Ipswich Town: A Tragic Romance

"You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half."

There are many excellent things out there about Ipswich Town's current plight but I guess I'm writing this in answer to a question that my brother asked me about my midweek expedition to Lincoln City. "Why did you go?"

The answer? I don't really know. As I said in a message to my friend after I got home, "I knew it'd happen. I could've stayed at home, had a decent night's sleep but no, I went. And watched that shower of utter shite." At least I can be comforted by the fact the rest of the nation witnessed, and had to suffer 90 minutes of, my pain as well.

As soon as Lincoln's winner went in, that was it. The crowd, who'd already been pretty glum from before kick-off at the mere mention of the dreaded Skuglas partnership, turned. Anger and heartbreak was directed at anyone on the pitch wearing the blue shirt, the source of pride to all in that away end. I've only ever cried once over a football match. Once, in the nearly seventeen years of supporting this bloody football club.

Let me paint the scene - it's a Wednesday. Wednesday 18th May 2005. Ipswich Town are in a play-off semi-final second leg at Portman Road. The opposition is West Ham. After finishing third in the league, coming cancelling out a two goal deficit at Upton Park to make it 2-2 on aggregate... Well, you know, or can at least figure out, the rest of what happened on that Wednesday night in May. 

It's a date I think about a lot in relation to the current state of Town. Another is when Marcus Evans took over. Another is when Jim Magilton was sacked and the family club I grew up supporting suddenly became something I didn't recognise anymore. We appointed Roy Keane, clearly in the hope of getting some publicity rather than promotion. He took us to a League Cup semi-final and then was gone, to be replaced by Paul Jewell. 

I, rather luckily I guess, experienced most of these years from afar, cast off at university in the wilderness of the north west. But those years have blurred into one long grim package, rather like this current season. We lunge, clumsily, from one game to another: one week playing like a team of strangers, the next stringing some passes together, the next remembering what a shot on target is and treating everyone to a couple of them. But most of the time we look like we are dial up in a world of fibre optics.

Last night, my football club, the one I have 'passionately' supported since I was 8 years old, died a death on national television. My beloved football club became a laughing stock (well, even more so) as we lost to a side 59 places below us in the football ladder. My beloved football club showed, on national primetime television, that it has stagnated and may as well be that rotting piece of apple you find stuck to the base of your bin. It's dying a slow death in the Championship and, if things don't change, will continue on a downward decline. The Championship's not going to remain 'Ipswich and Friends' forever, and that's definitely not because we're getting promoted.

Anyway, as I said, there are excellent pieces out there about Ipswich Town's current state, and this post isn't really to address those issues. I'm not really sure what this piece is, but I'll go back to another earlier point, I've only ever cried once at football. But last night, after that final whistle went and I walked away from the Sincil Bank, I felt like crying over this sport again. The result at Portman Road, and manner of it, against Lincoln had left me with a thundercloud over my head for much of that weekend. Last night at the replay, it left me broken.

I have spent seventeen years of my life pouring my heart and soul into following this football club. I have missed rehearsals, birthday parties and god knows what else, all to follow Ipswich Town across the country. Football, to me, sadly, is a way of life. In fact, given that I don't have much else going for me, it is my life. And to have something so beloved to me not try and not look like they even care, is utterly heartbreaking.

I want to watch an Ipswich Town side giving youngsters a chance. I want an Ipswich Town side passing freely, having some attacking intent. I want Ipswich Town to be a part of the community again, being the affordable family club that so many of us fell in love with. 

I want the joy, happiness and pride to come back.

I want my Ipswich back.

Ipswich Town 2010/11: It started off well, then got progressively worse

So there we go. A 4-2 loss to Leicester City and our miserable season has finally finished. Some of the Town players were probably thinking of their holidays abroad even before kick-off. Some of the other Town players were probably thinking of other lucrative contract deals, taking them away from Suffolk. It's a far cry from where we were mid September.

It's difficult to believe that we were once second. In fact, it was so long ago that I don't really remember. I did, however, take a screenshot of the table in a mild delirium at Ipswich actually doing well: 

The one game that we'd lost was to QPR and that was the night that we were served a dose of reality. In order to get out of this division, we'd have to be slick on the counter attack, take our chances and pretty much play better than we have done for the past 5 years. I know I hark on about Darren Bent and the like, but those are scars we have never recovered from. I know I keep harking on about them, but we have never been able to replace the goals we once had.

At the moment, we have a striker that I could probably out run, Tamas Priskin and an 18 year old capable of wonder goals, but who's still growing and requires nurturing properly (hence why, I believe, it'll be better for him to remain at Portman Road and really hope that he does for the moment).

After the start, which was superb compared to the previous season where we didn't win for 16 games, things seemed to reach a blip around mid Ocotber. By mid November, it still seemed to be a blip, as we recovered from three league losses on the bounce to beat Millwall and Sheffield United (I was there, which makes a victory even more incredible), but little did we know what was lurking around the corner. Derby, then Barnsley (where the crowd ironically cheered Barnsley's football), then Hull beat us. Three losses in a row. Again. Then came the big one, the East Anglian derby, the first for a season. Excitement was building, annoyance was growing that the BBC had handed the job of presenting the programme to a Norwich supporter, Town fans hoped for a performance, Norwich fans were looking for revenge.

And that's exactly what they got. Holt got a hat-trick in Norwich's 4, Delaney got sent off, Darren O'Dea was awful, the Town players didn't look bothered and Keane continued to watch broodingly on from the sideline.

The result was very much the beginning of the end for Keane. Some of the supporters who'd backed him through thick and thin began to turn and the run got even worse as Swansea and Preston (bottom of the league, couldn't win at home, victory on a plate) beat us. We'd lost 6 League games in a row and had only won two of the previous 10. Even the Carling Cup run couldn't distract Town fans from the depressing reality. If we didn't improve sharpish, we were looking at a relegation fight.

One of the stand out games in the League last season was the one played on December 18th, the day the south east was at the mercy of the elements. Heathrow had been submerged, London based Premiership matches were postponed and even shopping centres were shut down. I was making my way back from university and managed to miss all the madness. Until I got into Ipswich.


The snow began to fall as soon as my dad parked the car. It continued through the warm up, but it wasn't too bad. Then, when the game kicked off, it got to blizzard conditions and I, unfortunately, was in the very front of the South Stand... 

The game was, luckily, being shown on the TV, because if it wasn't, it would've been called off. It was a bizarre experience for the crowd present inside Portman Road, the management of both Town and Leicester and most of all, the players. We were 3-0 up in the first half, with Norris opening the scoring and Scotland bagging a couple (it was perfect conditions for him, as he was able to hold the ball up). Then Atwell took the players off. Leicester fans were hoping that would be it. Town fans started chanting, "Get your brooms out for the lads" as the groundstaff and stewards desperately swept the pitch to give Town the precious three points:

And it worked. In the end, Town won 3-0, after two delays as sales of hot beverages went through the roof. It would be Keane's last victory as Town boss, as the bitter winter weather saw the Watford home game be called off (to the disappointment of all the groundstaff) and Doncaster call off the match after a heavy frost. New Year's Day saw us draw 1-1 with Coventry (I was still in Australia) and a couple of days later we lost 1-0 to Forest (again, still in Australia).

The defeat to Forest was the final nail in the coffin for Keane. He was sacked after nearly two years at the helm. It ultimately proved to be an expensive experiment and Keane has since said that he joined the club without meeting the Chief Executive. When he came to Portman Road, I was not a big fan of the idea. To me, it was the new owner trying to get some revenue into the club by creating some press coverage. We were "Roy Keane's Ipswich". As soon as he was shown the door, we were back to being plain old "Ipswich Town" again. And that, that, was wonderful.

Charlie McParland was given the role as caretaker for the menacing FA Cup fixture against Chelsea. It didn't go well. I was in on my way home and my mum and dad kept me updated as I sat in Bangkok Airport. I had to board the flight again at half time, so had no idea we'd lost 7-0 until I landed at Heathrow (severely tired, but determined to stay awake until a reasonable hour) at 5:55 in the morning.

After that hammering, our attention turned to my favourite fixture and arguably our best performance of the entire season. 

Our Carling Cup run had been a success of Keane's tenure at Portman Road. It all started back in August, as we made the long trip down to Exeter City (luckily, my brother lives around the corner from the ground, so it wasn't too bad for me). It was shaky as our youth mixed with experience managed to overcome Exeter in extra time to win 3-2. We beat Crewe, then Millwall, then Northampton and were facing West Brom a few days after the travesty that occurred in Norfolk. I couldn't get to Portman Road that night, but I have a decent excuse of being in the top end of Lancashire. Many stayed away, citing ticket prices, poor football, a fear of being absolutely thrashed and wanting Roy Keane gone. What happened was fantastic. I listened to the first half and couldn't handle it. We were playing so, so well and I just feared that West Brom would hit us on the counter-attack and be in the semi-finals. It didn't happen. Leadbitter got a penalty and we were into the semi-final of a major competition for the first time in my lifetime of supporting this club. We were drawn against Arsenal.

Wednesday 12th January 2011 is a date that will forever be in my memory. A week earlier, I'd been in Sydney, watching England pile on the runs against Australia to win the Ashes 3-1. Portman Road was packed, not always with Ipswich fans (I'm pretty sure I was surrounded by Arsenal fans, which was absolutely gutting). There was a buzz. We were playing one of the best sides in the country. We were 19th in the Championship, couldn't buy a win unless it was being played on a blanket of snow and had just been thrashed 7-0 by Chelsea.

So when Tamas Priskin scored in the 78th minute to hand us a lead as we went off to the Emirates, it was incredible. 

It was only the first leg and of course we were always going to lose at the Emirates, but at that moment, the players had finally shown they could play with pride, passion and commitment. They put a smile back on our faces. Which made Cesc Fabregas' and his comments regarding a "rugby kick" and the state of our pitch, public enemy number one at Portman Road. A team containing Arshavin, Bendtner, Walcott, Wilshere and Fabregas could not break down our defence. We'd exposed their weakness and I like to think that we played a small part in the eventual break down of Arsenal's title challenge in the Premiership.

For some unknown reason, I was one of the lucky ones to be sent a letter informing me that I was entitled to a ticket for Arsenal away. I'd only been to three away games, Exeter, Sheffield United and Preston. I was back up in Lancaster, but I'd got my ticket before going away to Australia. So I set off down to London after my seminar and was set on enjoying it, like many other Town fans. I didn't care about the result, I just wanted Town to play with pride and give Arsenal a game. And we really did do just that.

At half time, it was 0-0, we still had the lead and some optimists around me were cautiously allowing themselves to believe. Of course, it all came to nothing in the second half, as our absolutely shattered team finally succumbed to the Gunners, but they had done everyone proud. I left the Emirates with my head held high, and as I wandered through the swathes of Arsenal fans back to the tube, I felt very proud of the Suffolk Punch badge on my chest.

The bright side of losing to Arsenal was that we no longer had the Carling Cup as a distraction.  We also now had a new boss. McParland had gone after the Arsenal home game and Paul Jewell had been handed the reigns after having a break from football. Paul Jewell has done a decent enough job at most of the places he's been, his Wigan side pipped us to promotion in 2004/05 (we beat them in fog. It was awesome) and so long as he could lead us to safety, he'd be able to build a squad.

It started off with a loss to Millwall on the Saturday after the Arsenal home game. It was expected, our players were knackered after their exploits. Doncaster at home followed the next Saturday and it was this match that seemed to suggest that happier days may well be returning to Portman Road. 1-0 down at half time, Town equalised then took the lead, only for Donny to equalise themselves. Edwards scored in the 64th minute and we had our first win since the Leicester game. The Doncaster victory and the amazing loan signing of Jimmy Bullard only added to the happier feeling around Portman Road. Victories over Derby and Sheffield United meant we were chasing a fourth win in four, something that hasn't happened at Town for years. We drew 1-1 with Barnsley on a dodgy sounding pitch, but then bounced back with an astonishing 6-0 win, where Wickham scored a hat-trick, over Doncaster in the rearranged fixture after the postponement in December.

The run was fantastic compared to the miserable form we'd been in through November/December, but it came to a halt as we faced the team destined to become the Championship winners, QPR. Whilst we played a lot better than we did in September against them, we still lost 2-0 as our defence showed its weaknesses again. This was followed up by a defeat to Portsmouth on a grey and miserable late February afternoon (again, I was there), as  David Nugent showed why I really, really cannot stand him by celebrating like an absolute moron. Again.

The form was erratic, as we beat Cardiff, then lost to Reading (although they were on a role that saw them become play-off contenders and finish 5th) and Watford. There was a draw with Leeds, then a victory over Scunthorpe that signalled the beginning of a run of form that put us 6 points off the play-offs (before another harrowing defeat to Norwich). We beat Burnley and then Palace with a couple of crackers from young Josh Carson. But then, that fourth victory in a row eluded us again as we drew 3-3 with Middlesbrough. 

This match was a good match for neutrals. Town started really well and scored in the 6th minute, but then, after a horrible injury to a Seb Hines, in which he broke his jaw, it all started to fall apart. Boro equalised, then took the lead as our defence fell apart. Delaney was having a nightmare as he inadvertently set up Boro's second by hitting it onto our own crossbar. When Boro took a 3-1 lead, things were looking grim. But then Wickham scored and suddenly we were believing. In the 76th minute, Lee Martin was tripped in the box (I still maintain there was contact, I was in the top of the North Stand) and Leadbitter stepped up to score the equaliser. Either side could've won it, with our defence looking nervous every time Boro came forward, but it was this result that has given me some hope for next season.

After a well fought and scrappy victory over Bristol City, where we won after playing with 10 men for over an hour and a nasty knock to the head for Grant Leadbitter that created over 10 minutes of stoppage time, gave us the belief and contributed to the optimistic build up to the second East Anglian derby of the season. I'm not going to go over the result again. There's another blog for that and to be honest, I'm feeling pretty happy at the moment so would rather not remember that awful night. 

After all the optimism had been ripped out of us after the result, we headed down to South Wales for more misery. I'd decided to go, because I'd never been to Swansea and fancied a new stadium. We had no Bullard and no Wickham, so that wasn't the best of starts and then we lost 4-1, to add insult to the massive injury given to us on the Thursday. We beat Preston in a game of two halves and then lost 4-2 to Leicester in a game where the crowd were there to pretty much to have a good time, regardless of the score.

So. That was the season briefly summed up. It's been a performance that Jekyll and Hyde would be proud of, as we've gone from sublime to abysmal in the space of 90 minutes and it's made for a pretty interesting summer. 

I've been having a think over the past few days about what could happen over the summer and where it'll leave us in August. Jewell now has time to build his own squad and get rid of the players that he doesn't want. Delaney signed a contract citing "optimism" was his major reason. I've come up with some reasons to be cheerful and some reasons to be worried, and because I'm a pessimist, it's the latter that has more of them.

Reasons to be cheerful

• The youth. We've seen some potential "stars" emerge from the youth academy. Much has been written about Connor Wickham, but names like Josh Carson, Luke Hyam (although he appears to have disappeared), Ronan Murry and Shane O'Connor (and others) have all put in decent performances over the past season, and they've all been given a chance by Jewell with contract extensions. 
• Money is said to be there (although I will do the counter claim in the next bit).
• Jimmy Bullard seems to want to play for Ipswich Town.
• We have put in some decent performances at points over the season, whether it be in just the first half. 
• We don't have to play Norwich next season. 

Reasons to be worried:

• Simon Clegg. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him and essentially, don't really trust him to do well with any contract talks as he stated that "the club wouldn't be held to ransom" by any player. His press releases are mostly political spin and he just doesn't seem to understand football all that much. 
• Lack of money for leaving players. Again, this can be put down to Clegg and co. McAuley, Norris and Murphy have all been allowed to leave the club (good luck to them all) but on a free. We paid £2 million for Norris, meaning we have lost money. My fear, fuelled on by our completely ridiculous local press, is that should someone come in with an absolutely mad offer for Connor Wickham, he'll be allowed to leave, which whilst it may be good for the club to have some money (although how much would be available would be questionable), it wouldn't be best for the player. Of course, by saying this, I'm helping to contribute to rumours and I am just being a massive pessimist, all too used to good players leaving Portman Road.
• The Jimmy Bullard saga. I'd love to sign him. You'd love it if we signed him. But we could just be looking at another Gio situation, which would be of no help to anyone. 
• Claims of money being available have been made in the past, so I'm always cautious whenever this statement is made.
• And then, the usual concerns with the defence, striking department, etc... that have been on repeat for the past 5 years.

I hope Jewell has a good summer. I hope our pre-season helps us to become a team and I hope that we find a decent centre half to replace McAuley, who has been a decent enough performer for us over the past few years. He's always been the better of a bad bunch. And good luck to Norris. Whilst many think he may not be that bigger loss, he has been one of our top scorers this season. I thought he was a good enough captain (even though I still think the football captaincy doesn't really matter, but then I love cricket and am probably being blinkered) and he always worked hard in midfield. But then running around a lot doesn't really win many people over. It wasn't his fault that we paid so much for him, but still. Good luck to both of them for their futures.

So, what do I think will happen next season? It all really depends on what happens over the summer, but it'll probably be mid-table again. I've seen flashes of brilliance, but not enough to inspire great hope and belief that we will be challenging for the promotion next season. So much is relying on the signature of Jimmy Bullard and that situation changes every day. It's certainly going to be an interesting few months, but the thing is, even if Jewell does create his own team, it won't happen immediately.

 

And in that case, bring on 2012/13. 

Ipswich Town's season not mathematically over...

But, if we're all perfectly honest and realistic, it probably is.

On Thursday, we have part two of the East Anglian derby of the 2010/11 season. Norwich fans are getting excited about the thought of automatic promotion, Ipswich fans are getting excited about spoiling their party. But something has happened in the months since Paul Jewell has arrived at Portman Road. Suddenly, we are a team that seems happy, a team that seems to enjoy playing together and a team that, whilst it's disappointing to lose, know that if they have one bad game, they're not going to be cast away in the abyss, to be forgotten about or sent on loan to Crystal Palace.

Compare that to the team that, embarrassingly and spinelessly, got hammered 4-1 at Carrow Road. That team was disorganised and in a downward spiral, something I depressingly witnessed at Preston back in December. I witnessed Keane's last win, but that was down to the weather and Sky Sports being there. The next time I watched Ipswich Town, we had won 1-0 against Arsenal and again looked a completely different team. It was like a monkey had collectively been taken off the players' backs and suddenly, happier days could well be back at Portman Road.

Since January, the form's been up and down. We can go on a three game winning streak, then end up losing/drawing the elusive fourth win. For us to even have a sniff of the play-offs and to take advantage of those (which is a lot of teams) around us slipping up, I would say we have to win all our games. We have four games left. We won on Saturday against Bristol City in a scrappy, luck-riddled, but ultimately gritty performance. We have to face our dear rivals from Norfolk and Swansea, both sides that have been up in the top six for the majority of the season, Preston, a team fighting for their lives and Leicester, another one of those sides that could, but probably won't, be up there come May 7th.

However, after we lost to Reading, Watford and Portsmouth (it was grey, miserable and dire), I thought our season was over. After the horrendous run in November and December, being near the bottom of the table and getting worried about relegation, the fact we even have an outside chance of the play-offs is some achievement.

Do I think we'll do it? No, of course not, I'm a pessimist, but it's nice to have a dream. Having said this, I also, to some extent, wouldn't want us to get into the play-offs. Whilst we're on a good run of form, we got very lucky against Crystal Palace, as the Palace strikers didn't have their radars on. Against Middlesbrough, albeit after a sickening injury to Seb Hines, where he broke his jaw and managed to get up and play on, we lost concentration and after playing well, lost communication in defence and ended up going 3-1 down. Delaney had a mare and managed to inadvertently set up Boro's equaliser. Whilst we came back from what would've been a probably undeserved defeat, we have been in the same position against teams like Reading and Watford and lost. They are the teams above us, Boro are below us.

The comeback against Middlesbrough showed character, the performance with 10 men for an hour (and after Grant Leadbitter's nasty clash of heads, get well soon Grant) on Saturday also showed character. But the way we've played all season, with the inconsistent performances and all the youngsters coming through, I'd prefer next season to the real "OPERATION PREMIERSHIP" that seems to have disappeared from the season ticket application forms this season.

This, of course, won't stop me coming up with ridiculous scenarios. Imagine if we did finish 6th and then Norwich finished in 3rd. An East Anglian derby play-off semi-final? Crazy. If we finished 6th and Norwich didn't finish 3rd, we could face Cardiff, a team we've been doing quite well against in recent years. But, like I said, these are just ridiculous scenarios that I've conjured up in excitement for Thursday.

I'm excited for Thursday. I'm in the North Stand for an East Anglian derby for the first time ever. I have so many memories from down the years of the derbies. Sito's sending off, that 3-2 victory that was Jim Magilton's last game managing, Pablo scoring a penalty to equalise and cause waves of people to run on the pitch...

All I can ask from Ipswich Town is a win this Thursday. Do it for the new manager, to convince him to give you a new contract. Do it for yourselves, to prove the match in November was a one off embarrassment. But perhaps most of all, do it for the fans. All you need to do is look at the ITFC hashtag on Twitter at the moment to understand how much it means to us all. The Norwich fans are fishing for a keyboard fight and Darren Huckerby's doing his "slap the scum" thing again, but the banter is mostly good natured.

So Town, I beg of you allow us this one glory. Give it your best shot, injure Grant Holt and make it worth a red card this time, get lucky, score a winner off your backside, I don't care. Because you have no idea what a victory would mean to the Ipswich Town supporting people of inside and outside of Suffolk.

Come on you Blues.

Happy retirement, Marcus Stewart

Yesterday, Marcus Stewart, hero to many and a modern legend of Portman Road, announced his intention to retire from playing football against Bristol Rovers today.

Stewart came to Ipswich around the time I started to support the club. I believe his home debut was made when I made my first ever trip to Portman Road on 12th February 2000. We were playing the club we'd signed him from, Huddersfield, and we won 2-1. I think Stewart scored as well.

The two years he spent at Portman Road have been described as one of the highlights of his 20 year career. He scored 19 goals for us in the Premier League, helping us finish 5th. He played in Europe and then, when we were relegated, moved to Sunderland.

He's been playing football almost as long as I've been alive, and his decision to retire against the club he started at, Bristol Rovers, is brilliant. He left Sunderland because he thought he was too old to play in the Premier League, and here he's retiring to give a youngster his place.

If, and I really hope it does, "There's only one Marcus Stewart" rings around Portman Road for one final time today, I'll be loudly singing it proudly. His time at Portman Road may've been short compared to other clubs, but for all the goals, spirit and memories, Marcus Stewart will always be a name in the hearts of those present at Portman Road.

I may have to dig my gloves out in appreciation, despite the warm weather. Happy retirement, Marcus. You really are a modern day legend.

Match Report: Preston North End vs Ipswich Town

Date: Saturday 11th December 2010
Result: 1-0 Preston (the seventh time I have seen a 1-0 loss)
Scorer for Town: N/A. Barn door, banjo, etc.

It's not really a match report, more a collective amount of thoughts on today's game.

I knew it was grim before I sped across the Lancashire countryside. I've listened online and I saw the East Anglian derby, but until I finally witnessed us in the flesh, I had no idea just how grim it was. Who are this team? Why has our defence become rubbish again? Where's the team spirit? Where's Delaney gone? Why's Jaime Peters on the bench?

Today we looked like a bunch of strangers. We passed in the middle well, but had no vision for the runs that Norris and Edwards were trying to make and just ended up hoofing the ball up to Scotland. Preston's defence was rubbish, but our final ball and strikers made them look like Brazil. Do these players actually enjoy playing together? If a run goes unnoticed, arms flay about and frustration comes out, but when a play comes into the box, nobody calls for it and suddenly it's in the back of our net. Communication seems to have evaporated from the side. Murphy doesn't seem to shout. Today we had both Brown and Zuiverloon miss the ball and were lucky not to concede. Tommy Smith (I think it was him) nearly scored a superb own goal.

I just cannot understand how we've gone from beating West Brom (albeit, a weakened West Brom) to a team that looks like it can't tell its arse from its elbow. Bringing in more and more loanees is not the answer. How many players did Norwich use when they went down? How many did Sunderland use when Keane was in charge? Someone said to me today that he thinks all the Sunderland lot stick together. Perhaps I'm wrong to misjudge the role of a football captain. In times like this, someone has to stand up and take charge and it looks like David Norris is giving it a shot, but is anyone listening to him? His tensions boiled over as he and Parkin exchanged handbags towards the final whistle.

I've come back from Deepdale today once again feeling sad. I'm not angry any more. What's the point in being angry about this? We need a lift from somewhere, but I just can't see where it's going to come from. I've read that people are saying that the League Cup run is distracting us. It's not distracting me. We've lost six on the bounce and are sinking down the league table faster than a cardboard kayak.

I studied the players hard in the warm up. I'm going to be honest, I did double take at a couple of them because I've not seen Ipswich play since early November. When the team were playing the different coloured bib vs different coloured bib warm up, only one side actually looked good. Can we play ourselves every week? 

We dominated in the first half, but both defences were making ridiculous errors that were going unpunished. Our passing looked good in the middle, but again, the final ball through, not having enough people in the box or in rare cases, an actual decent piece of defending, cost us. 0-0 at half time and I just knew something had to give, one of these defences would crack. At half time, the Preston announcer said that they'd have "two or three penalty shouts." Sod off. It's the rub of the green. Last week cost us and we had one against West Brom turned down which could've cost us. Besides, I'm pretty sure I saw a handball from a Preston player in their box... 

I often wonder what it'd be like to be a fly on the wall in the Ipswich dressing room at half time. Does Keane shout and throw teacups? Is he cool, calm and collected? Does he insult the players? Does he ramble on about Rooney's house, because he thinks he's being interviewed by Sky Sports? Either way, I'd like to know what he says, because in the second half, Preston looked a new side. They'd changed ideas. We hadn't. It was an all too familiar story.

In the build up to Preston's goal, they had a shout for a free kick. Whilst Iain Hume's touch and finish was something Jason Scotland can only dream of at the moment, we seemed to just switch off. Play. To. The. Whistle. It's something I've always found with Ipswich Town, even in the years of Matt Holland. Hume seemed to skip through our defence. Tommy Smith looked solid enough today. Troy Brown seems uncomfortable. I'm all for giving the youth a go, it makes me feel old, but when you've got someone like Delaney (alright, he got sent off against Norwich, but did you see where it happened? And did you see how easily that lump Holt went over? AND DID YOU SEE DARREN O'DEA?) in the ranks, surely him and Smith would be a decent enough partnership until the return of McAuley? Also, Mark Kennedy. How did the man pass his medical? Let him heal properly Keane, before throwing him back into the mixer.

I go home in a week, and will be back in the North Stand for the Leicester City match. We're on the telly. Again. I don't know why they keep showing us, we're not really playing football at the moment. Keane vs Sven is not really interesting. If it was Keane vs McCarthy, yes, possibly, but it's just going to be another humiliating defeat on TV. Money? Yes. But the crowd will probably be less than 19,000. It'll be cold, it's the last shopping weekend before Christmas and Ipswich Town ticket prices are ridiculous.

To be perfectly honest, if you're looking for entertainment, you're probably better off watching X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing. It'll only be offence to the ears and eyes. We'll make all five of your senses bleed. Even taste.

Will Keane be here on Monday? Probably. When he goes, will we still get the headlines? Definitely not.

Today, I'm not feeling angry.

I'm feeling sad. Ipswich have now lost five league games in a row, and I'm trying to rack my brains thinking of when this last happened in the time I've supported this club. I listened to the match today, and we sounded like we played alright. Yes, it wasn't the Swansea style of play with the fluent passing, but we had chances and could have drawn it had it not been for Andy D'Urso. Again. (Having said this, I haven't actually seen the incident, but I still dislike Andy D'Urso.)

Terrible defending as well cost us today. Like it did against Norwich. And for most of last season. McAuley's injured, Delaney got sent off against Norwich and is clearly not in Keane's good books. So what does that leave us? A 20 year old World Cup international, a guy on loan, a 20 year old who played 90 minutes on Tuesday and Darren O'Dea, another guy on loan, who pretty much handed Norwich their opening goal on a plate.

Today we had 5 loanees in the side. Norris was ill, apparently and Peters continues to be a bench warmer for reasons I do not understand. In our defence, we had two loanees and two 20 year olds. Hardly instills confidence. I'm all for giving the youth a go, they are the future of this club and our academy's pretty good. But we don't have that senior player at the moment and boy do I miss McAuley. Rather than raiding the lower leagues for midfielders, can we please get someone to cover McAuley for however long he's out for? Or at least have someone decent in front of the defence in a diamond?

I'm off to Preston next week. It's only 30 minutes down the road, so it'd be stupid not to go. I'm not really sure what I'm going to see. We're slipping down the table and are really showing relegation form. Preston are bottom. We like giving wins to people who are desperate for wins. It's only December, but August and September are distant memories. The Carling Cup run is a nice bonus, we did win on Wednesday, so we know how it feels to win, but the league form is just grim. I miss the draws. Why can't we draw? If we go into a match with a drawing mentality, we lose, because we panic and forget that there's a set of goalposts down the other end of the pitch.

"Hi Footballaritans, me again. Yeah, it's 5 losses now. I don't think a hug can cut it any more."

At least there's always the cricket.

Ipswich Town in the dictionary.

This time last week, I was buzzing from witnessing my second (!) away win of the season. Today, I am confused and angry, because yesterday we lost 3-1 to Barnsley. At home.

Had I been there to witness it, I probably wouldn't be so annoyed, as then I'd have been able to form my own opinion. This blog is based on what I've read on various social networking sites and from match reports.

Apart from the fact it's £26 to get into Portman Road, and that's if the ticket is in advance, the football doesn't sound as though it's much quality. A quote from the Observer Championship Verdict page says, "Keane has produced a team that's capable of some of the dullest football we've ever seen at Portman Road." And I thought last season was grim.

However, I guess it's not all doom and gloom. We are only 3 points off the play-offs places in November. This time last season mass suicide was the only answer. But then, how can we compare to last season? We have a new keeper, new strikeforce, new defence and new captain. Tamas Priskin is a new person as someone in the Ipswich Town community seems to have given him a hug. He nearly scored a beauty against Sheffield United last weekend and was apparently our best player yesterday. Yet Keane took him off. Odd.

As a crowd, Portman Road is extremely fickle. Play crap, you get jeered or are greeted with moans of frustration. Play well, you get silence and the ocassional clap/an incredibly satisfied crowd. I know I'm extremely fickle. It's probably for the best I'm not around anymore.

So I'm not off to Hull. Not for football reasons, even if they got smashed 10-0 yesterday, I'd have gone if it wasn't for trains being expensive. £13 for a student ticket? Brilliant. Sadly, I went to Sheffield on four hours sleep and I'm still feeling it. Never good.

So I will continue to shout at my laptop, await text updates from my mum and dad as I refuse to pay for Ipswich Town player. If I can listen to Notts County vs Colchester online, why can't I listen to Radio Suffolk? I'm too bitter. And then in two weeks today, I make my way to a bar on campus hoping that it will be showing the biggest derby of the season and not Newcastle vs Chelsea.

Form counts for sod all in East Anglian derbies. We can only live in hope Ipswich fans.

Match Report: Ipswich Town 2-0 Bristol City

I returned to Portman Road for the first time since that bloody awful Sheffield United game in May. I've already seen Ipswich play this season, but this was in the League Cup against Exeter, where the average age of the team was probably the same age as me. What was even more special about this game for me was that this was the first time that I sat in the lower North/Sir Bobby Robson Stand. I say sat, I was stood up for most of the game. Anyway, comparing the miserable match I saw in May with the one I saw here, in the August sunshine and showers, I was pleasantly surprised. We've improved so much that I've become convinced the real Ipswich Town are locked in a lost wine cellar of the Cobbolds.

We began the first half looking lively. There were hugs and high fives a-plenty amongst the Town players, so this seems to suggest that the team spirit is good in the camp. Who knows, maybe they're all just really good actors. We looked slick, passed the ball well and had chances. We came close with a Leadbitter (I think) free kick and then even closer with a Tamas Priskin shot that hit the crossbar. Being the massive pessimist, I was thinking that it wasn't going to be our day.

Around the half an hour mark, there came a change. Not a substitute, just the fact that we went off the boil. Suddenly we decided the dreaded long ball was the way forward, when carrying on what we were doing in the first place was far more effective. It was a disappointing end to the first half, as we just seemed to fizzle out. However, my spirits were lifted when I overheard a bloke behind me say that we haven't scored in the first half this season.

We did see some net action in the first half though. One of the Bristol City players took a shot, missed and ended up running into the netting used to protect spectators from shooting practice. He got stuck and put up with the jeering of the North Standers as he desperately tried to unhook himself...

Half Time: Ipswich 0-0 Bristol City

Once the second half kicked off, you could see there was a difference in the Town side. They were spirited and returned to the passing game that had served them OK in the first half. You could tell it was going well as Keane didn't make any changes on the 50th minute.

Priskin, who whenever I've seen him is either always offside or looks about as cheerful as a Hungarian who is low on confidence can look, finally broke the deadlock near the hour mark. And with my blue-tinted glasses on, I'd say it was deserved. Yes, it was a massive, massive cock-up between Fontaine and good old Calamity James but the Priskin last season would probably have missed that. It may well be a confidence booster for the man, because this was his first goal in front of the Portman Road faithful. He's already doubled his tally for last season.

Now to his strike partner, Jason Scotland. When he arrived earlier this week and we said goodbye to Jon Stead, there was a bit of indifference and hesistancy amongst the Town fans. Scotland wasn't good for Wigan in the Premierleague, but in the Championship he was pretty good for Swansea. Considering the fact he was short of fitness, he played 90 minutes and managed to score on his debut. Once he does gain a bit of match fitness, he may well be a crucial striker for us. We have Wickham waiting on the sidelines with an ankle injury, but he's just a kid (like most of our squad) so now might be the time for both Scotland and Priskin to try and impress. Even though there is now an international break. Still, they both linked well, took advantage of defensive errors and basically, it was nice for two strikers to score after getting rid of three of them.

The reaction to Jon Stead was as expected. It must've been tough for the guy as he was here Sunday, gone Monday and then back here on Saturday. In a red shirt. Being marked by Gareth McAuley. I'm probably alone in hoping he went into the home dressing room by accident.

No matter how the goals came, it's three points. It's a decent enough performance and we're third in the league. It's also our first league clean sheet of the season and our third win. We look relaxed, we look like we're finally linking together. David Norris is excelling in his role as captain. When he went down in a heap outside the 'D' in front of the North Stand, I was holding my breath and hoping he was alright, as he really will be a massive player for us this season. In the end, I needn't have worried, because they make 'em tough in er... Plymouth.

Player ratings
Fulop 6: Having confused him for Brian Murphy in the highlights of the Palace match last week, I figured out who he was this time. He didn't really have to do much as the Robins didn't give him much of a challenge. However, he has a very useful kick and ran rings around David James.

Peters 6: Some of his passing was off today. Definitely had a better second half than first and did put in some decent tackles. Hopefully over the season he will link more with Carlos Edwards.

McAuley 7: The man's a rock. Hopefully he can stay clear of injury because he provides us with height at corners and also has started where he left off towards the end of last season.

Smith 6: The New Zealander seems to be forming a good partnership with McAuley, although I assume once Delaney's back he'll go to left or right back. He also made some good clearances, and I think any first team experience is valuable to someone so young.

O'Dea 7: He got forward, he looks strong and by heck he put in some crunching tackles.

Leadbitter 7: Unlucky not to score from his free kick. We all know how good he can be and it's fantastic that he's not got a chipped bone as was feared after the Burnley game.

Edwards 7: When he stays in position, he's good. And to be fair to him, he stayed in position a lot today. He seems to have been eating his Wheetabix in the morning, as he appears to be speedier than I remember...

Norris 7: Like Peters, played better in the second half than the first. But was still pretty good in the first half. The international break has come at a good time for him though, since he's played every match we've had, including extra time against Exeter and Crewe.

Hyam 6: He was awesome against Exeter, but not so good today. Too many loose balls. However, he's young and will certainly improve. Definitely someone to get excited about, anyway!

Scotland 7: Pretty decent home debut. Hopefully he can continue it once he gets a bit more match fit. He provided support to Priskin and clearly enjoyed the goal!

Priskin 7: He was good today. He was actually good. Only offside once if my memory serves me correctly. He looked like he enjoyed today as well and you could see the metaphorical monkey being lifted off his back as the ball hit the back of the net for the opener.

There's only one Marcus Stewart...

I took this picture at the Exeter City game on August 10th 2010. I was going to do a match report on the game, but the news of Adam Stansfield put the match into perspective. That news was absolutely tragic and my thoughts are still with his family, friends and Exeter City FC.

Considering the news about Jon Walters today, and the way he left Portman Road, it left me thinking about one of my all time favourite Town players of Marcus Stewart (Matt Holland, Reuser and Darren Bent are on my list too because I'm 18, not 48) and the reaction he got on the 10th. I was hoping he was going to come on and when he did, I gave him the ovation he deserved. It was brilliant and he showed his appreciation of it at the end of the match. The next time Walters steps onto the Portman Road turf, or Tractor Boys occupy the away end at Brittania Stadium, he's likely to be booed.

The Ipswich Town version of the "there's only one..." song will always be Marcus Stewart's in my eyes. Sorry JW.

Food for Thought for Keane & Co as Pilgrims Set Sail with Three Points.

I witnessed one of those games again at Portman Road. You know the ones, where your team thinks, "Hey, these guys are in the bottom two, therefore by power of deduction they must be completely and utterly useless. We don't have to turn up! Easy night all round!"

Once again we lost to a team below us, which is an all too familiar tale around these parts. I don't know what happens. We play really well against teams above us and them BAM! Relegation threatened side comes to Portman Road and picks up three easy points. Which we hand to them on a plate. Don't we Delaney? 

To be perfectly frank it had been coming. Ever since the Cardiff game where we won 2-0, the edginess has been back and that feeling of invincibility seems to have returned. We are not good enough to go down. Yes, we have a good team on paper, but unfortunately Roy Keane seems to take the piece of paper which the good team is written on, rip it up and chuck it in a hat with at least 20 other names. He then proceeds to blindfold himself and pick eleven names out. The rest have to fight it out for a place on the bench. 

However, last night, Roy Keane went against tradition and decided rather than making four changes, he'd stick with the same team. Carlos 'What's a winger?' Edwards, the clearly knackered David Norris, Jack Colback and Jon 'Seriously, give him a break' Walters were our missing midfield. Every time I have seen Carlos Edwards play this season, he always, always, always comes into the centre of midfield. Yesterday it provided sod all help to Shane O'Connor, who kept making runs but had nobody in front of him because Edwards was chasing after Norris. Edwards, you've been put in a position. STAY THERE. You've lost your pace, you're not going to go and break through the middle of a pretty solid midfield. Use your skill and KEEP ON THE WING. O'Connor will help you, like David Wright tries to help Jon Walters when he can actually keep the ball. Which isn't very often at the moment. 

This feels a rant I've had before. In fact, I know I've had this rant before. Back in November. So, here is what I said back in November:

1. Jon Walters - Something's up. He's not been playing as well as we know he can. Is he injured? I doubt it. Does he need a rest? I would probably say yes. He may be a big player for us, but at the moment, he's not playing well. He's far better on the right wing, and yet, I think, Carlos Edwards plays in this position. Which leads me onto my second problem...

Oh wow, deja vu! Four months on and he's still not right. It turned out he did have an injury and it doesn't surprise me at all if he has another one. Even he must admit this season has been a very, very poor one for him. My personal opinion on the captaincy in football is that it means nothing, the coach is shouting at you on the side line. However, other people's views are a lot different and they feel as though the captaincy may have become a burden to him.

2. The midfield - As always. Grant Leadbitter, the poor sod, really has no idea what he's got into. He's by far the best player on the pitch and yet he was stuck next to Liam Trotter for most of the start of the season. Carlos Edwards, on the right, goes too far into the middle, leaving the entire right wing exposed. Poor Liam Rosenior! Oh David Norris and Luciano Civelli, curse your knobbly knees!

I really am becoming repetitive! Well, in this blog post Carlos Edwards is on the left. However, the fact is, Carlos Edwards seems to prefer playing in the middle. He marks the player that a central midfielder should be marking, whilst he should be jogging about outside the box to the right or left of the goal, waiting to fire a shot way over the bar or a cross to the other corner flag. Come on, watch Jaime Peters. He'll give it a crack! 

Another thing, now that Norris is back, him and Leadbitter in the middle did look good on paper (there's that phrase again), but they are just two similar players, both going in hard and getting the ball but then not really picking out the right pass. Leadbitter is more likely to pass it about once he has the ball, but whether he notices David Wright or Shane O'Connor on the wing making a decent run is an entirely different matter...

3. The defence - If only they learnt to defend for over 90 minutes. We'd be mid-table and laughing right now. But no. Instead, what happens? Last minute equalisers against Sheffield United and Watford. Last minute winner against Barnsley. Injuries have not helped. Nor has Gareth McAuley deciding to play like an idiot again. He's got better now. He's remembered how to play.

OK, I will concede that the defence has got much, much better in recent months. Last night was the first time we'd conceded at home for six hours (or something). The defence is settled. Ish. It helps that the two central defenders haven't changed, although after last night I'm expecting Tommy Smith to appear again. 

 4. Roy Keane - PLEASE KEEP THE SAME BLOODY LINE-UP FOR CONSECUTIVE GAMES AT LEAST ONCE THIS SEASON. I don't care if Pablo runs over your dog or David Wright tells you your beard looks like tiny hamsters are gnawing at your face, don't drop players who have played well for ones who are clearly crap. Pablo is an invaluable player. He holds the ball up. If the chance comes to him, he will always try and tap it in. To me, we appointed Roy Keane to try and attract the big news media. To make Ipswich Town more famous. Boy, did that happen. But for all the wrong reasons. Now the media vultures circle above Keane's head waiting for the next outburst to write about.  

Well, I've had my wish a couple of times this season. But when he probably shouldn't be keeping the same team! After the Scunthorpe game he should've kept the same line up. We lost 2-1 to Watford. A settled side is key, but we just haven't had that. And I think that explains why we're in this position. Oh, and with regards to the media vultures? They seem to have lost interest. Which is wonderful as we can go back to being Ipswich Town. Although I still seethe whenever I see 'Roy Keane's Ipswich Town' in the papers. 

5. Finally, how I miss Gio. But he's not going to come back. Evidently, the problems were there before Magilton got sacked.

 I've stopped pining for Gio, as have many other Town fans. Finally. But yes, the problems were there before Magilton got sacked and I get the feeling that Keane's making them worse. When Norwich went down last season all they did was bring in loanee after loanee. This season they have a settled side with home grown talent and look where they are. Colback, Murphy and thankfully, Healy will have to go back up the A1 to Sunderland and try to get their place back in Steve Bruce's starting XI. That's not stability! We have Priskin and Stead to come back in the summer, meaning that our strike force is going to be an ageing Spaniard, a 17 year old, a Hungarian who loves being off side and our joint top goal scorer with the mighty total of six. 

I really hope last night was only a blip, but I think it has been building. The Barnsley performance in the second half was absolutely woeful and we were gifted the win by their goalkeeper's rash decision.

Our run in does not fill me with hope. We begin with Swansea away this weekend, then a resurgent Reading on 3rd April. Derby away on Easter Monday. Forest 10th April. Doncaster home, 17th April. Then the biggy. Newcastle away, 24th April. Whilst I expect a drubbing, I sincerely hope we play a bit better than we did back in September. Once again I expect an emotional game, and because I've witnessed Ipswich on the road seven times (four losses, three draws) I've been able to get a priority ticket, which I have taken advantage of today. After last night's showing, I'm even more barmy than I thought I was... We finish on May 2nd, my last home game as a season ticket holder for a few years, with Sheffield United. From this run in, I'm really not expecting much. Especially if we play like we did yesterday.

Ah well, if we go down and I get into Lancaster, at least I'll be close to Carlisle... Or Blackpool and Preston, of course!

Top 5 Best Sporting Moments I've Seen This Year

Inspired by a blog I found on BBC Sport, I've been left thinking about what sport I've witnessed this year. It's been quite a lot. It's mainly involved Ipswich Town, Essex and England, but it's been quite a lot.
So, here are my top 5: 

5. Essex vs Middlesex - June 22nd 2009
I've been to a lot of Twenty20 matches over the year, but this one stands out because it was the first one I went to by myself. It was a good match, Essex won by 8 wickets. Mark Pettini played really well and got 80 not out.

Another stand out match is Essex vs Sussex in the Pro40. Hashim Amla scored a century and was well supported by James Foster. Essex lost. But Amla rules.

4. Chelsea vs Ipswich - January 24th 2009

OK, so we lost this one 3-1, but I've never left a match feeling so proud to be a Tractor Girl. It was a good day out, with us taking over 6000 fans down to Stamford Bridge. And the fact is, we scored. We scored at Stamford Bridge against one of the best teams in the country, a team that contained Frank Lampard and others. Thank you Alex Bruce, thank you for giving us a little bit of hope before a footballing lesson was taught to us. 

3. Middlesex vs Essex - 12th August 2009

I've been to Lords before, I went for a tour back in 2006 and got to sit in the England dressing room. And stood next to the Ashes. But this time, I was at Lords to watch cricket. It wasn't the greatest day for Essex, as they fell to 32-4, with Cook and Bopara showing just why they were in the England team. It was a good day out though, I got a bit lost (being a country girl from a small village in a rural county like Suffolk, then being dumped in a massive city like London. Well, it's not surprising to say the least), so I followed the pictures of Andrew Strauss and co. It tipped it down at the end of the day, but James Foster and Matt Walker combined well to get Essex out of a huge hole. 

2. England Women vs Australia Women - 30th June 2009
England Women had a phenomenal 2009. They won the World Cup, the Twenty20 World Cup and retained the Ashes, again. And yet they didn't win Team of the Year at the Sports Personality Awards. But that's a rant for another day. So, when I heard that they were going to be down at Chelmsford, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Unfortunately, school was in the way, so I only managed to see the last few overs of the England innings. But still, this was a superb day out, and it made me smile to see so many females at a county ground. 

And to top it all off, both sides stayed behind afterwards and chatted to eager fans. Each one of the England women's team had a picture with pink fluorescent sunglasses on for some lads nearby. They were very down to earth people, plus, I got to meet a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. How likely is that to happen again? I've seen Shiv Chanderpaul down at Essex, I've also come very close to meeting my hero, Matthew Hoggard. But I've not been able to talk to them and stand next to them! Bloody brilliant that. 

And finally. 

1. Ipswich 3-2 Norwich - 19th April 2009

I'm an Ipswich fan. What else did you expect?

Match Report: Ipswich Town vs Coventry City

Date: 9th August 2009
Result: Coventry 2-1 Ipswich
Scorer for Town: Walters

Football's back! A day late for Ipswich and Coventry fans, but now, the Football League has officially kicked off.

All the talk before the match was of the man in charge of Ipswich Town, Roy Keane. Chris Coleman seemed pleased about this (and then suitably smug after the match), meaning Coventry could give Ipswich a surprise.

The match was preceeded by a minute's applause for Ipswich (and football) legend, Sir Bobby Robson. The away fans in the Jewson End began the chant, "There's only one Bobby Robson", before the PA announcer even had the chance to say there would be a minute's applause. It set off applause from everyone in the Ricoh Arena, as Sky Blues and Tractor Boys united for a great man. One Ipswich fan waved a flag that had a picture of Sir Bobby on it, whilst many had shirts that had tributes to Sir Bobby on the back. The giant television screen in the corner between the Tesco Stand and the Jewson End had a picture of Robson with 1933-2009. An emotional beginning to mourn a hero of Suffolk.

Once the game kicked off though, the focus was on the future, and what Town fans could anticipate for the coming season. They started brightly, with most of the action occuring at the opposite end, and this prompted the fans to start singing, "We're gonna score in a minute".

Someone did. But it wasn't for Ipswich. Clinton Morrison made the most of a complete mix up in Ipswich's defence to delicately scoop the ball into the net, over Alex Bruce's head. Richard Wright had come storming out, and a lack of communication between him and the captain, Gareth McAuley, left Ipswich 1-0 down and the Town fans frustrated. Coventry fans appeared out of the many, many empty seats to start boasting about their lead. But they didn't care about the Town fans. They cared about Keane.

The momentum rapidly changed. Suddenly, Ipswich couldn't win a ball. The defence looked very weak, apart from Delaney who started alright on the left. When Town won the ball, they desperately tried to get their passing game going. They did. Only to the wrong colour shirts. Liam Trotter's touch was too heavy. Lee Martin and David Norris just could not get into the game, and many forgot that Jaime Peters had started. Only Walters, who looked fitter and faster, having seemingly put his injury woes from last season behind him, looked likely to make a difference.

After 25 minutes, Ipswich found themselves 2-0 down. Again, the defence was left being questioned by the Town fans sat behind their goal. McAuley, who seemed to have forgotten that he'd actually improved towards the end of last season, decided he couldn't do anything about Clinton Morrison on his knee, as the City striker headed the ball into the net. Frustration was soon replaced by joy as Ipswich got the next goal from Jon Walters. It was a lovely finish, and it gave Town hope. They began to look like the team that kicked off the match 40 minutes ago. But it still didn't stop Roy Keane storming off down the tunnel before the half time whistle.

Half time: 2-1 to Coventry
Ipswich began the second half in the same fashion as they started the first. They looked like they were going to "score in a minute" (as the fans put it!), but Coventry's keeper had different ideas, as did the officials and Town themselves. Town fired over the bar from free headers at least three times, Pim Balkenstein being the major culprit.

In the 54th minute, from another corner, David Norris and Jon Stead collided, causing Norris to stay down for a while with a knee injury. The one thing that Stead had come into contact with, and he'd caused it an injury, rather than a goal. Norris painfully limped off to be replaced by Owen Garvan, and when Norris limped in front of the travelling Tractor Boys, he was greeted with a round of applause. He was beginning to get into the game. David Wright offered Norris his shoulder as support, and this was greeted with further applause. It didn't look good for Norris, and he looked fairly grim himself.

Town pressed on. Still desperate for that equaliser. Keane brought off the ineffective Stead and put on 16 year old Connor Wickham. He tried, and almost got his reward, when the linesman's flag had been raised. Town fans were not happy. They hadn't been with that linesman all day. Jon Walters came close, only to be denied by the Coventry goalkeeper, who was very impressive. Throughout the first half, Town didn't get to the second ball. Finally, in the second half, it happened. Someone won the second ball. Unfortunately, they didn't do anything with it and it was the only time they actually got to the second ball throughout the remainder of the match.

Overall, disappointing not to come away with anything, but on another day, Town could've won this match. However, there are good signs for this season. As long as Keano sorts out the defence! Coventry fans were very disappointing, there were more empty blue seats than there were fans. 16000 for the opening game of the season is not great, but then, it's the summer holidays and the match was on Sky Sports.

Town Player ratings:
Richard Wright 5 - Stuck in no man's land for their first goal, didn't have much to do second half, but did make an excellent save towards the end of the match.
Alex Bruce 5 - Really not his greatest game. Would've preferred to have seen him in central defence with McAuley.
Gareth McAuley 5 - Disappointing, should've done better for Clinton Morrison's second.
Pim Balkenstein 5 - Again, disappointing. Wasted many chances to score, and clearances were a bit dodgy.
Damien Delaney 6 - Was good first half. Average and slow second.
David Norris 6 - Started poorly, but seemed to be getting into the game until injury.
Liam Trotter 5 - Couldn't hold onto the ball. Kept passing to the wrong colour, and some of these passes were dire. Would've preferred him to come off than Peters.
Jaime Peters 6 - Shouldn't have come off when he did, as he was looking threatening. Looking forward to seeing more of him this season. Finally.
Jon Walters 8 - By far the best player for Town. Seemed to have shaken off injury problems and transfer rumours from last season. Nice to have him back.
Lee Martin 6 - Can expect something from him this season, like Norris, seemed to be getting into the match in the second half.
Jon Stead 5 - Like having a lame duck up front.
Subs:
Owen Garvan 6 - Added stability to the midfield.
Connor Wickham 6 - Denied by the linesman. Expect to see more of him this season.
Tamas Priskin 5 - Needed longer studs as he kept slipping over.
Note: You can probably see that this report is from the Ipswich Town view. I am doing reports as an Ipswich Town fan, to give my view on how the match went for us, from where I was sititng. Please be aware, I will be as critical about my team, as I am about yours. I will give credit where it's due, and I will try to sum it up in the most neutral way I can, but I can't promise much!

I will only do matches that I go to, not ones that I have listened to or watched on Sky, as I feel you don't get the full picture there, as you rely on other people's opinions.

RIP Sir Bobby

This morning, many of us woke up to the news that a true gentleman of the game of football had passed away after finally losing the battle to that terrible disease.

Sir Bobby Robson.

The man who gave my beloved football team, Ipswich Town, the glory years that we shall never see again (which is a shame, as I wasn't around for this golden era). Sir Bobby will always be loved here in Suffolk. He always made time for our small town club, being made our honourary president and last year being given the freedom of Ipswich. Campaigns for the North Stand to be renamed the 'Sir Bobby Robson Stand' started last year, bur I'm sure it'll begin to gather more momentum now.

Tonight, Town played a friendly against the Spanish side, Real Valladolid. Town won 3-1 and Roy Keane has said that it was a display for Sir Bobby. The match was preceded by a two minute silence and all the players wore black armbands. I haven't been able to get down to Ipswich, this being Suffolk, and there being a bus service every 8 hours to the middle of nowhere, but I'm certain that the statue of the great man will have many tributes and flowers surrounding it.

I got my ticket for Coventry this morning. To be part of the away crowd that day will be amazing. Especially if "There's only one Bobby Robson" is sung. Which it will be, I'm certain. When the North Stand burst into the song at various points last years, it really, really made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

A man who nobody has a bad word to say about.
A man worthy of being called a legend.RIP Sir Bobby.

Welcome to the Championship, Newcastle!

And Middlesbrough, of course.

After years of visiting grounds like Old Trafford, Highbury/The Emirates, Anfield, Goodison Park, White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge, with their huge capacities, now it's their turn to visit grounds that look like Craven Cottage or Fratton Park.

Every week.

Barnsley, Blackpool, Bristol City (it has plants growing in the steps!), Watford, Palace and the wooden seats! I bet our new arrivals cannot wait to go to Loftus Road! Leicester, Peterborough and Scunthorpe all await them as well. August just can't come around quickly enough!

Joking aside, I can't wait for when Ipswich play Newcastle, both home and away. For most of the clubs in the Championship, it will probably be the sell out fixture. It'll be interesting to see what the attendances of the away fans are at St James' Park next season, especially when Plymouth make the incredibly, incredibly long journey up there.

For Newcastle and Middlesbrough fans, a word of warning. Don't think it's going to be an easy ride. Just look at what has happened to teams like Leicester City, Leeds United and the three who have been relegated this season, Southampton, Charlton and Norwich! All of these clubs have graced the Premiership in the past 10 years, now they're all in League One (or have been in League One). The Championship is most probably the best second tier division in Europe, and on it's day, anyone can beat anyone. None of the teams who got promoted from League One got relegated last season, Swansea even came close to the play-offs. Birmingham City may have got promoted straight back to the Promised Land, but Reading finished in the play-off places and went crashing out to Burnley, a team who have been in the Championship for all eternity (congratulations on being promoted, it must be nice to be out of here!), and Derby. Well, they started out where they left off and looked likely to keep falling for a while. Newcastle and Boro fans will be in for an interesting summer. Especially Newcastle fans, considering the club's finances.

I'm counting down the days until next season's fixture list comes out, I'm already planning my 09/10 tour! It's my last season before I go to university, so I want to make a memorable one. I hope my beloved team do the same...

The season's over (but it had been for a long time...)

Not many people sat in Portman Road yesterday seemed to care about the result between two mid-table Championship clubs.

It was nice that our season came to a good end, with three wins on the bounce against our bitter rivals, a team chasing the play-offs and another mid-table side. Two of these wins were at home, where it has been noticed that Town have struggled there all season. Finishing 9th was a surprise. A pleasant one though.

However, I say that not many people cared about the result due to a match happening in South East London. Within half an hour the North Stand was ecstatic. "The scum are going down" rang around the stadium, and when Giovanni fired in the opener which was then quickly followed by a second from Pablo, Portman Road had that feeling of happiness back. That feeling that has abandoned us all season, as fans have turned on each other due to their allegiances about who is sat in the dugout in front of the Brittania Stand.

It's a shame. Other clubs would've killed to be in our position of knowing which league they're playing in next season. I mean, look at Norwich. Yes, I may be an Ipswich fan, and did enjoy clapping and singing along to the songs yesterday, but part of me will miss our dear yellow and green neighbours. But look at the sides that joined them in League One. Southampton and Charlton, another to the list of casualties that once graced the Premiership. Leeds United have been down there for a couple of seasons now, Leicester managed to get promoted the first time they tried. Nottingham Forest were dragged into the relegation dogfight of the Championship, and Derby were fairly close to it (although us beating Norwich did help them out). The plight of Luton Town has been well documented. In all of those cases, it's the fans you have to feel for. They are the people who go to watch their team week in week out. They make the songs, they fill the stands, and they add more value to the club than any owner can.

For me, our season was over back in December, many fans would've disagreed with me. So, since Decemebr, I've just enjoyed the ride. I've been to Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth, Doncaster, Derby, Palace, Chelsea, QPR and Bristol City this season, and every home game (including all the League Cup ties and the one FA Cup tie), bar Palace, as I was the other end of the country - I watched it on Sky though. Not that that counts. I'm not saying this to sound like the super fan, as I know I'm not. But the fact is, come rain or shine, I'll always support Ipswich Town. They've filled a big part of my heart. A very big part...

So, back to yesterday's game. We witnessed the best (Gio! Gio! Gio!) and the worst (back passes, nervous defending and the midfield going for a wander) all in two halves. And I'm glad Roy Keane saw what we saw throughout the entire season. Our away form may've improved (we won nine. NINE!), but our home form, superb last season, took a giant leap in the wrong direction. Which is what seemed to happen under Magilton, our home form last season was superb, whilst our away form (with all three of our wins!) was completely abysmal. But now we've won two on the bounce at home, so fingers crossed we can keep that up next season...

Happy days are here again.

Hopefully.

Next season promises to be exciting. Roy Keane's got the beard out already by the looks of this morning's paper! So, if Keano can cut some the squad down, then who knows! What we know for definite is this:

• Giovanni dos Santos must go back to Spurs. He was the bright spark for the end of the season.
• Once our injuries are out of the way, Keane will have a better idea of what squad he's got.
• The players that were told under Jim that they have no future could yet feature in the mighty Keane's plans. Look at Matt Richards. Never saw that coming!

All I have to say now is: Bring on the fixture list!

Blimey O'Keany

Wow. What a week! And that's not just the weather (take that IPL!).

Tuesday: New Chief Executive is brought in to the club. Press conference draws a couple of local journalists and a man who looks suspciously like Jim Magilton dressed in a wig, asking questions about the future of Jim Magilton. No comment is given from Bert from Sesame Street.

Town's new Chief Executive

Wednesday: Jim Magilton, a man who was a loyal player, but a terrible manager is sacked, by phone, by our owner Marcus Evans, who wears a mask or something to every home match, as nobody knows what he looks like. Magilton's sacking is expected, but it's a weird time of the season to do it. What a way to go though after beating the Norfolk types 3-2 on the Sunday. Rumours begin about who will take over, with all the old names being dragged out, including the horrifying name of Glenn Hoddle...

Thursday: I embark on a Geography trip across the border into the land of budgies, wearing an Ipswich Town shirt. Fun times. I get a text at 8 telling me that Roy Keane has been appointed the new boss. The press conference promises to be entertaining, and the entire nation's media embarks towards Portman Road. By four o'clock, Keane has had a look at Ipswich's squad and told them where he stands (Don't be late or I'll drop you, no excuses about your zimmerframe Campo.), and so he sits in front of a load of Town badges on a blue background. Cameras flash, journalists ask questions that aren't about Ipswich Town at all. No beard is in sight. Shame that.

Same old stuff about Ipswich, Premiership, ambitions. Then something about some dogs, and digs at other managers. Which are the bits the nationals focus on. We're so interesting.

Friday: His first squad is announced. Matt Richards is back. Wow. I forgot he was still here.

Saturday: First match in charge. Numerous cameras follow said manager. Nobody cares about what happens, only care about what Roy Keane does. But we win 3-0. And Richard Wright makes a damn fine penalty save. And Jon Stead plays pretty damn well.

Monday: Derek Davis still has a massive man-crush on Matt Richards. No change there then.