Irish at Ipswich Written by Cotter_kyle on Friday, 30th May 2014 14:17 As an Irish fan of Ipswich I want to take a look at the impact that we have made on the Tractor Boys over the years. The obvious one is Mick McCarthy, the current manager of the Town. He took over on November 1st 2012 and guided us from a relegation-threatened season to a solid 14th-place finish. Mick then improved upon that landing us in ninth position last term. He has provided stability since taking his role and is definitely a ‘paddy’ to be proud of. There are currently four Irishmen on the books of Ipswich’s first team squad. After David McGoldrick picked up an injury in February putting him out for ten weeks, Daryl Murphy became the main man up top. Scoring 13 goals in one season, a personal best, he earned a call up to the Irish senior team for the friendly against Serbia in March and was also chosen for the summer friendly matches against Turkey, Italy, Portugal and Costa Rica. In June 2013 we saw another Irishman sign up for the Tractor Boys, it was Jay Tabb from Reading. Jay has struggled in his first season with the almost ever-present Cole Skuse and Luke Hyam running the engine room. Stephen Hunt has been a cult hero at every club he’s played at and its been no different for the fans at Portman Road. His long curly locks and his energy on the pitch seem to be enough to win over any fan. We now look at Alan Lee, Lee is currently part off the coaching staff but is also eligible to play for the first team although he is yet to make a league appearance since rejoining the club. A very exciting young talent who looks likely to make the big step into the first team this season is underage Irish international, Jack Doherty. He’s currently on loan at Waterford United and has been told by Mick McCarthy that he needs to play well otherwise he “won’t have a chance†(at Ipswich). Now we come down to the final ‘Irishman’ at the club, David McGoldrick. David has recently revealed his desire to receive a call up to the boys in green, after discovering he has Irish relatives. He was quoted as saying “It’s up to Martin O’Neill if he wants to pick me, but I’d love it if he did". There have been many other Irish contributors to the Tractor Boys since Mick O’Brien was in charge back in 1936, I’m sure that if these lads I’ve mentioned keep doing what they’re doing the rewards for club and country will be endless. Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
|
Blogs 295 bloggers |