New Ipswich manager

I'd say Ipswich have an outside chance of a play-off place this season. Joe will need to turn the team around pretty quickly if they want to get there though. However next season they should be one of the big teams.

 

There is no logic in that at all. As almost any manager will tell you, you have one year to bounce back (with the large payment cushion relegation brings) and if you don't do it immediately, it becomes exponentially harder to compete as time goes by. The facts bear this out. Those teams that don't go straight back up tend to struggle for long periods. Ipswich, for whatever reason, seem to lack the mettle required by the present first division and as weeks pass with no sign of a turnaround in fortunes in sight, they look less and less equipped to do well at this level. They may need a serious re-alignment in playing staff to turn a good footballing team into a competitive side in a division which places different demands than the Premiership or, for that matter, Europe.

 

As a fan of Ipswich, i've been pretty annoyed with the results as of late. It's quite simple to me. On/ off injuries and lack of cutting edge in the attack against formidable First Division opponents have done us in for the most part. Does Joe Royle hold the key to promotion via playoffs? Maybe sydtheeagle can answer this better than I can but my answer is no at the moment.

 

From what I've seen (against Palace) and heard from others (other matches, as well as some TV), Ipswich are really not competing in the middle of the park and are thus not scoring in part because they haven't been creating many chances.

Their brand of football, typical of that of many "better" teams, is rather too elaborate for this division (which may, in part, explain why they've done better in Europe) and by and large they simply haven't been at the races in a competitive sense when playing workaday first division sides because these sides have, for the most part, outmuscled and outhustled them.

Royle may not be a popular hiring but he does know what it takes at this level and I suspect that he will effect an improvement in their performance before too long. I would also pretty much guarantee he'll change the complexion of the squad before too long. As for the playoffs, Ipswich are definitely good enough, but they have a big hole to dig themselves out of. I'd say they are an outside bet at this time, though it's not impossible they'll get there.