Ipswich Town away is arguably one of the hardest Championship fixtures of the season for Saints. Two teams that shone in the Championship and failed in the Premier League with Ipswich arguably fairing better than the Saints. Pre-match talk was all about a young lad who had come through the ranks to take the game by the scruff of the neck and covetous eyes from the Premier League were all over him. Saints fans were hoping that Everton’s capture of Grealish was going to put to bed the “will they, won’t they” saga of Tyler Dibling.
As the team sheet was released 75 minutes before the game, Master Dibling’s name appeared on the bench list. Had he finally put the toys back in the pram? Despite a calamitous Russball moment of tippy tappying into trouble and an own goal through Harwood-Bellis, who looked rustier than a Victorian floorboard nail, the focus soon switched to another young lad who has come through the youth system.
Could 25/26 see the ultimate rise of Jay Robinson? Aggressive in his defending, direct on his attacking and now bombing in as the number 10 to get the header and the equaliser. No paper talk or murmurs have been knocked around, about the lad. Most fans are now questioning if £40 Million for Dibling is less of a travesty as something to bite the hand off. With all his trickery and occasional goal, does he offer half of what we have with Jay? If he does go, and I would say that is looking increasingly less likely, then if that £40M was invested in some decent width and creativity of a couple of players then the strength of the team would be way better than a grumbling teenager who doesn’t know what he wants.
Whilst, it was his first action as he came on for 14 or so minutes, Dibling didn’t come on looking like the saviour of the club, a mercurial talent or the future of the club. Without doubt the lad has talent but has he the attitude required to drive on, battle and be the glory boy everyone is telling him he is? Meanwhile, Jay Robinson quietly is showing influence, strength and now goals. Next up is league leaders Stoke City (Never thought I would say that) and I for one, and many around me, would rather Robinson was in the team than Tyler.
With silly season only two weeks left to run, who knows where we will be? As I type we still have Fernandes, Harwood-Bellis and Dibling. We may also have Bella-Kotchap, Smallbone, Aribo and Edozie? Come Monday the 1st of September we might be cheering new heroes. Whoever is here, isn’t here and could be here or not it appears Will Still and the recruitment team have hopefully a much better idea of what is needed than previous windows. If the mass panic spending on flops is over then after Ipswich away it looks very positive indeed.
