Birmingham v Ipswich

Ipswich Town and Mick McCarthy announced on Thursday that they would be going their separate ways at the end of the season – a relief to all concerned really in a relationship between fans and manager which has turned rather sour affair. A siege mentality had developed, with McCarthy - probably quite reasonably - feeling he was not being given the recognition he deserved for producing results that defied the budget he was set, and the fans fed up with watching the type of negative football required to overachieve in such circumstances.

So we move forward in 2018/19, but until then it will be interesting to see how the players react to playing for a dead-man-walking. My gut tells me they will dig in, and will be determined to see the manager out on a high. He has protected his charges throughout the season, and taken all the heat himself at every opportunity, and that fosters a loyalty.

It is with this in mind that we pick Ipswich at 31/10 to win at Birmingham on Saturday, against a club who are in every bit as much trouble as the Tractor Boys. A run of seven consecutive defeats through February and March sucked the Bluenoses back into the relegation zone, and a 3-0 win over Hull may not be enough to resolve their predicament. Already into their fifth manager of the past 12 months, all is not well at St Andrews, and we should give the loyal Ipswich players a chance here – they have won as many games on the road as Birmingham have won at home this season.

1pt Ipswich to beat Birmingham at 31/10

#Football