Ipswich Town

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It has been the story of Ipswich Town's season so far as they dropped points once again.

The Tractor Boys have dropped 12 points from winning positions, the most of any team in the Premier League this campaign.

Since their return to the Premier League, the newly-promoted side have scored the opening goal in five league games this season and not gone on to win any of those (D3 L2).

Relegation looks a distinct possibility with just five points after 10 games as Kieran McKenna's side went ahead before finishing the match with 10 men for the second successive game.

Kalvin Phillips was sent off for a second bookable offence after a late challenge on Ricardo Pereira with 12 minutes remaining and the home side were unable to hang on for their first league victory of the season.

Ipswich have registered five draws and five losses in their opening 10 games, the club’s longest winless run at the start of a top-flight campaign.

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• Ipswich Town scored the opening goal of a fifth Premier League game this season, however, they haven’t gone on to win any of those (D3 L2) – overall, they have dropped 12 points from winning positions, the most of any Premier League team in 2024/25.

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Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna spoke to Sky Sports after today's draw: "It's a tough one to take. I thought we were much the better team and it's on the referee's decision again. It's a clear penalty and it goes 2-0. Kalvin pulls his foot out of the way and I don't think he has to make the decision."

On what he said to the referee: "I said I thought it was a penalty and it had to be given live. He said he thought there wasn't enough. I thought it was clear. The second yellow card, of course when you look at it in slow motion and the balls bouncing on the edge of the box. I trust Kalvin. I don't think it's a wild one. I know you can slow it down but in the context of the game, the ball is bouncing on the edge of the box, and he pulls out the challenge. It's not a wild one."

On dressing room atmosphere: "They're fuming. There's a sense of injustice in the room. We can always look at our bit and what we can do better but I don't think the boys have had a fair crack at it."

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Ipswich left-back Leif Davis has been speaking to Premier League Productions after today's draw: "We came in frustrated. I think we could have had a penalty. Everyone makes mistakes, we're human but it should have been given. We have to watch our heads after that. We're just disappointed."

On Kalvin Phillips' red card: "If you're playing against 10 men then you get that momentum swing. I think he's disappointed it happened and in his head he probably thinks he needs to be cleverer but it happened.

On his goal: "I'm buzzing that is my first goal but I would have been happier with the three points. We want to get points on the board. I was just in the right place at the right time. I've always wanted to score in the Prem.

"Everyone came in with clear heads and worked hard on the Monday morning after last week. We'll watch it back and improve."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Ipswich’s performance, external

What did you make of Leicester’s display?, external

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

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

For week 10 he takes on The Piano TV series winner Brad Kella.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

I said last week that I was never going to predict another Ipswich win again this season, but I have changed my mind.

I have got to say that they were very unlucky to lose against Brentford last time out. They deserved more from that game.

I know Alan Shearer highlighted on Match of the Day how bad their stats are - they are ranked last in the Premier League for shots, expected goals and touches in opposition box, and second-last for shots on target, goals conceded and errors leading to goals, but they started so well in that game, going 2-0 up.

To then find themselves trailing 3-2 and down to 10 men is bad enough, but then they got themselves level late on, before being beaten in stoppage time when Bryan Mbeumo's cross crept in. That kind of defeat is going to be tough for them to take.

I am not absolutely convinced about Leicester either but, if Ipswich don't win this time, then I am not sure what it will do to their confidence.

Life in the top flight has been difficult enough for them so far, and I think they are going down anyway, but unless they get three points soon you start to wonder whether they will beat anyone.

Brad's prediction: 1-2

I like Leicester and they can win there, I think they’ve got to.

Read the full predictions and have your say

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Newcastle v Arsenal - 12:30

• Bournemouth v Manchester City

• Ipswich v Leicester

• Liverpool v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Nottingham Forest v West Ham

• Southampton v Everton

• Wolves v Crystal Palace - 17:30 - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction

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Earlier, we asked you to identify the former Ipswich player from their Premier League statistics playing for the club.

The correct answer was Matt Holland.

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

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Chiedozie Ogbene is unlikely to play against this season after surgery on an Achilles tear. McKenna said: "The operation went well, he is a positive guy anyway so he is already focused on his recovery and coming back strong. That will be a long way away but we will help him along the journey and he will get all the support he needs. The character he has, I'm sure he will come back strong."

• On the reaction to last weekend's defeat at Brentford: "It's been really good, it's been a good week here at the training ground, everyone that we have like that it is important to spend the time together. There was so many positives in the game, so many things to take belief in, but of course there are things we need to do better. But, you add all that in and it changes the perception of what would have been a really good point."

• He continued: "We have been through things like this before as a group. I know the group are pretty good at staying even on those things."

• Those "experiences" are how they are building resilience as a team: "The whole group hasn't been through it but a core group have been through it before, but there are good characters that have come into the building. They know these things are part of the game and you do everything you can to avoid it. It's part of football and it's the response that matters."

• On opponents Leicester: "They've added to their squad and signed some good new players, but most of their tactical things are pretty similar. On the ball and in possession they have similar shapes and positions that they take up on the pitch. They've varied it a bit through the season but in general it's a similar template. They still have the strengths and qualities of last year."

• He added: "They are a good side but every team in the Premier League is and we believe we are a good side as well. At home we focus on ourselves and we will deliver the best performance we can. We trust that, if we do that, we're a good match for anyone and it will give us a chance to win."

Catch up on all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Guess the former Ipswich player from their Premier League statistics at the club:

• Years at club: 1997-2003

• Position: Midfielder

• Premier League appearances for club: 76

• Premier League goals for club: 6

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

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Ipswich Town have said they are "deeply saddened" by the death of former striker Trevor Whymark, who passed away earlier this week, external at the age of 74.

Whymark made his debut for the Suffolk club in 1970 and made 335 appearances before leaving for Derby County in 1979.

His tally of 104 goals puts him sixth of Ipswich's all-time list of leading goalscorers.

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Ipswich Town have been ahead for the shortest amount of time in the Premier League this season (47 minutes, 9 seconds), and trailing for the longest amount of time so far (439 minutes, 26 seconds).

The bottom six teams in the Premier League all play one another on Saturday and with the way the season has gone so far, those fixtures are going to be big.

Winning these games and earning three points could at the end of the season be called the six-pointers.

When I played for Reading and we were fighting down the bottom of the league, these are the fixtures that we looked for because they are must-win games.

I am not sure Crystal Palace would have targeted these at the start of the season because they would have expected to have been higher in the league, but the newly promoted teams will have.

Wolves probably need the win the most because they wouldn't have expected to be second from bottom after nine games and they need to start picking up results.

It is a little bit more difficult for the promoted teams because they are still trying to adapt to the Premier League.

I don't think these results will necessarily define any team's season - as it so early on - but winning helps to break the rut and sometimes it becomes difficult for teams to know how to win when they aren't.

For all of these teams something has to adapt at some stage. You have to find a way to win a game, even if it is scruffy, and especially against those teams that are in and around you.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Image source, PA Media

Former Ipswich defender Mick Mills believes the club's next league game against Leicester City is a game they "need to win".

Kieran McKenna's side are yet to be victorious in the Premier League this season.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk's Final Whistle, Mills said: "Our ultimate goal this season is to stay above three teams, if we manage to do that then it has been a great season.

"I would put Leicester as one of the possible ones we could maybe finish above. If we get it right and get the win we need, we move within two points of Leicester - that's touching distance, and where we have to be.

"There's a whole group of clubs we have to make sure we're close to. There's eight or nine teams now that won't be in the relegation fight - they're in a different world.

"But there are teams that are going to be down there, and Leicester are one of them - that is why that is important."

Unlike the Tractor Boys who have a week to prepare for the game, Leicester face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup first, and Mills thinks the weekend's league fixture will resemble a cup game.

"Next week is like a cup-tie between two teams, it's a different kettle of fish which we need to make sure we win," he said.

"Let's get out there and really knock them over and really beat them well, make sure we get the three points and pull them back close to us.

"We have to make sure we're better than enough teams to keep us up - it's going to be a real dogfight."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Richard Woodward
Fan writer

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Another weekend without a victory leaves Ipswich Town in a slowly diminishing band of sides yet to score maximum points in a fixture so far this season.

And while the national media chose to focus on the goals against in their summings-up, our improvement in taking chances at the other end of the field was massively overlooked for analysis.

Ipswich cut their hosts open three times on Saturday, with lovely passing moves and incisive finishing much more akin to the previous campaigns under Kieran McKenna. And the goals included combinations of something old, something borrowed and something new to find the net for the Blues.

The decisive front-to-back move which released Sam Szmodics for the opener owed much to the vision of Kalvin Phillips and the skill of George Hirst in the build-up. The finish though showed that the former Blackburn man's eye for goal, especially around the edge of the penalty area, is not undiminished a level up.

Goal number two saw Conor Chaplin seize the initiative and unlock the Brentford defence in a manner seen up and down the EFL in previous seasons. Hirst's unerring dinked finish brought back memories of Marcus Stewart terrorising opposition goalkeepers back in 2000-01.

And Town's "like father like son" scoring exploits were not done there. Leif Davis' sweeping cross was expertly finished by Liam Delap to send the away end crazy - albeit only briefly.

When was the last time the sons of two ex-Premier League players scored in a Premier League fixture, by the way?!

So yes, it is understandable that national media focus on the negative metrics. But do they really tell a story that the league table does not already tell us? After the frustrating shut-out against Everton, surely the three goals scored deserve discussion too ahead of a massive fixture on Saturday?

Find more from Richard Woodward at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

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Former Ipswich defender Mick Mills has questioned the club's decision to sign goalkeeper Arijanet Muric in the summer, and wonders whether the Tractor Boys have a better goalkeeper on the bench.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk's Final Whistle, Mills said: "The goalkeeping situation has been very strange for the last 15 months, I firmly believe we had a good one - Christian Walton was a good goalkeeper and he must still be, but we're not able to see much of him.

"He was in charge at the start of last season and pre-season in our Championship year, he was the number one goalkeeper, he had an injury and allowed Vaclav Hladky to come in who grabbed his chance so well that we didn't see any more of Walton for a whole season.

"There was no great effort in renewing Hladky's contract and instead of going with Walton, we go out and buy a goalkeeper and I must admit I wondered if it was necessary.

"As a supporter of the club I want us to constantly improve all around the team which gives us the best opportunity of staying in the league.

"But, having seen all three goalkeepers, I still think Christian Walton is the best one - which is quite staggering."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Mark Scott
Final Score reporter at Gtech Community Stadium

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It might sound strange to say, but there were definitely positives for Kieran McKenna to take from the defeat at Brentford.

Despite being deprived of some key players, they bossed the Bees around in the first-half, scored three really good goals, and had the resilience to fight back with only 10-men on the pitch.

The fact that two of the players the manager brought into the team both scored, with assured finishes, also augurs well. Meanwhile, Liam Delap has shown again that he is a regular threat at this level.

But, just as with the Everton game, naïve defending was a major concern.

While McKenna talked up the belief and character of his players, you wonder how much those elements will have been affected by the events on Saturday afternoon, particularly ahead of a crunch game against Leicester City next weekend.

Image source, Getty Images

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

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Will: Nervy! We left the motor in the locker room and could not match Ipswich's energy in the first half. Our quick passing has gone. Flekken is living too dangerously with his passes into the middle. Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter and Wissa carried us and somehow we led. Against 10 men we lost control. It was a somewhat lucky finish, but in Mbeumo we trust! Three points but we should do better.

Ernie: Definitely a rollercoaster game for Brentford supporters. These types of games are great to watch but can be frustrating when your team make silly mistakes. Pat on the back to Ipswich but job well done for Brentford.

David: Brentford were terrible for the first 20 minutes, which is unlike us. We are well known for coming out of the traps quickly. Our passing was sloppy and I still worry that some of our players are too one-footed to play out from the back, and Flekken struggles with distribution. We had a great attitude going forward. Lewis-Potter was man of the match for me.

Nigel: We never make it easy for ourselves. We can always score a hatful but the way we concede goals makes each game a nail-biting affair!

Ipswich fans

Richard: A frustrating result but a huge improvement on last week's dire home defeat against Everton. Keep playing like that and we will be fine. Brentford are a decent side and they are dangerous against anyone on their day. We matched them and deserved a draw.

Barry: I was concerned at all team changes but the boys competed well and Brentford found it difficult. After taking the lead, by equalising first, we showed spirit and determination. We nearly got it to 4-4. They are positives and we are getting there, as we continue to develop.

Paul: Ipswich are too good to go down and they are always losing by very fine margins. I think that will turn in their favour soon. Why Delap, their top goalscorer, didn't start is a mystery because he really made an impact when he came on. He was unlucky to hit the post with the last kick of the match. But it was a very exciting game.

Jamie: Good effort by Ipswich. So refreshing to hear Kieran McKenna only praising his team and focusing on the positives. I honestly believe Ipswich will be OK once they get that first win out of the way. I think Thomas Frank is brilliant as well, such a good manager with a measured perspective. He deserves his success, always gracious in defeat as well.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Ipswich, Southampton and Wolves are all still looking for a win after nine games.

Of the previous 24 sides winless after nine games, a third of them still survived at the end of the season.

However, only four of the last 17 sides in this situation stayed up.

Southampton have been in this position before in 1998-99 and survived on the final day.