This certainly was not the start that was scripted. After months of preparation and team strengthening, when the big day came, it seemed as if Jim just wasnt quite ready for it.
At about 3.02 on Saturday, everything was going well. Ipswich a goal up, Kevin Lisbie already off the mark for the season and an air of superiority sweeping the ground.
Unfortunately, that air of superiority also swept through the team, as they appeared to step back a gear and wait for the inevitable barrage of goals.
Its ironic that after spending much of the summer recognising just how much had improved within the club from the same time last season, Saturday couldnt help but throw up unkind comparisons with the opening game of last season, when we trounced Sheffield Wednesday comfortably 4-1.
So what has gone wrong? Hopefully not that much. Jim has brought some good players into the club over the summer, but the problem appears to be with those he hasnt managed to get on board so far. And its left some big holes, particularly on the left side of the pitch.
The lack of a true left-back is the most striking omission. Whilst this has admittedly been a problem position for quite some time, in the past we have been able to fill it adequately, even if not ideally. However, with the vast exodus of full-backs from the club over the summer, we arent really able to do that either at the present moment. Pim Balkenstein played his very first ever professional league game on Saturday. Whats more, he played it out of position at left back. Quite evidently, it didnt work.
This situation was not helped by the presence of Tommy Smith alongside him, also making his professional debut at this level. The combination did no favours for either player.
For the 15 or so minutes that Preston managed to get up a head of steam in the first half, we were rocking. Both goals stemmed from faults on the left side of the pitch and resulted in goals which should have been easily avoidable. The situation is made worse by the form of Alan Quinn which seems to have floundered throughout pre-season and, with no suitable alternatives available, doesnt look like improving significantly over the next couple of games.
The rest of the midfield fared little better. Garvan, for all his promptings, lacked something of a cutting edge, whilst Danny Haynes literally never got out of first gear. He even found time for his party piece; accidentally taking his eye off the ball as hes running up the wing and simply running the ball off the pitch. Shumilokoski fared somewhat better, but in his more defensive role was not really able to make an impact on the game offensively. He continues to look a very good prospect, although its to be hoped that the arrival of Ivan Campo doesnt halt his progress.
Up front, Lisbie showed willingness to run the channels and looks like he could do damage with his pace off the shoulder of the last defender. However, as the game wore on and we tried to break down Prestons defence, he made less of an impact and on several occasions seemed to drift back to collect the ball. Pablo struggled to get into his rhythm, but seemed to improve as we started to pin Preston back. This seemed to coincide with Alan Lee waiting to come on, something which Magilton seemed to acknowledge by delaying the substitution, only to make it anyway.
There are likely to be more comings and goings over the next few weeks, which might take us a lot closer to where we need to be. It seems evident that the team Jim put out on saturday is not quite the one he hopes to have for the rest of the season. The signings of Ben Thatcher, Rudi Skacel and David Nugent did not come off, but so far, nor have any alternatives. There is a fine line between being patient to get the right players and letting points drift past whilst we put out incomplete teams in the meantime. Whilst its early days, lets hope we dont rue missing out on the first three points of the season because we didnt get our business done quickly enough.
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