616: Kings of Anglia: Story of the season

25:21Ross Halls:Yeah, really good response.

25:23Stuart Watson:In front, not back in front, sorry. yeah

25:25Ross Halls:yeah that's alright but yeah I think I was just more just like I don't know it was cold it was a terrible first half and I just was like oh just get this game done already but no obviously I was pleased they came back and Wes Burns AJ was the man to well I thought he did score but no it obviously trickled his defender went in and that is now a club record I saw a stat of open goals scored for town I think a six this season which is incredible in terms of in a season because there's been many own goals through the years, but six in total. I need to double check. Come on, we have to double check.

26:03So the top goal scorer at the moment, so we've got Jack Clarks on 12, Anis Mermetti is on 10, although obviously not all of those for sure for Ipswich. You've got Philagine on nine, Hurst on nine. So own goals would be fifth in the rankings for Ipswich Town, top goals scorer at the moment. I don't think that own goals is going to win the golden boots, but we'll have to wait and see. It's possible, at least for the town. Yeah, this one, for starters, no, not having it. I'm giving it to Wes. We're going to call it the Wes Burns goal. Wes is for me. I think it's heading on target. I don't think that Bocat's shockingly turned it in or something like that.

26:46Credit to the build-up of the move. Azan does well for all the throwing himself on the floor. I thought his back-to-gold play was all right. some of the hold-up play. He plays a nice pass inwards to Leif Davis, who stretches play nicely. And then Burns gets to the edge of the area and hits it. Just thinks, screw this, head down, gets some good power on it, kind of comes off the instep, off the kind of ankle area from Bokat, wrong foot Simpkin, who I don't think probably wasn't his best reactions to that. If I was a manager, I would probably be a little bit disappointed he didn't get down to that a little bit quicker.

27:24but definitely was not Simpkins' best day in goal. Let's put it that way. We will be talking about much worse goals that he conceded in this game. But yeah, I think that that was the exact response that Ipswich needed to you on and there was a feeling of, okay, there's still something about Ipswich at the moment, isn't there, where even though this club is not one from behind or this team is not one from behind in two years, there's still a, if there's kind of like a glimmer of hope, it really feels like, okay, come on. This is, we've seen so many comebacks from the golden years of 23, 24, when town went up, that it always feels like there's something there.

28:04And definitely you could feel nerves creeping from the Stoke end and a lot of optimism growing from the away end as well. Yeah.

28:12Ross Halls:It got me sort of awake. I was like, okay, here we go, boys. They're in it. And Stu, zero to hero, Jack Taylor. And I think you asked him or someone else asked him in the, pre-match presser like you've got a you've got a screamer in your end your jack soon and uh well he delivered um with a great volley outside the box to to equalize yeah it was me on yeah friday

28:35Stuart Watson:the day uh thursday thursday press conference i said to him um no monday monday wonderful again it's been a busy run yeah uh i said uh you probably trouble do one of your trademark goals aren't you? Yeah, I am. And he had a go in the first half, didn't he? Hit one from far out that go wide or the goalkeeper pushed it away. I can't remember. I don't know if I'd go as far as saying this is a Jack Taylor trademark. They normally hit with swerve and end up going high into net. This one's a volley and it comes from a long throw. it's Darnell Furlong flings it into the box half cleared and it's a really good strike just watches it all the way bounces down into the ground and into the far corner of the net and it was no more than Ipswich deserved when was that just after the hour mark and it came between Burns getting one back on 49 to getting level on 64 I think it was between that period Stoke were absolutely rocking and it never ceases to amaze me how momentum can shift within football matches with a goal, how a team can look so far out of it, a confident shot, and one goal just completely changes it, and it helped that the Ipswich fans, who were magnificent again, by the way, we've been semi-critical of fans earlier in the season around expectation and things being a little bit flat, maybe at Portman Road at times, but in the last few games when Ipswich have needed them.

30:16Stuart Watson:The fans at Portman Road and away have really stepped up in terms of being true supporters and encouraging when they need it. Last night was the same again. Brilliant noise before the game, during the game. And after that, Burns goal went in. It built and built and the team responded. Burns in particular was playing like a man possessed. You'd never think, you know, we were all surprised that he started again. Two starts in four days for a man not long back from an ACL. didn't look like it at all he was great Mometti started pulling a few strings and it was chance after chance wasn't it Clark ran shot turned around the post Burns had that header just bounced past uh and then finally they get level at 2-2 and you're thinking go on then go on then yeah pretty much yeah that I'll say as well Stu's very modest here because I thought he was going to tell his little story about what he said.

31:12Stu had his Mark Ashton moment, should we say. Mark Ashton told Azul Matasiwa before the whole game that he was going to score. And I believe that Stu said to Jack Taylor before the game against Oak, kind of said, I think you've got one in you. Is that right?

31:30Stuart Watson:No, I won't claim that one. I just said to him, you're probably due one of your goals, aren't you? And he agreed. But I can't say I said, it's coming tomorrow or anything like that. Not quite Ashton levels. No, no. Yeah, obviously the response is really good to get to 2-1. I think that Stoke, to their credit, probably I thought they could absolutely implode at 2-1 because their bench was just kids. You looked at the fan response and it was, the starting line-up's not great, but that bench is an absolute disaster was what they were saying. And I thought with the players that Town were bringing on, that they would kind of really turn the screw.

32:11And I think that at 2-2, there were bits where Stoke had a little bit of a second wind. Town navigated that bit quite well, I would say. But credit to them.

32:22Stuart Watson:Mr. Sitter at 2-2, didn't they? Of course, yeah. We're talking a lot about the – when we criticise this performance, a lot of it will be around the first half and the goal is conceded. And a lot will be about what happened at the end, which we'll come on to. but that period from being bang on top getting back to 2-2 that's a period that needs to be looked at because then it started getting really sort of wide open and a bit too chaotic and um phillips wasn't it who missed an absolute sitter headed over from inside the six yard box yeah i think it was beige and hose cross and it flings over and phillips just gets his header wrong and you know plants that in it's 3-2 stoke and at that point it starts to feel a little bit wrecksome, doesn't it?

33:06Similar kind of storyline at that point. But that's one where town have a lucky escape. And then the subs manage, well, one of the subs manages to come up big. We'll talk through them. The third goal, this of the three was my favourite, I think, because the different parts to it, I really love. Azul Matasiwa, the first bit, wins the ball and then kind of half tackles it forward. I love the grit and determination for him to win that. On another day, a player would mistime that tackle and get booked. Not only does he have the bravery, knowing he's on nine yellow cards, to go through and do that, but then he also gets everything spot on within that.

33:48Plays it forward to Kipre. Kipre at this stage has decided, you know what, Nunez is out injured, I'm going to play number 10 instead. So he ends up in open play, basically in the final third, head up and sees the run of Hurst. It's a lovely through ball to get Hurst through on goal. I put this down as quite a nice finish to be honest Stu kind of grimaced a little bit when I said that last night having watched it back since I can understand that Simpkins is going to be pretty disappointed with this one it's a low shot that kind of I think Hurst would like more power behind it but ultimately look he's gone through on goal he's put it into the back of the net let's focus on Hurst and not on Simpkins there he's got the finish and again if someone's starting to find form again he's got three goals doesn't he in this little kind of mini run recently

34:38Stuart Watson:three and three off the bench now three and three off the bench confidence hopefully starting to build and what a story it could have been if George Hurst, the man who has faced so much criticism and that fans really wanted to see replaced in the January transfer window delivered with his third goal off the bench this time to complete a comeback win at Stoke and what a win it could have been that felt like the moment at that point 82 minutes on the clock i think it would have been not long for ipswich to hold out and again looking at the the strength of stoke squad and the bench it felt very feasible to to go and and do that and to see out the game

35:21Ross Halls:but uh no i remember when first goal went in i was sort of on the corner so i was near you know the town fans, but also the Stoke fans. I just remember just turning around and seeing like four or five like Stoke City lads just like fuming, just swearing things. I can't repeat on this podcast, but you probably know what they were saying. And yeah, I just saw loads of people just leave. And you thought, here we go. And that noise with Hurst goal and they celebrated right in that corner as well. Incredible, Stu. And I thought that could be a big moment that could be for this season. And yeah, it was a great moment at the time.

35:57Yeah, because it felt like maybe it's just a building to it.

36:01Stuart Watson:There was an opportunity. It was the context of the season. It was the frustration from Leicester. It's the table situation. It's from 2-0 down. It's George Hurst who's got his own sort of narrative in this season. An explosion of noise from that away. And that was up there with some of the sort of the way day reactions. And it's just an absolute sickener that that is not what we're now reflecting on. having undone the damage and you know 82 minutes on the clock against stoke in the context of what we've just said they had to see it out and um we were all looking at each other please don't mess this up from here and it got you know and then it got towards 90 um and we were sort of just how many how many stoppage time minutes four probably five actually because there's been quite a few subs and then yes five minutes goes up and I just had a little nervy feeling in my stomach because it just felt important it felt important and if that's how we feel watching on then I'm sure the players feel feel a bit of that as well and and and that transpired a bit in in it I mean the first bit of criticism I will give for sort of the game management at the end his 90 minutes, George Hurst, he tries to take the ball to the corner, but he doesn't do it with any conviction at all, does he?

37:27Stuart Watson:Like, he didn't do one or the other. He had a chance to go towards goal. He thought, well, go towards the corner, but he didn't really do that, and he sort of got the ball taken off of him, and that's when I kind of thought, hmm, they're not doing this with a great deal of conviction at the moment.

37:48Ross Halls:I think sometimes it's too soon to do that I don't know when you would what time you would do it but sometimes I think that's too soon I know at 90th minute you've got 5 minutes to go but sometimes yeah because don't now they were really starting to threaten actually out of nowhere they just got something out of nowhere I was like what is happening because I think prior to that first moment they won't have to make a save so I think Raksaki a big chance from him so they were like you know get back up somehow after conceding that goal. What minute would you say is when you should start to run down the clock?

38:24I don't know.

38:26Stuart Watson:If he'd have done that well, if he'd done that properly and run to the corner and won a corner or a throw or a foul, that eats another minute or so away. It just didn't execute. I've not got an issue with going that early on it. It just didn't execute it particularly well at all. I've just watched back the stoppage time before we come on. And then 90 plus two, Mimetti just gave away a silly foul at a throw-in, just pushed someone over and got booked. That puts him one away from a suspension now. That was pretty brainless. You know, Ipswich had won a foul in the 93rd minute in the Stoke half. You know, that should give you the platform to go on and keep the ball and see it out, but it didn't.

39:08Stuart Watson:Hurst fired one over off balance in the box on 93 and 13 seconds. and it left the door open. And I'm afraid watching it back, and we're on to the key moment here now, it's Cedric Kipre again. If you have a look, it all stems from him attacking the ball virtually on halfway line, tight to the left-hand touchline. I don't know what he's doing in that area of the pitch. Doesn't win his duel. Quick throw from Stoke. Kipre's left miles up the pitch, miles out of possession. And there's other mistakes in between. Darnell Furlong with a complete missed kick when the ball drops near the box. But ultimately, the foul, no doubt about it soft, comes from Kipre coming from the wrong side.

39:54Stuart Watson:If he's set in position and goal side, I don't think that penalty gets given away. It's soft. It's super soft. It's like minimal contact from Kiyuste and Kipre. They've got a soft palm, one on the shoulder, one on the waist. The guy collapses his legs. He buys it. But Ipswich have to own their part in this. Not just the foul, not just the immediate part before it, but that entire period of stoppage time.

40:27Ross Halls:AJ, I want to quickly talk about the game management for Town because it's not been great this season. What do you think that's down to? Because it's not been good for many games. It's the same as the defending as a whole. There are times when Ipswich are really good at it, and there are times where Ipswich are absolutely terrible at it. In the same way that there are times where Ipswich defend really well over the course of 90 minutes, keep a clean sheet, and the opponents that they're playing against have next to no chances, hardly any shots on target. And there are times where they just absolutely, I can't think of any other terms, wet the bed basically, and have an absolute nightmare game and concede two, three, four, five and one occasion goals.

41:08and it's the same within the game management. Sometimes they can stay really calm and composed, and they take the ball to the corner well. They do it at the right time. To answer your earlier question, stoppage time for me is any period of stoppage time is when I would take the ball to the corner. And they can handle that, and they can buy fouls. There's so many times I've spoken about the way that certain players manage games and buy fouls and stoppage time. That is part of the modern game, slowing things down, frustrating, all of those. I've seen Ipswich do that really well at times this season but there are just times where and again, does it come back to arrogance in the way they play?

41:46We're fine now. We've completed the comeback and Stoke, they're done. It's over. Is it that? I don't really know, to be honest and I don't think you can know without being one of those players, being in the dressing room, being Kieran McKenna as to what the actual psychology behind why they can be so good at it in one day and so bad at it on another day. I'm not too sure, but yeah I think that as Stu said it is very soft, it's very very soft having seen it back now but in the same way as the Leicester moment with Matasiwa who fouled for that free kick, don't put yourself in that position don't give the referee a decision to make, don't let don't get to that position where they can get a ball into the box and you've got to have two people close down Cissé who's in the box and to get into that spot But yeah, I definitely think it's very soft.

42:38It's obviously a certain irony to it that Town were robbed of a blatant penalty at the death against Leicester and then concede a much, much softer one at the death against Stoke. But that's the way the cookie crumbles. Smith steps up, takes it, scores, and that's ultimately that. And I mean, maybe again, looking to the other side of things, when I think back to the last promotion season, Town were lucky in a lot of ways. Let's be honest, there were a lot of very fortunate parts to what happened in that campaign. It almost feels like all the luck has been spent on that season. And now we're paying the price for it this campaign with moments like what happened on Saturday and what happened last night.

43:21And there are other examples of that earlier in this season as well.

43:24Stuart Watson:And the fixtures as well, when you talk about sort of things going against you over the course of a campaign. five games postponed, abandoned now and everything that's gone on around that and the extra travel and the fixture congestion that's now going to come. Sometimes just things conspire against you in the course of a campaign, the feeling that more decisions are going against you than not. I think Ipswich certainly feeling in that boat at the moment, which kind of feeds back into what I said earlier, that sort of feeling in the pit of your stomach of whether it's meant to be. But strip fortune, luck, injustice all away from it.

44:09Stuart Watson:It's about Ipswich and we're holding them to very, very high standards now. There's expectation around them for a reason going into this season because of the manager and the amount that's been spent on the players. and the word I keep coming back to is trust do we fully trust this team yet and I'm not sure the answer is yes and Kipre falls into that category perfectly for me someone that 90 % of the time maybe more you think rock solid he's you know he's strong he's physical he wins the ball you know he can look ice cool on it um unflustered but then he just has these moments doesn't he um yeah so trust is the word and i don't know if anyone fully trusts this team at the moment because of of everything that we've seen you can go through the whole team in a way you can sort

45:12Ross Halls:of like they have good parts they also have bad parts like you know darashar the captain and sometimes he's rock solid. But then he has the Rexon sort of display and other moments like that. And yeah, we could spend all day, we could do a podcast on it on every player. But yeah, AJ, that's a good word to do, actually. I'm sure that's the same with a lot of Towns fans because they love that back-to-back promotion winning team. This team, we've said this before on podcasts, it's taken them a while to sort of fall in love with this team. They have moments. We were chatting in the car, there's not many chants for players really, is there?

45:44Ross Halls:Which is a bit sad. I think that speaks volumes.

45:47Stuart Watson:We were talking about it. All of those players had their own chance that were fully embedded. They've had chance, but none have really caught on and stuck, which I think says quite a lot. all I would say is it wasn't all play, I know it's impossible and I don't think it's healthy and I said this quite early on in the season, I don't think it's that healthy to keep harping back to before, we're comparing apples and pears before Ipswich had just come up, they'd been a long time away they were the underdogs, they were underestimated the fans had been on the journey with the players, there was a sense that they'd kind of come up the levels as well together.

46:33Stuart Watson:It's completely different this time around. So the comparisons I don't think are fair or healthy, but they're impossible to avoid. But it is easy to forget that even that team that are now embedded in Ipswich folklore, they weren't universally loved in the early days. You can think back to some really difficult moments of Sam Morsi getting pelters in the 0-0 Bristol Rovers in League One. and real question marks during that difficult winter in the championship where they won something like 1-9 and stuff like that. And the 4-4 at Charlton in League One and the 2-1 defeat at Cardiff when they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

47:17Stuart Watson:There were lots of moments where people got disillusioned, worried, whatever descriptive term you want to use. and Kieran McKenna will always say that teams collectively have to go through experiences of last night to get better. And I guess we can only hope that that is the case here with this team.

47:44Stuart Watson:Yeah, funny old season this one for many, many reasons.

47:49Ross Halls:That's been fun, hasn't it? Somewhat. Yeah. It's been eventful. Repeat college. Yeah, exactly. But that change has to happen as well, doesn't it? Where there's a lot of talk about, oh, Ipswich got promoted and they binned off all the players that got them to the Premier League and they signed all these snazzy new players. I'm going to be honest, if Ipswich hadn't gone up that season, unless they hadn't gone up last season, they've just been a sustainable championship club, then there's still every chance that Sam Morsi gets an offer to go to the Middle East and goes. There's still every chance that Wrexham come in and sign Nathan Broder.

48:23there's still every chance that Cameron Burgess decides that this isn't the place for him to be in the long term and maybe sees a more secure future somewhere else. There's still the chance that happens to Wolfie and to other players. And how many teams do you see have a core kind of group of players that stay for such an extended period of time? The transition is natural, and it's been much harder for Ipswich naturally, again, because they've been up and down, and the expectations have changed, and they've got the money and things like that. but this is something that and I think fans are getting there with that and kind of coming to terms with that we don't have as much Nathan Broadhead scored last night for Wrexham I know that Wrexham lost but did you guys see anything about that?

49:04I think we're getting to a point where we're overcoming that still but it does make it hard for sure to kind of have the same love for these players and there are steps towards that everyone loves Aswamata Siwa don't they? signing of the summer last year Cedric Kipre's got a great chance with Dara O'Shea. Two players, yes, are facing criticism at times. But yeah, we're getting there, but it's not an overnight process. And it does make me wonder, is it a process that will take longer than a season? And it's a hard balance between realising that, coming to terms with that, and seeing that that is maybe a reality and what might be best even for the group, but also knowing that the expectations are so high because it's one of the strongest squads on paper that the Championship has seen in the last few years.

49:59Ross Halls:Yeah, and of course the price tags as well is the big thing but I know there's a lot of opposition, other teams in the Championship just looking at that all the time and, you know, sort of laughing at it's town because of where we are at the moment.

50:11Stuart Watson:It's shades of Leeds we were discussing, wasn't it, in that promotion season of, you know, So Ipswich have reveled in being the underdogs that were consistently written off. Mill will probably feel the same at the moment, but Leeds were the team that everyone seemed to take sort of glee in, you know, when Leeds are falling apart again. And they, you know, they had their real slip up because there was, you know, maybe a perceived sense of arrogance around Leeds and their big names and their big spending and all that sort of stuff. And there's that feeling around Ipswich at the moment. You see the timeline on social media is full of, as soon as there's a setback or something, you see Coventry fans in particular are probably still stinging from losing twice to Ipswich this season, are very quick to jump on things like that.

50:59Stuart Watson:And it's a slightly uncomfortable feeling for all of us because we're not used to it. It's been a long, long time since Ipswich have been perceived as this sort of bigger fish type thing. and we're all getting used to that still, I think, at the moment. Does the club kind of thrive in that situation, do you think, where League One, I guess, was a little bit different. The expectation was about going up and bouncing back to the championship in that season that Town did, but they still had the setbacks and it was Valentine's Day, wasn't it, where it was the Bristol Rovers draw, where it felt like it was all going to fall apart and rallying together to overcome Sheffield Wednesday and go up with Plymouth and the title fight, all of that.

51:46You then come into the Championship. It's the ultimate underdog story for me with the three superpowers and their parachute payments battling them to finish second and finish above Leeds, the Leeds super team and Southampton and keeping pace with them throughout the whole season. Then the Premier League where, yes, it didn't work out, but I think there's still a lot of pride with the way that Ipswich went up and gave it a go to battle with the top teams. It didn't work, but there was still elements of the underdog fight there. And I just wonder if intrinsically the fan base, the club, the manager, and the players just are suited to being the underdogs more than the favourites.

52:27And does everything at the moment suit Ipswich being the big dogs in this league? or does it more suit them being not within the favourable bunch, the strongest sides? I don't know. But it's a feeling I've definitely had for a few weeks.

52:44Ross Halls:If we do somehow go up, I'm not saying we can't at this stage, but if we do, I don't know if we're ready. We weren't ready last time. I don't know if we're ready this time around. But when can you be? I don't know.

52:57Stuart Watson:This is the bigger discussion, and we've been having it kind of on and off all season. I will never say there's ever a bad time to go up. Sunderland are the prime example last season. A lot of people were thinking, well, that's not going to do them any favours going up and what they've done and changed the whole team over one summer and they've managed to do it. I know there's now a bigger debate about, well, if we did go up, how many of this team would be ready and would it be a good thing? I definitely think, and look, Brighton and Brentford are always held up as the poster boys of how to get your feet under the table in the Premier League.

53:43Stuart Watson:Kieran McKenna often references this, that they got there sort of for a slow and steady build. They had a few years in the championship of squad building, of selling to big-name players for profit and then selling one for big money and buying three for that money and building the squad up slowly. So when they got there, they were ready to give it a good chance of staying. And Ipswich are a prime example of that going back to the 90s of sort of maybe it was a blessing in some ways missing out through the playoffs over a few years because they built slowly. And then when they got there, they were able to give it a massive go.

54:19Stuart Watson:On the flip side of that, and AJ and I talk about this, next year is the final year of parachute payments and next year is going to be a different kettle of fish in the premier league there could be tottenham in the championship there could be a forest or a west ham um usa and alex in the car birmingham probably stronger if wrexham don't go up they could be stronger um it feels like this isn't the strongest championship lineup and it's which should be in a prime position to take advantage of that so I don't necessarily subscribe to this it might not be the worst thing if if they don't go up this year um I think you you know you could overthink that they've got to get themselves there and even if it was another grueling Premier League season it's it's the hundred plus million in the bank and it enables the club to to kind of keep moving forwards

55:14Ross Halls:And to be fair, maybe we're more prepared off the pitch because I think no one was expecting us to be in the Premier League when we did do it. And I'm sure there's so much work to have to go off the pitch with the stadium and other bits and bobs and even transfer targets. We're like, OK, we need to actually sign players for this division.

55:31Stuart Watson:Come this summer, if you go up, you then go, here's our shiny new multi-million pound training ground, which is due to open in July, which is another draw. We're hearing that they're bulking up the staffing behind the scenes. They've appointed a new European scout this week from Manchester United, all the data stuff. All of that is improving behind the scenes. So all of that would hopefully give them a better shot this time around. Yeah, it feels like everything's just felt on the knife edge for a little while this season. And we've never quite got off that knife edge, have we? And we're 10 games out now.

56:10Ross Halls:Yeah, because it sort of started at the start of the season, didn't it? Because we didn't win for a while. You know, the Sheffield-Nauti game was the one where we were like, here we go, we got lift-off. And it's just been up and down, up and down, topsy-turvy season, just like the Stoke game. But yeah, 10 games left to go, as you mentioned, Stu. AJ, Sheffield Wednesday up next, who are, of course, rock bottom. They're clubbing, you know, lots of stuff going on there. Obviously, already relegated, minus seven, and all that jazz. I'm saying it's a must win if we don't beat Sheff Wednesday season's done because you've got you've got to win I know they nearly went and won their first home game of the season against Watford but then Watford of course scored an equaliser to get a point but yeah this is a big one AJ and you know of course we know with Cedric Kipre suspended for this one give us an update on the suspensions before we do a snap preview on the owls yeah so I've I've written something for tomorrow morning, which will look at the four players in suspension, bother, and whether they should start, could start, will start this game and what the future holds for them.

57:18So go and check that out when that goes live tomorrow morning. But a little snap look at it. Cedric Kipre is suspended. He will miss not one of the two games through suspension because he's picked up 10 yellow cards. The cutoff point for the two-match ban for 10 yellow cards is the end of the Sheffield Wednesday game. So Kipre has made it all the way through. and unfortunately fallen near enough to the final hurdle on that one. So he will miss the next two, Sheffield Wednesday away and Millwall at home. And then there's three other players who are on nine and will need to get through the Sheffield Wednesday game.

57:54And there might be a bit of a dilemma about, do you start them in this game or do you take them out of the firing line to ensure that they are available? because if any of these three get booked on Saturday, they will miss two humongous games in Millwall at home and Birmingham at home. They are Darnell Furlong at right back, Azul Matasiwa in midfield, and Anis Mimeti as well. And especially in Matasiwa's case and in Mimeti's case, very important players where Matasiwa, the natural cover, is Dan Neal, but is he up to speed enough to carry that role through two games? I'm not too sure. Anis Mimeti at the moment is going to be a tricky one because Marcelino Nunez is injured, so he's really the only other kind of natural number 10 player and losing him for two big games would be a massive blow.

58:46Matasiwa, it should be said, has a hamstring injury as well and we're going to need to wait and see how severe that one is. But three quite big question marks over three very important players in this team, Furlong, Matasiwa and Mimeti and what their involvement is going to be like on Saturday and the risks that you take knowing that a booking for them could be pretty tough to take with the current situation of the squad.

59:12Ross Halls:Yeah, very true. What would you do then, Stu, AJ? One of you, I don't mind who answers this. I'll give you a bit on how I think I'd play this, so I'll pass this bit on to Stu. All right, Stu. Doctor, what would you do?

59:25Stuart Watson:I think this is a risk versus reward one, isn't it? You can end up with egg on your face if you go to Sheffield Wednesday and fail to win. But I would take that chance. If it was anyone else, I think I'd be more inclined to be, no, you just got to play your usual game and deal with the consequences. But it's Sheffield Wednesday away and it's Millwall at home to follow it up, particularly in the case of Mattasiwa, who has got so far. How many games did you say it is he's managed? I believe it's 16. 16 matches without getting that 10th book in. If he were to go to Sheffield Wednesday and get it, that would be heartbreaking.

1:00:10The fact that he's injured his hamstring, I don't know how severe.

1:00:15Stuart Watson:They don't know how severe last night. It might have even happened in the build-up to that stretching interception and tackle, as you mentioned, in the build-up to the Hurst one. I don't know, but he subsequently came off. I can't see him being played at all on Saturday.

1:00:36Stuart Watson:Mehmeti, again, do you want to wrap him up in cotton wool a little bit more because of Nunez being injured? And there needs to be some questions asked about Nunez, actually, because he did that hamstring injury in the 17th minute, looking back at the weekend, against Leicester. I can remember it now. It was a high ball dropping out of the sky. He overstretched, controlled it really well. But afterwards, you could see he was holding the back of his hamstring. He was hobbling a little bit. He carried on to the 85th minute in that game. And Kieran McKenna has confirmed last night that he is not going to be ready.

1:01:08Stuart Watson:What did he say? The next three games. So that takes him through to post-international break. Will that be? And now you're talking about the great health of the squad. and the amazing options that Ipswich have had. Strip Nunez, who's been the chief creator, and Philogene, who's been the big X-Factor player out of the team. They're big blows having both of them out at the same time, aren't they?

1:01:38Stuart Watson:So, yeah, I think I'd try someone else different in the 10 at the weekend. Sindri Valo-Agelli is an option at 10. I think I'd personally go with Tuba Rakpom, away from home against Sheffield Wednesday. had some chances late on against Leicester. I think I might have another little look at him.

1:01:58Ross Halls:Although, he could still be on the bench, can't he? And he'd come off the bench and then he gives the yellow guard and, oh, no, it didn't work out in the end. But we shall see. But this is a game, you know, yeah, going to Hillsborough, you know, can be a tough place to go. You know, still looking, only won one game all season.

1:02:18Stuart Watson:Just looking at their record at Hillsborough this season, zero wins, five draws, 14 defeats. So what's that? 19 games played there. And they've scored 10 goals in those matches, conceding 39, still in the minus points, minus six. Just got the news this week that they're probably going to start next season on minus 15 in League One because of the level of finances involved in their takeover. But by all accounts, their fans have been magnificent in sort of sticking by them through some really tough times. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. You're counting those consecutive defeats, aren't you? 14 consecutive defeats at the start of 2026 and were so close to winning last night.

1:03:06Stuart Watson:Gerry Yates' header gave them the lead, denied right at the end, 90th minute equaliser from Watford. So what does that do for their mood? You know, are they dangerous opposition? Because they can literally just go and it's a young team and it's a free hit. Every game is a free hit for them. You've said it. Ipswich have to win this game. If they've got any serious ambitions this season, they've got to win.

1:03:37Ross Halls:I'm sure they know that as well. I think a draw is not even good enough in my opinion. I'm sorry to say no way from home. Of course it's not. Yeah, no. So I can imagine we're all predicting wins. But AJ, any other business? You won't be heading to Hildesboro with us because it's your other house birthday. So happy birthday to her. But yeah. I missed Sheffield Wednesday. Would it have been the last game? It wouldn't have been the last game. Yeah, so the championship season. I missed the home game that season. It finished 6-0 for its switch. So I'm hoping that similar omens again. I also say credit to Sheffield Wednesday.

1:04:11I've said it a few times on this pod in the last year or so but to go along in the way they have done this season I know losing but even the defeats they've had if you look through they don't lose games heavily the heaviest one they've had was a 4-0 at Swansea other than that it's won twos and threes I know they've not been scoring but the effort left was to go in for that real credit to them absolutely this is a case of Ipswich have to win this game I will say it now if Ipswich don't win this game you might as well kiss top two goodbye with what's to come, I think. It is a huge, huge must-win match.

1:04:48That is a lot of pressure, but this is one of the most expensively assembled squads in championship history against a team that's in administration on negative points, already relegated, and is largely made up of one or two kind of solid championship players and a lot of youngsters, which have to go and win this game. so shame not to be going up to Sheffield I like Sheffield a lot Is it because you're one booking

1:05:14Stuart Watson:away from a ban AJ and we just can't take the risk of you this weekend can we? I'd had some words with Kieran McKenna basically and he said that because you're not doing Millwall or Birmingham which is the next two I'm going to be needed for those ones, they can't have the risk because if I got booked on the weekend I'd miss most of those games so we'd be screwed So, yeah, that's why I'm being rested. Well, I can promise you I won't be taking Sheffield Wednesday lightly at all. I'll go into it with humility, but also with belief in what I can do. And there are no easy games. And, yeah, I won't be taking it lightly, that's for sure.

1:05:57Stuart Watson:Just had a little look at Sheffield Wednesday's line-up. Back five, two up front. That's gone well this season, hasn't it, for Ipswich? Oh, no. Nothing can go wrong, gentlemen. Nothing.

1:06:08Ross Halls:No, nothing. Of course, their skipper, Barry Bannon, jumped ship to go to Millwall. So, yeah, it's going to be an interesting one. But, yeah, we'll bring it on. But thank you for tuning in as ever. But any other business, boys, as we wrap up this latest K-Way podcast, sponsored by Molecular UK.

1:06:32Stuart Watson:No other business. No, there's plenty more time to discuss the bigger picture ahead, isn't there? But yeah, that was a signal last night. But the great thing about the championship is there's another game always just around the corner.

1:06:48Ross Halls:Always, until the international break, which is coming up very shortly. Also, as well, just to keep you updated, the Southampton game has now got a new date, which is the 28th of April, Tuesday night, just before the last game of the season. so what uh that's gonna be interesting week coventry vibes yeah away from home again under lights yeah we shall see um also want to mention as well um because something happened on our way to stoke yesterday and i just want to say um it's just about mental health and if anybody out there who's struggling at the moment um please do talk uh you know we're free here at kings of anglia with the Kauai Army and stuff like that, make sure to talk because it's very important, especially with mental health these days as well.

1:07:37Ross Halls:There's so much help out there. So just make sure you talk, ladies and gentlemen. But yeah, thank you as ever for tuning in. Also, happy International Women's Day as well. Thank you to all the ladies who are listening because you're great for the Kauai Army as well. Good old Liz, want to give you a shout out who helps me out on game day, but all the other ladies who listen as well. but yes KW Live free as well get your tickets that is now on sale it would be great to see you 18th of April at the Baths in the Eastwich after the Borough game which we'll be hopefully finding out soon the date for that in terms of like if Sky moves it or anything but great to see you can't wait for that but Stu, AJ thank you for joining me thank everyone for listening to the latest Kings of Anglia podcast sponsored by Maclark UK and we'll see you next time after the Owls game where a town need to win bye for now

1:08:33Thank you.

1:09:02Thank you.

1:09:29Thank you.

1:10:02Hey, everybody.

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