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The set-up with these players was a strange one, however, with Delfouneso wide left and Wallace in the centre behind Rodriguez. It was a strange decision to play Wallace centrally but it did bring the game's first shot, albeit screwed horribly wide, after good work from Marney.
However, the Ipswich goal wasn't to be remotely threatened for the rest of the half and they took control with two goals in quick succession midway through the first half. The first came from a corner which several players failed to deal with and eventually the ball broke for Norris who fired a low shot under Grant. It was the sort of poor defending from set pieces that infuriates managers but if the first goal was bad Howe must have been tearing his hair out after the second.
Easton and Bikey were left for dead as Ipswich advanced down the right, Mears was beaten easily by Wickham (who gave him a torrid afternoon) at the back post, and although the highly-rated young striker made a complete hash of his header, it looped off the turf and spun over Lee Grant for a second. Wickham looked like he couldn't believe his luck. Opinion has been divided as to whether Grant was at fault for the goal, but for me he had time to have a bath and still save it, from where I was sitting it looked a poor effort. The chants of "Beast" from the crowd were harsh, particularly as Grant has been one of the better performers under the new manager, but on the other hand, Jensen was dropped for far less in my opinion.
The rest of the first half petered out with Burnley creating literally nothing in a very poor performance. Howe looked to have his tactics all wrong as Eagles, Delfouneso and Rodriguez flitted about, interchanging positions without seeming like they knew where they were supposed to be playing, and the less said about Wallace in the centre, the better. Howe, to his credit, recognised his error and replaced the ineffective Wallace with Iwelumo.
The second half was a bit brighter, although we never really threatened to overhaul the deficit, despite a cracking goal from Rodriguez, finishing a Marney layoff very neatly. Wade Elliott's introduction for the once again ineffective Eagles brightened the team and Iwelumo gave the attack a focal point, but the performance still fell a long way short of what is required for a top six berth. Marney and particularly Bartley in the centre were anonymous for long periods, and while his introduction helped the team's shape, Iwelumo's passing and finishing was once again woefully inadequate. I don't think Howe would be playing him were it not for the injury crisis up front, but perhaps it's time to give Wes Fletcher a chance. It's also frustrating to see two better players in Rodriguez and Delfouneso moved out wide to accommodate Iwelumo.
Eagles and Mears were also poor and in truth the worst player was a more competitive category than the best, with a man of the match difficult to choose, although Rodriguez' finish was the one moment of quality from the team. The booing and criticism was difficult to take at full time, though Howe has made a rod for his own back by starting so well with a limited squad, and must be given more time and support by the fans. At the time of Laws' departure, I would have snapped your hand off to be three points from the playoff zone at this stage, and while a massive improvement is needed, it's still in our hands if we can continue Howe's impressive away record, starting at a happy hunting ground in the Walkers Stadium next week.
Finally, a quick word on the referee Trevor Kettle, who certainly gave the impression he was steaming. I lost count of the number of yellow cards in a game which didn't really see one bad tackle. What happened to sensible refereeing?