Ipswich Town

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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It could be a long and painful Christmas for Ipswich Town fans.

Town conceded after only 26 seconds, despite kicking-off themselves. That set the tone for a truly miserable performance as they suffered their heaviest defeat of the season, losing 4-0 at home to a rampant Newcastle side with Alexander Isak scoring a hat-trick.

And the fixtures don't get any easier for Kieran McKenna's team with a trip to Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal on 27 December, minus suspended captain Sam Morsy, before entertaining Chelsea at Portman Road three days later.

After conceding the early goal, Ipswich never looked like getting back into the game, with a few shots off target and away goalkeeper Martin Dubravka not having to make a real save throughout the 90 minutes.

Ipswich desperately missed suspended six-goal top scorer Liam Delap, but once more goalkeeper Arijanet Muric will come under the spotlight for his role in Newcastle's third goal, scored just before half-time which ended the game as a contest.

Following back-to-back promotions after being in League One when McKenna took over almost exactly three years ago, the Ipswich fans would have expected days like this on their return to the big stage.

This was a painful one and one Ipswich need to quickly learn from.

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Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the heavy defeat: "A difficult day for us. The opponent was strong and they, of course, scored the goal in the first seconds, which makes it difficult.

"We had moments during the first-half where we had the ball and managed to play through them, but overall we weren't able to stop their attacking threats. They had too much for us.

"I don't think our game management in general was good enough. They are a very good side. We needed to show more resilience, stay in the game until half-time and keep the game tight. We didn't recognise the state of the game well enough and we didn't make enough good decisions to stay in the game and attack the second-half."

On what he said during half-time: "Bits about the first-half and how we managed it. There were also opportunities there for us and we were getting into good positions, but it was mostly about needing to show the right characteristics in the second-half.

"[We needed to] show humility, we needed to defend better, we needed to show a better level of organisation and resilience, and we needed to get the next goal. If we had done that then the game could go in one direction.

"Of course they got the next goal, and then you are really trying to see out the game in the best way you can.

"We know how well we have been doing to be competitive. It is a huge jump for the group and we don't have to be far off for games to run away from us.

"We were off our level. If we do that against a good side, like Newcastle, then they can open you up. It's a lesson for us. It's probably going to happen a few times in the season."

On Sam Morsy's suspension: "That's disappointing. We are [already] missing some players that are really important for us and we will be against Arsenal, so that's a challenge, but it's up to us to rise to that."

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Ipswich suffered their heaviest home defeat in any competition since April 2018, against Aston Villa in the Championship (also 0-4).

The Tractor Boys are only the sixth side to fail to win each of their opening nine home games of a Premier League season (D4 L5) - after Crystal Palace (1997-98), West Ham (2002-03), Sunderland (2005-06), Aston Villa (2015-16) and Brighton (2020-21).

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Ipswich player Conor Chaplin has been speaking to Premier League Productions about the defeat: "A tough day, definitely. We were second best. I don't think we helped ourselves. We need to be better at game management, when we are up against it, and make better individual decisions to see the threat off.

"The team are disappointed, it's a tough one to take, but we will stick together. There are lessons we will learn going into the next one. We have to find solutions.

On facing Arsenal next: "We will focus on that in the next few days. We believe we can go there and get a result."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Ipswich's performance

What did you make of Newcastle's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

There are 10 Premier League teams in action on Saturday:

• Aston Villa v Manchester City (12:30)

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest

• Ipswich v Newcastle

• West Ham v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Crystal Palace v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 17, he takes on Reverend & the Makers singer Jon McClure.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Maybe I should mention Mr Fields - an Ipswich fan who teaches my daughter - every week so the Tractor Boys stand a better chance of winning?

It worked for them last week, when they beat Wolves, but I am not sure it will have the same effect this time.

The strength of the Premier League means the table is so congested at the moment, with only six points separating Nottingham Forest in fourth and Manchester United in 13th.

Newcastle are 12th and have been very average at times, but they strike me as being a team who are in a false position, compared to what they are capable of.

The busy Christmas period could change the look of the table dramatically, and a couple of wins could catapult someone towards the top four.

Could that team be Newcastle? Yes, if they click, and I definitely fancy them here. Ipswich have not won at home yet this season and I don't see that changing this weekend.

McClure's prediction: 0-2

Newcastle should edge this. They have not been sparkling this year and Ipswich are decent, but Newcastle have got too much quality in wide areas.

Read the full predictions and have your say

Holly Bacon
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Newcastle (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On injuries he said there is "nothing new" from last weekend but Liam Delap is suspended after he was booked in the tunnel at Wolves. On that Mckenna said: "The referee told me that if there's a fracas on the pitch at the end then the rule is that he has to book a player from both teams. I take him at his word on that. We're disappointed, because I don't think Liam did much wrong."

• McKenna didn't want to give too much away on who will replace Delap up front: "Ali [Al-Hamadi] is the most natural striker we have, but there are four or five options in the building. There are some obvious ones, Wes Burns has played there, Omari Hutchinson has taken up some centre forward positions. We have a starting team and finishing team in mind. Both are as important as each other."

• On their late winner against Wolves: "We've had quite a few draws this season and every point is precious but it's the three points that make the difference. We want to be a team that pushes for the margins to go in our favour."

• On Newcastle he said: "They're in good form and have outstanding qualities. We'll go into it humble but we believe in ourselves and go into it excited. The game before Christmas always feels extra special."

• On surpassing three years in the role: "I wouldn't have imagined it would have been as quick as this [being in the Premier League]. We knew it was the ultimate destination - destination is probably the wrong word because we want to build, we wanted to rebuild a Premier League football club and we are competing in the Premier League at the moment but we've still got some strides to go."

• McKenna added that a win in their final home game before Christmas would be an "incredible present", adding: "A good performance and a good result - a win - would be an incredible Christmas present that we could give everyone associated with the club so we've got to fight for that with every single ounce of strength we have and that's what we are going to try to do."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Both of Ipswich's Premier League wins this season have come away from home, with the Tractor Boys still winless in eight at Portman Road this term, drawing four and losing four.

Only Brighton have been harder hit by injuries in the Premier League than Ipswich this season, but how important is having consistency in selection when battling the drop?

Former Town captain Luke Chambers tells The Football News Show why he believes his old side can climb the table when players return, but also why they need to strengthen in forward areas in January.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer

Seb Brown
Fan writer

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Injury time goals have bought so much pain for Ipswich fans this season, so seeing Jack Taylor rise to head home in the 93rd minute on Saturday resulted in shear jubilation among the travelling support.

Before this weekend, Ipswich had dropped six points from goals conceded after the 87th minute. Late defeats at Brentford, home to Bournemouth last weekend and a home draw with Leicester were all fresh in Ipswich fans' memories. The 15 points dropped from winning positions this campaign is far too generous, even if it is the season of goodwill and presents.

Saturday's fixture was billed as a "must win" in many quarters and was definitely a six-pointer. Ipswich showed character and resolve after being pegged back to 1-1 and then holding out against Wolves' pressure in a 10-minute spell towards the end of the match.

As the game entered injury time Ipswich once again took the game to their opponents before winning a late corner. Brief discussion of Wolves' defensive frailties from set-pieces were heard among the away fans and the rest is history.

Perhaps the late winner should not come as a surprise given the make-up of the team at the weekend. Six of the starting XI were from the League One promotion squad which had such success in the Championship last season where late winners were commonplace.

By netting the winner, Taylor joined team-mate Sammie Szmodics in scoring in the top five leagues of English football, with two other Town players having now scored in the top four leagues.

The togetherness shown in the winning goal celebrations and at full-time will be crucial as the upcoming fixture list now ramps up in terms of difficulty.

However, this squad is a special group, led by a special manager - and will deliver more special moments across the rest of the season.

Find more from Seb Brown at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

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To commemorate his three years of being Ipswich manager, we asked what you would say to Kieran McKenna if you had the chance to speak to him.

Here are some of your comments:

Johnathan: All I would say is thank you! He's brought life and hope to the club again. Perfect man for us. I hope he never leaves.

Charlie: Lots has been made (quite rightly) of your managerial prowess, but it should also be mentioned how likeable and humble you are. Never making excuses (despite us being one of the worst hit teams by injury) and always being respectful of the opposition - you help to paint ITFC in a great light.

Matt: Kieran you have been a breath of fresh air and have brought the club back to where it deserves to be. My only question is how do you think you can get the best out of Sammie Szmodics? I think he's an out and out number 10 and a prolific goal scorer. I don't see him as a left winger. I think Jack Taylor has been great whenever he has played. I think he should start.

Sammy: I feel a key trait you have is not letting the emotions take over and making drastic changes when things get tough. How do you keep professional and using knowledge in high stress times instead of acting on impulse as so many do?

Dan: I was so wrong to doubt the positive impact you'd have when you first took on the role. We couldn't have asked for a better manager to steer the ship. Know that all real fans of the club are behind you whatever happens this season. P.S please sign Cajuste on a permanent deal.

Gareth: Were you really considering leaving the club in the summer or was it just media propaganda stirring things up?

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16 December 2021, Kieran McKenna is appointed as Ipswich Town manager, with the Tractor Boys sitting 11th in League One.

Three years on, McKenna has guided Town to their second victory since their return to the Premier League as they battle to stay in the top flight.

If you had the chance to talk to McKenna, what would you say to him? Would you be thanking him or asking questions?

Let us know here

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Wolves and Ipswich Town.

Here are some of your comments:

Wolves fans:

Glyn: What concerns me is not so much the performance during the game it is when it's ended. The scenes at West Ham have once again repeated themselves today, albeit worse. There is little or no discipline in the team as I see it. Imagine a team in the forces without discipline in combat say, how long would they last? I can never remember seeing such conduct from a Wolves team in my life.

Peter: If ever Wolves needed a strong leader on the pitch, it's now. The lack of discipline at corners that has proved so expensive this season could to some extent have been avoided by the presence of an experienced player in the mould of Conor Coady who did such a valuable job for Wolves. The defensive frailty that most fans warned about at the start of the season is now plain for all to see and almost certain to relegate Wolves.

Mark: Poor and lacked any passion in the first half. Only when Tommy Doyle was brought on did we show any intent. Why is he not starting? One of a quite few questions needing answers.

Ipswich fans:

Joe: At last, Ipswich Town get the rub of the green. After so many games where we deserved to get more than we did, about time we got a fortunate ending. The dream is back on!

David: What worries me is that after Ipswich go a goal up, they invite the opposition to attack them. We saw this against Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and now Wolves. There were so many times we gifted possession to Wolves in the second half, as if we just didn't know what to do with the ball. We were lucky to get the win - a draw would have been a fairer result.

Matt: So proud of the lads. They've given us so much joy over the last couple of years and have worked so hard in the Premier League this season, often not quite getting what they deserve, so this is a sweet victory. Many of our players have been on a wonderful journey and it is a pleasure to be on it with them!

Simon: Town have now won that important second game proving that the first against a poor Spurs side was not a fluke. Throughout, they have competed well in every game usually losing by the odd goal. Obviously, I would like us to stay up, but please everyone enjoy the ride, the journey. Kieran McKenna is definitely the best signing of the summer and is doing a fantastic job. Regardless of how this season pans out I'm very confident for the future and loving every minute. Well done to everyone from top to bottom at Ipswich Town. Go the Tractor Boys.

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Former Ipswich Town player Mick Mills discussed Ipswich's 2-1 win over Wolves on the recent episode of BBC Radio Suffolk's Final Whistle: "We win that corner kick and with only 20 seconds to go of injury time, there's only going to be two results, more likely a draw, but there's a possibility if we hit the corner kick right that we could win the game. It's a nice position to be in all of a sudden.

"Jack Clarke takes the corner kick it's a decent corner kick, but there's a lot of attention on our normal headers of the ball, Liam Delap, Cameron Burgess, Dara O'Shea, people like that. Jack Taylor sort of just makes a little move, but his header is a really good one. He's met it nicely. It's got terrific direction right down to the corner and it's a lovely goal and a fabulous celebration. It was marvellous stuff. We've been on the receiving end of that so many times this season, so it's nice.

"You and I will go back to Ipswich. The team and management will go back and they won't care two monkeys on how it was achieved, it's been achieved. This was an important win. I would have taken a draw before the game and five minutes from the end, but we've got ourselves three points and all of a sudden we're creeping and I mean creeping towards what is a realistic target for the halfway stage in this division to stay up because the real average is about 34 points over the previous five or six years, that's your target. I have a feeling it might be lower this year, so you're talking about 17 points, we have 12 with three games until the halfway stage. I know those three [games] are difficult, but we could beat Newcastle at home and we could be getting very close to our target. It's been a massive win.

"These moments with Conor Chaplin scoring his first goal last week in the Premier League, Jack Taylor scoring his first goal, Ali Al-Hamadi making a first appearance, things like this are incredible."

On Ipswich facing Newcastle next weekend: "I'm looking forward to it. It's a game I've wanted to see once we achieved promotion. I have every admiration for their manager. I put Eddie Howe in the same category as Kieran McKenna. They are clever men. Funnily enough, it's a game I think we could do well in and this result has helped us, without question. We might have a confidence in playing Newcastle more than we have in playing the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and that calibre. If we can win it will give everyone a great Christmas."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 2-2 Fulham

• Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa