Charity Match makes Magic for Mason

Picture the scene:

It's the day of Middlesbrough at home and, despite the possibility the game will be called off, I've headed down to Ipswich.

As my friends and I sit in Robert Ransome's pub waiting for news of the pitch inspection, I tweet in jest: 'if this gets cancelled we should have a Twitter match instead'.

The comment prompts a popular response: one tweeter suggests 'arrange a game for charity'. And so, Mason's Fun Day was born…

It's amazing to think how far things have come since then and, to be honest, I'm still in shock that it's actually happening! I was warned from an early point that these events can be difficult to arrange (with insurance concerns for players and FA rules to stick to), but I wanted to give it a try anyway.

Our charity game is being held on Sunday 8^th July at Ipswich Wanderers (IP4 3NR) from 12pm until 5pm and is being held to raise money for Mason's Magic a charity that's very close to the hearts of the ITFC Twitter family.

Mason is a 7 year old boy from Ipswich who has a brain tumour. This amazing little boy has decided that he wants to raise money to provide children who are ill, like him, with special treats:

'I want to make as many children as possible smile and stay as positive as me. So I've picked up my wand and cape and begun my magical quest to spread the word of positivity and to always have hope.'

From 'My Story' on www.masonsmagic.co.uk

Mason took his quest to Twitter and was soon spotted by the community of Town fans that are on there. His message of positivity was perfectly timed due to the turbulent year The Blues have had: if Mason can be so positive after all he's been through, we have no excuse to loose hope for a football team.

He soon had a massive number of followers, including some celebrities, and he's amazingly now passed the 18.5K mark! The charity has gone from strength to strength and his account and website often report of the different events that fundraisers have arranged for him.

For me, Mason was the natural choice to be the benefactor of our charity football match. I am really pleased because every Town fan that is playing on Sunday has found us and Mason through Twitter, our game carries on Mason's message of spreading the word of positivity through this social media site.

I would also like to credit Twitter with allowing this day to come together, because it is thanks to my online pleas for help that I met Ross Wishart. Ross is no stranger to charity events and has in the past arranged a 24 hour football match. I was so grateful when he offered to help with mine and – make no mistake about it – without him this day would not be happening.

Ross managed to get former Town player Fabian Wilnis involved with the game. He was a popular character whilst playing at Portman Road, making 282 appearances and scoring 6; including THAT goal in our first home Premier League match against Manchester United in 2000. In December last year, he joined Colchester United's Centre of Excellence: becoming a coach was something he'd long been keen to do.

I have tried to make sure there is a focus on Ipswich when asking 'stars' to take part and, as such, I managed to persuade another former Blue to take part: defender Kevin Ellis who played for Town in the 90's. His involvement with the club went past his career on the pitch though: he went on to work with our academy. Kev's a local lad who still supports the Blues avidly and I'm really grateful to him for taking part!

I also asked a few local journalists to play and was chuffed at the prompt response from the EADT and Evening Star's Dave Gooderham. Dave has been part of a massive change in the local paper and his interaction on Twitter has meant the paper has been able to focus so much more on fan reaction this season. It's nice to have someone who wants the best for the club working in the local media and nice to have such a nice guy playing on Sunday!

Many of our other participants have been recruited by Ross through Fab Wilnis, though. You see Fabian has also been playing for the UK 3 Lions, a team of 'musicians, presenters and personalities' who arrange charity matches around the world to raise money.

They recently held a game in Russia to raise money for Mason's Magic (among others) and, on Sunday, Fabian will be joined by two of his team mates: singer Lewis Clay (who reached the bootcamp stages of X Factor last year) and Rob Lamarr ( presenter of Channel 5's Super Casino).

Adding to the musical talent in Fab's side are Jamie Pugh (semi-finalist of Britain's Got Talent in 2009 – he sang a gorgeous version of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables) and 16 year old Adam Moss (Suffolk born and bred, he was given a record deal after contacting the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Sue Marchant).

Rob is joined by fellow presenters Brynn Lucas and Ryan Eggar and the team is finished off with models Tom East and Matt Fiddes (a bodybuilder who was Michael Jackson's bodyguard).

The fun's not just on the pitch though: We wanted to make sure this is a day out everyone can enjoy. Before the main match, which kicks off at 3pm, there is a warm up match featuring the Felixstowe Dolphins. Excitingly that game will be coached by Blues favourite Kevin Beattie.

Meanwhile Ross has also managed to arrange 30 market stalls with games and entertainment, featuing a bouncy castle, a hog roast and a raffle with some amazing prizes – this includes a signed Kevin Painter photo, signed Paul Weller merchandise, photos from Ipswich Town's last game of the season, some DS and Wii games and much, much more! All these prizes have been kindly donated by fellow Tractor boys and girls (including Kevin Painter himself!).

There's still space for you to get involved too: the event is free to get in but we need some volunteers to collect donations. If you'd be willing to carry a Mason's Magic bucket around for a little bit please get in touch with me or Ross via Twitter: @tractorgirlamy8 and @rosswishart

You can see it's a real mixture of participants in terms of fans, players, music and TV but they've all got one goal in mind: raising money for this amazing cause.

I'm really looking forward to the day and proud to have played such a part in it.

Please do come along and see us on Sunday, it's going to be a lot of fun!

Stay tuned for pics and videos and wish us luck!!!

Band of Hope and Glory

Euro 2012 finally kicked of for England fans last night with their team's first game of the campaign against France.

 

The one all draw seems to have satisfied most fans, though there will always be those who believe that isn't a good enough result: usually the same people who decided months ago that England weren't even going to get past the group stages.

 

What has concerned me today though is a reaction to something that took place off the pitch (or rather something that didn't take place) in Donetsk.

 

You may have noticed the absence of the England Band inside the ground yesterday. It has emerged that Ukrainian authorities confiscated their instruments as they were walking into the ground on a promise that they would have these returned after the match. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/euro2012/article-2158139/EURO-2012-England-band-furious-having-instruments-confiscated.html

 

Love them or hate them, the band have become a part of the travelling England fans in recent years - so much so that they are now sponsored by Pukka Pies.

 

But it seems there are some that haven't taken quite so keenly to their performances and are even going as far to request that the band be banned from international games permanently. This blog on Daisy Cutter explains the adverse affect they believe the group are having on the atmosphere at games. http://www.thedaisycutter.co.uk/2012/06/lets-keep-the-england-band-banned/

 

Whilst I'm not sure how 'tongue in cheek this article is meant to be, a quick look at the comments on the aforementioned Daily Mail article shows they are not alone in this train of thought. It goes without saying that I respect their opinion, I cannot agree with it for a second.

When did it become offensive to have a bit of fun at a football game?

 

I have experienced the same sort of criticism towards Ipswich fans, most recently following the 'party atmosphere' at the final game of the season at Doncaster Rovers. Although for the most part those who travelled to South Yorkshire enjoyed their day, I have read tweets calling for the world to be rid of 'foam hands, fancy dress and congas'.

 

I don't understand it. At no point has it been insisted that every single person in Suffolk join in these festivities, moreover those who have wanted to join in have been happily welcomed and, in my opinion, we enjoyed the day together as a community. It's like the recent street parties that took place to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee - if you wanted to join then you were more than welcome and the day was celebrated with friends, neighbours and families, but if you preferred to stay at home and watch the coverage on your telly you were not judged for this either. Few moaned about what the other was doing because, at the end of the day, it had no affect on them.

 

Each to their own I say and I cannot understand the need to criticise others for wanting to have fun. I said to one fellow blue 'I think you complain about others having fun because you have felt miserable watching Town play for the last ten years and you want to make sure everyone else is miserable too'. To this he replied, 'you are probably right'.

 

More importantly though is Jack Howe's claim on his Daisy Cutter blog that, rather than improving the atmosphere at games (as is its intention as you can see on their site here http://www.englandband.com/index.shtml ) apparently the England Band actually prevents others from singing at games. Another point I totally disagree with.

 

I witnessed the England band myself at a recent England Women's match at the Keepmoat Stadium. I thought they were good fun and certainly did improve the noise for the thousand or so people who had attended that night.

 

'But that's a small crowd', I hear you say, 'it is a different situation entirely'.

 

Well, that may be true but what I witnessed that evening were groups of the crowd being encouraged by the noise created by the band to join in and sing, but after this they continued their chants, where they were already singing out the band remained quiet to allow them to finish. One lovely moment a song was started up by the band, the crowd joined in and after the band stopped playing the crowd continued. They sang the song across the pitch to each other, like it was a tennis ball they were throwing from one side to the other. Surely the effect the band had here can only be a good thing?

 

Lord knows this year's season has been plagued with complaints that the Football League is losing its 'atmosphere'. Grounds across the country, from the lower leagues right up to the Premiership, seem to be going quiet on us as a result of falling attendances among other factors.

 

I know Ipswich fans have been calling for some changes to be made at Portman Road, the Ipswich cheerleaders have been reinstated this season (love them or hate them, at least the effort's being made), their have been calls for half-time entertainment such as the 'mini-tractors' that were featured this year and, by far the most interesting suggestion for me, is the idea to move away fans next to our louder 'North Stand'.

 

All good suggestions and all good evidence that we, as a collective of football fans. Want to see more being done to improve the noise levels at our football grounds. The England Band is just one other way to do this and it is so nice that it has stemmed from a group of fans playing at their own club.

 

I don't see the harm in it and as such I really wish certain sections of football fans would lighten up a bit and let others get on with enjoying watching the game.

 

After all, football's meant to be a hobby – what is the point in going if you're not going to enjoy it!?

 

Last year's 'disaster' signings will shape this summer's transfers

It's difficult to find any negatives in Town's signing of Elliott Hewitt.

He's young, a defender in a position we need back up for and a good prospect for the future. Isn't that great?!

His arrival at Town is easy to compare to our Player of the Year for 2011/2012 Aaron Cresswell: he's young, from a lower league and highly rated: former boss and ex-Macclesfield manager Gary Simpson sent a message to Town fans in the EADT: 'if he continues to play as he has done he'll make it to the Premiership, without a doubt'.

http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/ipswich-town/town_have_got_absolute_steal_in_elliott_hewitt_says_ex_macclesfield_boss_gary_simpson_1_1394268

But how did we get to the point of signing someone that everyone likes?

Sadly, signings as successful as Cressie were few and far between last year. Much has been said about Jewell's strategy to sign big name players and give us a quick fix promotion solution and he has admitted he has made mistakes.

But I don't feel that last year's signings were a total failure.

First there was Michael Chopra, a great acquisition in my opinion. He had an excellent reputation in the Championship (his first term at the Welsh side in 2006 saw him score 22 goals), so the £1 million price tag Town paid for him seemed a snip.

What we have since learned is that Chopra is struggling with personal problems and the club are doing what they can to help (by paying off his debts and arranging a training trip to California this summer to improve his fitness). But I believe we still have in him a 20-goal-a-season striker. He scored 15 this year, when he's clearly had a lot to deal with, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility for him.

It's my belief the fact that we signed him is the main reason many pundits predicted we would do well last year. We just need to find him someone to play alongside: I think, given time, he and Jason Scotland will do well together, but we do need other options and someone young and hungry (perhaps in the mould of Connor Wickham) would work well.

'Ellington had been successful for Jewell in the past.'

Another 'big name' signing was Nathan Ellington. He has been quiet in recent years, essentially since he left Wigan where he played for Paul Jewell, and some fans were dubious about this. I feel it's easy to say now that he's a poor player and to question why Jewell signed him, but at the time I don't think it would have been fair to say that. He had been successful for Jewell in the past and if you have someone who you've worked well with previously it is understandable that you want to have them with you when you move on to somewhere new.

The same could be said for Ingimarsson and Ibrahima Sonko. At the time you could believe them to be reasonable signings; highly recommended with mostly good reputations from their former clubs. With hindsight, both may well have just been too old (or in Sonko's case too disaster prone...), but Jewell didn't have the power of hindsight that we do now. He had a plan and he was sticking to it. It's just disappointing - or inevitable - that it didn't work out.

All these players, along with Jimmy Bullard and Lee Bowyer who also joined our squad last summer, come across well on paper. As individuals they bring a lot of experience to the side, something we really did benefit from for a time. The problem was, there were too many of them: Jewell has admitted this, in fact I'm pretty much paraphrasing his recent interviews here!

The 'Dad's Army' didn't work and he won't do it again, you can't say fairer than that. If he'd opted for maybe just one or two of those players last season things might have been very different. I expect he'll show he's learnt from that this year.

'JET has the power to change games and he will be key for us next year.'

Amongst the 'let downs' last year it's easy to overlook the fact that Jewell also brought in some real talent. As well as the aforementioned Aaron Cresswell, Arsenal youngster Jay Emmanuel Thomas joined the side.

A friend of mine, who's a regular at The Emirates, warned me JET was lazy, but I tried not to take too much notice (he's a Gooner and they never know how good they've got it do they?!).

But, it has to be said, early on in the season it seemed he might be right. We weren't getting any of this promised talent out of JET and it was a worry, he was soon dropped from the starting line up. But Jewell insisted there was something special about him and we should stick with him.

JET for me is the most promising sign for our future: he has the power to change games and he will be key for us next year. The fact that he has improved so well since the beginning of the year is proof for me that, as fans, we just don't know what goes on behind the scenes at Ipswich Town.

We don't get to see the training sessions that Jewell does, we don't see get to see the players day-in, day-out. He was right to be patient with JET so I trust him for the next season too.

'I don't want to see us repeat the mistake of loaning defenders because I want to see stability in the back four from now on.'

So I move on to the other aspect of our new squad this past year: our loan signings.

Keith Andrews and Danny Collins were vital to the success we experienced in October, but when they returned to their own clubs our season turned and, for a few months, we struggled to keep outside the relegation zone.

They weren't our only loan signings, we also saw two short term solutions spend some time in our goal. In my opinion David Stockdale was one of our best players last year, but when he was called back to Fulham we were thrown into the awful situation of relying on a keeper that was widely considered as not even good enough to be our second choice.

The other trouble with loan players is that you often don't see the loyalty from them that you might with a player who has signed a full contract. With Ipswich fans crying out for players who are proud to wear the blue and white shirt, taking on loans doesn't seem to suit our club any longer.

In addition, I don't want to see us repeat the mistake of loaning defenders because I want to see stability in the back four from now on. We saw in the second half of the season that consistency in defence lead to better performances and that can only be gained by long term signings.

That's not to say the idea of loans should be avoided entirely: Perhaps we could use this option to acquire an attacking midfielder. Loans bring some fresh ideas to our game and options for tactical changes over the course of the season. Loaning a forward, someone young with a point to prove who is playing for a contract, could well benefit us.

And so we move to the present day, the summer where Jewell needs to prove he won't make any of the above 'mistakes' again.

The coming months are, in my opinion, his most important at Portman Road.

In general the reports of who we have been linked with are good. It's a hard time to be an Ipswich fan: clubs like us (who are conceived as having 'money to spend') are linked with every player under the sun: some links are good, some are bad and most never actually amount to anything concrete. You have to be patient and wait for official confirmation from the club before thinking about it too much, otherwise you'd go mad!

Joel Ward is an excellent example of this. He would have been a very good signing but, for what it's worth, I think Jewell did the right thing there.

'It wasn't a case of signing him 'at all costs' for me. More, sign him if that's what's right for our club.'

I've seen it suggested that he 'should have done his homework' and sold Ward the idea that he'd be playing for us as a right back as this is what Joel has since said he wants for his career. But I don't think that would have been right.

He will have seen our side and seen that Edwards is a regular in that position, has done reasonably well there and is our team captain too. Common sense suggests that he wouldn't have been guaranteed that position for every game, to lie about that would have been unfair.

Jewell did the right thing portraying to him the truth that what we needed was his versatility. It wasn't a case of signing him 'at all costs' for me. More, sign him if that's what's right for our club.

Fair play to Jewell for not forcing a deal that wouldn't work for the club and fair play to Joel for sticking to his decision to go with the club that can give him what he wants for his future.

Elliott Hewitt, on the other hand, is exactly what we wanted. Bringing him to the club feels like it has brought in a new era at Portman Road and one would hope it is a sign of things to come.

Current right-back Carlos Edwards has had a reasonably good second half of the year, much like the rest of the team, so Elliott will do well as cover for him. I would want him to be given a chance to prove himself this year if and when he is needed (perhaps during cup games, if Carlos is injured or even simply in need of a rest), if this goes well he would then provide the option of being able to push Edwards forward to a winger role, something many fans believe would suit him best.

I've been reminiscing this week about former players who we've unearthed from lower leagues: Mattie Holland, Marcus Stewart, David Johnson and Paul Mariner.

I would use Grant Holt as an excellent current example of other clubs finding success in similar ways, but it hurts too much to think about that man for too long!

These, along with youngsters produced by our own academy, are the kinds of players we have built our history on; I believe that is why Elliott has been welcomed with open arms this week. More of this please Paul...

Having said all of that, the signings we make over the coming weeks are vital: we have to source two centre backs from somewhere, perhaps a central midfielder to replace Grant Leadbitter and maybe a striker too.

I want to stress the importance to not expect us to get any player we set eyes on: this is not supermarket sweep. But, if I could chose anyone, who would it be?

Scott Loach (goalkeeper, Watford): Reportedly he is an Ipswich fan and I like the thought of someone committed to the club between the sticks. Like Wrighty.

Richard Keogh (defender, Coventry): has come through our youth system and comes highly recommended by staff there. Keogh's a popular man at Coventry too, after being made 'Player of the season' for the past two years.

Ryan Nelsen (centre back, currently without club): the 34 year old who signed for 6 months with Tottenham in January could be worth a punt, as pointed out by Ipswich Town blogger Lewis Mitchell http://www.lewis-mitchell.com/05/blues-enquire-about-spurs-defender-nelsen/ The New Zealand international has played regularly with Tommy Smith and so continuing that partnership could help solve Town's defensive woes.

His age will be a concern to some but, as Jewell has said towards the end of this season, age brings much needed experience if you get the balance right in the team as a whole.

Greg Halford (defender, Portsmouth): we seem to be being linked with him quite regularly, presumably because one expects Pompey to lose a lot of their players this summer. I saw him play a lot whilst he was at Sheffield United and I was impressed.

However, he is a right back mostly and we currently have Edwards and newboy Hewitt for that position so I'm not sure Halford is needed. In addition, it's been reported that Greg's not a big fan of Ipswich, though that may just be because of his Colchester links.

James Coppinger (midfielder, Doncaster Rovers): yet another player that has been linked to Town repeatedly over the last 12 months, but this time we've actually heard the player speak highly of our club.

A joint bid was made last summer for Copps and his team-mate Billy Sharp, but it was reportedly not enough for Rovers to allow their two best players to leave. With them dropping to League One now though all that has changed and, having worked with and watched Copps a lot last season, I really hope this is one piece of paper-talk that comes true.

Finally, Town have reportedly been in discussions this week with Celtic over another of our loan players this season: Daryl Murphy. I'm not a huge fan of the Irishman who absolutely exasperated me at times, but he is consistent and I cannot deny his work-rate for Town. He would bring a sense of stability to the squad if he were to join permanently so I'll be 'satisfied', shall we say, if he does but - to be honest - he wouldn't be my first choice.

That's not to say though that I expect Jewell to sign any of these players nor that I will criticise him if he doesn't. I'm happy to leave it up to the man in the know.

At the end of the day, it's easy for me to make a list of anyone I might like to see playing for us, but I don't know how possible that is. Jewell does and I trust him to make the right decisions.

I watch the remaining summer weeks with interest and look forward to seeing who puts pen to paper next!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Take a gamble, trust Jewell, back ITFC

On Thursday, Part 1 of Mark's blog looked at off-the field factors that influenced Town's 10th year in the second tier of English Football League.

Today, Mark looks in detail at the man in charge of the on-field action, the man who currently holds the key to the future of Ipswich Town, the man I've been trying so hard to have faith in this season: Paul Jewell.

To the management, coaching, player selection, tactics, and player performances; I am biased.  There I have declared. I wanted PJ above all the rest of the available options.

I wanted that change and contrast from the outgoing Roy Keane. He is a footballing legend, but it did not work out at ITFC (in a big way).

I saw the post-Keano ITFC as a long-term turnaround and therefore managed my own expectations to such an extent that, despite the deep low at the turn of the year, I was still optimistic that Jewell was the right man to get us out of the hole and scale the mountain.

'There is now the prospect of a group of players that will have a sense of togetherness and will know what the manager expects.' 

There are a few small things that give me more hope than I've had in recent times: mainly the stability (some will laugh) that comes from retaining a talented and committed manager. There is now a prospect of some team selections next season comprising a group of players that have been through some very deep lows together and whom will come back in July for pre-season with things to prove. They will know each other, they will have that sense of togetherness and they will know what the manager expects. Above all, a contingent would appear to actually be on the side of the manager (given some post-Jan performances) and I'm not sure this has always been the case in recent times.

There is also the prospect of a few key additions for the team. Surely this will be for the good of ITFC this time around? The manager has made and admitted past mistakes, but he has had plenty of time and has experimented; now he knows what he has got and what is needed to take us forwards.

Continuity has been maintained by retaining Jewell and whatever you thought of the last season and a half, he brought us Cressa, JET and Chops, and got rid of baggage, this gives me hope!

'I have a concern that Jewell's contract it up in a year, he should be offered a one year extension to attract players that know he'll be there, not only this year, but the one after too'

This summer assumes more significance and becomes quite critical for Jewell as he has to fill core gaps that have been apparent for some time. Next season, whatever it brings, needs to be solid progression.

I have a concern that Jewell's contract is up in one year and our fans, many not overly positive towards him, will be calling for his head in November / December as we enter the usual RfS (Request for Sacking) season, possibly sooner. This situation is sure to be unsettling and should be resolved by putting in place a one year extension (at least) so that he is able to attract players that know he will be here to work with them, not only this year, but the one after next too.

ITFC needs a firm footing top to bottom. If results don't work in Jewell's favour, the club and he will probably part company anyway, hence establishing some additional continuity at the top.

Next season November/ December is not the key time, the end of next season is; we all know what is possible from a fairly low league position at the turn of the year.

To the tactical side of the game, I am not going to spend too much time in analysis mode, not because it's unimportant or not interesting to do so, but this is ultimately at the manager's discretion based on players available and their capability. It is a simple game with 11 v 11, and often it is over complicated!

That said, I like the 4-2-3-1 formation, it is essentially a tweaked 4-5-1, though it really does require some particular players to play it well and to be offensively successful. If recent results are to go by, the depth is not something ITFC have been blessed with.

One thing is for sure, ITFC have been challenged in recent seasons by their inability to switch and change a game. Without doing the maths, it seems Jewell has a reasonably even record in recent times of winning and losing having made changes with the chosen personnel. If he can secure some new players this summer we will have the resources to play Solid (4-2-3-1) or more Fluid (in a traditional 4-4-2 or less traditional 4-4-1-1).

'ITFC are guilty of chasing victories when points accumulation would have been more beneficial'

My last point on the tactics is that playing well takes time and understanding irrespective of the tactics. Having observed the Championship for some time, too long, ITFC have been guilty of chasing games and victories at various stages of the season when points' accumulation would have been more beneficial.

Is this tactics, or pure naivety? I imagine it is part of a team low on morale and built on a high level of expectation that is being exploited by opposition. No one player has been able to build a back catalogue of good performances (until recently) as their team mates have not been playing well and hence they have not played well together or understood each other's games due to the constant changes forced on the various managers. I see this slowly changing and some of the positive results this season are signs of small step progress.

I would add that there seems to be a pattern in the Championship. Cutting the season in 2, the first stage has typically seen ITFC go out all guns blazing trying to win every game up until they realise that they are losing more than they win, and only to find that we have been undone on too many occasions and not had the points in the bag. Our main prerogative has then been to secure enough points to ensure we are not relegated! Happily, ITFC has seen upturns in results in the "vital" second stage of the season.

Next season I'd like ITFC to be a bit more intelligent in games: solid early in the season (first 10-15 games), then in the next 15 games take more calculated risks against teams, and in the final push, exploit those teams with everything to play for by countering their desire for maximum points.

Ok, not that simple, but you can set out with the right intent in terms of style of play, but work to achieve a slower point accumulation and most importantly, know when 1 point is enough especially away from home, and even at home against better teams.

'If we want Porman Road to be a fortress we have to be more positive'

My last point is on the ITFC fans. Like in life, some you love and some you don't like so much! All views/ opinions are always welcome BUT MY BIG ASK is that when you cross that line (Portman Road in this case) please, please remain positive! ITFC needs you and irrespective of your opinions on Ownership and club strategy; Management, coaching, player selection and tactics; or Player performances, if we want Portman Road to be the Fortress we have to be a little more positive and forgiving of small errors of judgement as football is a game of imperfections.

It is our beautiful game, it costs you enough so enjoy next season.

Many thanks to Mark for such a well thought out piece.

Please do get in touch if you have any thoughts on this matter @tractorgirlamy8

Evans, Clegg and Jewell: Stick or twist Ipswich?

With the Championship season now finally behind us, discussion among Ipswich fans inevitably moves from our thoughts on Town's results to the reasons behind them.

It all seems to come down to Portman Road's Holy Trinity: Marcus Evans, Simon Clegg and Paul Jewell.

But the last name seems to cause the most soul searching for the Blues faithful. This year I have literally seen the fan base split down the middle by this debate.

Though you may have sympathies for certain arguments from the other camp, it seems that, when it comes down to it, you're either 'Jewell In' or 'Jewell Out'.

This week I want to look at the debate in a little more detail and will be offering my own opinion on the matter (which is less Pro-Jewell than you might think!).

But first I have received this excellent two part blog from Mark (AKA @markypolo1). It investigates his own feelings on the matter and puts forward, what I feel, is a very sensible view of the situation.

As I mentioned before, though, in the case of Ipswich Town's top management - you can't have one without the other. And so Mark begins by discussing the factors that have influenced his opinions on Jewell's reign.

Our 2011\12 season is now officially over at ITFC! Our collective attention can now turn to a summer of promise; there is the Queen's Jubilee, with accompanying street celebrations, Summer Festivals, Wimbledon, Euro2012, and London's Olympics.

In typical ITFC fan style, my mind will start to wander, the pain of the outgoing season will diminish (yes it's been painful), and the hope and expectation will build for a new season. I will look to next season, but beforehand, I would like to address the rollercoaster that was the last 9 months.

Our 2011/12 season has been a season of significant ups and downs to state the obvious. It has been a season in which many inadequacies have been in full view, an embarrassment at times, and one in which social media really took off.

ITFC's season has been, and I know will be, analysed on many levels: Ownership and club strategy; management; coaching; player selection and tactics; player performances and the fans support.

I'm not going to look at all of these in detail, nor create a statistical argument; as when I started this a few weeks back the aim was to voice my opinion and add a little fuel to the on-going debate!

ITFC has long been a club with difficulties in the last years before Marcus Evans took over these were all too prevalent to see, however we are in the here and now. Evans, as majority shareholder, all but owns the club outright and, in my opinion, he has backed the club and recent managers. The view as to the relative good of ME's backing is open to some debate and it depends on which side of the fence you are sitting.

ME is not a traditional football man, but he has been on record expressing commitment to the future of Project ITFC and his more recent communications have demonstrated an increasing awareness that "you can buy players, but you cannot buy a team" (to steal a phrase).

'I like the fact Evans has provided ITFC with a stable financial footing'

No-one can predict the future and I am not enamoured by the fact that ITFC has an increasing debt pile owed to Evans. However, I like the fact that he has provided ITFC with a stable financial footing (albeit subject to a friendly creditor) and he offers the day-to-day running of the club to those that are close to the action.

He has also decided to back this current manager through the worst sequence of results anyone thought possible and probably the worst that anyone reading this will remember.

In such a situation where Evans is not going to micro manage day-to-day events, an even greater emphasis is placed on having the right off-field team to build and run the club. Basically this is what has been required, not tweaks but a total rebuild and some continuity to add to the mix.

I've really very few things to add on Simon Clegg (love or loath him). Our club has been looking for stability top-to-bottom, from an executive management team to team management, and also through the core of the playing team.

If Simon Clegg is considered to be the right man for the job at this moment in time by Evans, then that's his prerogative.

'Clegg took the helm at the moment ITFC was offered a golden ticket via Evan's millions'

In my opinion, Simon Clegg has probably made more wrong decisions than right so far and, arguably, he took the helm at the moment ITFC was offered a golden ticket via Evan's millions. That said, I am all for the forgiving and learning culture at ITFC since this is how our history has been written all the way back to "Mr John".

In Simon Clegg's defence he has probably made the right call on the EPPL: possibly the only call for a club in our position given the financial constraints under which we operate in the Championship.

The fact that ITFC will have to talk-up our commitment to youth to attract good young players has not changed and this should play into the hands of the fans that are rightly calling for youth to be given its chance.

In the years ahead we will probably have to blood more and more youngsters, or attract those that have not made the grade with other clubs; quality could be in question when the best are being sucked-up by Premiership clubs that apparently run "The Peoples Game".

You can probably tell that I fear the repercussions of what the Premiership has done to football past and future, even though teams outside the elite will do what they have always done: develop and sell. Young players will still have to make a big decision as to whether they go to a Premiership (Cat1) for their schooling, or someone like ITFC (Cat2). We will always have the advantage of being positioned to fast-track the best we have into the first team (subject to them actually being good enough), watch this space!

'Fans feel there is no on-going dialogue between them and the club, despite the various forums Cleggs is said to attend'

Back to Simon Clegg, obviously, in some fans opinion he could do more (much, much more) to demonstrate a willingness to listen and act in the interests of our fans. Some feel like there is no on-going dialogue between the club and fans, despite the various forums Clegg is said to attend.
This is all great if you attend or are invited, but many would say he needs to be seen to be talking and listening to more fans in order to build the relationship for the future.

The rise and rise of social media is worth comment at this stage as it has enabled #itfc fans to express often diverse and sometimes un-reconcilable opinions, especially on matters of club strategy at a time when getting things off your chest has not only been helpful it has been essential!

Season 2011/12 has at times divided and at others brought fans closer: including closer to some #itfc players. In social media, I am of course referring to twitter in the main. It offers so much to tweeps able to access the likes of ALB, Cressa, Tommy Smith, JET, and Chops.

Twitter has also provided fans in the outer circle, those that have a passion for ITFC but whom cannot attend matches as regularly as they would like (me included at times), with an opportunity to interact with fans pre and post-match. It's a whole new world and Simon Clegg could learn a thing or two about connecting with the fans from the players that are investing their time in those fans.

What are your thoughts? Do you have anything to say on anything Mark has mentioned? Leave a comment, get in touch with us both on Twitter (@tractorgirlamy8) or write your own piece about ITFC and I'll happily use it on here!

Mark and I have very similar views on this debate, so I'm especially keen to hear from anyone who is less sympathetic of Jewell, Clegg or even Evans.

Part Two of Mark's blog concentrates on his feelings towards Jewell himself: 'despite the deep low at the turn of the year, I was still optimistic that PJ was the right man to get us out of the hole and scale the mountain'.

It's another excellent piece that takes a very sensible approach to a very heated debate. Come back on Friday to see what he has to say!

Saying Goodbye to 2011/2012

With West Ham's promotion to the Premier League yesterday, the 2011/2012 Championship season finally came to an end. Despite having had three weeks to mull over Ipswich Town's year, I still haven't come to a conclusion on how I feel about it.

It's been disappointing, that much is clear. But even the most pessimistic of fans would be hard pressed to deny that we have learnt a few lessons and the side HAS progressed form this time 12 months ago. There are so many different factors to consider in terms of what has influenced our perception of Town's limited success this year.

Who was our best player? Who was our worst player? Who was our best signing? How were our signings overall? Were the loan signings a success? Did Jewell's Dad's Army have anything to teach us? What do we think of Jewell himself? And Simon Clegg? And Marcus Evans? The list goes on!

In the coming weeks I'll be blogging on many of these in a little more detail; including a special two-part guest blog on Paul Jewell's reign so far. But first I wanted to draw a line under the season and Nick Chenery, who has blogged for me in the past Link has managed to do that far more succinctly than I'm managing at the moment.

What I find fascinating is that, as Nick's blog shows, most fans seem to have the same general view of this season. Where we differ is on our reaction to the games immediately after they've happened. So, what I've decided to do is present to you Nick's excellent season summary juxtaposed with quotes from my own blogs over the past 12 months. So Nick and I will take you on a journey of the rollercoaster ride that was this year.

The 2011/12 season was one of promise at Ipswich. After the new signings of Michael Chopra, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Lee Bowyer and Keith Andrews (among others) the Portman Road faithful were hoping this side could really push on from the past three or four disappointing League campaigns.

'His age doesn't worry as much as please me; he claims to be as fit as his younger former teammates at Birmingham and, as PJ says, I think that is a result of a pure determination to play football and win. Definitely something we were missing last year' On new signing Lee Bowyer in 'Could there be trouble ahead with Town's new signing?' Link

The first game, at least, went according to plan. Town had a decent 3:0 away win at Bristol City: Michael Chopra scored twice to put Town joint top of the league!

'What we saw this weekend was an excellent display of football, especially when you consider what we were watching last year. No, it wasn't perfect and, yes, we have things to learn. But it wasn't a bad starting point was it?!' My match review from Ashton Gate: 'Dare to Dream: Is this a sign of things to come?' Link

But then came a nightmare three weeks. An early exit from the Carling Cup against Northampton, one of the sides that Town beat on the way to the Semi Final against Arsenal the season before, was followed by two crushing defeats against Southampton at home and Peterborough away. We can all remember what happened there, so the less said about it the better!

It's so upsetting to see the side that filled us with so much hope just a fortnight ago descending into absolute chaos. Every time Peterborough got the ball they scored, and there was seemingly nothing our shaken defence or non-existent midfield could do about it. My match review from London Road: 'Where to Town go from here?' Link

In September, as a payback to fans who had a ticket to the Peterborough debacle, the club gave the fans free coach travel to the Blackpool away game. 13 coaches were packed off to the seaside (I've been told it was anticipated there would be 3! - Amy) And, despite a 2:0 defeat, the mood seemed lifted among some sections of the crowd.

In the first half we looked impressive, we moved the ball well, looked fairly solid when Blackpool were pushing forward and seemed to be trying to get on the attack ourselves as often as possible. It didn't look like either team were going to score, to be honest and nil nil at the break was a fair result. My match review from Bloomfield Road: 'Good things come to those who wait' Link

September ended on a much higher note: with a home victory against Coventry City, an away draw at Middlesbrough and, one of the best nights of the season, a 1-0 win against one of the pre-season favourites West Ham: former Spammer Lee Bowyer scored the winner a couple of minutes from the end. October continued brightly, with home wins against Brighton and Portsmouth, and a controversial game at Cardiff where Town were unlucky to see a dubious handball decision give Cardiff the equaliser. After Portsmouth at home on October 18, Town were unbeaten in six games and sixth place in the league.

The defence looks solid: Sonko and Collins finally provide fans with a bit of reliability, while Stockdale is proving a great acquisition both in and outside of Portman Road following another call up to the England squad. And the Chopra/Scotland partnership continues to work its magic, with seven goals in four games and Chopra finally reopening his account for the Blues. My article published on The 72 Football website: 'Ipswich Town: the best team in the Championship?' Link

Then came the biggest game in October, Crystal Palace at home. Palace were pushing for the playoffs and a win would have maintained Town's good run. But a very ordinary performance gave Palace the three points and the form after that wasn't really what the Portman Road faithful had in mind. In fact, there probably wasn't a single Town fan who would have expected seven straight defeats to be on the cards at that point.

Few highlights were to come in those following games, but when Doncaster Rovers came to Town they brought with them Billy Sharp. The striker, who had been linked with several moves to Portman Road, had lost his son to Gastroschisis (The birth defect that causes a rupture of the abdominal wall, which exposes the intestines) a couple of days before the game. Naturally there was enormous support towards him, but not even Sharp himself could have imagined the reception he got when he scored. Most people who were in the ground that day applauded Sharp both when he scored and when he got substituted later on in the game. Humbling to say the least and it was, in some ways, a very proud moment for Town fans.

After that very special moment though came four nightmare games: Town couldn't hold on to any sort of lead. Two of the lowest points for Town fans of any age came in the Reading home game and at Burnley away. Anyone who was at either of those games would have seen that Town were dreadful at the back. 2-1 up going into 3 minutes of injury time to lose 3-2 at home against Reading? Travelling up to Burnley on a relatively cold night at the end of November, seeing Town have 1 shot in the entire game and being branded as a 'pub team' by Paul Jewell.

When Burnley's first goal went in the players' shoulders visibly dropped. After a good starting ten minutes or so they were completely deflated... and you just sensed the ball would be plucked from our own net a few more times that night. My match review after my visit to Turf Moor: 'The last light of hope at Portman Road' Link

An unlucky defeat by Watford the Saturday after left most Town fans scratching their heads as to where another point, let alone another win, was going to come from.

So, when Town travelled to Barnsley on December 10, a game which was being covered by Sky, Town fans were trying to keep a brave face. When half time came in that game, Town were 2-0 down and totally out. Most neutrals, and some Town fans, were thinking this must be the last chance for Paul Jewell, but they never saw that second half coming!

Two goals from Keith Andrews and a goal each from Michael Chopra, Jason Scotland and Danny Collins had Town fans jubilant. Town followed this incredible second half performance with a 1-0 win at home to Derby, a draw at Leicester where Michael Chopra missed a first half penalty, and a 1-0 defeat away at eventual champions Reading.

2012 started off in much the same way that most of 2011 had preceded it.

Town lost three of the first four games with defeats against Forest at home, Hull away in the cup, and the trip to Leeds which saw Town press the self destruct button with 20 minutes left.

'If Paul Jewell were to be sacked today, I really don't think I'd feel any sorrow... I am rapidly losing patience with him. It's performances like that at Elland Road on Saturday that cause the uncertainties for me: a first half good enough to show a decent side developing, but a second half so poor you feel relegation is all we deserve.' My match review from Elland Road, one of the hardest blogs I've ever had to write: 'No excuses for The Blues self destruction at Portman Road' Link

Ten days after that performance, West Ham arrived at Portman Road wanting to gain revenge from the 1-0 defeat by Town at Upton Park in September. Neither fans of the team in blue, nor fans of the opposition team in claret and blue could have seen this result coming: Ipswich 5 West Ham 1? Where on earth did that come from? Town were jubilant.

'I am so pleased to see the boys finally overcome their nerves and have a little faith in themselves. It's about time they started fighting for the win and showing the rest of the league what they're made of.' My review of a turbulent January: 'Keep calm but get a little bit excited' Link

The result seemed to have got Town playing again, with Town winning four of the next five and the only defeat coming at Brighton who beat us comfortably 3:0. When the Blues went to top-of-the-league Southampton in early March, most Town fans were confident their side could get something from the game.

On reflection, they maybe should have done Michael Chopra missed a glorious chance with a header at the near post and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas clipped the outside of the post with a free kick, most in the ground expected that to ripple the back of the net.

'Going on our recent form against the top sides in the Championship (i.e. West Ham), I must admit I was hoping for a point or three against Southampton. You can't win them all, what you have to be able to do is grind out a result even in the games where we aren't necessarily the best side. That's something we achieved at St Mary's' Reviewing this next section of good results in: 'Bristol and Southampton see signs of progress at ITFC' Link

Town's form towards the end of March was, like most of the season, very inconsistent. Wins against Peterborough and Burnley at home, were followed a few days after by a 2-1 defeat at Watford. Like the first game against the Hornets, Watford came from behind to get the three points. The month was topped off by a very low-key draw against Middlesbrough, in a game that had been re-arranged from February, and a 1-0 win against Barnsley at home where Town maybe should have managed more than the single goal against a poor side who had just escaped relegation.

'In my opinion, the recent dip in performances is clearly down to tiredness and, once the fixture list has settled down again for the final month of the season I'm sure they'll be keen to return to their best form.' My comments in 'Fatigue or apathy for the Town boys' take on more significance this week with news that Chopra is off to California to work on his fitness. Link

April saw much of the same in terms of form: A goalless draw at Derby, a disappointing second half performance against Leicester at home which resulted in a 2-1 defeat, successive draws at Palace away and Birmingham at home. Though Town were unlucky not to get wins in both of those games, particularly against Birmingham where Town were by far the better side for 85 minutes.

The final game at Portman Road capped off a very below par home campaign. Most Town fans would tell you the performance against Millwall was arguably the worst home performance of the season. Only a few hundred stayed afterwards for the very half-hearted 'lap of honour', this tells you everything you need to know about Ipswich this season.

However, the season was rounded off nicely by a 3-2 win against already relegated Doncaster. Town were always ahead in this game and did just what was needed to get the three points.

2012/13 Season I'm looking forward to next season, but it is painfully clear Town need to strengthen in most areas of the park.

A new goalkeeper is a must, maybe two centre backs, a right back, a new frontman to play alongside Chopra and any sort of creativity. Paul Jewell has already started the customary summer clear-out, so hopefully he can bring in some decent players and Town can push up the league next season.

Keep believing Town fans.

I didn't even have to tell him to put that last bit in....!

If you have anything that you want to say about anything mentioned in this blog, and you need more than 140 characters to do it, please get in touch with me on @tractorgirlamy8

I'd love to feature even more guest blogs on my site to show a wide range of ITFC opinions.

GUEST BLOG: 'George Best ran us ragged and the crowd were baying for Bobby Robson's head'

When my sister and I were travelling to Vicarage Road last weekend we bumped into some Newcastle United fans spending the day in London.

They asked who we were playing that day and we chatted a little about how well our respective teams were doing recently.

As is always the way, the conversation soon lead to the great days of Ipswich Town and the man both clubs adore: Sir Bobby Robson. How nice it always is to hear how fondly he is thought of by others as well as us.

Ipswich Town. You hear those two words and the first things that come to mind are surely Sir Alf and Sir Bobby. The two greatest men in our history are now forever locked in the bricks of Portman Road - as visitors can now opt to sit in either the Sir Alf Ramsey stand or the Sir Bobby Robson stand.

Doesn't it make you proud?!

Following on from the great guest blog from my Dad about the days of Sir Alf, I thought it relevant to publish this wondeful blog about Sir Bobby sent to me by Andrew Barnard (you may know him as @FelstedBoy!):

Its been an easy choice to think of a topic to write about: Sir Bobby Robson.

When he arrived at Portman Road most people said "who"? Apparently he was'nt even the boards first choice!

You've probably seen the picture of a fresh faced, youthful Robert Robson being greeted at Ipswich station by John Cobbold. It must have been an "interesting" interview, knowing the Cobbolds liking for a drink! They clearly saw something in him that impressed them, particularly as the outgoing manager - Bill McGarry - was almost the exact opposite to Bobby.

He wasn't welcomed by the older players at first, who thought what does this young guy know? After the well documented dressing room fight with Baxter and Carroll thoguh, he managed to establish himself as The Boss.

It started off slowly, with a relegation fight, but the signings of Robertson and Clarke were enough to keep us up. From then it was a steady building job, by bringing in young players through the youth system. This was helped by Chief Scout Ron Grey, who knew how to pick a youngster, and the club set up a youth system that became the envy of most other clubs.

I remember the League Cup game against Manchester United when George Best ran us ragged: The crowd were baying for Bobbys head! The next morning he got a call from Mr John asking him to come into the office, he must have feared the worst! When he got there John apologised to Bobby for the crowd's behaviour (and soothed things over with another drink no doubt!).

The following years saw us produce the best football ever seen at Portman Road. Then the European nights started. The first Uefa cup match I saw was against Real Madrid, 1-0 Mick Mills. What followed was 10 years of the best European teams coming to Ipswich.

Year after year taking on the best teams in the land, and coming within 45 minutes of winning the league.I think at this time we all thought it would last forever: winning cups and being one of the best teams in the country.

I think we must have been every football fan's 'second team', all because we played such great football. Our players also graced many international teams, often captaining them.

Sir Bobby changed our style of play by being one of the first to bring in foreign players. He used a sports physcologist, changed diets and training methods. Of course this led to many tempting offers to work overseas, but he had only one job he would leave Ipswich for, England.

Can anyone ever forget that semi against Germany? We came so close to seeing two Ipswich managers lifting the World Cup!

Through all this, of course, he fought his own personal battles against cancer. I'll never forget hearing the news on the car radio when he finally succumbed to the illness and then the emotion of the memorial game, with tears running down my face as they played "My Way".

Thanks for all the memories Bobby.