The Tractor Boys plough a deep ditch
The Championship is notoriously hard to get out of and no club knows this better than Ipswich Town, currently in their 17th consecutive year in the division after relegation from the Premier League back in 2002. However, that record could change this season, but not in the way fans of the Tractor Boys would have wished.
The club currently sits rock-bottom of the Championship with just one win from 16 games and five points adrift of the team directly above them, Hull City. Although it’s early days yet, an unwelcome stint in League One beckons.
To make matters worse their bitter East Anglian rivals, Norwich City, have soared to second place in the league, separated from leaders Leeds United only on goal difference.
It has been a traumatic time for Ipswich. In April, long-term manager Mick McCarthy resigned after more than five years at the helm in which the club usually finished in the top half but did not play the most attractive football. Ipswich went on to finish the season in 12th place.
For the current season, in what was touted as “a new era”, they signed up as manager Paul Hurst who had done so well with Shrewsbury Town the previous season. However, with only one win in 14 matches, Hurst’s position was untenable and he was fired in October after just five months in charge.
Something of a surprise was the appointment of Paul Lambert who not that long ago enjoyed three successful seasons as boss of arch-rivals Norwich, leading them during 200912 to two successive promotions and a place in the Premier League. Since leaving Norwich, Lambert spent three seasons with Aston Villa, followed by shorter spells with Blackburn, Wolves and Stoke City.
Upon his recent appointment, Lambert was quick to put his former links to Norwich behind him. “I’m here for Ipswich,” he said, “and I’m going to do everything I can to make them successful.”
It won’t be easy. The players are lacking confidence after their wretched start. Lambert’s predecessor Hurst wasn’t helped by the fact that the top four goalscorers from the previous season had been sold.
After watching from the stand as Ipswich lost 3-0 to Millwall, Lambert’s first game in charge last week saw his team battle out a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Preston North End. Lambert remained upbeat. “I thought we were excellent. I couldn’t have asked for any more from the players.”
He will be even happier if his team can get a result today away to Reading who themselves are struggling, third from bottom. It’s a vital game for both teams and one suspects won’t be pretty to watch.
Ipswich have a worthy history of which they are rightly proud. Against all odds they clinched the Football League title in 1962 , winning the old Division One under Sir Alf Ramsey. Later, Sir Bobby Robson led them to the FA Cup trophy in 1978, beating Arsenal in the final. They also won the Uefa Cup in 1981.
One of the most memorable league games under Robson came during the 1979-80 season when they thrashed Manchester United 6-0 at Portman Road, despite United goalkeeper Gary Bailey saving three penalties.
During Robson’s 13-year spell at Ipswich, the club had two chairmen, John and Patrick Cobbold, whose family owned the local brewery. The brothers adopted a relaxed attitude towards the club. Robson commented: “When we won, John would have a bottle of champagne and when we lost he had two bottles. That was his civilised way of looking at defeat.”
Brother Patrick, when asked what constituted a crisis at Ipswich, promptly replied, “If we run out of white wine in the boardroom.”
Originally nicknamed “the Blues”, in the past two decades Ipswich have become known as the “Tractor Boys”. This stems from the couple of years they spent in the Premier League when opposing fans made the most of them coming from a rural part of England as opposed to the big city clubs which tend to dominate the league.
The nickname was first used when Ipswich were losing away to Birmingham City in the 1998-99 season and the home supporters began taunting the subdued Ipswich fans with “No noise from the Tractor Boys.” The new nickname was quickly adopted by the English newspapers.
Jim Magilton, Ipswich manager from 2006-09 hated it, claiming “it raised images of carrot-crunching yokels”. But most fans seemed to accept it as a unique nickname.
Not helping the mood of Ipswich fans this season is the fact that Norwich are doing so well. Given both clubs’ rural roots, English newspapers dub any match between Norwich and Ipswich as the “Old Farm” derby, a nod to Scotland’s “Old Firm”. When the teams met in September at Portman Road it ended in a scrappy 1-1 draw, extending the Canaries’ unbeaten run against Ipswich to 11 games
Since losing to Stoke on Oct 6, Norwich have won four straight games and have shot up the table. Their success has even surprised their own supporters. After selling star midfielder James Maddison to Leicester many felt they might be in for a struggle, but they appear to have spent wisely.
It will be a challenge for Norwich to sustain their present lofty position, considering there are so many strong teams with their eyes on promotion. It’s going to be a long season.
It will be an even longer season for Ipswich. If they happen to beat Reading today maybe current chairman Marcus Evans should adopt the Cobbold approach and bring out a bottle of champagne. And if they lose… open another bottle.