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It's Not All Doom and Gloom
Written by Arch98 on Saturday, 16th May 2015 17:41

As I write, I can’t help but feel utter dejection - and I’m sure every person reading this will be in the same situation.

After an exhilarating season of ups, downs, smiles and frowns, we find ourselves thrust out of the promotion race at the penultimate hurdle. It’s a horrid feeling.

And I’m sure there will be more than a fair share of people demanding change, more investment and possibly even a difference in management, as is standard practice when a team bows out of a competition in such a cruel way.

I’m not saying I disagree with them (or agree with them, either), but let’s just take a step back, and take a look at the reality of the situation.

Let’s cast our minds back to the end of October 2012. Ipswich have just fallen to a 2-1 home defeat to Derby County, leaving us rock bottom of the Championship and staring into the abyss of third tier football for the first time in 57 years.

Days later, Paul Jewell is relieved of his managerial duties after immense pressure from the fans.

The club is in turmoil, the once-strong relationship between the board, fans and players seems like a distant memory.

For many of us younger fans (me being 16 years of age and following the Blues since 2004), this really was the culmination of our worst fears - the possibility of Walsall away on a rainy January night was, with all due respect, probably the least appealing prospect ever.

Cue the entrance of a certain Michael Joseph McCarthy, who took over the managerial reins as he looked to rebuild our unavailing club right from the foundations.

And rebuild it he has - and it has been nothing short of a miracle. By spending just a relatively slender amount over the course of around two-and-a-half years, just of £110,000 on the current side, and bringing in some desperately needed quality through the loan system and on free transfers (David McGoldrick, Daryl Murphy and Jonathan ‘Joniesta’ Williams to name but a few), he has somehow turned the prospects of the club on its head, from a lower-league certainty to a surprise contender for promotion to the Premier League.

That is a staggering achievement. And of course, relative success also has some likeable consequences, an example of which would be the attendances at Portman Road, going from a measly 17,526 average in 2013, to packing the place out with over 26,000 people on a Tuesday night against Charlton in December 2014.

So when you wake up the morning after the night before, and you feel the inevitable sense of dread and desperation as you realise that Saturday, 16th May 2015 was not just a bad dream as you might have hoped, try and keep in mind where Ipswich Town might have ended up if Mick McCarthy hadn’t stepped in, and saved the club from whichever objectionable path fate decided to lead us down.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”




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stevieiriswattii added 18:05 - May 16
Thanks Arch98 for that reminder of what could of been. Part of me wants some change, particularly in regards to our style of football, but at the moment we should consider how far we have come in such a short space of time. Thanks Mick & the team.
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davekl12 added 18:13 - May 16
Really good piece that puts things into perspective and certainly softens the blow slightly. A creative winger in the summer is a must. Murphy and Sears have been terrific, if we can find a new creative influence to provide a more regular source of ammunition then we can take one step further forward.
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alfromcol added 19:25 - May 16
Well put
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StowTractorBoy added 19:38 - May 16
Well said Arch98 and a pity some of our fans have to moan about something although of late they have gone missing. They will no doubt be back if things go wrong at the start of next season but this season has been progress realistically beyond most peoples aspirations. At the moment we have a solid foundation starting from the owner down to the academy which has many young players who have impressed this season and some of which are on track to make the grade. MM and TC are doing something right as it looks as though season tickets sales will be up again for next season. Some will argue that the type of football is questionable but there have been some excellent performances over the 48 Championship matches with some wonderful memories i.e. Charlton Brentford and Watford away to name a few. We may all feel a bit deflated now but when the fixtures come out in June I am sure we will be raring to go again. Before then lets hope Boro make us a bit more cheerful on May 25th and we can beat the Norwich hoodoo next season.
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burnhamboy added 19:46 - May 16
Really good article, I didn't want Mick as manager but what he has achieved is amazing. For the first time in years the buzz is back around the club and we are all looking forward to next season
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Arch98 added 20:45 - May 16
Thank you everyone for the comments! 👍
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bluesince84 added 01:19 - May 17
great ending. my lecturer always said even if yo write a stinker, end it well and itll be good. Alll of that i agreed with, but again, great ending
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coolcat added 12:17 - May 17
Good article. Rome wasn't built in a day. When McCarthy was at Wolves it took a few seasons before they went up with him. Town's current form is noticeably more consistent and well placed to do even better next season.
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