Unlucky Luca

It had to happen. Of all the players Ipswich could afford to do without, their new left-winger is probably very close to the bottom of the pile. So, there was some inevitability to the news that Luciano Civelli will not play again until next year.

There has to be some sympathy for troubled Jim Magilton. After a season which, despite Magiltons protestations, has clearly not gone as well as was expected, it was becoming increasingly important to focus on the positives which could lead into next season.

The improvements to the defence and the away form notwithstanding, surely one of the positives that appeared to be coming out of this season was the improving form of the player who, finally, appeared to be about to end the long search for a left-midfielder.

And it has been quite a search. One that has been a mainstay of Magiltons managerial reign at Ipswich. In fact, the lack of progress in ending the search was threatening to become one of Jims biggest failings. After initially settling on Matt Richards, he was soon replaced by the incoming Gary Roberts. After an initial flurry of excitement, the deficiencies in his game became starkly evident. Next in line was Billy Clarke. For a period of time Jon Walters attempted to fill the void. Then Alan Quinn arrived. This was effectively Solution Mark Two. But Quinns own deficiencies in this position were even more obvious- he was not naturally left-footed. After a decent enough stab at the role, it became clear that his future probably lay in central midfield. David Norris was also given the opportunity to try his luck, with less than encouraging results.

Finally, amid fanfare, the results of the clubs extensive search of South America were realised in the signing of Luciano Civelli. Foreign signings often generate excitement, but given the pedigree of the previous Argentinian at the club, Mauricio Tarrico, fans were understandably encouraged.

So, after a promising and steadily improving start, he gets injured. Of all the players in all the positions, its the one the club have absolutely no depth to cover for- something that was acutely apparent in the struggles to fill the position in the first place.

To make matters worse, the injury is of such a nature that it probably represents the most serious injury in Magiltons entire time as manager. Not only was Civelli immediately ruled out for the rest of the season, but its now apparent that he isnt due to regain fitness until 2010. After such a long search for a left-midfielder, having to go without again for such a long period of time could have a serious impact on the first half of next season also.

At such a critical time, both metaphorically and literally, in Magiltons time as manager, he must be wondering if perhaps fate is playing a hand in his future.