Confidence booster

It is pretty much proven that pre-season friendly results have no bearing on what is expected to follow from a long season. Fitness, unity, systems is what it is all about save for the last game or two, when managers tend to put out their proposed starting line up’s. In all honesty those results are also meaningless save for a sound thrashing or a confidence-busting good result, which has to have an affect on players and coaches as they enter the opening league fixture.

Well. And how must Ipswich fans be feeling this morning?

Maybe Ipswich were poor, but no one has ever won a football game 6-1 without making the other side look poor, so beating a team from the league above so convincingly has to have a positive mental effect.

The team Robinson selected that included Ben Amos will almost certainly start next Saturday, although a fit Pearce will replace one of Bauer or Konsa. That team looks more balanced than it has been for a long while, and the starting XI should be a match for anyone in the division. However the Duchatelet era-old problem of squad depth remains an issue I feel.

Ahmed Kashi can make a real difference. He has that natural ability to find time on the ball while midfielders around him chase shadows. His vision and strength allows others to thrive and get forward to support Robinson’s preferred lone striker, as Forster-Caskey did yesterday. Mentioning JFC, Lee Bowyer talks of the work he has done with him in today’s Observer.

If Kashi can stay fit, big if remembering he has played 11 times in two years, then Kashi could drive this team to promotion. Fosu was impressive too, and I think in Jay Dasilva we have a young footballer who can make a real name for himself in this country.

Meaningless? Yes, but promising yes too.