Too much reliance on Delap?

In recent weeks, we asked you for something fans were not talking about enough at Ipswich but should be. You told us there was a reliance on Liam Delap and that more goal sources were needed so we put that to one of our Ipswich experts. Here's what Steve Mellen had to say:

Few stats illustrate the 'feast or famine' experience of fans of clubs promoted to the Premier League than Ipswich's 'goals for' tally.

Last season we scored 92 to secure promotion, 101 the year before in League One. So far this season – 26.

Kieran McKenna tends to play a lone striker, and for almost every game this season it has been Liam Delap, a man described by Danny Murphy as the natural successor to Harry Kane for England – not bad for a player who scored eight for Hull last season, and whose £20m transfer to us was written off by some as an expensive mistake.

But as much as it has been a delight to watch Delap, without him we don't have much of a goal threat. On paper.

His goals earned us home draws with Fulham and Villa. He scored the crucial second at Spurs and got us a point at Villa Park. He opened the scoring in the 2-0 win over Chelsea and scored in the 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage. Examine the games we've taken points from this season and you'll usually find Delap's influence.

Are we relying too much on one man? Maybe, but injuries have played as much a part.

Currently out: Sammie Szmodics, Conor Chaplin, Omari Hutchinson, Wes Burns and Chiedozie Ogbene (the last two out for the season). Julio Enciso looked to be a real handful but got crocked at Villa Park.

George Hirst has had his spells on the sidelines, as has Nathan Broadhead. Put simply, Delap has been the focal point of our attack as he's not only loving life in the Prem, but has managed to stay fit.

Even if we manage to defy the odds and stay up, chances are we'll need a plan without Delap as several big clubs are circling.

But for this season, it's as much about getting other players back on the pitch as it is keeping him fit.

Steve Mellen is the former editor of ITFC magazine Meet Me At Sir Alf, and also represented fanzine Those Were The Days