Ipswich Town F.C.
4 Comments
What always attracted my interest are the “Where Are They Now” articles, so why not apply this to Ipswich? I’ve taken our 5-0 loss against Liverpool, not the most inspiring of choices, but it was the last time Ipswich lined up as a Premier League side eight years ago.
So how have those players fared in comparison to the downward spiral of Ipswich?
GK: Andy Marshall
Who was he? – The goalkeeper who never really fitted in at Portman Road due to his Norwich connections. He always tried to prove his commitment to Town (wildly celebrating a clean sheet against Norwich) but was offloaded by Joe Royle to Millwall.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – FA Cup runner-up medal at Millwall. Moved to Coventry on a free and was a fans’ favourite there, winning Player of the Year in 2007.
Where is he now? – Third choice goalkeeper at Aston Villa. Now 35, Marshall’s contract expires at the end of the year and is unlikely to be kept on at Villa Park.
LB: Hermann Hreidarsson
Who was he? – Icelandic left back cost £4.5 million in 2000. Hreidarsson developed into a key defender for Town. Moved to Charlton in March 2003 when Ipswich entered administration.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Became a regular for Charlton in the Premier League. However, when the Addicks were relegated, he joined Portsmouth where he won the FA Cup in 2008. Portsmouth were relegated with crippling debts last year.
Where is he now? – Still at Portsmouth having signed a one-year contract extension last summer, but is struggling to get regular first team football. However he captains the Icelandic national side having won over 80 caps.
CB: Mark Venus
Who was he? – Signed from Wolves, Venus established himself as a first choice defender at Portman Road. He made 148 appearances for Ipswich before being released by Royle in 2003.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Joined Cambridge United, fell out with the staff and promptly left. He joined former team-mate Tony Mowbray as assistant manager at Hibernian and West Brom.
Where is he now? – After leaving his post at number two with Celtic, Venus rejoined Mowbray as his right hand man, this time at struggling Middlesbrough.
CB: John McGreal
Who is he? – Signed from Tranmere Rovers in 1999 for a modest £650,000. McGreal became an integral part of Ipswich’s Premier League team. He played 123 games for the Tractor Boys until his move to Burnley in 2004.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Acted as a mentor to Gary Cahill in the Burnley defence. However McGreal was eventually replaced in the side and released in 2007. Retired from playing shortly afterwards.
Where is he now? – Coaching at Colchester United, McGreal usually keeps out of the media spotlight.
RB: Titus Bramble
Who was he? – Highly rated local youngster, Bramble graduated through the Ipswich ranks. He made 48 first team appearances for the Tractor Boys, most of those in the Premier League but left for Newcastle in 2002 after Town’s relegation.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Joined Newcastle for £6 million but became a derided figure. Infamous for his lapses in concentration, Bramble rehabilitated his image when he joined Wigan, winning four player awards in 2009.
Where is he now? – Bramble is at Sunderland having signed for £1 million. He has become a first team regular after accomplished performances against Manchester United and Arsenal.
RM: Jamie Clapham
Who was he? – Clapham won Player of the Year in the promotion winning campaign of 1990-00. He garnered a strong reputation at Portman Road. However, Clapham moved to Birmingham City in January 2003.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – An ever-present at Birmingham until an injury in 2003 forced him out of the side. He left for Wolves where he only played for 26 times in an uneventful two-year stint. Moved on to clubs like Leicester City and Notts County.
Where is he now? – At hometown club Lincoln City and has signed a one-year contract. He has currently played eight times for the League Two side.
CM: Matt Holland
Who was he? – Are you having a laugh? The influential Ipswich captain became the driving force in Ipswich’s midfield. He represented his country, the Republic of Ireland at the 2002 World Cup Finals. He played for Ipswich after relegation, but moved to then-Premier League side Charlton in 2003.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – He became Charlton’s captain and was an ever-present in his debut season at the Valley. He amassed a series of individual awards including Fans’ Player of the Year in 2008.
Where is he now? – Works for the BBC as a pundit, recently covered the Norwich-Ipswich local derby for BBC One.
CM: Tommy Miller
Who was he? – Renowned for his penalty-taking expertise, Miller played for the club in two separate spells. He first joined Ipswich in 2001 but left for Sunderland on a free transfer.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Joined boyhood club Sunderland in 2005, but was part of the squad that finished bottom of the Premiership with 15 points, a record low at the time. Miller rejoined Ipswich in 2007 but failed to break into Roy Keane’s squad and was released. He signed for Sheffield Wednesday.
Where is he now? – Still at Sheffield Wednesday, but now plays League One football after the Owls’ relegation last season.
LM: Martijn Reuser
Who was he? – The injury-prone Dutch midfielder was a talented player. Signed from Ajax, Reuser became the creative influence on the wing. Stayed with the club after relegation but injuries, loss of form and a falling out with Royle resulted in his exit in 2004.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Fans of Dutch football will know, he signed for Willem II and played 47 times over two years before moving onto RKC Waalwijk. He had a two-year spell there and then moved to NAC Breda.
Where is he now? – He continued his career at NAC Breda but retired in the summer.
ST: Darren Bent
Who was he? – Young starlet who broke into the first team towards the end of 2002. Bent had an impressive career at Ipswich; he scored 19 goals in his last season there before moving to Charlton for £2.5 million plus clauses.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Good goalscoring record in the Premier League, 31 in 68 for Charlton, 18 times in 60 for Tottenham (mostly as substitute) before he moved to Sunderland for £10 million plus add-ons.
Where is he now – At Sunderland, Bent is considered to be England’s most prolific striker. 31 goals in 50 Sunderland games speak volumes, one goal in seven international appearances, doesn’t.
ST: Marcus Bent
Who was he? – Came to Ipswich after stints at Brentford, Crystal Palace, Port Vale and, more successfully, Sheffield United and Blackburn. Marcus Bent played 61 times for Ipswich, scoring 21 times in his three-year spell.
Post-Ipswich fortunes – Varying degrees of success. Low scoring periods at Charlton and Everton, before doing relatively well at Wigan. He joined Birmingham in 2008 but struggled to break into the first team.
Where is he now? – Currently on loan at Wolves, has only played twice to date.
Hopefully one day I will be able to write a similar article about the current team gracing the heights of the Premier League, although this looks doubtful on current form. Apologies for what will be a lengthly read for some, but it was crucial to accurately reflect what each player has done for the club since leaving. Most of the players fared better off when they left us but, as is naturally to a majority of footballers, eventually petered out and seeing where some players are now is quite surprising.
Hope you all enjoyed the read.
Nathan Beales
Add Comments
It’s about time Ipswich offloaded some of the deadweights at the club in a time when all we are interested in is moving forward. Today’s confirmation that Gavin ‘car vandal’ Williams is on his way to Bristol City for a reported £300,000 (although £100,000 has been banded about too) will hopefully open the door for a few more players that have – in my opinion – only managed to be able to wear the blue of Ipswich because we have been so poor over the past three seasons, both on and off the pitch. Jim Magilton has gone on record this week to say he’d like to bring in three more players before the end of the transfer window, which will mean three less places up for grabs for either first team or fringe players. So who should stay? Who should go?
Goalkeepers
Shane Supple has been offered a chance by Jim Magilton to fight for the number one jersey and with the hopefully imminent arrival of Richard Wright, will give Town two competent keepers.
Defence
A fantastic job by Jim Magilton to lure Gareth McAuley to Ipswich. With his arrival, now is the time to revolutionise our defence with perhaps another signing in this area. Cardiff’s Roger Johnson has been linked and would make a superb acquisition. The ever-improving Alex Bruce deserves his place in the Town squad and with the recent addition of Pim Balkenstein, competition will be fierce for a central defensive position. David Wright is a fine right-back and unlike last season should be able to stay in this position without having to play out of his comfort zone. A massive hole in the Town squad is at left back. Dan Harding for me is typical of the players that frequented the Ipswich squad in the dark years that preceded Marcus Evans’s takeover. It’s time for him to go. Likewise Matt Richards, who has spent almost all of the past two season at Brighton. It’s about time they took him off our hands full-time and at cost. I wonder where this leaves town veteran Richard Naylor? Personally I feel he’s had one injury too many and has also been responsible for one too many defensive mishaps. Perhaps it’s time for Bam Bam to move on? Competition for defensive places may also come from academy youngsters Chris Casement and Tommy Smith. For once I feel optimistic about the Ipswich Town defence.
Midfield
An area I feel we are very strong in, that needs little or no improvement. Although our midfield as a whole lacks pace, our fluid passing football at Portman Road last season proved we can gain the yards with clever balls. David Norris is a proven quality Championship player, Owen Garvan is a player on the up and up, Velice Sumulikoski has shown signs of considerable talent and Danny Haynes is justifiably wanted by a number of Premiership sides. I expect Tommy Miller to keep his place in the Town squad (but only as a substitute), however Gary Roberts should be sold and would have been if former club Acrington Stanley could afford his services again. As far as Jaime Peters is concerned; I don’t think he’ll ever deliver. His blistering pace down the flanks has always been spoiled by his inability to produce an end product. Time to sell I feel.
Attack
Firstly; what to do with Dean Bowditch? In the reserves he helps himself to countless goals and since scoring that hat-trick away at Coventry a couple of seasons ago we expected so much of him, yet he’s never delivered. Jim’s offered him another season, so we’ll see what happens there. Jon Walters has been a revelation and can also play a supporting role or on the wing. The expectations on him next season will be far greater than last. Alan Lee and Pablo Counago could make a great strike partner to what will hopefully be a proven 20+ goalscorer when Magilton finally bags his man, whoever that may be. As for Billy Clarke; I get the impression that Magilton has lost faith in him after giving him a run in the team last season. With first team appearances virtually non-existent in 2007/08, we could very well see the Northern Irishman on his way from Portman Road.
Add Comments
While doing a little research on the Marcus Evans sponsorship deal I came across this rather odd message in the search results for his official business empire website:
F**k Th3 W0rld!? Incongruous terminology for the delicately constructed lingo splashed all over his tidy corporate website. Perhaps our sleepy Suffolk town is just the start in Evans’s possible takeover of the planet? Let’s concentrate on the Premiership first shall we Marcus?
1 Comment
Many Town fans could be forgiven for thinking why on earth Jim Magilton is aiming his crosshairs at Colchester’s Kevin Lisbie after losing out on Newcastle’s Shola Ameobi and West Brom’s Kevin Phillips. One fan on an Ipswich message board interestingly commented: “Why are we going for a secondhand Escort, when we were in the market for secondhand Mercs?” While there’s no doubt that Phillips and Ameobi hold veritable goalscoring prestige and could probably bag a hatful of goals in the blue of Ipswich, Lisbie could prove to be the perfect – and cheaper – alternative.
Although – like Gareth McAuley at Leicester – Lisbie was part of a relegated side, Colchester had the opposite problem to the Foxes – they could score goals, but let too many in. Last season Lisbie netted an impressive 17 times from 42 appearances, which isn’t bad for a team that finished 15 points from safety.
The problem I would have with this signing is that one decent season in a career spanning 13 years doesn’t constitute the ‘proven goalscorer’ Jim Magilton has yearned for since being handed Marcus Evans’s millions. Lisbie was on the books at Charlton for 12 of the seasons, only netting 17 times for the Addicks in a stint at the club that saw him loaned out to five different clubs (including Norwich who didn’t want him), before settling for a permanent move to Colchester.
With Marcus Evans’s millions evidently at Jim Magilton’s disposal there is no need for him to take a risk on what is evidently an unpredictable striker. Personally, I am hoping this is only ‘paper talk’ and that a Premiership quality striker will come available when the wheeling and dealing among bigger sides begins after Euro 2008, that forces the likes of Ameobi out in order to secure first team football elsewhere.
5 Comments
He’s alright that Marcus Evans for pumping his millions of pounds into my beloved football team and saving us from the purgatory of mid-table football (all being well). I don’t know him and like 99.9% of Town fans, I don’t even know what he looks like. Sometimes I wonder if he has a secret underground office in London that is reachable via an underground tunnel from Portman Road that only Jim Magilton and Derek Bowden are privvy to?
However, this invisible grip on the club and insistence on anonymity is definitely to be commended and is rather refreshing in this age of Thaksin Abramaglazers. That was until a week or so ago when I found out that his name will be emblazoned across the Town strip until 2013 in big white letters. This crosses a line for me. It’s as if he has declared to the world that Ipswich is solely his and it almost feels as if the club is now a handy promotional vehicle for his hospitality empire, which – if all goes to plan – will see his brand advertised to millions of people when Town do make the Premiership.
Imagine Manchester United having ‘Malcolm Glazer’ printed on their shirts or ‘Hicks and Gillett’ at Liverpool? There’d be chaos! Sure, Evans’s invisibility sets him apart from the hate figures mentioned above, but perhaps he could have left the sponsorship open to the number of local companies interested in taking the opportunity? People may welcome the reported £4m the sponsorship deal will bring into the club, but I much preferred having the local likes of Fisons across the shirt, even if it was a shit sponsor, literally.
1 Comment
After an exciting two weeks of transfer talk around Portman Road with names such as Kevin Phillips, Roger Johnson, Gareth McAuley and Emile Mpenza bounded about, today sees the first piece of solid transfer news appearing with Newcastle accepting a £3.5m bid for striker Shola Ameobi – a significant sum for any Championship side to part with. Thing is: Is he any good?
He graduated out of Newcastle’s youth set-up after joining the club at 13 years old to make his senior debut for Toon in the 2000/01 season under Ipswich legend Sir Bobby Robson (who in his autobiography rated Ameobi extrememly highly) and has since made 135 starts, 95 as sub and netted 46 goals. Hardly a Ronaldo hit-rate, but an intriguing one nevertheless whilst playing for a team that has averaged a mid-table finish for the past four seasons.
More recentely, Ameobi moved to Stoke on loan, making three appearances without scoring, this of course coming after a lengthly two season spell where he barely kicked a ball thanks to a hip injury. With Stoke, Norwich, Middlesborough and MLS side Toronto interested, it seems as though there is still a demand for Ameobi’s services, with Town perhaps winning out thanks to Bobby Robson’s connections with Ipswich and of course Charlie Woods, Robson’s assistant at Newcastle and now to Jim Magilton at Portman Road who will be well aware of the player.
Although Ameobi has appeared on those three occasions for Stoke, this will be his first full year of playing at Championship level, and along with Kevin Phillips, will most definitely be an early contender with bookmakers for being top goalscorer in the division. A signing everyone in Ipswich will be happy with and the first quality out and out striker the club have had on their books since Darren Bent.
Add Comments
It Was 30 Years Ago Today
May 6 is always a date in the calendar few Town fans forget, not least those who were at Wembley Stadium on this day in 1978 when Ipswich Town lifted the F.A Cup for the first and only time in their history. I still had another three years to go before I was to be brought into the world, but through my Grandfather and Uncle’s who were there, plus the countless times I have watched the match back, the win feels special to me and the generations of fans that were born post the Bobby Robson era. Here I have collected some footage and added some links to celebrate one of the proudest days of our great club’s history. Be sure to take time to out look at the excellent collection of F.A Cup memorabilia and articles at the Pride of Anglia website (www.tmwmtt.com).
3rd Round
Cardiff 0-2 Ipswich Town
> Match report from Pride of Anglia
> Pre-match Bobby Robson and Mick Mills video
4th Round
Ipswich Town 4-1 Hartlepool
> Pride of Anglia match report
> Post-match Bobby Robson video
5th Round
Bristol Rovers 2-2 Ipswich Town
> You Tube footage of Bristol goals
5th Round Replay
Ipswich Town 3-0 Bristol Rovers
> Mick Mills post-match video
6th Round
Millwall 1-6 Ipswich Town
> Pride of Anglia report
> Bobby Robson talks about comments he made about action towards Millwall hooligans
Semi Final
West Brom 1-3 Ipswich Town
> Video highlights from You Tube
> Pre and post-match interviews with Mills, Mariner and Robson
The Final
Ipswich Town 1-0 Arsenal
> Video highlights of the match
> Pre-match video interview with Malcolm Macdonald and Paul Mariner
> Post-match interviews with Bobby Robson and the players
Add Comments
“Fabian Wilnis is a Blue, is a Blue, is a Blue”
With the news coming out of Portman Road today that Fabian Wilnis will not be offered a new contract next season, I thought it fitting to pay tribute to one of the club’s finest ever servants.
Arriving from De Graafschap in his native Holland for just £200,000, Wilnis debuted in the 1998-99 season as a replacement for the ageing Mick Stockwell as George Burley’s Town side chased promotion once again to the Premiership. His first start came on 9th January 1999 in a depressing 1-0 home defeat against Grimsby Town, before going on to make another 292 appearances in the blue of Ipswich.
The following season Wilnis was an integral part of the team that was to finally find promotion to the Premiership. With Town tipped for instant relegation the season after, Wilnis was to silence all the critics and produce one of the greatest moments in recent Town history when treble-winning Manchester United came to Portman Road, a night nobody, least Wilnis will ever forget.
After a slick passing movement from defence, David Johnson swept the ball to his right where a free Wilnis calmly burst into the 18 yard area and drilled the ball home powerfully past Fabian Barthez. Portman Road erupted as Wilnis leapt to the corner flag to scenes of pandemonium and adulation. Despite a David Beckham equaliser that night, Town earned a 1-1 draw, the praise of Beckham and Ferguson and were to finish the campaign fifth.
The following season Wilnis fell out of favour somewhat after storming down the player’s tunnel following a 30th minute substitution in the UEFA Cup game against Helsingborgs in a season Town fell alarmingly out of the Premiership. However in 2002-03 under Joe Royle, Wilnis fully reclaimed his position at right back, making 43 appearances and scoring twice, including a memorable goal away at Norwich, as Town sunk the Budgies 2-0, further cementing Wilnis’ hero status amongst the fans.
The following two seasons, Town twice fell victim to West Ham in the play-off semis, yet now approaching his mid-thirties, Wilnis put in 89 appearances across the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns. Although the 2005-06 season was to end disappointingly for Town, ending up a lowly 15th, Wilnis deservedly scooped the Supporters Player of the Year award, testament to his continued commitment and dogged determination in the Ipswich back four.
Under Jim Magilton and Town in a transitional period, Wilnis found first team places scarce as age began to catch up with him. He made his final appearance in a Town shirt on 5th January this year in the home defeat by Portsmouth in the FA Cup – almost nine years to the day he first donned the number two shirt he made his own for almost a decade.
293 appearances, 6 goals and a lifetime of memories, Fabian Wilnis, we salute you.
Add Comments
Good, But Not Good Enought
Town kept their part of the bargain for a play-off place after earning a deserved three points over promotion hopefuls Hull City this afternoon thanks to an Alan Lee header, but as expected; results went against us, meaning it’ll be the Championship again for another season.
For a side battling for an automatic place, Hull rarely threatened the Ipswich goal and the tone was set after just two minutes when returning hero Shefki Kuqi had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside.
What followed was a series of spurned chances for Town that should have had this game wrapped up before half time. Town pushed forward throughout with extreme confidence, passing the ball briskly and neatly in a manner that would have a neutral scratching their head as to why it wasn’t Ipswich who were pushing for the top two this afternoon.
Referee Andre Marriner wisely allowed play to go following an awful foul by ex-Blue Wayne Brown, which led to Tommy Miller smacking the post after 19 minutes. Moments later, some excellent work inside the 18 yard box from Counago set up Alan Quinn beautifully for him to shoot wide, before the former Sheffield United midfielder saw another effort almost skim the crossbar.
Hull came out looking more enthusiastic at the start of the second half, but were quickly surpressed by Town, who continued their unrelenting assault on the Tigers’ goal.
Counago wasted a chance from just 10 yards out following a superb Owen Garvan pass, before Quinn wasted a further two efforts. When a last ditch Andy Dawson tackle denied a golden Counago opportunity five minutes later, it felt as though Town would never find their deserved breakthrough.
Enter substitute Alan Lee who replaced the wasteful Quinn. With twenty minutes remaining, the Irish international delicately headed to Jon Walters to the left of the goal, who crossed the ball back in for Lee to head the ball into the back of the Hull net.
Other than a long range Marney effort in the final 20 minutes, Town held their 1-0 lead with great comfort.
With Wolves bagging a winner late on, Palace thrashing Burnley and ten man Watford equalising around the time of Lee’s winner, the final whistle was met with muted cheers, with players, staff and fans finding it hard to hide the disappointment of missing out on the play-offs.
Town finish the season as the best home team in the league, with four of the top six defeated at Portman Road, but it is our dreadful away form that has denied us promotion. If Town had managed the away form of Leicester who were relegated today, we would have finished third. If we’d replicated the away form of contemporaries outside the play-offs such as Wolves and Sheffield United, Ipswich Town would be a Premiership side. However, we can all go into the 2008-09 with supreme confidence compared to this time last year. An exciting summer of transfers awaits.
Home 
