We welcome your posts:.. THOMAS SEGGONS pens his thoughts on Ipswich Town...
'Overall, we were pretty poor… a lot of negatives; a bit worrying at times.'
These were the words uttered from my mouth after the 2-1 win against AFC Wimbledon at the beginning of the season on Kings of Anglia's #GAMEDAY.
This was at the beginning of our unbeaten run, where our season looked so promising. Yet - even then - our performances weren't convincing, often scraping 1-0 wins away from home, and even in the Wimbledon game, we needed two late goals to earn the three points - Norwood 3:16 with both, where has that hype and confidence gone?
We now lie in tenth place and are destined for another season in League One - a terrifying proposition considering this was supposed to our 'League One Tour'.
Admittedly, I knew we would struggle. I said during pre-season that we wouldn't find it as easy as we thought it would be. I never imagined it to be this bad, though!
We were top of the table come 20th October.
Then we played Accrington Stanley, and that's when our form began to dip.
Like I've already said, our form was outstanding, but we were never convincing (apart from Tranmere, our one true impressive performance). It was accepted because we were winning. We looked as if we had 'the best team in the league' - Lambert's rotation policy was allegedly keeping players fresh; we were grinding out results.
Did it matter that we didn't have a settled side?
In hindsight, definitely! But, at the time, we were having fun with winning again - I certainly was. Such a massive dip in form was never considered.
Then injury struck.
One player doesn't make a team - most will agree with that - but, my Lord, didn't we lose a good'un when we lost Kane Vincent-Young.
What a difference he made; he was exactly what we had been shouting out for in a right-back for what seemed like an eternity!
Jamie Peters, Carlos Edwards, Luke Chambers, for example, all did a decent job at right-back but never produced the spark that we needed since Fabian Wilnis.
Don't even get me started on Jordan Spence!
We lost something special with 'KVY' - assists and those inspiring runs that led to goals (Tranmere and Gillingham spring to mind). It certainly is not a coincidence that our form dropped when 'KVY' was side-lined.
Against Accrington and Rotherham, we were dreadful - a sign of what was to come.
Flynn Downes was also missing in those two because of the injury he received whilst playing for the England U21s. He's been fundamental for us; it was no wonder they were our worst performances during the first three months of our season. One of our main strikers, James Norwood, hasn't been the same since his groin issues in September, which has a small part to play with the decline of our season, too.
However, with the loss of 'KVY', I feel that Lambert began to panic.
We had Cup games, League games, and the rotation got more and more ridiculous. There were changes to formation. Different players were playing to what were the game before.
Some players stated that they did not like the policy of rotation, and why would they?
Why play at your best if you might be dropped regardless?
Not one player was safe.
It wasn't until the 5-3 defeat to Lincoln (I was there. I wasn't happy. One of my favourite performances on #GAMEDAY, though!) that the rotating stopped, and we started to - for a time - get our season back on track.
I've never been a fan of Will Norris, but that's just me.
Tomas Holy is a more than capable 'keeper. He is ours, after all!
The 4-1 loss to Peterborough showed exactly why our season has gone downhill.
They looked menacing. Scary going forward. Clinical. You can't describe Ipswich in that way. When we attack, it's slow. We look to go wide, and then cross it with no real threat in the box.
It's worrying, but that's why we haven't stayed top.
We can't seem to finish the important games off. Sunderland, Blackpool spring to mind. We dominated the first half against Sunderland. Second half against Blackpool. Missed chances leave us ruing them. Had Sears put that late chance against Blackpool, things might be looking a little different.
Instead, we let a late one in, and end up losing to Fleetwood and Coventry after that. This needs to be addressed, whether it's by Lambert or another manager that comes in. If we want to get out of this league, we need to start creating chances and putting them away.
Similarly, other clubs strengthened in January.
Peterborough brought in Szmodics, Sunderland signed a few. They are only two examples.
Ipswich didn't, and it has cost us. You could argue that we needed a striker, especially with reflection. Norwood's out. Jackson received a three-match suspension. That left a lot on the shoulders of Sears (a player not quite ready due to injury) and Simpson (he looks a promising one for the future).
I really like Keane - his hold-up play is tremendous at times, he was involved in three out of four goals against Burton, and the one at Blackpool - but he doesn't score often, and the situation that we found ourselves helped to cost us.
There are not many goals in our team when you take Norwood and Jackson out.
Connor Wickham was never going to be the answer if you ask me.
I get people's frustrations with Marcus Evans.
I really do.
However, I don't think he has been the problem this season. Yes, granted, I'm sure he's made mistakes. Whether he made funds available for January, we don't know. However, he let us bring in Norwood, Garbutt, KVY. If true, he rejected substantial bids for Downes and Woolfenden.
I think he's tried to do what he can this season. I do agree there needs to be change, though.
A protest, like provided by the Five Point Protest.
We need to raise our frustrations and put a stop to the decline that this club is in! It is a definite must!
Nonetheless, for me, the blame for this season falls at Lambert's feet - he's the manager.
Offering him a contract extension before the end of the season was absurd - the one thing that I do lay blame at Evans for.
All I ask for now is to see more of Dobra, Simpson, Bishop and McGavin.
These are our future, and we should build a team around them for our hopeful promotion push next season.
If things continue the way that they are, we could be heading for a hostile end to the season. That's for sure.
'Mr Gameday', THOMAS SEGGONS
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