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Crisis deepens
To add to that Michael Duff was serving a one match suspension and that left us with just about enough players.
If that wasn’t bad enough things went even worse just seven minutes into the game when central defender Frank Sinclair was forced off with a calf injury. The subs bench was made up of an untried player here on a short term contract, three youngsters who the manager says are nowhere near ready and a member of the coaching staff who has retired from the playing side.
It was the untried player, Amadou Sanokho, who came on and that meant a major reshuffle with more square pegs in round holes than you can imagine.
Branch dropped to left back with Mo Camara in the centre (although they later swapped because of Branch’s lack of mobility) whilst Richard Duffy finally went back on the left wing and Sanokho, a defensive midfielder was up the field.
And to add to all that we were playing one of the better teams in the league, Ipswich Town who were lying in second place behind leaders Wigan.
It was all set up for as pasting but that didn’t happen and although we fell to defeat with two goals from Darren Bent it could almost be considerer a somewhat cruel result.
We started brightly but could have fallen behind just before Sinclair’s departure when Shefki Kuqi blazed over when set up by Bent. Kuqi came close to being a Claret almost three years ago, and I know he has scored a number of goals recently, but the more I see of him the more I am delighted he moved to Sheffield Wednesday instead.
Shortly after the first major reshuffle we conceded a free kick outside the box and another player who was close to joining us in that 2001/02 season, Kevin Horlock, hit the bar from the set piece.
But we still got forward and came close to going in front when Richard Duffy, still on the right at this point, broke into the penalty box. It was a similar break to the one when he was brought down for the penalty in the Villa game.
Ironically it led to Ipswich taking the lead. Richard Naylor won the ball from him and keeper Kelvin Davis, who had yet another jittery Turf Moor afternoon, hit a long clearance. It beat everyone and allowed Bent to run through and give Brian Jensen no chance as he slid the ball in.
We came storming back though and within just a few minutes it looked as though Robbie Blake had finally got his 100th league goal when he hit a shot on the turn from outside the box that beat Davis to his right. The assistant’s flag though ruled it out for offside.
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amara, who had a good game, did an Arthur and went on a long surge forward but it ended in a weak shot whilst Sanokho tested the keeper with a pacy shot from distance that Davis was unable to hold and was fortunate to see go for a corner.
Town’s Jim Magilton could count himself very lucky to get a yellow card, and Ipswich equally lucky to stay in front after a foul on Tony Grant.
Many referees would have seen Magilton as the last man but the inept Mike Pike, his major contribution was continually getting in the way and being hit with the ball, gave just a yellow and took no further action despite Magilton losing it completely with team mate Jason De Vos.
Robbie took the free kick and hammered it against the Ipswich bar. It was our last real chance of the half and despite all the odds against us we could consider ourselves somewhat unfortunate to be behind.
There was no real change to the pattern of the game at the start of the second half and we certainly tested Ipswich with some good attacking, particularly from the wings. Ipswich have a reputation for not having the best defence in the division but they were certainly defending well here and won some very good headers as we put them under pressure.
The worry was that we would concede a second and that’s what we did, but we hardly conceded it, there wasn’t much we could have done about it.
Bent picked the ball up on the right wing and looked set to cross, but he turned inside and hit an unstoppable shot into the far corner. Jensen couldn’t stop it, Coyne wouldn’t have done either and it is a fair bet that if both had been in goal it would have made no difference.
It was a fantastic striker from Bent but it left us with a mountain to climb that proved to be beyond us.
As hard as we tried we couldn’t get back into it but to be honest, as those even with fit legs tired, we hardly troubled them as the game petered out.
After the wonderful night at Leeds it was a disappointment, there’s no doubt about that. But it really did look a game too far for us with the lack of fit players and you wonder just how we are going to get a side out against managerless Spurs on Tuesday.
The one bonus is that Duff will be back but then again O’Connor is cup tied and ruled out. And surely Branch and McGreal won’t be considered fit to play whilst we now have to wait and see how long Sinclair’s calf injury will keep him out.
It’s a worrying time, the manager has admitted as such, and not his policy of bringing in fewer but better players is just beginning to cost us. With so many of these injured players nowhere near a return it is going to be a difficult period for the Clarets.
The teams were,
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Frank Sinclair (Amadou Sanokho 7), John McGreal, Mo Camara, Richard Duffy, Micah Hyde, Tony Grant, James O’Connor, Graham Branch, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Paul Scott, Mark Yates, Joel Pilkington, Matt O’Neill.
If that wasn’t bad enough things went even worse just seven minutes into the game when central defender Frank Sinclair was forced off with a calf injury. The subs bench was made up of an untried player here on a short term contract, three youngsters who the manager says are nowhere near ready and a member of the coaching staff who has retired from the playing side.
It was the untried player, Amadou Sanokho, who came on and that meant a major reshuffle with more square pegs in round holes than you can imagine.
Branch dropped to left back with Mo Camara in the centre (although they later swapped because of Branch’s lack of mobility) whilst Richard Duffy finally went back on the left wing and Sanokho, a defensive midfielder was up the field.
And to add to all that we were playing one of the better teams in the league, Ipswich Town who were lying in second place behind leaders Wigan.
It was all set up for as pasting but that didn’t happen and although we fell to defeat with two goals from Darren Bent it could almost be considerer a somewhat cruel result.
We started brightly but could have fallen behind just before Sinclair’s departure when Shefki Kuqi blazed over when set up by Bent. Kuqi came close to being a Claret almost three years ago, and I know he has scored a number of goals recently, but the more I see of him the more I am delighted he moved to Sheffield Wednesday instead.
Shortly after the first major reshuffle we conceded a free kick outside the box and another player who was close to joining us in that 2001/02 season, Kevin Horlock, hit the bar from the set piece.
But we still got forward and came close to going in front when Richard Duffy, still on the right at this point, broke into the penalty box. It was a similar break to the one when he was brought down for the penalty in the Villa game.
Ironically it led to Ipswich taking the lead. Richard Naylor won the ball from him and keeper Kelvin Davis, who had yet another jittery Turf Moor afternoon, hit a long clearance. It beat everyone and allowed Bent to run through and give Brian Jensen no chance as he slid the ball in.
We came storming back though and within just a few minutes it looked as though Robbie Blake had finally got his 100th league goal when he hit a shot on the turn from outside the box that beat Davis to his right. The assistant’s flag though ruled it out for offside.
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Town’s Jim Magilton could count himself very lucky to get a yellow card, and Ipswich equally lucky to stay in front after a foul on Tony Grant.
Many referees would have seen Magilton as the last man but the inept Mike Pike, his major contribution was continually getting in the way and being hit with the ball, gave just a yellow and took no further action despite Magilton losing it completely with team mate Jason De Vos.
Robbie took the free kick and hammered it against the Ipswich bar. It was our last real chance of the half and despite all the odds against us we could consider ourselves somewhat unfortunate to be behind.
There was no real change to the pattern of the game at the start of the second half and we certainly tested Ipswich with some good attacking, particularly from the wings. Ipswich have a reputation for not having the best defence in the division but they were certainly defending well here and won some very good headers as we put them under pressure.
The worry was that we would concede a second and that’s what we did, but we hardly conceded it, there wasn’t much we could have done about it.
Bent picked the ball up on the right wing and looked set to cross, but he turned inside and hit an unstoppable shot into the far corner. Jensen couldn’t stop it, Coyne wouldn’t have done either and it is a fair bet that if both had been in goal it would have made no difference.
It was a fantastic striker from Bent but it left us with a mountain to climb that proved to be beyond us.
As hard as we tried we couldn’t get back into it but to be honest, as those even with fit legs tired, we hardly troubled them as the game petered out.
After the wonderful night at Leeds it was a disappointment, there’s no doubt about that. But it really did look a game too far for us with the lack of fit players and you wonder just how we are going to get a side out against managerless Spurs on Tuesday.
The one bonus is that Duff will be back but then again O’Connor is cup tied and ruled out. And surely Branch and McGreal won’t be considered fit to play whilst we now have to wait and see how long Sinclair’s calf injury will keep him out.
It’s a worrying time, the manager has admitted as such, and not his policy of bringing in fewer but better players is just beginning to cost us. With so many of these injured players nowhere near a return it is going to be a difficult period for the Clarets.
The teams were,
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Frank Sinclair (Amadou Sanokho 7), John McGreal, Mo Camara, Richard Duffy, Micah Hyde, Tony Grant, James O’Connor, Graham Branch, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Paul Scott, Mark Yates, Joel Pilkington, Matt O’Neill.
Ipswich: Kelvin Davis, Driss Diallo, Jason De Vos, Richard Naylor, Fabian Wilnis, Tommy Miller, Jim Magilton (Matt Richards 76), Kevin Horlock, Ian Westlake, Darren Bent, Shefki Kuqi. Subs not used: Lewis Price, Aidan Collins, Dean Bowditch, Pablo Counago.
Referee: Mike Pike (Cumbria).
Attendance: 11,969.
Attendance: 11,969.