CCC - Team of the Week – Ipswich Town

The club was founded as an amateur side in 1878 and were known as Ipswich A.F.C. until 1888 when they merged with Ipswich Rugby Club to form Ipswich Town Football Club.  In their amateur status they won a number of regional competitions and the Suffolk Amateur League in the 1921-22, 1929-30, 1932-33 and 1933-34 before turning professional and joining the Southern League in 1936, which they one in their first season (might be best if we go back there the way things are going :-/!!).  The club endured mixed fortunes until the arrival of Alf Ramsey (he of England manager fame) in August 1955, who took them to the top level of English football in 1961 and the league title in 1962.  Sir Alfs departure in 1963 to manage England was the start of a period of decline in fortunes.  Bobby Robson arrived in 1969 and led Ipswich to two major trophies (1978 FA Cup and 1981 UEFA Cup) and several seasons in top flight European football.  At their peak Ipswich boasted internationals introducing the Dutch pair Arnold Mühren and Frans Thijssen to add flair to a team that featured British internationals including John Wark, Terry Butcher and Paul Mariner, and beat Man Utd 6-0 (we’ll ignore the Premiership record defeat, 9–0, at Man Utd).  George Burley led the club to 3 consecutive promotion playoffs (defeated in all), finally returned to the Premiership in 2000 after coming from behind to beat Barnsley 4–2 in the last Division One playoff final at Wembley (watched in Ringwood pub with Leeds and Portsmouth).  Ipswich finished fifth place in their 1^st season —being pipped by Liverpool on the last day of the season for a place in the Champions League. Consolation was a UEFA Cup place and FA Premier League Manager of the Year Award for Burley

 

Some random facts

·         Ipswich became one of the first clubs to implement the use of goal nets, in 1890….and their still getting plenty of use!!

·         Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson were both Ipswich’s and England’s most successful managers

·         The playing surface at Portman Road is highly regarded and has been voted best pitch in the league on a number of occasions…..now if only we, and not most of the opposition, could take advantage of that this season.

·         Ipswich's record home attendance is 38,010 for a 6th round FA Cup match Vs Leeds on 8 March 1975.

·         A number of Ipswich players featured alongside Sylvester Stallone and Pelé in the 1981 prisoner of war film Escape to Victory, including John Wark, Russell Osman, Robin Turner, Laurie Sivell and Kevin O'Callaghan. Other Ipswich Town players stood in for actors in the football scenes—Kevin Beattie for Michael Caine, and Paul Cooper for Sylvester Stallone.

·         In theses days of frequent manager sackings Ipswich left it as late as 1990 before John Duncan became their first sacking….recent years have redressed that balance!!!

·         The nickname ‘The Tractor Boys’ - acquired during their 1st appearance in the Premier League because of the agricultural links to the area. When they played Birmingham City, the opposition fans sang “no noise from the Tractor Boys” during a routine win, and soon their own supporters began using the name to refer to themselves as they jovially highlighted the club’s lack of glamour compared to their more illustrious opponents.