Good post JWM. JWM certainly wasn't a fan of PJ although I remember about 3 games in this season after a few good performances and a few good signings there was certainly talk on here about things looking bright and that included JWM (albeit only for a small amount of time). As for Spanish talking sense, the only manager he has backed since Joe Royle has been Roy Keane the person who almost single handedly brought this club to its knees, and the person for whom we still have not recovered from. There's no question Mick and TC have done an outstanding at this club and their achievements should quite rightly IMO rank up there with the best. I don't think I've ever seen an ITFC team be soo good defensively and I don't think we've seen team spirit like this since the Burley era and team spirit goes a long long way when making a successful team. He wasn't my favoured choice and I will always I think be very aware of Micks limitations because he's always been in my eyes a manager who sees things as half empty rather than half full and generally builds very workman like teams, however he will always have my full support, there's only 1 manager in my time of supporting ITFC who I haven't supported (I think everyone knows who). He definitely feels like a safe pair of hands and I have no doubt he will take us to the PL although not sure beyond that but who cares as I think we are finally halting the decline since ME came to the club and it would be nice to be at the right end of the table for a change. I think what is great is we seem to be getting back to the old Ipswich again, we're getting a team showing good team spirit, fighting for the cause, often players with something to prove. With Clegg going it also feels less like we are being run as a business venture and with the return of Klug and the proposals for a Cat 1 academy we seem to be finally getting our priorities right!! I'm still cautiously optimistic because we've seen so many false dawns over the past 10 years but at least if feels like we have halted the decline and are putting the foundations down for success. At the start of the ME era it seemed we need to get to the PL as quickly as possible without having the foundations in, Keane ripped out any which were already there and PJ was trying to build Rome in a day on quicksand, it just feels like with Mick whatever happens we won't go backwards!!
Once we were safe last season everyone clocked off. Once you're challenging at the top though it's a different kind of pressure and we don't have any players who have any experience of that. Cardiff and Hull do, Reading and Norwich will next season. It comes down to our own perspective and I know I've got a lot more pragmatic and think in terms of building from the ground up whereas three or four years ago I believed firmly in aiming high from the off and trying to fly in at the top. If we had not spent over ten years trying to get promoted THIS SEASON and trying to build for a few years ahead we would be up by now. Let's build from the back, we still need six or so players.
Can you honestly see us losing 7 consecutive games under Mick? We haven't lost back to back games since he's been here! The aim of this thread was to show appreciation for the minor miracle he has achieved in 6 months. Yes we are very much a work in progress but I believe strongly that our serious rate of decline has been halted and some firm foundations for recovery have now been laid. We have the nucleus of a young talented team and with a few canny additions in the summer we will be a force to be reckoned with next season. I agree with PTC that Mick's first, second and third priority is not get beat and to make it difficult for the opposition to score but is that such a bad thing? All serious teams are built from the back and you only have to look at the great Ipswich teams of the 70s & 80s to realise that! I am not saying that we are on the verge of a team as good as those but the decline has been arrested and we can start looking upwards from now!
As I've said every season recently, top half position all season will be a huge sign of progress to me.
I for one would like to show my appreciation to Mick and Terry, they have done a fantastic job (so far, long may it continue) and not for many a long year have I been as vocally optimistic, always hopeful but not with much confidence. At the moment being an Ipswich fan is enjoyable, at times it has been hard work.
Look at you getting in the rep spirit. Hope you don't start abusing you new found rep powers, I could quite easily turn your lovely string of cards into red ones
I know SD, just don't mention that envelope... What the good lord giveth he can just as easily taketh!
I hope that this board doesn't turn flat over the summer once we have finished our season next Saturday...
I've put on a different thread that we have good reason to be optimistic for next season. The run really has been that good even when we were 'on the slide' again during Janurary it wasn't really that bad (LDDL, we've had worse). Think we can finally look forward to a top half season and maybe, just maybe, one step more.
You know how it will go JWM. Thread after thread of speculation, people on holidays and a general lack of action. You know as well as I do we'll both be here
