Ipswich Town – Alternative History, Club Records & Information

A prosperous period began with promotion to the First Division as champs in 1968.  And shortly after, Bobby Robson took over and although he couldn’t remember the name of the team, he presided over the halcyon days of the Tractor Boys. An FA Cup win over Arsenal in 1978 was followed by the culmination of their European exploits with a UEFA Cup triumph over Twente Enschede – a high scoring Dutch side.  That season the Horses also finished runners-up in the old First Division, as they did the following term.  However, there was never the luck going for them to take the big title, despite the bleeding Terry Butcher, the ancient Paul Mariner and the hairy John Wark. 

For all those old enough to remember their golden days, Mick Mills was the cornerstone of the side.  Looking like Phil Collins and playing like him to sometimes, he played 591 times for the club in his 16 year stint.  How the side that faced Tottenham on 21st August 1976 managed to have an average age of 22 years and 9 months with him in it, I don’t know !!  Almost an amazing a fact as the one that saw Gary Bailey save three Ipswich penalties in a 6-0 win over Manchester United in 1980 !!

The team grew nearly as old as their manager, who was soon off to manage England in the footsteps of Ramsey (being required to leave after an unsuccessful World Cup campaign too). There followed an unprecedented turnover in managers – four in 12 years until they settled on old boy defender George Burley.  Under his guidance the club have gone down into Division One, a run of play-off nightmares, which culminated in a narrow win over Barnsley in 2000 to take them back into the top flight.  They have surprised everyone by playing attractive and successful football, with the promise of more to come.

In the good old days, the club had always been run by an upper class elite who could often be heard to chant “Rah, rah, rah !  Let’s smash the oinks !!”, when entertaining clubs from more industrial areas.  There was a load of old Cobbolds in charge and they wooed the fancy of many a young player they wanted to sign with offers of claret in the boardroom. However, the cases of top vino were swept away in a bloodless coup staged by David Sheepshanks, the new chairman of the club.  You will often hear the cries now that come from the home end of “We are the Sheepshank Boys” … and nobody is really surprised !!

New owners who were in the entertainment business took over and that saw the Tractor Boys fans ebb away from watching the decline of the side, with a lack of excitement as the club dropped into League One in 2002, then further into League 1 in 2019 as lack of funding failed to maintain their status.  Only the appointment of Kieran McKenna as the new manager in the driving seat in 2021 sparked a gear change as he took the Tractor Boys back to the Championship as runners-up and to the top of the second tier with some stylish football.

Famous Players : – Keith Bertschin, Ray Crawford, Gary Dobbin, Colin Viljoen, Mitch D’Avray, Harry Nagg, Romeo Zondervan, Roy Bailey, Eddie Youds, Frans Thijssen.

Famous Fans : – Keith Dellar (former World Champion darts player), Bill Treacher (Actor – Arthur Fowler in “EastEnders”), Griff Rhys Jones (Comedian – “Not the Nine O’Clock News); Ed Sheeran (Musician); 

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Images courtesy of the Colours of Football website