In these quiet, international fixture weeks, the TWTD Message Board becomes cluttered with all kinds of nonsense – discussions about politics, vegetarianism, the rights and wrongs of veal, favourite cheeses, among many other topics. One intriguing question was also posed recently to a regular poster who seemed to have become dissatisfied with Town’s current players, manager, owner, chairman and footballing style. Which led to the obvious question – why do we support the Town?

It is a complicated question, with any number of different answers. The simple response, for me, is that my family lived in Essex in the early/mid-Seventies, had the Evening Gazette delivered every night, complete with rapturous reports of ITFC victories, and I just became more and more wrapped up in the boys in blue.

But, as Town sit rooted at the bottom of the Championship, a million miles from our aim to roar into the Premiership, there must surely be more to it than that? And, of course, there is. And they are:

• Our colours - blue is lovely, isn't it? Especially contrasted against brilliant white.
• 1962 - winning the championship at the first attempt, a feat which will never be matched.
• Legendary managers - Sir Alf, Sir Bobby. Statues of them both. RIP.
• The training pitch - perfect for picnicking on. Is there a better place to be at 2.30 on a sunny April/August Saturday, than lying on the fake turf, reading the programme and sipping a pint in anticipation of the match? No.
• David Geddis, Willie Young, Roger Osborne, 1-0.
• That picture of Gates, Mariner, Mills and Butcher all on England duty together.
• Kevin Beattie, the first ever Young PFA Award winner, should have been the greatest England player of the era
• European nights - Seventies, Eighties, Noughties. Glorious.
• Mr John - and the corinthian attitude which he and his family embodied.
• 1981 - the best team in Europe.
• Silky passing football - our tradition since the days of the two Dutchmen.
• Warky’s 36 goals, in one season. From midfield.
• Little old ladies and gents with blankets over their knees and flasks of coffee...
• ... all of them laughing at poor little Ullathorne and Gunn, back in 1996.
• Target men - Trevor Whymark, Paul Mariner, David Johnson (mk1), Ian Marshall, all of them fast, lithe, battering rams with sublime skill.
• Marcus Stewart, rounding Westerfeld to score and secure a 1-0 win at Anfield in 2000.
• The youth system - two FA Youth Cup wins and home-grown talent from Beattie, Wark, Butcher, Whymark, Osborne, Dyer, Wright, Bent et al.
• 17-year-old Kieron – skipping through Championship opposition midfielders in the late Nineties.
• 1978 - hammering the Arse for most of the match.
• Finidi George defeating Derby on his own in 2001.
• Our beautiful south and north stands - perfect vantage points.
• The swift walk to PR from the station - for those of us now based in London.
• “Reuser! Premiership!”
• The Portman Road pitch - lush, green, perfect. The best in the land.

HalfMan_HalfTractor added 17:54 - Oct 7 5th place in the Premiership against all expectations, playing beautiful football THAT Bolton play off
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DrJeckyll added 17:58 - Oct 7 thank u for inspiring rather than depressing me :-)
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FenboyBlue added 18:07 - Oct 7 I've never seen the "Gates, Mariner, Mills and Butcher" picture. Where is it ?
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olimar added 19:00 - Oct 7 You were doing so well until- "Ian Marshall.....all of them fast, lithe" He did well for us, but fast and lithe are probably not the first expressions that would come to mind!
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north_stand77 added 19:37 - Oct 7 The 1974-75 season when Ipswich had a great run in the FAcup with replays and visits to neutral grounds. If I remember rightly this was when Clive Woods scored a fantastic goal at Filbert street (neutral ground) which I think was against either Leeds or West Brom. Sorry to be vague but there were so many great games in mid 70`s I went to as a teenager, that I cant really remember us not being an exciting team! Anyway, thats why I am still a season ticket holder

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slowerball added 19:48 - Oct 7 Escape To Victory. How many of us just went to see it because of the Ipswich Town involvement? Plenty I guess (folks of a certain age that is). I went with Chris Lawton, there was a short film of RAF Buccaneers before the main feature. You don't get that nowadays... No reason for you to know this.
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DalianAtkinson added 19:54 - Oct 7 Great article, really got the cogs going thinking of my favourite memories. Franzgumm - i salute you! (My?!) hatrick against Boro in 88 when Mogga & Pallister were playing. Neil Thompson's rocket in the last minute away at southend in 92 Jason Dozzell & Gavin Johnson's goals away at Liverpool in the Cup in 92 Bryan Knights at a "bitterly cold Leeds Road" Marcus Stewart - legend Maricco Taricco - legend John Wark - legend and Sir Bobby Robson - Priceless

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Fatcatevans added 19:58 - Oct 7 North Stand77 The Woods goal was at Filbert Street against Leeds. It was the 4th match in an epic clash against the then champions of England, and European Cup Finalists. It was also a certain John Warks debut. 3-2 to us with Woods curling in a last minute winner. Agreat goal to grace a marvelous match Leeds were tremendous. We were better.
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GavTWTD added 19:59 - Oct 7
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Dissblue added 20:09 - Oct 7 Having possibly posted the original question. I appreciate and agree with most of what you are saying.my first Town game was the last game of the 1962 season (I was very young!) and an experience like that has you hooked for life. It's nice to see from other postings on this board that I am not alone in suffering my 'funny little' ways when it comes to superstitions on match days. ITFC is very much part of life and couldn't be given up even if I wanted to. I guess the original question stemmed from the total desolation of the current situation and the comparison to match nights watching Barcelona and actually winning. You are right, of course with most of the points you make and it is a very apt time to be reminded of why we do this. Thanks for that.

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purplealien added 20:13 - Oct 7 Standing on a upturned milk crate at Wembley in 78
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LeftFootOnly added 20:32 - Oct 7 I remember getting to PR when the turnstiles opened opened to book our spot in Churchmans to watch Barcelona with the great Johan Cruyff get beat 3-0. And the East Germans refs name was Adolf, this gave such hilarity to 2 juvenile teenagers.
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GeorgiDoundarov added 21:23 - Oct 7 - I would honor two more managers - John Lyall and George Burley (hopefully we will have reasons to add Keane to that list too) - ... and more players from the near past - Matt Holland, Jason Dozzell, Chris Kiwomya, David Lowe, Simon Milton, Craig Forrest, David Linighan, Dalian Atkinson, Micky Stockwell, Kevin Wilson, Alan Sunderland, Romeo Zondervan, Mark Brennan, Trevor Putney, Alan Brazil, and ... Jim Magilton - First russian ever played in England (still under the communist regime) - Sergei Baltacha - Bontcho Guentchev's goal against top of the table Blackburn! - That great team under Joe Royal that finished 3rd and didn't make it to the Premiership

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Nevadablue added 21:27 - Oct 7 You forgot to mention jumpers for goalposts on the practice pitch :-)))
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Franzgumm added 21:33 - Oct 7 Olimar, you are right. I was stretching a point with Marshall. But I watched a 1990s season video the other day (don't ask why...) and was reminded how brilliant he was, like Mathie. What we would give for the pair of them now. And, Fenboy Blue, there is a version of the pic I'm talking about in the club's tribute to Sir Bobby - p48. It was when Gates was called up into the squad, to replace the injured Kevin Keegan, and joined Mills, Butcher and Mariner, who were squad regulars. When you think that Wark, Burley, Osman and Brazil were also internationals around that time - all from our club. Those really were the days.

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Reuser_is_God added 22:18 - Oct 7 That night when we went "Top of the league at Portman Road" against Wigan? Oh what a season that was and should of gone up!
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north_stand77 added 22:30 - Oct 7 Thankyou Fatcatevans re; Filbert street. Yes, its coming back to me! I went to the home game and to Elland Road then it was two games in a matter of 2 or 3 days at Filbert street. I would love to see Clive Woods goal again as I havent seen it since that day. I worked at the electricity Board offices overlooking the Practice pitch and mainly spent my time either watching the players or the hundreds of people queueing in the rain to buy cup tickets!! Happy days indeed.

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warwickblue added 22:37 - Oct 7 Wark thundering in for bullet -headed corners has got to be up there with most vivid memories. Along with memories of sitting right up the back of the old West Stand, with my dad, on very thin ' cushions' , supplied in a pile at the door as you went in. Bright red and made of horsehair and a weird sort of plastic covered canvas. Mid-1960s - and I'm still going with my dad forty years on...

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Guthrum added 23:32 - Oct 7 Getting into trouble at school for winning 10p (we were very young) off my friend, an Arsenal fan, over a certain FA Cup game ... Tho I inherited my support of ITFC from my father and possibly his father before him, along with growing up in West Suffolk.
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Ryorry added 00:33 - Oct 8 BRAZIL 5 -0 A.N.OTHER "no, not the country, Ipswich's Alan Brazil scores 5 in a game" Seeing him charge like a rocket-propelled assault tank from pen area to pen area down the right flank! to score - one of the greatest sights in football, ever. Mind you, one Town supporting friend says he started doing so because we've so often been an unlucky club and he felt sorry for us; plus it's never been boring since!! Mmm, have to agree, mid-table snoozing with results an irrelevance were something of a novelty last season...

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Greektractor added 01:24 - Oct 8 I dunno if its been mentioned but Alex Mathie, my child-hood hero and family friend. His first half hat-trick against Norwich in the 5-0 drubbing. Perfect day.
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Boz581 added 07:29 - Oct 8 Mid Seventies my first game against the "Mighty Liverpool" and a 1-1 draw, standing on a milk crate in the lower Cobbold, watching the great Reds run out with The Blues of Town,the Northstand a seething mass of Blue White and Red, "Crazy Horse" Marshaling his troops against "Seargant Mills" men, crowd trouble in the North stand at half time with a coppers helmet being ejected from the crowd, the eruption of noise when we equalised...been hooked since...

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VILJOEN67 added 07:46 - Oct 8 We have won the F.A. youth cup three times 1973,1975 and 2005, how many times have Norwich won the F.A youth cup, Thankyou i rest my case
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VILJOEN67 added 07:52 - Oct 8 How about two england captains Mills and Butcher, proud or what
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VILJOEN67 added 07:56 - Oct 8 10,000 tractor persons in the san siro, singing long after the game had finished, who cares that we lost, spine tingling stuff
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