TRACTOR IN MUD
MATT BELL LOOKS AT HOW THE TRACTOR BOYS HAVE GOT STUCK IN THE MUD IN RECENT TIMES…
Ipswich Town’s misfortune
IF YOU ask anyone about Ipswich Town in 2019, chances are they will either tell you they are Ed Sheeran’s team, they haven’t heard of them or they are s**t at football. What they won’t mention is the club is the longest-standing in the Championship currently, having been in the league for the last 17 years, that they played in the UEFA Cup shortly before that, narrowly missing out on Champions League action to Liverpool, and they have an excellent history.
In the past, Ipswich Town set Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson on their way to the England manager’s job. They won the league under Sir Alf in 1961-62, while they scooped the FA Cup (1978) and UEFA Cup (1981) under Robson.
Their players have also tasted the Hollywood glamour, with several lining up alongside names such as Pele, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Bobby Moore in the excellent film, Escape to Victory. However, this season the Tractor Boys appear to have their plough stuck deep in the mud and their Championship status is hanging by a thread.
At the time of writing, Ipswich have suffered yet another defeat to their local rivals Norwich, a fixture which they have not won for ten years, despite the likes of Roy Keane, Paul Jewell and Mick McCarthy being at the helm.
The cracks have been widening in the club in those ten years. Owner Marcus Evans has tightened the purse-strings, making it tough for Ipswich to compete with big-spending rivals.
It didn’t help McCarthy, who walked away from the club before the end of last season following pressure from the fans after yet another failed attempt at securing promotion.
Since their relegation to the Championship, Ipswich have only finished in the play-off spots three times, finishing fifth in 2003-04, third in 2004-05 and sixth in 2014-15.
This summer, Ipswich supporters hoped and dreamed that things would be different this season.
Many of them wanted St Mirren boss Jack Ross, who had taken Saints back to the Scottish Premiership.
However, alarm bells must have been ringing when Ross chose to move to League One club Sunderland, who had just suffered back-to-back relegations.
Instead, Evans took the cheaper option and turned to Paul Hurst, who had done brilliantly at unfancied Shrewsbury in League One last term, guiding them to the play-off final.
Shortly after Hurst was hired in the summer, their firepower took a drastic hit through the sales of David McGoldrick to Sheffield United, Martyn Waghorn to Derby and Joe Garner to Wigan.
All three have gone on to become key signings for their respected clubs.
Ipswich, meanwhile, have dropped from their usual mid-table mediocrity to the bottom of the second tier.
Following poor form, Hurst was removed from the managerial hot-seat after five months, with Evans wielding the axe in October.
In his place, Paul Lambert, former manager of Ipswich’s fierce rivals, Norwich, was given a three-year contract.
Lambert, who had previously led Norwich to the Premier League, had seen his stock fall following a lack of success at the likes of Aston Villa and Stoke.
The move to sign Lambert was a panicked one, but perhaps one for their potential tenure in League One. At the time of writing (February 10), Ipswich had only three wins from 31 games and sat rock bottom of the table. Relegation seems a certainty – it appears to be a case of not if but when.
And perhaps it would not be the end of the world.
Lifelong Ipswich fan Sam Scargill told me: “Maybe relegation is what we need. Look how many former League One sides are in the Premier League now.”
He pointed to the likes of Leicester, Brighton and Bournemouth who have all made the climb up the divisions. Once you get some momentum, it can be a springboard.
However, the likes of Blackpool and MK Dons have also shown that you can slide the other way if you’re not careful.
Sam added: “I am just trying to be as positive as possible about the mess the club is in.”
Perhaps for a club that has spent the best part of 17 years in mid-table mediocrity and not made enough of cup competitions, relegation is the best option.
At least then they should be able to attempt a promotion push and give their long-suffering fans something to cheer about.