Jewell has a tough baptism in Carling Cup

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As glamorous as it is to be in the Carling Cup semi-finals, any Ipswich fan must be concerned they are going to take another battering this week.

It has been nightmare times for the Tractor Boys, with only one win in their last nine Championship fixtures.

Their plummet down the table means they are now only three points outside the relegation places and the shocking form cost Roy Keane his job at Portman Road.

The Carling Cup has been the shining beacon in a poor season so far for Ipswich but now new boss Paul Jewell has an unbelievable job on his hands to rally the troops after their FA Cup thrashing at the weekend and people planning to bet on Carling Cup action should remember how poor they were.

Ian McParland took over from Keane on the Friday in caretaker capacity and named a strong Ipswich side, in fact many fans would claim it was their strongest side, but they were comprehensively destroyed 7-0 by a Chelsea team that had been struggling in recent weeks.

Jewell was confirmed in the job on Monday and he is not going to have much time to bed in at the club. He is walking into a side where morale is going to be low and it is maybe not the best time to welcome Arsenal in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final.

If Ipswich wanted to shock the Gunners and make it to the final you would think preserving a draw at home and then sneaking an away win, or even getting a home victory and holding that in the second leg, would be the best tactic. That said, anyone looking to bet on Carling Cup final action shouldn’t expect to see Ipswich there.

But with confidence low among the squad maybe some Ipswich fans will be happy if the club come out of this with some dignity. It is not likely to be the strongest Arsenal side on Wednesday night, but the youngsters have shown time and again they can compete with big sides.

Although there is likely to be a celebratory atmosphere as Portman Road hosts its first cup semi-final for many years, caution is going to have to be a key work and Ipswich need to bounce back from the Chelsea game to avoid being put to the cleaners again.