Post by QPR Report on Aug 10, 2009 6:38:33 GMT
Hmmm: One we were "definitely" signing this season. One we reportedly (Dowie) wanted last season. Hmm again! And of course playing for Ipswich, Delaney
Coventry City 2 Morrison 10, Morrison 24
Ipswich Town 1 Walters 28
Coventry City: Westwood, Wright, Osbourne, Turner, van Aanholt, Bell, Gunnarsson, Clingan, McIndoe, Best, Morrison
Subs: Konstantopoulos (GK), Ward, Eastwood, Cain, Grandison, Clarke, Jeffers
Ipswich Town: R Wright, Delaney, McAuley (c), Bruce, Martin, Norris, Peters, Stead, Balkestein, Walters, Trotter
Subs: Supple (GK), Wright, Garvan, Priskin, Colbeck, Smith, Wickham
Paul Doyle at the Ricoh Arena
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 9 August 2009
Roy Keane admits his finds it hard to eat or sleep for days after a defeat so, following two goals form his former Republic of Ireland colleague Clinton Morrison, it looks like he will be sitting up late tonight to stare at his dinner.
Keane did not make as many personnel changes during the summer as many had expected and five of today's visitors to the Ricoh Arena had featured when Ipswich beat Coventry in the final game of last season. The first few minutes of today's encounter made a similar outcome seem likely, as Ipswich, thanks to a piercing run and pass by Liam Trotter, tore the Coventry defence apart within 60 seconds. Only a perfectly timed sliding tackle by Ben Turner prevented Jaime Peters from shooting on goal from eight yards. The ensuing corner caused havoc, Coventry eventually grateful to see the referee award a free-kick after Alex Bruce had climbed on a defender's back before heading against the bar.
Ipswich initially beguiled their opponents with the fluency of their midfield, where only David Norris maintained a more or less fixed position as Trotter, Peters, Jon Walters and Lee Martin switched and surged incessantly. Keane had devoted much of pre-season to embedding that strategy but, of course, it takes time for such schemes to gel properly and gradually Coventry's more familiar 4-4-2 helped them establish a foothold in the game.
Formations had nothing, however, to do with the first goal, which arrived after 10 minutes. Ipswich defenders watched as a routine long kick by the Coventry goalkeeper, Keiren Westwood, sailed over their heads and into the path of Morrison. Richard Wright in the Ipswich goal sprinted off his line in order to mop up, then changed his mind and was caught in no man's land as Morrison's 25-yard lob dropped into the net.
Coventry's second goal, 14 minutes later, required slightly more invention. After a flurry of frenzied activity on the edge of the Ipswich area, Aron Gunnarsson rolled the ball out to the right, where Isaac Osbourne had arrived in support. The full-back curled a cross towards the penalty spot, where Morrison twisted his body to put perfect propulsion and direction on a header that flew past Wright and into the net.
To the undisguised dismay of Chris Coleman, Coventry then treated their guests to a goal almost immediately. Following a throw-in on the left the home defence parted inexplicably, allowing Walters to bound through to meet Jon Stead threaded pass. The midfielder's expert finish from 20 yards was appropriate punishment for such defensive slackness.
The teams tightened up after that madcap half an hour, the only opening before the break coming after Stead teed up Martin, who scooped his shot high into the sparsely populated stands.
Pim Balkenstein had to intervene to prevent Gunnarsson unleashing a shot after a confident Coventry break within moments of the restart but from then on most of the menace was directed towards the other end, though the home defence was rarely over-stretched.
Peters fired a volley inches wide in the 50th minute. Two minutes later Trotter stretched in vain in an attempt to divert a Stead effort into the net from close range. Just before the hour mark, Martin, a recent recruit from Manchester United, wasted a free-kick from a promising position.
As the game progressed and Keane made all his available substitutions, introducing his midweek signing Tamas Priskin and shifting to a 4-4-2, Ipswich's offensive intent increased still further but penetration remained elusive. Walters came close to equalising twice within a minute: first his shot from 25 yards flew just wide and then, in the 72nd minute, Westwood arched backwards to tip the midfielder's header over the bar. When the goalkeeper was beaten by a Balkenstein header from the resultant corner, Morrison was on hand to nod off the line.
It was not entirely one-way traffic, however, and Patrick van Aanholt and Jordan Clarke both went close for Coventry as full-time approached. And just before the stadium announcer drew groans from the home fans by revealing there would be five minutes of time added on, Clingan almost delighted with a fierce 25-yard drive that Wright did well to parry. To the visible annoyance of Keane, nothing of import occurred before the referee blew the final whistle five minutes later.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/aug/09/coventry-ipswich-roy-keane-clinton-morrison
Coventry City 2 Morrison 10, Morrison 24
Ipswich Town 1 Walters 28
Coventry City: Westwood, Wright, Osbourne, Turner, van Aanholt, Bell, Gunnarsson, Clingan, McIndoe, Best, Morrison
Subs: Konstantopoulos (GK), Ward, Eastwood, Cain, Grandison, Clarke, Jeffers
Ipswich Town: R Wright, Delaney, McAuley (c), Bruce, Martin, Norris, Peters, Stead, Balkestein, Walters, Trotter
Subs: Supple (GK), Wright, Garvan, Priskin, Colbeck, Smith, Wickham
Paul Doyle at the Ricoh Arena
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 9 August 2009
Roy Keane admits his finds it hard to eat or sleep for days after a defeat so, following two goals form his former Republic of Ireland colleague Clinton Morrison, it looks like he will be sitting up late tonight to stare at his dinner.
Keane did not make as many personnel changes during the summer as many had expected and five of today's visitors to the Ricoh Arena had featured when Ipswich beat Coventry in the final game of last season. The first few minutes of today's encounter made a similar outcome seem likely, as Ipswich, thanks to a piercing run and pass by Liam Trotter, tore the Coventry defence apart within 60 seconds. Only a perfectly timed sliding tackle by Ben Turner prevented Jaime Peters from shooting on goal from eight yards. The ensuing corner caused havoc, Coventry eventually grateful to see the referee award a free-kick after Alex Bruce had climbed on a defender's back before heading against the bar.
Ipswich initially beguiled their opponents with the fluency of their midfield, where only David Norris maintained a more or less fixed position as Trotter, Peters, Jon Walters and Lee Martin switched and surged incessantly. Keane had devoted much of pre-season to embedding that strategy but, of course, it takes time for such schemes to gel properly and gradually Coventry's more familiar 4-4-2 helped them establish a foothold in the game.
Formations had nothing, however, to do with the first goal, which arrived after 10 minutes. Ipswich defenders watched as a routine long kick by the Coventry goalkeeper, Keiren Westwood, sailed over their heads and into the path of Morrison. Richard Wright in the Ipswich goal sprinted off his line in order to mop up, then changed his mind and was caught in no man's land as Morrison's 25-yard lob dropped into the net.
Coventry's second goal, 14 minutes later, required slightly more invention. After a flurry of frenzied activity on the edge of the Ipswich area, Aron Gunnarsson rolled the ball out to the right, where Isaac Osbourne had arrived in support. The full-back curled a cross towards the penalty spot, where Morrison twisted his body to put perfect propulsion and direction on a header that flew past Wright and into the net.
To the undisguised dismay of Chris Coleman, Coventry then treated their guests to a goal almost immediately. Following a throw-in on the left the home defence parted inexplicably, allowing Walters to bound through to meet Jon Stead threaded pass. The midfielder's expert finish from 20 yards was appropriate punishment for such defensive slackness.
The teams tightened up after that madcap half an hour, the only opening before the break coming after Stead teed up Martin, who scooped his shot high into the sparsely populated stands.
Pim Balkenstein had to intervene to prevent Gunnarsson unleashing a shot after a confident Coventry break within moments of the restart but from then on most of the menace was directed towards the other end, though the home defence was rarely over-stretched.
Peters fired a volley inches wide in the 50th minute. Two minutes later Trotter stretched in vain in an attempt to divert a Stead effort into the net from close range. Just before the hour mark, Martin, a recent recruit from Manchester United, wasted a free-kick from a promising position.
As the game progressed and Keane made all his available substitutions, introducing his midweek signing Tamas Priskin and shifting to a 4-4-2, Ipswich's offensive intent increased still further but penetration remained elusive. Walters came close to equalising twice within a minute: first his shot from 25 yards flew just wide and then, in the 72nd minute, Westwood arched backwards to tip the midfielder's header over the bar. When the goalkeeper was beaten by a Balkenstein header from the resultant corner, Morrison was on hand to nod off the line.
It was not entirely one-way traffic, however, and Patrick van Aanholt and Jordan Clarke both went close for Coventry as full-time approached. And just before the stadium announcer drew groans from the home fans by revealing there would be five minutes of time added on, Clingan almost delighted with a fierce 25-yard drive that Wright did well to parry. To the visible annoyance of Keane, nothing of import occurred before the referee blew the final whistle five minutes later.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/aug/09/coventry-ipswich-roy-keane-clinton-morrison