IPSWICH TOWN 19/20 SEASON PREDICTIONS

So guys, after weeks of waiting the new season is less than a week away, and I must say I cannot wait for this season to start, for a number of reasons. Of course we did go down last season after 17 years in the second tier, and it is the first time we have been outside the top 2 tiers since 1957 - but nevertheless I cannot wait for the new season as it's a fresh start for us in this new league and most of all we are optimistic and positive of our chances. Of course we know it's gonna be a hard league and its very much a venture into the unknown, but I'm so excited for this new season. So this post is gonna be a collection is predictions from table position, top scorer, players that could have big seasons and so on. So let's begin :)

Table Prediction

Now of course I love to do table predictions before the start of seasons, but considering I have very little knowledge of the league, I feel it would be inappropriate for me to do full on predictions. So instead I am simply going to be predicting where I think Town will finish in the table. Now as I mentioned it is a new league for us and many teams that come down assume that they will walk the league and come straight back up - which does occasionally happen like Rotherham and Blackburn, but we've seen many huge clubs come down to League One and struggle. Nottingham Forest, Charlton Athletic, Sheffield United and most recently Sunderland and so on have all come down and struggled to get out of the League. So for me I'm not gonna expect us to get Top 2, even though a fair few bookies and fans have predicted us to get the automatics, I feel that it would be incredibly naive of me to predict us to go up automatically, or even finish 3rd or 4th. So, my prediction is that we will finish 5th. Yes I think given the squad we have the a manager like Paul Lambert, I think we can get into the playoffs, whether or not we make it through the playoffs is a question for another day, but if someone was to offer me 5th place right now, I would take it 100%. 

Top Scorer

This should go without saying, but our top scorer for me would be James Norwood. Considering he scored 32 goals for Tranmere last season and in preseason has already scored 5 goals, one of which was a hat-trick - I can't see any other player scoring more than him. 

Players who could have a big season this year (aside from Norwood)

1) Kayden Jackson - we brought in this guy last season and he did show some glimpses of quality, but as a whole he didn't have such a great season last year. But this season, I'm really tipping the guy for big things. He was one of our best players this pre-season, bagging 3 goals and is looking to be a fantastic either partner or substitute for James Norwood. Really positive on the ball, making good runs and very pacy down the wing. This guy could have a big year this season, there is no reason in my mind why he couldn't bag 10+ goals. 

2) Jack Lankester - one of many young talents we have coming through the club, this season could be the breakout year for Lankester. As you know he featured a few times last year and man what a talent he is, great going forward and is exactly the kind of young exciting prospect this club needs. Scored a great goal as well. However, this all hinges on whether or not he can stay fit. He missed basically the whole of the second half of last season due to a back problem, and while he played a bit in preseason and seemed to be fully fit again, the same back problem has come back recently and we have no idea when he will be back again. I really do feel for the guy and I just hope for his sake that he doesn't end up as another Teddy Bishop, a hugely talented player ruined by constant injuries. 

3) Idris El Mazoni - quite a recent youngest, this kid featured a fair bit in the tail end of last season and looks like a promising talent. He did fairly well in pre-season as well by all accounts and has surprised people with his play in the midfield. Probably not quite a starter at this point but this season could well be the breakout season for this kid.

4) Danny Rowe - very much a player who has gone under the radar recently, I think Rowe could have a really good season. From reports I've heard that Rowe has performed very well in pre-season training and the past two seasons he's spent time out on loan at Lincoln and has done very well there as well, but this entire time he's gone mostly under the radar. So I think this could really be the season where Rowe comes into his own as a footballer, and I think Lambert will give him a chance.

5) Andre Dozzel - lastly this kid could have a real impact. As you know it was heavily rumored that Norwich might come and swoop in for this kid, but luckily we slapped like a £5 million price tag on him and that scared them lot off, so he is definitely staying. But this kid has shown signs that he could be a real homegrown gem in midfield, and with a midfield that could be full of youngsters this season, that could be the perfect opportunity for him to break into the first team. Bags of talent that need to be unleashed this season

So those are essentially my predictions for the upcoming season, like I said I'm really looking forward to this season and I'm gonna 100% try to go to more games this season, especially since A) the tickets are cheaper and B) I only saw 1 game last season and quite frankly that's pretty pathetic for a fan of my size haha. So hopefully I'll be down at Portman Road, singing my heart out and just overall backing the blues - and hey maybe I'll see if I can get onto Alex Griffin's channel! XD

Thanks for reading and COYB!