...it made me laugh!! This is written by an Ipswich fan but no, it's not what you think! It's not a piece about how big his club are or how many trophies they've won or anything like that. Instead it's a raw outburst of deep unhappiness and realisation that his club might, just might, not be quite as great as he thought they were. My old man is an Ipswich fan and I swear he wrote this! http://www.jamieversey.co.uk/why-itfc-will-always-be-a-second-division-side.html
It's a heartfelt article all right - and we thought things were bad after relegation to L1 and the result that was Colchester - both of which had a certain amount of carthtasis for the club and cleansed us of the malaise that was rife in the club at the time - we've never looked back. Unfortunately the Binners seem stuck in a rut and maybe need a spell in L1 to restore them to better ways.
can't fault his honesty, that's for sure. i've long said that a spell in league one might help them but it's obviously not as straight forward as that. we were lucky, no question - others are not so - and with their situation behind the scenes you wouldn't bet on an instant return. i went to their game at the weekend and although i didn't think they played too badly i'd be a bit concerned if i were a fan. they have no creativity and i really do mean none at all - goals are going to be hard to come by. if it wasn't for the fact they have mick mccarthy in charge i'd say they would be a sure bet for a bottom six finish but he's canny at this level and i think they'll potter along in the middle somewhere but if for any reason he left, they'd be in big trouble with that squad of players. i'm not intending to have a dig at all either - we've been in their shoes and it's difficult to get out of a rut like this. i know people lambast their attendances but in reality they've held up quite well considering the dross they've had to watch for such a long time.
Even sadder on the poll at the bottom of the article asks for the greatest 'tasche in football Mr Wark is not on the list. Scandalous. I can empathise with a lot of the pain the author is feeling and were I an Ipswich supporter I would look at where the club was both on and off the pitch and feel nothing but sad. It probably hurts even more when you have had a wonderful team and manager in living memory. As time passes if things do not improve Ipswich will be more like Huddersfield whose fans I would imagine don't wistfully look back at their three titles in the 30's or Blackpool harking back to the 50's when for people of my generation they have always been fairly small lower league sides never threatening to win anything. Our kids won't be considering the great ipswich sides of the late 70's/early 80's and more than the great Wolves side of the 50's.
just for a comparison, in the past 30 seasons including the coming one, ipswich have played 5 seasons in the top flight and 25 in the 2nd tier. norwich have played 15 in the top flight, 14 at the 2nd tier and the sole season in the 3rd. this explains why i've never viewed ipswich as top division club. i'm only 32 and started watching football in the late 80s. to me, ipswich have always been a 2nd tier club. they had a brief flirt with the premier league when it first started but struggled and then they did have an excellent side under burley which then collapsed whilst norwich have spent around half my lifetime in the top division and i'm of the opinion that we can expect to go up and down a bit but can expect top flight football on a regular basis. i understand why older ipswich fans get frustrated with my view because they sampled their successes, but i didn't. if you're 50 years old then the view is most probably reversed but if the next 30 years pan out in a similar way to the last 30, nobody will remember those days and the huddersfield comparison is a fair one in my opinion.
probably explains a lot, considering with me being 8 years older and those eights years being a huge success story in ITFC history is why i feel the opposite to you supers. good call.
i have tried to explain this before but it fell on deaf ears everything is relative to when you started getting into football really. for instance, the latest generation of football fans will view liverpool as a club who challenge for cups but not the league - your generations view them as a club who dominated on these shores and abroad whilst my generation view them as a fallen giant.
Blimey Supers - I am off an age when I remember Leeds being the dominant club in English football - look at them now - our feeder club !
in many ways we are both lucky guru. you got to see ipswich at their high point, i got to see norwich at theirs. sure, ipswich were more successful but they've had a pretty rotten time since - at least we've had plenty of ups and downs. obviously we both hope those eras can be replicated in the future (i think norwich are more likely to be able to do that than ipswich ever will to be honest). had i been born ten years later i would have missed out on europe and the excellent teams under stringer and walker. had you been born ten years later you'd have missed the robson era. it does make me laugh a bit when you hear 16 year old ipswich fans talk about their trophy cabinet - that's great lads but have you ever seen you win anything? have you felt the passion and excitement of winning promotion? no. it means way, way less to you than the people who were there
my old man sees spurs as a proper big club. he always thinks they'll get back to the top and dominate the english game. he even sees them as a much bigger club than chelsea. i see them as a mid table premier league club who are currently doing very well! chelsea may have come to the top table late on but they are a proper big club now. likewise, he thinks ipswich should be a top flight club. he even thinks burnley are a big club! he can't understand how wolves have fallen so far. he thinks villa should be challenging - he sees them as a much bigger club than i do. its all dependant on which era you grew up in. one thing is for sure, colchester have always been ****
I remember when Ipswich had a great side and it was bloody painful believe me. We lived in their shadow for so long and it hurt, really hurt, that's why I will never agree with anyone who says; " Wouldn't it be great if Ipswich were in the Premier League too !" Total bollocks, **** 'em, as far as I'm concerned they can rot in the lower leagues forever. As East Anglia's capital we should have always been the dominant football force in this part of the world but somehow that small Suffolk town managed to punch above their weight for so many years. Now the cream has risen to the top at last, so milk it, enjoy it, but NEVER wish for those Binners to play with us at the top level with us. Be very careful what you wish for because if the Binners find another Sir Alf or Sir Bobby .................. well it just doesn't bear thinking about. NCFC 'Pride of Anglia' always and forever
If you go back to my childhood Wolves were the dominant club in Engilsh football - look at them now!!!
I'm 60, and I remember Thyssen and Muhren (not sure about how to spell their names) and how exotic it was in those days to have two Dutch players in your team! That Ipswich side were very unlucky not to win the League Title in the season Villa got it (they faced a fixture pile-up due to being in the final stages of four competitions and in those days clubs didn't have 'squads' like today). I have to be honest and say I quite like Ipswich. Unlike KickItOff I don't mind if they do well as long as we do better. I'd love to see anything that breaks up the big boys at the top table throwing the other 88 clubs a few scraps now and again.
Could have been written by a Forest fan, very similar tale (although their reign was a bit shorter, their achievements were far greater). Got the right manager, at the right time, and went on a trail of glory. It came to and end and have suffered badly since. Forest were just another 2nd division club until Brian Clough arrived, and as soon as he departed (okay, the season he departed), the wheels came off (I think he had lost the plot through alcohol by that point), and now they are back to being just another 2nd division side, often flattering to deceive but keep on coming up short.
Hi Thai. Good to see you back - I thought you might have disappeared forever after last season's 'culture wars' on here. It's nice to have someone in my time zone - I often feel like I'm sending my posts into the void. What will Thai TV do this year, do you know? I won't have any idea until next Saturday and I see what's available.
Not sure what's going to happen regarding the streams. I have a proxy in place so can hopefully find something, somewhere but suspect it might not be easy for the 1st few weeks to find a decent and reliable (ish) free, service.
