three successive away games against Doncaster, Sheffield United, and Barnsley, late goals cost the Tractor Boys five points.

Seven draws have been accumulated so far this season, but with the division's leakiest defence - 26 goals have been shipped in - former Arsenal keeper Richard Wright and his defence have undermined Town's season.

However, Keane does have an abundance of attacking riches to pick from, with Jon Walters having bagged four goals this term. If the likes of Tamas Priskin, Jon Stead, and Pablo Counago can start finding the back of the net too, then Ipswich have the firepower to get themselves out of trouble.

Their opponents this weekend have so far struggled to find the back of the net and find themselves just a point above the Suffolk outfit. However, at least Plymouth can point to actually having notched up a couple of victories.

Managers under pressure: Sturrock and Keane could both do with a win

A 2-1 win at Peterborough, followed by a victory over Scunthorpe by the same scoreline helped ease the pressure slightly on under-fire Argyle boss Paul Sturrock.

The Pilgrims finished 21st last season, only narrowly avoiding the drop, and after a summer takeover by a Japanese consortium, the manager is under pressure to show he is the man for the long-term future of the club.

Their fortunes have not been helped by a poor record at Home Park - the Green Army have seen their side secure just four points and score five goals on home turf this season.

Ipswich will travel in hope they can follow the likes of Nottingham Forest, Cardiff, Sheffield Wednesday and Watford in coming away with all three points from the South West.

Top scorer for Argyle this season is Jamie Mackie with three strikes to his name, and other leading lights include New Zealand international Rory Fallon and the creative spark of Alan Gow.

It promises to be an afternoon full of nerve and tensions and two sides low on confidence. However, whilst Plymouth enter the game in poor form with defeats at Blackpool and Bristol City in their last two outings, Ipswich appear to be inching ever closer to that first win.

It may well come at Home Park this weekend. In a battle of two of the worst defences, Ipswich have the greater strikepower to take advantage and all three points.

Nobes' Prediction: Plymouth Argyle 1 Ipswich Town 2