PTC, ask Spanish & Gaffer about being around for those three trophies, probably got a lot of stories between them
Thing about all this is, when Norwich have been in the top flight they have sucked, with a notable exception under Mike Walker and their little spell in the late eighties / early nineties. In the 21st Century they have got nowhere near the skill and entertainment that McKenna has brought back to the club and we’ve even got closer to silverware. In between, we’ve experienced the worst period in our history. Mediocrity is their benchmark for success, but it’s not ours.
Fair points. We did have that semi-final run in the League Cup, which I probably force myself to forget as I remember watching that second leg in a university bar full of jeering Arsenal fans. I'd argue that season we played in Europe was technically 21 years ago, so it doesn't count But I think it is far from stretching it to say they've had more success over us in the past 20 years. Of the last 20 seasons, we've only finished higher than them in the table for five of those years (2006-2010 consists of four of those seasons, the other being 2017/18). For the other three quarters of the two decades, they've finished higher in the table than us. In that time - they've also won the Championship title three times, spent seven seasons in the Premier League, beat us in the play off semi-finals, and won against us in the head-to-head 10 times (we've won four). While I wouldn't call it 'success' to rival what we achieved in the 1970s or 1980s - or 'success' in any real tangible terms - the neutral would point their record as proof they've been a bigger and better side than us over the last 20 years. I mean come on, put aside tribalism and pride - if we could swap our last 20 years for their last 20 years, any right-minded Ipswich fan would snap your hand off for it!
I don't think anyone living or dead would remember any real Norwich glory days. Two League Cups and a participants medal in Europe isn't anything to boast about.
These things are the stuff of legend and get passed down through the generations. My grandad would talk about the title winning team. I was at school with Roger Osborne's son and my parent's wedding got moved for Cup Final day etc. etc. You didn't have to be alive at the time. Not to mention the influence of players, coaches and managers involved with the club passing on their knowledge and experience. It's in the fabric of the football club.
So you guys won't consider promotion this season by winning the league, coming 2nd or through the play offs a successful year ? Norwich have achieved all of those as well as losing a play off final since Ipswich were playing in the top league in England. If they choke & lose in the play offs that won't matter either
Yes, it would be a successful year and a great achievement if we were to get promoted this season. It would be a significant success, particularly considering the poor form we've had over the last decade or so. But as Ipswich fans, would we consider a promotion season as part of the 'glory years'? I wouldn't think so. To me, the 'glory years' is defined in relation to the history of a football club. Our glory years are the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s, when we won trophies and were consistently challenging for the Premier League (Division 1 back then) title. With such a gap between the Top Six/Seven status quo in English football and the stark financial inequality/divide in the modern game, it's much harder for a club like Ipswich (or indeed Norwich) to achieve the sort of success well-run clubs could do before the 1990s. I think we're highly unlikely to replicate or better the 1970s/80s period at Ipswich these days. Unless a) we were bought out by a nation state (which I would not want to see happen), b) we get incredibly fortunate with keeping McKenna and our top players and getting recruitment near enough perfect to do something like a Leicester, or c) the big clubs p*** off to a European Super League (which I guess would cheapen any success clubs have without those big sides in the competition/playing their best players frequently).
Nobody called the many promotions Norwich glory years , whatever Ipswich were doing in the last 2 decades wasn't as good though by some distance. I'm not old enough to remember when Ipswich achieved anything but in the olden days apparently they were good
I wouldn't. Two decades, no, during the Evans era - yes - but the tragic thing is that it's a comparison with us at our worst in history and even then Norwich themselves dropped into League One whilst we had runs in the play offs and a major semi final (if you want to conveniently start the clock after our last European outings).
The budgies may not have as many points as us but there are 2 things they do have far more of......Fingers and relatives!!
