561: Kings of Anglia: Another cupset as Omari wants out

16:21Stuart Watson:Screened the back four really well, made some good interceptions, looked after the ball really well. I think he was top in terms of passing accuracy. He can hold his head high this morning, Finlay Barbrook. And you mentioned that block at the end. as someone who loves the art of defending, when you get a sort of a two-on-one, when you get an overload, that awareness of space, because if you go charging to the man with the ball, you make his mind up. He can just slip it left to his teammate. If you don't close down quick enough, then you're in problems as well. So he did really well to sort of give the attacker a decision to make.

17:04Stuart Watson:He kind of marked the half space, knew when to close it down. That was a fabulous block. I really enjoyed that.

17:12Mark Heath:Yeah, it was absolutely brilliant. He's from Southwold, isn't he? Barbrook.

17:16Stuart Watson:Southwold, the family, yeah, big family of Ipswich Town fans going back through sort of parents, grandparents. So, yeah, proper blues, Suffolk boys, the two lads. And, yeah, Finley's got a chance at the moment because, as I say, midfield is very thin on the ground.

17:36Mark Heath:Well, he was certainly a bright spot. It can't be many professional footballers come from Southard either, Stu, just as an aside. You'd think more rugby players come from Southard. Anyway, penalty shootout, Stu. You'd predicted this, but you predicted that Tam would win the penalty shootout. This was not good for our deadlines, I must say, by the way. But obviously, they don't end up losing. What did you make of it? First time I think I've ever seen fans behind the goal using their phone lights to try and distract the players, which you know how bright that light is. I'd imagine that could be quite effective if they get a bunch of them together and try that.

18:14Mark Heath:So George Harris missed a penalty. And then obviously Ali Alhamadi, I feel very sorry for Ali, I must say, misses a decisive spot kick. He looked absolutely pooped, I would say, late in the game. and then when he steps up to take that sixth penalty, if you'd have given me money, I'd have put it on him missing, unfortunately. And he duly did, Stu. Shall we have a bit of a chat around Ali? Because, as I say, I feel sorry for him because he was such a fan favourite, wasn't he, when he first arrived? And it's just been going away from him in recent times at town.

18:48Stuart Watson:Yeah, I think that's a fair summary. We have to pick our words very carefully, I think, today when we're talking about Ali. It is possible to have real empathy and sympathy for him in this moment, but also concurrently at the same time talk about there being no room for sentiment in football and him, I think, probably not being at the standard Ipswich require at this juncture as a team that's expected to be gunning for championship promotion. it's amazing how quickly narratives can change in football he arrives midway through the championship promotion season fans love his energy and and the passion in which he plays and the way he kind of interacts with with the crowd and and he and he played his part off the bench didn't he in that promotion I think people do overlook the fact that he was playing with a through the pain and playing with a groin injury at that time underwent surgery and yes he looked miles off it in in the Premier League when he came on for a few cameos but he hadn't had much of a pre-season and this is a guy who started the calendar year in League 2 and was now being asked to perform semi-fit in the Premier League that was that was unfair and then football's about moments isn't it it's it's what sticks in people's mind and unfortunately that that poor penalty miss against Bristol Rovers uh in January um you know led to led to the loan spell away I actually was starting to think that he could turn it all around this summer um three goals in pre-season smile on his face was was really lively off the bench against Birmingham last Friday night but last night was a major step backwards not just for the penalty miss, but for that missing stoppage time, not being able to make the most of a couple of sort of chances to run in behind in the first half, as I said.

20:47Stuart Watson:So it's starting to feel now like it might be difficult to kind of turn things around for Ali at this given moment in time, I would say.

20:58Mark Heath:What does that mean then, Sue? Do you think another loan out for him? And then I guess if they do that, they then have to go and get another striker to replace him, don't they?

21:08Stuart Watson:I think so, yeah. Yeah, I would imagine it would be a loan and that's maybe open to a sale. I don't know. Again, this comes down to wages and probably what other clubs are not going to be able to or willing to match what he's on. So more likely another loan spell, I would say. And then I do think Ipswich would have to go out and get another striker. Yes, they've brought in Tuba Akpong to compete with George Hurst. He may be required in other roles elsewhere. Kieran McKenna's talked about him being able to play in all four positions up top. So, yeah, I think you need three strikers to be a title contender, which is what we hope Ipswich want to be.

21:52Stuart Watson:So, Ali to leave and another striker to come in, potentially a young loan. That would be my feeling as we sit here now.

22:01Mark Heath:OK. You do have to feel for him, though. Was he 23? Connor Chaplin said after the game, he's absolutely gutted. Feels like he's let everyone down. I think it was his first start, actually, wasn't it, since that Bristol Rovers game. So, you know, confidence must be on the floor. As you say, he looked like he was up for it pre-season. He was scoring goals.

22:20Stuart Watson:I've had very limited dealings with Ali, a few sort of press conference interviews here and there. But he's a big character. He's a classic Liverpudlian. and he's an emotive guy. He's a big personality. As Connor pointed out last night, because of the way he handles himself and the way he carries himself, you forget how young he is. And there was a bit of a cryptic social media post from him over the summer, a very long post that, you know, hinted at sort of mental health and various things like that. So we do have to be very careful when we're talking about these guys because they're human beings.

22:55Stuart Watson:And, yeah, I'm sure he's not feeling great about himself this morning. But, yeah, I'm intrigued to see sort of what happens next for Ali. But that felt like a moment that might be difficult to sort of come back from in the short term at Ipswich Town last night.

23:14Mark Heath:OK. A couple more players I just want to talk about, Stu, before we maybe reflect on the result as a whole and what that means. this guy you've already mentioned who I was surprised to see, I think we were both surprised to see last night, Chirog Benet I thought he looked decent, I thought it was quite encouraging, I mean there were a couple of times a second I particularly looked like he was really trying to start to stretch them obviously involved in the goal you have to remember he played what was it, five games in the Premier League then snapped his Achilles so he's still fairly early on in his journey back to what he's going to be but I thought that was encouraging last night, I'm surprised to see so much negativity around him if I'm honest

23:50Stuart Watson:I wasn't aware that people were being a bit low on Chio I thought he was given the circumstances as you say nine months out a handful of cameos in pre-season I think he's got himself in remarkable shape you listen to Kieran and the Ipswich players talk about him what a positive uplifting character he is behind the scenes how dedicated he's been to his recovery and his style of play direct pacing down the right side is what Ipswich have missed. It's been integral to the rise through the divisions. Caden Jackson did really well there in League One and then off the bench in the Championship. Wes Burns was obviously the main man in that regard.

24:38Stuart Watson:And I think Ipswich missed a player like him last season. So in pre-season against Birmingham, him I thought he looked sort of like he was playing a little bit within himself which is understandable but last night he was taking people on he was stretching it and that that picture that you just flashed up sort of um sums it up as he's got a couple of sort of defenders um yeah left in his wake sort of on the deck so um I thought that was an encouraging step forward for for Chio actually

25:07Mark Heath:I do a couple more what's your take on this man we've seen a couple of times already

25:14Mark Heath:Ashley Young if you're not watching obviously massive experience huge experience and we've seen him a couple of times already in games what have you made of him so far Stu? because I like the look of him

25:28Stuart Watson:Yeah, he's classy isn't he? I think I said to you from my very first viewing of him in pre-season that you can I think it was the Charlton game at Colchester that you can just, you can't put your finger on it, but you can just tell he's got elite qualities. Said something that sounded a bit silly at the time in terms of that they just strike the ball different. It sounds different. And I thought we saw that again at Birmingham when he came on in a red-hot atmosphere as a former Villa player. And again, last night he had 100, I can't remember exactly, 100 plus touches of the ball, which is a really high number.

26:12Stuart Watson:It wasn't perfect. There was a couple of loose moments, but by and large, everything he did was really assured. Yeah, I thought that's an interesting shout. I would say he's probably in line to start at right back against Southampton on Sunday, actually. I know Ben Johnson came on and did well at left back, but he struggled in the opener at right back. And I would think that Ashley Young is about to make that right back slot, his own. How many games he can rattle out at 40 years of age, we'll have to see. But he looked good, didn't he?

26:47Mark Heath:He looks incredibly fit as well, doesn't he? Like fit as a butcher's dog, not an ounce of fat on him.

26:51Stuart Watson:He's the same age as me, Mark. I don't look like that.

26:56Mark Heath:Yeah, but you're a unit, mate. He's like a whippet. You're more of a tank. And I mean that in a good way, Stu. But you can outlift him. and then one final one final guy I want to mention Stu I guess again this kind of falls into the slightly worried about camp but this guy Jack Clark he's gone back to his his Alice band and his floppy hair we're all very enthusiastic about what he might be able to do this season but been fairly underwhelmed with him so far

27:27Stuart Watson:yeah yeah he was one of the ones who disappointed against Birmingham and that that continued last night just tried to do too much on his own at times. Every time he got the ball, he wanted to beat three men. Most of the time, he ended up getting crowded out or running into traffic. He sort of darts in off the left-hand side and ends up just sort of being shepherded all the way along the edge of the box. Yeah, it's not happened for him at the start of the season. and you start to sort of question whether as good a player as he is, and he is, and there was some really nice stuff in pre-season and he got that nice goal against Charlton.

28:10Stuart Watson:We know his qualities, lit up the Championship for Sunderland before and by no means am I writing him off for this season and the months ahead. But you do question whether he kind of fits stylistically with Ipswich at the moment. I've just talked about him and Davis, maybe not wanting to occupy similar spaces and then all of a sudden you're having to kind of repurpose Davis, which feels like a bit of a waste of his qualities.

28:41Stuart Watson:Jadon Filagene hasn't exactly set the world alight since he arrived in January, certainly not lived up to his price tag so far. He's obviously got a bit of a knock at the moment. And then you're thinking, actually, they had a pretty good player in that position already and Nathan Broadhead, who did fit the system. And now it looks like they're on the verge of losing him because he called in sick yesterday morning. I wonder if he put his little Paulie voice on when he rang up Kieran McKenna. It's a real shame how it's come to this, eh?

29:14Mark Heath:Yeah, well, we're going to talk about transfer stuff next. Obviously, there's a lot to talk about on that front, and that kind of adds into the kind of slightly negative, maybe a slight feeling of discontent around things at the moment um but are there any other players you want to highlight Stu that obviously the result as a whole I think it's what is it 15 times in 15 years they've gone out of cups to low league opposition somewhere like that I mean it's become a bit of a running joke now um yeah on the face of it you know going out of the cup is not the end of the world but it just it's one of these things you are what you repeatedly do isn't it and it's just when we talk about them needing a fast start to the season I mean Conor Chaplin when he was asked about this last night he said yeah that was the plan that was to come here and win you know get that winning feeling back and it's not happened

30:03Stuart Watson:no um I started covering the club in in 2011 which is the start of this this run of of cup defeats um of those 15 matches uh I have attended 13 of them the only two I wasn't at in person was Barrow in the FA Cup because we knew Kieran McKenna was going to get appointed the next day and I didn't really want to be traveling back from Barrow when that all kicked off so that was a bit of a tactical decision not to be there watch that one on ITV4 or whatever it was broadcast on that night and I didn't go last night for reasons already explained as well but it's a pretty woeful record, isn't it, really?

30:46Stuart Watson:Yeah, Ipswich aren't the only team that make a ton of changes. It's important to point out, actually, that when we talk about the banana skin and the worry going into this is that Bromley are up to the mobile and they've got spirit and camaraderie and chemistry and all of that. They made, was it seven changes last night that they made themselves? They dropped their League 2 golden boot winner was on the bench. It was far from them being at full strength. I looked through it. It was quite a young team. It was not many EFL appearances between them. So there is that context as well to bear in mind last night.

31:22Mark Heath:Yeah, absolutely. Any other players you think were the highlight? I suppose the other one which I probably would have split screened with Finlay Barbrook was Cameron Humphreys, who I think has looked pretty lively in the first two games of the season. He may have a bigger role to play, perhaps, as we look towards the weekend.

31:40Stuart Watson:Yeah, he was good in midfield alongside Barbrook as well. I mean, we kind of, again, maybe we're getting a little bit blasé about what Cameron Humphreys can do at such a young age. But between the two of them, two Ipswich Academy graduates, Luke Wolfenden, obviously, as well, through the Academy in that team, I thought the two of them did well there in midfield. That doesn't mean that we can't be a little bit concerned about the shortage of numbers in midfield. Those two lads are good players, but it's not where Ipswich want to be as a team with lofty ambitions this season. As on Matasiwa, it may take a little bit of time to adapt to English football.

32:25Stuart Watson:Certainly, evidence from Birmingham suggests that that might be the case. Jens Kuyusta, how long is it going to take for him to get fit? Will he stay fit over the course of the season? It feels like a hell of a lot rests on those two situations at the moment, I have to say.

32:46Mark Heath:On Jens' knees. And we'll come on to that when we start talking about Southampton. Clearly, the main talking point from last night, Stu, aside from the grimly predictable defeat, was Omari Hutchinson. and Kieran come out after the game and in his usual kind of balanced way spoke about the situation quite eloquently. But it's certainly something that is a concern when it builds into the whole narrative around the club. So essentially, I'll read the quotes. Important, I think, that you can hear them as they were. So asked after the game about Amari, Kieran said he trained on Monday okay and then felt he couldn't contribute today with the situation as it is.

33:26Mark Heath:that was his decision. He made his desire to continue to play Premier League football if the opportunity is there. I think it's known how much care and empathy we have for him. He's a young player, 21 years old. It's not an easy situation to handle. There's different ways to handle the situation and that seems to be more prevalent in modern football. Players are getting advice in different directions. He's a very, very young player, so we have empathy for him. We'll try and guide him in the right way in terms of how to deal with situations, but so long as he's at the football club we want him able to contribute and help the team on the pitch in terms of the actual kind of state of play he says there's not been anything that's changed the club's position yet it's known that Omari had a buyout clause and his contract was active for a few months there was no serious or appropriate offers in that time once that position is closed it's the club's position to make the decision as they see fit there hasn't been any interest to offer to change that position so far so we'll see what the next few weeks bring and then it was put to Kieran that well he's an interest town player surely it's up to you what what happens with him if you don't want to go he doesn't go um and then karen says situations are never as simple as that of course the club has their position the player has his position it's never as straightforward especially when dealing with a young player here we'll see what the next few weeks bring so this is a bit of a mess stew yamari situation um clearly as karen says there you have to have empathy.

34:45Mark Heath:He's 21 years old. He's a kid. And you can't blame him, I guess, in a way, if he has an opportunity to play Premier League football and earn loads of money. Obviously, if I was 21, that's probably what I'd want to do. But there are ways of handling the situation and choosing not to play is something that clearly creates an issue. I mean, if I rang up and said to you today, see, I don't fancy, I don't have a issue working today. You know, you can rightly be pretty annoyed with me. And also, I guess we have to add into this as you say called in sick yesterday morning and clearly wants to leave so these are um worrying situations in terms of the a the players themselves and b the feeling around the club and you know the i guess the mood in the dressing room that kind of thing

35:33Stuart Watson:yeah how to address this one i guess things are a little bit different in football because when we're trying to compare it to our normal workplaces if i turned up at work i'm not going to suddenly sprain my wrist and not be able to uh to make a mega money move to a to a rival yeah so these guys i guess that when we when he's talking about advice kieran i would imagine that's coming from from agents plural there seems to be a lot of a lot of people representatives around these players, certainly at the top end of the game now, and they're probably saying, well, if you go and play, do you want to go to Bromley, get smashed by one of their giant centre-halves and then get injured and everything's off the table?

36:21Stuart Watson:It's not worth the risk. Our advice is for you to not play. Ipswich's point of view is we're paying you good money. You're on a long-term contract. We need you to contribute, certainly while we're light on numbers at a difficult part of the season. So I can kind of see it from all parties' point of view. Kieran, I think, is very much the man sort of stuck in the middle. You've got Mark Ashton and the ownership sort of putting their foot down and saying, we're not going to be walked all over here. You've got Amari thinking, I'm a really ambitious player. I've had a taste of the Premier League. I've got a chance to go back there.

37:04Stuart Watson:I don't think they've been when Kieran talks about there hasn't been a serious offer on the table I would argue there has been serious offers because we know that bids have reached £35 million which was the buyout which was the relegation release clause it was just the terms of the deal I think it was them wanting Brentford in the first instance wanting to spread it out over a long long period of time so I don't think they're a million miles away it's going to be about payment terms maybe extracting a few extra million on top of that 35 the question is is it for ipswich to kind of prove their point of getting the best possible deal for us and we're not going to be walked over is that is that worth it compared to all the angst of now sort of any ill feelings surrounding amari and more importantly not having a lot of time to reinvest it before the transfer window shuts yeah and the broader thing obviously as well just

38:02Mark Heath:again an interesting eyebrow raising quote from kieran which was uh nathan reported sick this morning which obviously isn't ideal on the day of the game which you know um maybe things he's not saying there but you think yeah again that kind of ties into the that can't be good in the dressing room can it when you've got players who basically like i don't want to play yeah there comes a point

38:23Stuart Watson:And you hear it, we've heard it over the years with managers saying it's all very well having these players contracted for a long time. But if a player's heart and mind is lost, there's no point being too stubborn about it because you want players there that are fully committed. From Nathan's point of view, I've got more sympathy, actually, because he did make himself available to play at Birmingham. He came on and I thought he gave absolutely everything in that game. That was a fired up cameo. but it's Wrexham. It's a club that he's got emotional ties to. He's a North Wales boy. He was at Wrexham as a lad.

39:00He's in the final year of his contract at Ipswich,

39:05Stuart Watson:and he's probably feeling a little bit hard done by to have seen both Jack Clark and Jadon Filagin recruited in his position. So maybe, you know, he isn't necessarily feeling the love of Ipswich at the moment. So a little bit more understandable from his point of view, But ultimately, as a fan, if you're someone who pays you hard-earned cash to travel up and down the country and buy tickets and shirts and all of that, and you're hearing these very well-played players essentially refusing to play, it's not good for anybody, is it really? And certainly in terms of Operation Rebuild the Mood at the start of this season, it's a pretty unwanted situation.

39:45Stuart Watson:and you wonder if it could have been handled slightly differently and whether these situations could have been nipped in the bud a little sooner.

39:52Mark Heath:Yeah, the thing I will say about Amari, I've seen some appalling language used in his general direction on social media. He is a kid. I'd say just remember that. He's 21 years old. I don't think some of the things I've seen can be justified in any scenario. Anyway, Stu, we have had some transfer news this morning in that Big Arrow Muric has gone out on loan to Sassuolo, which is fun to say, in Italy. Expected, Stu. Your thoughts on this very briefly before we reflect on the mood in general.

40:23Stuart Watson:Yeah, Sassuolo, Serie B champions last year, promoted to Serie A loan deal. Don't know the exact terms of that in terms of percentage of wages covered and whether there is an obligation slash option to buy at the end of it It's been reported that there is an option to buy for 10 million euros, which would seem pretty high, I would have to say. Yeah, clearly the writing's been on the wall for Arrow since Ipswich signed Alex Palmer on January transfer deadline day. Got themselves in a bit of a muddle with the goalkeeper unit. Undoubtedly, it's been a major transfer flop. And the hope now has to be that he can go there, be a bit of a success and Ipswich can recoup at least a bit of their money on him, I would say.

41:14Mark Heath:Absolutely. Right, then, Stu. Mood as a whole. We're two games into the season. We hoped for a fast start. It hasn't really been that. They were pretty dreadful, I would say, at Birmingham. Very lucky to come away with a point. And obviously, last night wasn't great either. With the asterisk, of course, it's only two games into the season. but it just feels like there's a bit of quite a bit of negativity around and even in you know I'm not saying Keira McKenna's negative clearly he's not he's a very positive individual but there's some exasperation in his voice when he talks about the scenarios that are going on how are you feeling two games in

41:59Stuart Watson:I think the growing frustrations and worry in some quarters is based on the fact that from the Chelsea win onwards at the end of 2024 it's been a really difficult year for Ipswich Town they've lost a lot of games certainly not won many and it felt like a good start was was required to kind of draw a line under that and it's it's not been a good start okay they rescued a point on friday last night was was what it was it's important not to sort of over read into that i think it's more not so much the performances and the results it's more everything that we've just discussed around the transfer window and the uncertainty and a feeling that there isn't, albeit there's some very good players on paper, there isn't necessarily a sense that there is a team in place.

43:07Stuart Watson:What got Ipswich up last time was spirit, togetherness, chemistry, momentum, feel good factor major bond with the crowd all of those things that are unquantifiable intangible in in many ways and now it feels like it's all about sort of big transfer fees on paper and player trading and maybe some of that little magic stardust has faded a little at the moment and I think that's what what people are feeling so that's not to say it can't come back but this is a little bit of a stormy waters at the moment um the end of the transfer window can't come soon enough i'm sure kieran feels exactly the same to get all of these situations drawn a line under and then he can really get his teeth into kind of um getting

44:01Mark Heath:this team rocking and rolling again hopefully yeah do you feel like in terms of transfer stuff and moving players in and out they've sort of tied themselves up in knots got to a bit of a flap in some scenarios. It doesn't feel smooth. You know, there's not as... Everything Ashton turned to gold, didn't it? And now it feels a lot more messy, if you know what I mean.

44:23Stuart Watson:Yeah, and how many times have we talked about we have to put complete faith in Ashton, the owners, McKenna, when it comes to transfers because everything felt so planned out in the past. and he's talked about, you know, it's looked at well into, you know, we're not just looking at the next window. We're looking at the next two, three, four windows. And we're always thinking about pathways and not blocking pathways. And there are transfer targets A, B and C. And there are some multiple positions now where, as I say, they've got themselves in a bit of a muddle. The goalkeeper situation is clearly one.

45:06Stuart Watson:I've touched upon that left wing situation where it was, they wanted fillaging last summer. He was number one target. Couldn't get him because he goes, because of the Villa sort of clause that they activated. They then go and get Jack Clark. Then fillaging becomes available in January. So they get him just because they can. That feels a little bit kind of off the cuff. some of those situations rather than sort of clearly thought out. Yeah, it's an unbalanced squad at the moment and we're in the middle of a difficult start. And I know it's a marathon, not a sprint, but a decent start did feel important for Upswich this season to setting the tone and they've not given themselves anywhere near the best chance in terms of transfer dealings and the whole way this summer's unfolded.

46:03Mark Heath:But, Stu, the beauty of sport, the beauty of football especially, is games come thick and fast. There's always one around the corner. And there's a big one this weekend for town in terms of kick-starting their season. Football, football, football. Biggest game since the last game. Southampton at home, home opener. Promotion favourite rival. All that narrative around Southampton from last season and previous seasons. this is a huge opportunity for town to really stamp down a marker and really kick their season off in fine style in front of their home fans

46:36Stuart Watson:Yeah, we have this whole sort of slightly downbeat chat for today and then you go and beat Southampton in your home opener and it all changes because it will be a completely different football match to the first two that Ipswich have played so far a real battle at Birmingham Bromley counter-attacking real threat at set pieces everything the game was last night there you would think Southampton is going to be more of a football match and that generally suits Kieran McKenna's sides better doesn't it and then we'll just get to see a glimpse of who's in better nick Southampton and Leicester it's easy to forget as two fellow newly relegated sides have also had issues with losing star players, a lot of uncertainty surrounding players that are still there.

47:32Stuart Watson:Neither of them, I think, have done the incoming business that they would like. So Ipswich are not alone in having sort of difficulties of kind of sorting themselves out after Premier League relegation. Is this a good or a bad fixture for Ipswich to go in? You could probably make an argument both ways, couldn't you? But it does feel sort of significant, which sounds ridiculous at an early stage of the season.

48:00Mark Heath:Two games in, this is massive. But, you know, that's the nature of football, isn't it? That's why we love it. I'd like to see it as an opportunity, Stu. And I'm sure Kieran McKenna will say exactly that when we speak to him on Friday, because it is. You know, you've got a team coming in expected to be one of your big promotion rivals. You're at home, kicking off the season at home. There is a lot of narrative around games with Southampton. you win this game as you say a lot of the the issues mold away melt away and we're feeling pretty good about things Southampton you know I watched them against Wrexham in the first game of season I didn't think they looked great they were they were quite lucky to come back and get the win there which obviously does I guess build some momentum for them Will Steele I've been very impressed with when I've heard him speak very much in the McKenna sensible balanced intelligent manager mould but I guess the big question around this is what sort of team might we see on the pitch because Obviously, we've talked about their issues with Amari and injury issues as well elsewhere, Azul Matasiwa, tight groin, Leif Davis, maybe Kieran and Nock.

49:00Mark Heath:Jenske used to not have any pre-season at all and Kieran saying he's not really ready to play. Same with Akpom. So who do you reckon might play on Sunday?

49:12Stuart Watson:Yeah, I think Ashley Young might get the nod at right back. I think he might replace Ben Johnson from the opening day. We know that Palmer O'Shea-Greaves trio at the back is nailed on. Leif Davis haven't really got many options other than sort of keep going with him at the moment. I do feel watching him, he's not 100 % fit at the moment, but needs must with Connor Townsend out for the long term. I wouldn't want to be sort of reshuffling things around too much and putting Greaves out there. The big issue in the Premier League season was just no relationships, no partnerships were built. all over the pitch.

49:48Stuart Watson:And I just want to see Ipswich stick with some partnerships now. And centre-half is one of the most important partnerships on the pitch. So I wouldn't go messing around with that too much. But say we don't know where Leif Davis is at. Fitness-wise, midfield, it all depends on how Azor Matasiwa is and what this tight groin situation is like. Hopefully that was just precautionary last night. I can't see Jens Kuyusta starting the match. The way Kieran McKenna talks about him, it feels like he's had... He talks about Akpom and Kuyusta having limited pre-seasons. Neither of them have played any friendly games, but it sounds like Kuyusta hasn't really even trained with the Napoli group either.

50:36Stuart Watson:So I think he's going to take a few weeks to get Jens Kuyusta up to pitch. I would manage people's expectations in terms of when they're going to see Jens out there and how much he plays. So probably Matasira and Taylor again.

50:51Mark Heath:Do you think there's an argument with replacing Taylor with Cam Humphreys?

50:55Stuart Watson:Yeah, possibly. I think Cameron, you just hear the way that McKenna and the players talk about Cameron Humphreys and how mature he is for his age. And he's someone that hasn't got sort of the relegation scars, having had a really good season with Wickham at the top end of League One last season. They're different types of players in some ways. Taylor is someone who wants to get forward and shoot from range. Humphreys is someone I think can really help out Leif Davis in terms of dropping into those left-back pockets. So is he more suited to this sort of game against Southampton? Possibly. There's definitely an argument there.

51:34Stuart Watson:It will be Hurst up front. We know that. Can Ogbenay go again for a third game? It won't be eight days.

51:45Mark Heath:I guess you could put Ben Johnson out there. He played there in the Premier League, didn't he? True. I don't know what else they can really do, unless you put Jack Clark out there. They're kind of limited there, aren't they?

52:00Stuart Watson:They are, yes. And then it's, you know, has Connor Chaplin done enough last night to, not just in terms of the way he plays, but in terms of the way he leads and the way he knits things together. Has played Southampton in several of these games in recent years. Put Schmodix on the left and as he played last season, moved Clark over to the other side, which they looked at a little bit in pre-season. I don't think Ackpon will go straight in from the start, but I get a feeling that he'll be on the bench. maybe of Benna to start and then with Ackpong to come on around the hour or something like that I don't know but yeah I still think it will be the bulk of the Birmingham team that starts again on Sunday

52:48Mark Heath:What would you like to see in that three-bar and the strikers too if you had your

52:52Stuart Watson:On Sunday?

52:53Mark Heath:Yeah yeah

53:00Stuart Watson:I think I think I'd like to see Schmodix as the inside left. I think he tucks in a little bit more and I think he offers a goal threat. Chaplin as the 10. And then right wing is where you're struggling a little bit, to be honest.

53:22Stuart Watson:Given I've got concerns about Anogbené just playing too much too soon, maybe try Jack maybe try Jack Clark there don't know it's a difficult one that

53:35Mark Heath:yeah certainly an issue with the ongoing Amari situation I know we're literally what a few hours away from them losing at Bromley Stu but I'm going to ask you for a prediction for Southampton which I appreciate is foolish but hey it's what we're here for what people want to hear they really need a win Stu do you think they can get it on Sunday? In front of the sky cameras, home opener, massive game, but clearly some negativity around them. How do you feel?

54:14Stuart Watson:I didn't watch Southampton's game against Wrexham last weekend, but obviously it was two stoppage time goals, the first of which was a fabulous free kick. but from what people say they weren't any great shakes in that game against Wrexham last weekend Ipswich haven't won a home league game this calendar year the last time they won at home in the league was that Chelsea match I'm fascinated to see what the atmosphere is going to be like on Sunday I think Sunday lunchtime games always take an edge off the atmosphere it's never quite the same is it when everyone's feeling a little bit sleepy on a Sunday lunchtime but I would imagine the atmosphere will be massive, well I know the atmosphere will be big leading up to kick-off Ipswich need to start better than they have in their last two games they've had better second halves but they've just not set the tone well in the Birmingham and Bromley games and they need to set the tone in this one to keep the crowd on side, I'm not saying the crowd will turn but I could feel it getting a little bit edgy and that may be translating to the pitch.

55:23Stuart Watson:I'm just hoping for a really good football match. Two teams going toe-to-toe. Prediction. You don't have to make a prediction. I appreciate that.

55:32Mark Heath:We can always put our predictions out later in the week.

55:37Stuart Watson:Score draw. 2-2, something like that at the moment. And then we're all left wondering whether that's... Is that good? Well, exactly. I think that's how it happens. That's how it happened. The big feeling on that front.

55:52Mark Heath:But we'll have to see. We'll have to see. It certainly does feel, and it is nonsense to say, it certainly does feel big already this early into the season. Just going back to what you said about Kusa and Akpom, McKenna said last night, basically Kusa has had no pre-season. So he, by the sound of it, isn't ready to play. And Akpom has had, I think he referred to it as a partial or limited pre-season. So he might be slightly closer, but certainly you would say very long shots either of them start on Sunday I'd be surprised even if we see Houston maybe off the bench if I'm honest but we will see anything else to mention to you before I remind people of our brilliant sponsors

56:34Stuart Watson:no I don't think so we've got some Flynn Down narrative as usual coming up against Southampton which have obviously had some interest in him over recent transfer windows a bit of a new look Southampton attack in some ways with Brereton Diaz and Armstrong both back from loans. So, yeah, there's still plenty of Southampton players that are left from some of those battles last season and even the championship season before as well. So that's become a little bit of a mini rivalry in recent years with late goals and drama and stuff like that, hasn't it? So, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. That's how everyone feels at the moment.

57:19Stuart Watson:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

57:21Mark Heath:Well, you're looking forward to the slight feeling of trepidation at the same time and dread. Okay, friends. Right. Well, we now have two sponsors as the boys brought to you on Monday. Stardust Spirits, Reupt. I brought you fake news that we're ending the term with them because unbeknownst to me, they'd already signed up for another term. So they're still on board and we're very pleased to have them. Gary and the team there, all their excellent concoctions. Use the code KOA at stardospirits.co.uk for 20 % off. And I would highly recommend, as I've said before, the cask aged rum and the single malt.

57:52Mark Heath:Absolutely tremendous. Very, very drinkable. And AJ is very, very high on the Biscoff gin, which is award-winning, multi-award winning around the world. So get your hands on some of that as well. And also coming on board for this season, suffolk-based business again based in lacing molecular uk manufactured cleaning products for the automotive agricultural and commercial industries are a family-run business they've been in operation for over 40 years manufacturing products the highest standards they work closely with the customers to ensure they're not only receiving the best products but a service they can rely on um and if you use the code koa 10 on their website at the coupon section you get 10 sent off that website is www.molecular-uk.com www.molecular-uk.com and hopefully by the end of the season ross will be able to pronounce the name of our sponsor which i very much enjoyed him avoiding on monday's show um so just a reminder there koa 10 is the code you need there at the coupon section they've got some excellent stuff um i'm looking to get my hands on some of that because i'm starting to become slightly more car proud as i get older this year I don't know about you.

59:01Mark Heath:You like to have a nice spic and span interior and exterior of the car. Is that possible with a young child?

59:09Stuart Watson:It gets left longer than it needs to be, but then I'll realise it's time. It's been left too long, and then I'll give it a proper good clean.

59:19Mark Heath:And then when you do it, why don't I do it more often? It looks really good. It feels really good. I feel better.

59:23Stuart Watson:parents will know when you when you remove a car seat and you see all manner of of crumbs and growth that sort of started underneath one of those and you go oh this is not good but normally it's normally it's got a bit of litter and footballs and various sort of paraphernalia strewn about but then then i'll get stuck into it so um yeah i might get my hands on one one of

59:47Mark Heath:these molecular kits they sound good yeah they look really good my my car is again different to yours i'm a dog owner so most of the time my car looks like someone's shaved an animal in the in the back seat of my car which isn't great um but i'm starting to to try and keep things more spick and span um other things friends to mention before we leave just a reminder that we currently have our best offer of the year six pounds for six months or a 50 off a whole year so 29 pounds will take you through the whole year um that offer expires a week today so if you want to if you want to jump on board and and and um take advantage of it that time is running out and that offer will not be repeated again this year so six pound for six months or 29 pound for a whole year hopefully you feel that's a a fair value for what we provide for you and also just a reminder we've got a new magazine coming out um a blue era which looks back at the remarkable and it is a remarkable story the rebirth of it's rich town under the american ownership under mark ashton kieran mckenna the demolition man summer all that kind of stuff running towards adversity jason shecht to lead it's all in there um gathered together for the first time in one place the way we've covered that rebirth um and i've been putting that together and it is remarkable when you look back as to as to where we were and what's happened since and the success the club has had and also the real strong kind of narratives around that success very very interesting so if you order that now you can get two pounds off you can also get your name in the back of the book as well it will look great next to mission impossible on your rich rich town bookshelf stew anything else to mention before we before we take our leave uh no other business i want to recommend something i've seen on tv which is called critical which is on netflix and it's some of the most incredible tv i've ever seen it's basically following the emergency services in london around various accidents and attacks and misfortunes that befalls people it's genuinely staggering stew there is a scene on there which i've never seen anything like it was both fascinating and um slightly stomach churning in that a guy has been attacked with a metal bar, completely fractured his eye socket into loads of little bits, and it shows a surgery to repair it, which involves essentially just cutting the scalp here, rolling his face down, peeling his face off, and then fixing the eye socket, just rolling his face back on.

1:02:04Mark Heath:Sicken it up. Honestly, it's tremendous.

1:02:07Stuart Watson:I hope no one's eating their lunch while listening to this.

1:02:10Mark Heath:It's life, Stu. It's absolutely fascinating. these people are incredibly skilled and deserve every cent every every penny they earn and probably a lot more um if you don't mind me saying right then friends uh if this town bit of a concern two games in well been great has it but there's a big chance to turn things around this weekend with a game against southampton at portman road the boys will be there um so follow it with them if if you can't be there press is on friday again so follow that with us and then we'll be back next week hopefully you're talking more positive terms about Iffertown really starting their season and getting a big win against promotion rivals and on the way to a big season ahead.

1:02:47Mark Heath:Have a great weekend, friends. We'll speak to you next time.

1:03:19Thank you.

1:03:47Thank you.

1:04:28Mark Heath:We'll see you next time.

1:04:41Mark Heath:The Chamba Casino.