It’s been said plenty over the last week, but the negativity after our opening day defeat at a newly promoted side last Saturday was a bit much.
There were plenty of performances last season where it looked to be anyone’s game, and on so many occasions we took advantage of a big moment in a game and got our noses in front to take something from the game.
It could have easy have been our day if we’d taken our chances, and if wasn’t for a brain-fart late on, we’d have been saying it was a solid point at Portman Road.
However, it happened - and because it did, it inevitably ramped the pressure up on our first game on home turf yesterday. You can just have imagined the fallout to a defeat yesterday.
Losing the opening day of the season at Ipswich could be labelled a ‘blip’ or an ‘off day’, or going by how they scored the winner, ‘being a bit rusty’.
But the players would have known better than any of us that losing the first two Premier League fixtures would have really ramped up the negativity around the team - regardless of who we play in December in the Europa League.
The add to the fact we were following up a defeat at a side who were tipped to struggle, with a Fulham side coming to town who have also been in the discussions when it comes to sides who might be in the mix at the wrong end of the table - and like us, lost their opening game.
That brought a certain expectation to come out on top and be on the front foot against The Cottagers - but it doesn’t always work out like that. Going back to last season, it quite often seemed that the games we were expected to collect maximum points were always the most difficult - and it was similar yesterday.
Firstly, the first forty-five minutes just screamed of two sides who feared losing their first two games.
Secondly, the visitors were well organised and came with a gameplan that on another day could have easily come off and earned them something from the game. They have some dangerous players capable of changing a game in an instant, and around the hour mark were probably the happier of the two sides.
In a reversal of last weekend, we got on top at the right time and took the big chance that we believed would come along at some point. But the first two weekends of the season has given us a reminder of just how close most of our games were last season, and this season will be no different.
It’s natural because of our achievements last season that expectations are higher this time around, but every point was earned through battling to stay in games at times and be in a position to take advantage, and yesterday showed we’re back up for the fight to go again.
Yes, we just have a couple of days left before that window slams shut yet again. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be relieved when it does.
We’ve officially had three players through the door so far at a cost of around what we paid for Habib Diarra last summer, which has made people a little nervous. These nerves have been voiced as blind panic in one or two comments online, and that’s despite only losing one player who had a semi-significant role last season.
But the window has that effect on people.
We’ve bought three good players on paper and if the player we got on a free is anything to go by, the players we’ve actually spent money on should be a bit tasty. But, we’re publicly on the look out for more ahead of the window closing, so we should all relax, dust off the yellow ties and bring out the cliches until it’s all over.
Just a quick word on how good we looked - on and off the pitch.
Starting with the new kits in a Premier League game, and those 1937 inspired strips look great. So good in fact, that it’s going to be a shame when we stick a sponsor on there. Looks great out on the pitch in front of a full house though, and hopefully it might bring a little success as the design did back in 37’.
Off the pitch, we not only had new nets in between the sticks and improved/reversed dugouts, but we also knocked up another tifo that looked the part once again. Hats off to the club for making another occasion out of a big fixture. It sets the tone ahead of kick-off and it was good to start the season with a good one.