The problem with our fans.

[SuperStu]

Or is this our level?

Sure, the championship is our level. But the bottom half of the top flight is our level too. And we're one of probably dozens of clubs you could say the same thing about, including a few that are currently and probably temporarily doing a bit better or a bit worse than that level.

E.g., are Brighton, Fulham and Brentford playing at their level? Not really. They're going through the good times and playing above where you'd probably expect them to. Good for them! Sooner or later it'll be our turn again.

 

[Marvanelli]

Are we ready to talk rationally about this yet lads?

We’ve played 3 teams towards the top of the league we’re in and lost to each of them. Is this a blip? Or is this our level?

Why didn't you want to talk about it when we beat Southampton (who are 4th), Leicester (who are top), Sunderland (who are 6th), Preston (who are 8th) ?

 

[Defender 4x4]

One problem we cannot change is our geographical location. The likes of Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham can attract players who would not come here. Tat will never change and gives us a disadvantage when it come to recruitment,

 

[atypical_boro]

1 season in the PL in the last 15 is not really our “level”.

I was totally comfortable being out of the PL in 2009-2016 and I always believed we’d get back up eventually.

This spell though, 2017-?, I don’t feel all that optimistic and around the country we are definitely no longer viewed as a “yoyo club” anymore; because we simply don’t yoyo anymore. That’s not really our level.

That all said, we are struggling with injuries and I do think we still have a stab at the play offs.

 

[mercury_redstone7]

We needed to build something or at least attempt to, we couldnt go on with the likes of Pulis, Warnock and Wilder. Its difficult to be patient when we know with fit squad we could do much better. We are WIP, but at least the football is better to watch. utb.

 

[afcb_acklam]

One problem we cannot change is our geographical location. The likes of Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham can attract players who would not come here. Tat will never change and gives us a disadvantage when it come to recruitment,

do you think thats really true? I appreciate some players are drawn to London, but not so sure about other places. I think players mainly look at 1) the chance to play in the "glamorous" premier league 2) the size of the wad offered 3) the chance to be "in the shop window" if with a smaller club and 4) the dreaded "project". just seems to be mainly chance, or business decisions, as to which clubs get the monied owners, that makes the difference.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

Do we though? We have a decent stadium, but we don’t fill it. Our average sits around 27000, which although decent, is not the best in this league.

I think it’s around 6th - 8th.

I would absolutely agree that we’ve been hampered by some appalling decisions. But we can only say that with the benefit of hindsight.

It is 6th in the league but has we been in Ipswich's position we'd possibly but higher.

There are some very well supported clubs in this division though. We'd be averaging more than Luton, Burnley, Sheff Utd, Brentford, Brighton, Wolves and Forest of the current top flight if we'd been up there.

Gibson has made some appalling club management decisions, no doubting that. I think we're on the right track now, it wasn't a particularly good game last night but they generally are and have been since Wilder took over.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

do you think thats really true? I appreciate some players are drawn to London, but not so sure about other places. I think players mainly look at 1) the chance to play in the "glamorous" premier league 2) the size of the wad offered 3) the chance to be "in the shop window" if with a smaller club and 4) the dreaded "project". just seems to be mainly chance, or business decisions, as to which clubs get the monied owners, that makes the difference.

If London was such a pull how come the north west attracts the best footballers?

The north east will be competing with them shortly.

 

[Boro4life]

We have turned into a bang average midtable championship side that flirts with promotion. This is down to Gibson mismanagement, poor transfers and wasting that opportunity Karanka gave us. In that January window in the Premier league we should of pushed the boat out alot more but signed Bamford and Gestede! If we stayed up that season we would of saved a fortune and might even be like Brighton are right now or even Aston Villa. We did waste that chance and now we stuck back here can't compete financially with parashoot sides, signing young project players that will take years to develop then if they are any good are sold to balance the books. I honestly don't know what the plan is to get us back up we feel stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. We can't really build anything as our best players are sold each summer so is another big rebuild that causes our starts to seasons to be woeful.

 

[mercury_redstone7]

We have turned into a bang average midtable championship side that flirts with promotion. This is down to Gibson mismanagement, poor transfers and wasting that opportunity Karanka gave us. In that January window in the Premier league we should of pushed the boat out alot more but signed Bamford and Gestede! If we stayed up that season we would of saved a fortune and might even be like Brighton are right now or even Aston Villa. We did waste that chance and now we stuck back here can't compete financially with parashoot sides, signing young project players that will take years to develop then if they are any good are sold to balance the books. I honestly don't know what the plan is to get us back up we feel stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. We can't really build anything as our best players are sold each summer so is another big rebuild that causes our starts to seasons to be woeful.

Its difficult when the teams relegated either subsided the premier team that they were relegated and also have parachute payments. We have to keep sticking to building something, the players we have gain experience and we need to add it.
Jack Charlton was a very very lucky man( loved him all the same) Stan Anderson built him a ready made team full of fantastic players in every position. He just used the advantages he had and added Murdoch for skill and inspiration.

Karanka got us promotion, yet his 2nd season was awful to watch in general, but Mogga had done the hoss work for him before he left.

We will get there again, its about patience as there nothing we can do but either admire or fret over things.

 

[Scrug]

Why didn't you want to talk about it when we beat Southampton (who are 4th), Leicester (who are top), Sunderland (who are 6th), Preston (who are 8th) ?

I’ve talked about not getting carried away constantly.

 

[KDG]

Sure, the championship is our level. But the bottom half of the top flight is our level too. And we're one of probably dozens of clubs you could say the same thing about, including a few that are currently and probably temporarily doing a bit better or a bit worse than that level.

E.g., are Brighton, Fulham and Brentford playing at their level? Not really. They're going through the good times and playing above where you'd probably expect them to. Good for them! Sooner or later it'll be our turn again.

Id agree with this. I would say for any championship team you have to extend their level to bottom half Premier League (when things are going well) and top half League 1 (when its gone wrong badly)

It goes in cycles unfortunately - the likes of Brighton, Palace, Fulham and Brentford etc will be back in the Championship before long and there will be another Brighton/Bournemouth in years to come.

 

[indeedido]

We have exactly the same 27 points after 21 matches as we did last season.
We have scored 3 goals more and conceded 7 more.
We are 13th, versus 15th last season.
6 points off Play offs this season, 4 points off last season.
7 points off the drop this season, 4 points last season.

We are struggling right now in a bad run.

We went on to get 30 points from the next 11 matches last season.
We seem light years from there.

 

[changingman]

In short, we lack the financial clout required to compete easily at the top of the division. Parachute payments are distorting things, meaning you will potentially get the same cycle of promotion/relegation amongst a few clubs at the top.

For everyone else, you need an edge. Something that sets you apart from the pack. I'd argue that we have two - our manager (surely a cut above the Championship "average") and our recruitment model (albeit it's early days on that front).

That said, it's hardly rocket science and plenty of other clubs will be doing exactly the same thing in both regards (or trying to), just as we're aping our approach from sides who have been successful recently (Brighton, Brentford etc).

 

[Marvanelli]

I’ve talked about not getting carried away constantly.

So why did you highlight the 3 losses against teams at the top, but chose to ignore the good results we've had against teams at the top?

 

[Blf]

That's it blame the fans.

 

[newyddion]

I do agree that some fans are way to negative but my problem is, where had all this money gone??
13mil for Akpom
15mil for Spence
10mil for tav
Then we refuse to spend 5mil buying Giles. I agree with the current project however we still need to buy some quality on top of the young players. Surely Gibson can invest some of the money from recent sales?

All the players we’ve bought.. it soon adds up. Got a bit left over for January mind..

 

[newyddion]

We are supporting our team, we’ve seen progress, expectations have been lifted.. understandably we’re disappointed to lose out to a smash and grab after looking like we were in control for so long.

We keep consistency and perhaps learn a lesson. We move on.. still all to play for!

 

[Scrug]

So why did you highlight the 3 losses against teams at the top, but chose to ignore the good results we've had against teams at the top?

Because it’s more to maintain a sense of focus and temper expectations when it isn’t going well. Just let people enjoy it when it is.

I’m not trying to be negative with this, just offer a sense of perspective.

 

[FishofContemplation]

We have turned into a bang average midtable championship side that flirts with promotion. This is down to Gibson mismanagement, poor transfers and wasting that opportunity Karanka gave us. In that January window in the Premier league we should of pushed the boat out alot more but signed Bamford and Gestede! If we stayed up that season we would of saved a fortune and might even be like Brighton are right now or even Aston Villa. We did waste that chance and now we stuck back here can't compete financially with parashoot sides, signing young project players that will take years to develop then if they are any good are sold to balance the books. I honestly don't know what the plan is to get us back up we feel stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. We can't really build anything as our best players are sold each summer so is another big rebuild that causes our starts to seasons to be

We have been a bang average mid table championship side that flirts with promotion for pretty much all of the last 70 years. The only exception to that was the brief period from about 1995 when Gibson’s wealth was relatively large enough to make a difference. Now that it isn’t, we’re back to our postwar norm.

I don’t say that because I think we should settle for it. You should always aspire to be better than you have been recently. But it’s a fact that is where we have been for most of the last 70 years, predominantly in the second tier with a couple of modest spells (one of them down to Gibson’s ability to spend above our means) and a handful of odd seasons higher (and two lower).