Should we be giving Ipswich a bit of credit for the way they played?

[Ninja Elephant]

Sorry Ninja, you are right AND wrong. Right in saying that we are a shadow of the team we were last season, but wrong to say that we should be in the top six.

We are very much a team in transition, and perhaps a mid-table side is about where we are at the moment, we will win one match, but are then just as likely to lose the next. This is Oscar's first season in English football, and although many people seem to see him as the next messiah, how do we know that's going to be the case?

Well, exactly. We're not good enough for the top 6 this season, so far. Based on what we've seen so far, we'll be fine. But we need to be realistic. One bad performance doesn't suggest we're going to struggle and at the same time, when we smash Sheff Weds on Tuesday, it doesn't mean we're good enough to challenge.

Work to be done, but I think we've seen more than enough to believe Oscar is the man for the job, and we'll have more good days than bad ones over the course of the season.

Ipswich are undergoing the same financial restrictions as the Albion. Its a long time since they laid out any big money on transfers. So yes they realistically see themselves at present as a solid Championship side

I'm certainly not suggesting it's a bad thing. But they're going to be dour under McCarthy. Really dour. Even on days when we're terrible, I prefer watching the way we try and play with the ball on the ground and the type of player we have. I didn't overly enjoy yesterday, but we're definitely on the right track and it could be much worse.