Football fans are not known especially for their powers of measured reflection, that ability to take a realistic view rather than jump in at the first opportunity with both feet raised. Or so says Monsieur Salut.
Accordingly, the Ross Out chorus has begun. We’ve played all of one game. There are 45 to go in the league alone. We played badly by all accounts and questions have been raised about the team selection. All the same, as I said at Twitter while acknowledging that disdain for the manager is not purely a kneejerk reaction to the opening-day failure to beat modest opposition, calling for his head now is the sort of thing that takes us into laughing stock territory.
Mind, we’ll all feel a lot better if we can go to Portman Road and grab three points from what used to be a Premier League fixture. It’s up to the players to make that wish come true but up to you, the reader, to predict the outcome.
Since there was a prize for the first game – and yes, one Sunderland fan (Terry McLoughlin) was pessimistic enough to go for a 1-1 draw – the Ipswich game shall be for fun only. Have a go anyway and dream, if you’re first to be correct, of the life-changing mug you’d have received in a prize Guess the Score.
As for the game, I have never seen us win at Portman Road. Nor did my late friend Graham Noble, who attended once and could not have chosen less wisely.
This is how his experience was described in a piece published in 2017 about the different ways SAFC fans react to rotten performances on the road …
Then there was the experience of my friend Graham at another 5-0 humiliation, the one at Ipswich under Peter Reid in 2001 (they ended up going down; we survived for another season).
Graham, not one of life’s natural football supporters but dragged along to the odd game by his SAFC-supporting partner, absent-mindedly applauded as the teams left the field at the interval. It was almost as if he was at the theatre.
Unfortunately, we were already four down.
“Applaud! Yer f****** applauding, yer stupid f****** twat?” spluttered one of the travelling contingent nearby. “Aah’ve paid half a week’s f****** wages gannin’ doon heeyah to see that heap of f****** sh*** and youse f****** applauding the c****!”
Many or even most of us would probably own up to the occasional expletive aimed at refs or players. But the asterisk-laden quote above, reproduced from memory of Graham’s description, probably does no justice to the true nature and content of the poor man’s rant. Good job things perked up on the field; we only lost the second half 1-0.
Ha’way the Lads on Saturday …
1-1I’m afraid ?
Well you proved yourself to be no mug in the predictions game – no mug for you I’m afraid but wallow in the pleasure of going against the law of averages! Surely we can’t finish the season P 46 W 0 D 46 L 0 F 46 A 46 Pts 46 – can we?
A 2-2 draw which sees our defence and midfield having a more settled game. Earns us a point and we’d all take that at kick off.
Added whilst sipping my breakfast cuppa from my ‘just-arrived’ heroes mug. Thanks Colin.
Just got a bad feeling about this game . Ipswich to win 3-1
0-0, it seems ages ago since there was one.
Nothing to do with GTS but just read this on ALS.
https://www.a-love-supreme.com/single-post/2019/08/07/HELP
At last someone thinking about how things might be improved and not just spouting negativity.
Ipswich 0 SAFC 3.
After expelling all the nervous energy in front of a big SOL crowd. The new team will now settle down, play more naturally, few mistakes with Grigg and McNulty on the score sheet.
In the two games I have seen so far, Heerenveen and Oxford, my biggest concern is the lack of clear cut scoring opportunities we are creating. 6 0 to us.
It’s a 3-1 win for the lads. Probably 4 og’s ?
I’ll go for 0-2, just because that was the score when we beat them away in 1959, the fateful year I was taken by my Dad to see my first game at Roker Park.
The Lads to win 3-2,will take a game or two to get settled.
Forever the eternal optimist we do tend to give it a better go away from home so it’s the usual fower nowt to the lads for me
Ipswich 1 – 2 SAFC is my optimistic, based on no logic at all, head in the sand prediction. Whilst I agree that its only one game in and shouting for the managers head is ludicrous, never mind totally unfair, I was shocked and I am worried at how easily we managed to produce a performance that had all of last season hallmark failings displayed with a new set of players on the opening game of the season, to wit:
Costly individual mistakes
Poor decision making
No cutting edge
Dodgy substitution’s
No apparent plan ‘B’
Early days, yes, and the manager deserves a chance but by Christmas the Sword of Damocles may have dangled for the last time!!!!!!!
After the rubbish what’s been served up lately it will take a hell of a lot more than a win even five come to that. Confidence has been lost in Ross.
1-0 to the Lads and the gloom will clear somewhat.
Wrong, Pete. 0-3, like the last game. Same scorers, too, including Will (Danny Graham ll) Grigg who will deflect the ball in with his left buttock after slipping.
Once again there will be five goals but we will score them….
5-4 to The Lads!