“I don’t think we deserve the clap off”- Jack Taylor blasts his teammates as he speaks on Town’s defeat to Leicester
Ipswich Town’s defeat to Leicester City felt incredibly familiar.
We’ve all seen the story before. The Blues start well, create plenty of chances and look the better side. Then they fall behind, often punished for a mistake, and despite a few odd glimpses, fail to recover.
In Jack Taylor’s eyes, the clash at the King Power Stadium sums up the campaign as a whole.
“I think we showed some good stuff on the ball, but like so many times this year, there have been moments that have gone against us,” he said after the game.
“It’s a tough one to take, but it’s more about looking to the future and getting back for pre-season now.
“We had so many chances. I think it was 20, the boss said. It’s on us to take accountability for that, not taking our chances or making the right decisions at the final bit.
“We’ve created enough, so we’ve got to look back on it and try to improve.”
Why has this happened? After all, we’ve seen moments of sheer resilience, with Town showcasing exactly what they are capable of, but it hasn’t been enough. Is it a confidence issue?
“I don’t think it is,” Taylor argued. “We’re still playing, we’re not lumping the ball forward and going away from what we train every day, what we’ve built this club for and how we play for the boss.
“I wouldn’t say we’re not confident, but maybe it has a part to play in the final third, a lack of goals in the final third. That’s part of football.
“The quicker we get back, the quicker the lads will be back to normal.”
This run of games has been hard.
Town were relegated before the run-in hit full flow, with their fate sealed almost a month ago. Coming out and playing in the most competitive league in the world under those circumstances doesn’t sound easy.
“When it comes to it, it’s not that bad,”
Taylor explained. “The context of the game today, it was a bit better for us. It was us versus them, who could finish higher, that was the main focus during the week.
“Like I said, you’re still representing your club in a Premier League game. It’s a proud moment to represent the club at this level.
“The fans showed a great account of themselves again today. I don’t think we deserved the clap off at the end, to be honest, but it shows the connection we’ve got with the fans and how much they believe in the journey we’ve been on.
“It was surprising, to be fair. Coming away to another relegated side, you expect to make it a more even game in the scoreline, even though we probably created more chances than them.
“It shows a great account of them and how much they have supported us this season, no matter the results or the performance.
“Hats off to them, we can only thank them.”
Even if fans can understand the significant step-up that the players have had to make, there’s an internal belief that this season hasn’t been good enough. There’s no shying away from that, even with all the extenuating circumstances.
“It’s not the outcome that everyone at the club wants, this fairytale journey,” Taylor explained.
“We’ve come up short, and like I said, there’s togetherness and the fans understand the journey, but I don’t think we particularly deserve it today with how we performed in some aspects of the game.
“We’ll be back stronger. Everyone’s ready for next season.”
The one positive is that there’s a good feeling about next season. Ipswich will be back in the Championship as one of the favourites, with many predicting them to be the bookies’ first-choice pick for the league title.
That, for Taylor, is an exciting prospect, and he’s confident that they will rise to the challenge, even though they need to rebuild their momentum.
“The squad is in such a better way than it was last year. We brought in lads who are fitting into the group really well.
“It’s about timing as well. They are still quite new players, some of them, like Julio coming in in January. He’s still learning on the job about what we’re about and what we need in every aspect of the game.
“It’s about everyone buying in – time will get us there. When we get that winning formula back, it will all start clicking again.
“We know there will be added pressure next season. Everyone’s predicting us to bounce back up, which the club obviously want to do.
“That’s what we’ve invested in and what we work every day for, to be a Premier League football club.
“We’re in good stead for next year. The experience from this year will help all the lads much more.
“From that aspect, it’s great, but less of days like today.”
Taylor, who is unlikely to speak to the media again before the start of pre-season, had one last message to supporters before the end of the campaign.
“It’s just an overall thank you,” he said. “Week in, week out, they have backed us from minute one until the last kick of the game.
“Just a big thank you. It won’t come across how much it means to us as a squad. We know what it means, the players know what it means for the club and the town.
“Again, thank you.”
