Transfer window? More like supermarket sweep for Town fans!

Interesting theory on Twitter this week: davegoods reckons there's seven places to fill in the Ipswich Town first team this summer. Quite a task for our PJ.

I think you've got to consider even more than that. Our starting 11 could literally be anything next year: and trying to figure out who it will be is proving to be quite exciting!

Firstly, there's the ongoing saga with Jimmy Bullard. This story has more twists and obstacles than the A14 and it seems unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Word has it he wants to stay, Paul Jewell has said he wants him to stay, and we know already how much the fans want him to stay... yet there's still now word on an actual contract.

For me, it's all a bit too 'been there done that': remember Frannie Jeffers? The man was a legend at Portman Road for a few months and my god we wanted to sign him permanently. But when it came to the crunch he chose Sheffield Wednesday and the bigger wage packet. At the moment I don't see Jimmy playing in Blue and White next year. Sadly.

But what else does the boss say? Jewell's told reporters he's after a proven scorer - Hallelujah! He says the type of player he's after is Watford striker Danny Graham: the Championship's top scorer this year with 27 goal in all competitions. I fear we'd be shooting out of our league with this particular line of enquiry because there's reportedly Premiership interest too. But I like the way Jewell's thinking:

'I want a striker who will do anything to get a goal. We haven't got that devilment, that type of player who will kick his granny to score a goal'.

Isn't that exactly what the Town fans have been wanting all along?! My confidence in Jewell grows a little bit more every day, thanks to comments like this. It does make me wonder how different things might have been had Keane left at the end of last year and given Jewell some time with 2010's summer transfer list.

Speaking of strikers, there is, of course, the rejected bid for Billy Sharp. Here's a striker with a good reputation in the Championship, who has shown signs of that 'anything for a goal' attitude. There's plenty of time for Town to come up with another bid, but again the rumours of Premiership interest may get in the way. Isn't it annoying?!

Then, there's also talk on fan site Those Were The Days that we're targetting belgian midfielder Germinal Beerschott. He's a very tall midfielder who's been capped for his country. Even if it's not true it serves as a reminder that Paul will have his fingers in pies we've not even thought of. So trust the big man I reckon.

With all these rumours flying around I was feeling a bit dizzy, so I turned to twitter and the ITFC Tweeps! 'If you were PJ who would you spend your pocket money on?' The response was a full blown shopping list from dave_harrison, though as he said it was 'more fantasy football than realistic football'.

Bullard, Goodwillie, Sharp, Coppinger, St Ledger, Montgomery, Westwood, George, Boyd .

Now, defender St Ledger's a very interesting idea that I've not seen anywhere else yet. We were linked with him in January but it was decided that the requested £2.5 million was too high. A strong defender with experience in this league and a good reputation could be just what we need with our McAuley heading to pastures new. Perhaps that asking price will have gone down now his club Preston have been relegated?

Join the Town Tweeps and follow me on Twitter @tractorgirlamy

Elsewhere, I've just discovered http://www.lewis-mitchell.com/ which kicked up some more 'realistic' ideas. Blogger Lewis suggests Shaun Derry; a midfielder who came close to a deal with us last summer but financial issues put a stop to it. Lewis also ponders the possibility that, now QPR have been promoted, Derry's 33 year old legs and stamina would be better suited to the Championship than the Premier League. Lewis also comes up with Sheffield United defender Nick Montgomery. Another player with a good reputation... previous to this year anyway! However, I am reliably informed by my boyfriend (a life long Blade), Montgomery's a true United-ike, most likely, would want to see them back up to the league they've just been relegated from.

Of course all of this speculation will come to nothing if Clegg and Evans don't back Jewell with the necessary finances. I do get the impression they understand that is what's needed to get out of this league. But, will they deliver on that? Was the lack of support from the board the reason Keane left? Did he just feel he wasn't given the money? Were McAuley and Norris not simply looking for a move to the Premiership? Could there have been more to it, more going on behind the scenes than we know?

We'll find out soon enough; but I am reminded of what one fan said on Twitter in response to shouts for 'Clegg out'. What is everyone worrying about? The football season still hasn't finished; there's plenty of time.

So, bearing all that in mind, who would I pick? Any of the above and more besides.

For me though, the important thing is not who the players are but how well they gel together next year. Town have to enter August with a confidence and total desire to win every game. In the pit of my tummy I'm getting the same feeling I was getting in the mid nineties - that we were at the start of something good. It may take us a few years to get there. It may take us four attempts to win the Play Offs. But one day we will, once again, be Premier League.

Was 2010/2011 just the season we'll soon forget?

If this was a school report it would probably read: 'Town have tried hard through this difficult year, but they must do better next year'.

Roy Keane this week told reporters, 'my only regret is that I signed the contract before I met the Chief Executive. I won't be doing that again' (www.bbc.co.uk/sport). My opinion: if he found it that difficult to work with the board at Ipswich he should have left. But c'est la vie and we seem to be happily drawing a rather thick black line under that particular chapter of Ipswich Town history. Time to move on.

The introduction of Paul Jewell as the new boss could not have been more different to the media hype of Roy Keanes entrance. Keane was practically brought to the club with a fanfare and fireworks; followed by a promise that he would get the club promoted within two years. A promise that was inevitably left broken.

Whereas the conference with Paul Jewell seemed much more calm: here was a familiar face with a reasonable reputation in the Championship, who's outlook on the coming season was somewhat more realistic: 'We all want to be in the Premier League but if you go in and you're not quite ready you can be eaten alive...Promotion is definetly the long term goal' (www.dailymail.co.uk/sport).

Town fans breathed a sigh of a relief... that's what we've all been saying!

Having come to a team who had lost ten of their last 14 games (including a 7-0 FA Cup defeat at Chelsea), Jewell's magic seemed to work immediately when we won the next three games on the trot. Something Keane had never managed.

But Town fans remained cautious, wary of getting too excited too soon, and press reports of us making the Play Offs were mostly laughed off. The inconsistency of the following results served as justification for the scepticism.

Whilst one minute the team were experiencing the highs of a wonderful Carling Cup run and an unexpected win over Leicester in extremely heavy snow. The next minute they suffered some seriously awful lows: the game at Carrow Road being the best example. They never seemed to be able to settle down and find some form.

Such is the nature of the Championship, to be fair. From game to game you never know what the result is going to be because any club can win on any day. It's what makes it exciting and it's why I love it. But, sometimes you do think you'd give up that excitement for a bit of consistency.

And that's what I wish for next year; some consistency and good form. To know that we put our all into every game and did the best we could. I'm not sure that can be said for many of the games this year.

Game of the Season:

For most people there's no question: it has to be beating Arsenal 1-0 at Portman Road. What a special night for everyone involved with the club.

Another game worth noting is the 3-0 win over Sheffield United: the day the world discovered Connor Wickham thanks to that goal!

But for me the Game of the Season was Doncaster away. I've been wanting to go to the Keepmoat stadium for years as it's less than half an hour away from where I live. I arrived on a really miserable night huddled in my car before kick off eating a packed lunch tea. But the atmosphere among the Tractor Boys was electric; still reeling from the recent win over Arsenal. That mood seemed to transfer to the pitch as the boys ruled Yorkshire for the night. 6-0 was a thoroughly deserved scoreline thanks to the organised football and pure passion from a team that actually looked hungry for a win for once. Of course Connor was on fire too, which helped a bit!

Player of the Season:

Part of me wants to say Connor for that hat trick alone.

And a personal favourite of mine is Jamie Peters; who earned standing ovations when he was brought on as a sub for the last four or five games.

But my final decision goes the same way as the vast majority of Town fans who voted overwhelmingly for loanee Jimmy Bullard. It's been a long time since we've had a player who can single-handedly change the attitude of the whole team. From the moment he joined us in January we were transformed into a team that looked like we could win any game, and more importantly like one that wanted to.

So, Mr Paul Jewell: Please do whatever it takes to bring Jimmy to Portman Road permanently. I'm sure he's tempted by the lure of the Premiership and its larger wage packets; but if he came to Town he would instantly become a living legend, a name to go down in history, quite simply - a god.

Chant of the season:

Once again so many that deserve a mention:

My personal favourite was 'Barnsley's a s****hole, I wanna go home'. To which my response was, it's alright for you mate, I AM home!

Then there's the befuddling 'shoes off for the town' which I still don't totally get, but enjoy how much it confuses the opposition fans!

But the number one spot goes undoubtedly to a chant that we apparently 'borrowed' from Newcastle. It rates up there with 'Finidi, ohhhhh, Finidi ohhhhh, he comes from Africa, he drives a big tractor' and 'Matteo Sereni he comes from Italy, Matteo Sereni, better than Wrighty'. Hopefully it's one we'll be singing for many years to come...

'Oh Jimmy Bullard,
You are the love of my life,
Oh Jimmy Bullard,
I'll let you sleep with my wife,
Oh Jimmy Bullard,
I want curly hair too'.



Quick thank you to my Dad for sorting me out with Naaaarwich tickets this year, buying me the new away shirt when I couldn't afford it and remebering to call me on that emotional night against Arsenal.

And also to my sister who joins me on many games in the North as she is a fellow long distance fan. But she mainly deserves a mention for singing the above song at the top of her voice in Leicester train station!

Toseland's Tumble Doesn't Stop Him Being Top

Ever since England were knocked out of Euro 2008 I've been racking my brains for something to do while Town are on their summer break...

This weekend I think I found a replacement, the Moto GP.

I've been watching it for a while now, every Sunday I pop on BBC 2 and wait for Suzi Perry to take me through the race track.

This week it was the British leg of the Championship at Donnington Park... and my god am I in love with this sport.

It's kind of like going to see the Blues at an away game - you travel up with fellow fans, stopping at packed out service stations for brekkie and feeling like you're part of one big family.

Except this family has 100,000 people in it and they all love the same thing!



We sat at McCleans corner (the one before the Coppice hairpin), surrounded by blue and yellow '52' flags - the colours and number of British rider James Toseland.

You know, with the footie not doing anything for national pride this summer I'd have thought JT would have got more attention than he has.

His first year in the best league of the sport and before the race he was 7th in the championship, had finished all but two of his races in the top ten and is a shining example of British pride.

Despite some poor warm up sessions, James was determined to do well for the British fans that had turned out to see him - and so, with his bike suit emblazoned with the St George's cross, he went into the race willing to except nothing but his best.

So the race began and all our heads turned to the big screens. You can imagine the collective gasp when, at the first corner, that red and white suit rose above the others and then came tumbling down underneath its bike.

To say I was gutted would be an understatement.

But the super-boy got up, dusted himself down and jumped back on the bike.

He was over half a lap behind the pack and as that gap grew it was clear that the bike had taken a battering - along with his ego.

I was so proud of him for carrying on, and clearly all the other fans were too. Each of the 29 times he rode past there was a round of applause and lots of cheers.



He knew we were there to see him and he didn't want to let us down.

What a boy.

So I'll be sticking with this new found passion for a little while longer - if only for the pictures of Mr Toseland.

Who knows what I'll do when the football season starts again and the two sports clash....

.... Maybe one day I'll be rolling up to Portman Road on the back of James' bike!!??

Legalisation: The Right Solution To Prostitution?

Eighteen months ago two young girls were reported missing by their worried families.

They were Tania Nicholl and Gemma Adams, sex workers from Ipswich.

In the following month their bodies and the bodies of three girls like them were found, strangled and dumped. The Suffolk town would never be the same again.

Today the East Anglian reported that, thanks to the work of the Police and local Community projects in Ipswich, there are now NO girls working on the streets of Ipswich.


I recently made a Radio Documentary about what has been done in there to eradicate prostitution. In light of today's news I wanted to share it with you:

The government are yet to consider the Prostitution clauses of the Criminal Justice and Immigration bill.

It’s a debate that attracts a lot of attention and could see the UK move to either decriminalise sex workers, or completely outlaw the industry.



So what did Ipswich do that worked so well?



But that's obviously not the ONLY way to deal with the issue. What else has been done around the world?



So what do you think? It's such a complicated issue but it's so important that we make our minds up and decide on a course of action to help these girls.




Genuinely, everyone I met when I was making this documentary really believed in what they are doing.

The girls that have been helped by the Iceni project had absolutely no hope in life. They were desperate, at absolute rock bottom. Suzannah would probably have gone the same way as her parents if she hadn't had Brian and Co. to save her.

What if it was you, your Mum, your sister, or your DAUGHTER? Wouldn't you want to do whatever you could to get them out of this life?

No girl WANTS to be in this life, so lets help them get out of it.

May it one day not even be an option.

It's a Mann's World

This weekend I went to Silverstone to support a local World Renault Series driver...

Pippa Mann is from Ipswich, she's 23 and she's the only woman driver in the league that feeds into the Formula One championship.

I covered the race for Town 102 because she's a local girl... plus, it was a nice chance to report on something other than football.

Here's the package I put together for them which went on air today:






Pippa's been driving since thirteen, when she competed in Go-Karting competitions. By the age of nineteen she was driving for one of the top karting teams.

In 2007 she joined the Renault World Series and became the first female driver to earn points in that league.

This weekend she started the first race from 23rd place. As she says in the interview her tyres weren't right and it was a struggle for her to keep the car on the track at all.

But she managed to overtake one driver and with others dropping or crashing out of the race she finished 19th, leaving her 20th on the grid for the second race.

That's the one I attended.

Silverstone was not what I expected at all.

Being a seasoned football fan I thought it would be a beautiful, modern circuit with modern stands around it and maybe some hospitality suites for the VIPs.

But the seating areas... were the grass. And the VIP bit was a tent connected to her truck.

And do you know what? I think it was great!



There were so many people around (10, 000 apparently), and I started to feel bad for my stubborn addiction to the beautiful game. I'd never heard of the World Series before I was offered the opportunity to go there, but its worth a peep trust me.

Its an open race, no driver has won more than two races so far this season, and with less money than the Formula One the teams have to work even harder on their cars.

Its free to go and see, so check it out!

Anyway, back to the race.

Pippa spent her time battling with Brit Duncan Tappy. He was on her tail for the most of the race but she held him off well.

At one point she actually managed to lose him, catching up with the 19th place car. But another fault with the car saw her drop back.

Actually, it meant the dying seconds were the most exciting part of the race as she pulled right over to the inside to stop Tappy nipping past and held him off as she headed over the finish line.

The reaction at the camp was one of pride for her. She'd raced well, especially considering the severe heat yesterday.

She's now 25th in the league (of 26....) but it's only half way through the season so I'll be rooting for her to pick up a few more points.


I talked to her for a bit about my favourite topic, the treatment of Women in Sport. She says she's used to being the only girl in a man's world:



Pippa's next race is in Hungary on the 5th July, so good luck Pippa - give me something to think about while there's no footie!

Becoming a Sports Journalist....The Next Chapter

This Tractor Girl has been away from the scene a little, but she's back for good now!

I have been completing the 'TV News' module of my MA, as part of which I have produced some bulletins for our three weekly shows on 'Westminster News'.

The best and most popular pieces of work have been used for our Website Westminster News Online.

I'm also going to be putting my favourites on our joint Blog 'The Word From Westminster'.

Anyway, heres the interesting bit......

I've recorded a Newsreel that we have produced, it showcases the best work from the module and gave me a turn at presenting:

Captain Fantastic

I was trying to think today of all the Ipswich Town Captain's I have seen in my lifetime.

Of course there's Mattie Holland...

Our very own Jim Magilton...

Legwinski, Wilnis and Naylor in recent years...


And now Jason De Vos.

On the pitch he seems to have such a presence, and it's no different when you meet him face to face.

He is absolutely HUGE - and I was in heels!

He's very knowledgable of the game, the club and how to handle the media. But at the same time he came across as relaxed which helped me to do the same.

Reminded me alot of Jim in that way!

Whilst I was setting up he told me how wierd it was for him sitting at home watching the football on Saturday when he would normally have been playing.

It was like me telling my friends how wierd I felt staying in on Wednesday night when I'd normally be out with them.

Except this was Jase...

And he obviously wanted to be playing football as much as I wanted to be in the SU bar last Wednesday!


As for the game, well I think they are looking forward to it.

The captain feels confident that the boys have made the most of their time off over the weekend.

He told me that the schedule is so jam packed they don't really have the time to practice whats going wrong and iron out the creases.

This week gave them an opportunity to do that.

Also, of course, it gave them a chance to rest their bodies a little.


I had been dying to ask him about David Norris playing at Portman Road and how he thought he'd cope with it.

Its the thing I've most been looking forward to about tomorrow night.

I figured it would be our chance, as fans, to make him feel welcome and encourage him to pick us as a future team.

But their boss, Paul 'I'm too scared of loosing my best player to a better team' Sturrock, has decided to leave him out.

He feels that Norris would be under too much pressure and cannot risk him being distracted.

Thing is, I said this to Jason and he said that that wouldn't happen.

(Just want to point out he said this before we heard the news on the Plymouth team so he wasn't being rude or anything!)

He said that as a player, once you are on the pitch you forget about everything else. All that matters is the game and getting a win.

I think Sturrock should have given Norris the chance to prove his worth, personally.

Listen to the De Vos interview:




Quick note on those transfers - Jim seems to think it'll get busy again on Wednesday and Thursday with regards to our plans so hopefully by the end of the week we'll have some newbies on board.




Finally, the Sturrock article also included accusations that Ipswich have not handled the transfer very well.

Jim actually alluded to something along these lines in his interview. Saying that he felt we had been patient and fair.



But Mr Sturrock seems to think we have created a bit of a media circus.

Thing is I don't think the club have ever said any more than 'We have offered a million for him'.

As my very knowledgable Daddy pointed out: The biggest point for gossip was a Derek Davis article saying Norris had not been to training - which of course led us to think he might be on the way out.

But where did he get that information from? I don't think he decided to spend the day on the south coast watching a mid-table Championship team go through training, do you?

Maybe the Plymouth camp isn't as inaccessible as we seem to be finding it when it concerns transfers, eh?


Favourite line of the day:

Jim Magilton: "I couldn't care less who's playing for them to be honest... I just want to win".

Well said!