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I somehow got on the wrong train home last night. Was aware enough to get off again and bolt to the right one. I'd just seen people staring at projections of the players on a big building, pockets of Blue replying to every chant you started, echoing of the buildings. The street around the Swan and whatever it is, looked like something you see in other places. People rammed into not enough space, cardboard and cans in hand and on the floor. Pubs so crowded it'd give the fire brigade palpitations. That was just the ending of a day we'll remember in various amounts of clarity.
Everyone from different eras of my life, different places sent messages about us going up. We are going to be *that team* adopted for a season by everyone else, until we stay up long enough to become an annoyance aren't we?
A good progress marker is that a year ago after Barnsley we had a little cuddle in a darkened car park, a year later in front of bigwigs, we're down on the pitch and he plants a big old kiss on me. Sitters continues to make it TeaseWTD at every great moment.
So much can be said about the game, the blue smoke before it meant I saw nothing of the bus. Just loads of people in various states of happy. Some covered in a bluish soot, others just bouncing from place to place.
I think I queued for about 500 yards to get a programme for others via phone order as they were so delayed in traffic. Nothing really prepared me for how big a deal this was until I turned on Portman Rd. Even the sweaty train in just seemed like Greater Anglia maximising profits rather than it being a struggle to cope with the numbers.
The pubs after were a melting pot of locals, diehards, travellers and all sorts. Wall to wall comparisons of photos, moments, players they got close to and whatnot. It felt like a whole season of away days in one hour, being introduced to or catching up with people. There really is unison in victory and achievement and we've been greedier than most this past 2 seasons.
After two decades of near famine, who can resent us?
One of the regulars near Snr died last week, he'd sat there for donkeys. He's missed all this and he'll be one of thousands who got the rough of Div 3, Evans and beyond without the payoff. There were people there yesterday somehow making it their first trip to Portman Rd. The connections and directions of us all jumping in and out of ITFC as the years go by were really apparent to me today.
Despite having the aircon cranked up and shades welded to my face for the drive back, the sky looked blue, the sun brighter as I wound my way out of Suffolk this morning and the coffee kicked in.
Whatever your day was like yesterday, we've all got "our Ipswich" back for a little while yet haven't we?
Packed my bag after voting on the way home, straight on the motorway at chucking out time tomorrow. Should be in the pub with Snr this time tomorrow, planning our last Championship game for a while.
All the miles we've travelled, money spent, beers sunk, players and managers come and gone to get to this point is staggering to think about. I was back for Southampton and that was one of the best games I've seen at FPR, hard to believe this next one might top it.
Everything this team does and has done is to be savoured. A year ago we had those games at Barnsley and Posh and perhaps the benchmark was too high? But for me that was up there despite somehow not winning it.
Neutrals were texting me, Hull had to go for it and to unkind you might suggest we hit the bar or a defender and it goes out, they do it and it goes in. But for me that was as exciting, emotional and had to be there as anything else under McKenna.
We marshalled Philogene well and Omari showed them all what it's like to catch light. I can forgive him his greed to take the ball home when he produces displays like that. The concourse at half time was riotous fun, the stand all game even better.
When the players and McKenna came over to clap us off it still made me think we are going to do it. There are plenty of teams and fans who would collapse after that result and the wobble sets in, but I've every faith McKenna sets these players right no matter the circumstance to take 4 more points.
So many good faces out and about and that's my last away end of the season so I don't think it could have been a better one.
Just think of all the highs and lows over that time. Now we are duking it out with two massive financially doped up clubs, looking at a return to the Prem.
Nice long old interview with McKenna if you've got the time. Probably doesn't tell us much we haven't seen ourselves, but a good overview of the mechanics of what makes us the best side we've had in just under a decade.
Hopefully this link works. I unrolled the thread to make it easier to read and follow. Always thought Clapton was a prick, didn't realise Cloughie was even more cool than I gave him credit or.
Leeds United are charging Southampton £47 a ticket for the final game of the Championship season. 😨
An absolute disgrace, Southampton charged Leeds fans £30 earlier in the season. I wouldn’t blame any Southampton fan for boycotting the fixture. 😡 pic.twitter.com/Ja7UKeUcQk
Nothing new here, but it seems to get traction because it's Soton. With the Prem clubs and recent Prem clubs knee-deep in financial murkiness, it's nice to know we are funding it.
I had no chance of going yesterday, but think the club have massively dented all the goodwill we had going. The high of Southampton to yesterday no longer just hinges on the result or the football does it?
Everyone will want a system which suits them, and I lost out due to all my membership points being assigned to the supporters club not my name personally. As I couldn't have GC last season under the old system, all my tickets just went through the branch. Had done for years, paid my membership that way. That could no longer happen under the new system, and fair enough I guess. The potential I was going to pass them on along with 50 or so other people is an easy loophole the club wanted to close.
Wasn't chuffed at starting at 5, but took it and carried on. Then I lost out getting Brum tickets (fair enough it's localish and their ground is falling down - been there millions of times) it was the Rotherham thing that annoyed me personally. Awarding a point for the postponed game people had no intention of going to when rearranged seemed wrong to me. Then when I saw WBA sell out at 10pts when I was the next bracket down (on 9 if I remember right)
Not being able to try and buy a ticket really annoyed me when I saw loads of people making WBA their first away of the season etc. If 'd have missed out online, so be it but not being able to buy at all, made me wonder how many people were tipped into 10 pts by Rotherham for example.
I get rewarding everyone who went in the promotion season, but with hindsight adding on points from the GC was a mistake as they weren't policed at all. This meant when touting became an issue the club were in a bit of a bind. People were gaming the system, this was acknowledged but nothing really happened.
The fact it's continuing now fairly openly is neither here nor there after yesterday. Had there been bans immediately from all the twitter fallout and narcissism form a few, you'd have probably disincentivised enough to people to make touting or whatever you call it less appealing.
Had they just given 5pts at the start of this season and another 5 for renewing I dunno if people would have been that upset. New system, new slate, people who genuinely go to away games accumulate as the season progresses etc.
The ticket office have been brilliant whenever I've dealt with them since GC came in, and they've said publicly they are learning as they go with the points system. But charging £40 and how things have panned out is going to cause massive issues if people miss out on playoff tickets isn't it? We've had some genuinely brilliant away ends this season again, and people making the effort etc like Plymouth and Cardiff reflects that.
Whatever allocation we get if we drop from the top 2, whatever bracket they sell out at it's really cheapened it all I'd say, and made me wonder how they appease those fans who are doing serious mileage, hotels, time away etc to still come up short. With the potential of a two tier fanbase as Prem games are still in sight next season; the club are going to have invest some serious money into monitoring where tickets end up too. Approved providers charging thousands to American tourists is already in place at the biggest clubs, imagine that here one day.
They're also gonna look rather weak if they do go after fans abusing the system now, who will rightly say "but Norwich" won't they?
Just got back from a lovely old week in West Suffolk. Luckily I was far enough from Ixworth to avoid having my tyres slashed. Bury St Edmunds is a lovely place to visit when the sun is out and Abbey Gardens is buzzing.
I sat in the Cobbold for the first time since that England game, seems they'll let anyone in there if you have a valid ticket. Saints oddly seemed like the best team and have some dizzyingly good individuals too but not at the level Leeds and Leicester have. Given how things have shaken out since it seems they'll be part of an incredibly competitive playoff lineup.
When I got back to Norwich Rd I could still hear the North stand clear as a bell. Whether it was the daze of the win, or just not being local I walked to the wrong car park twice before realising I was opposite the Brewer's Arms.
The playoff game against Bolton remains the bar for me, but that was in the conversation. Being able to hear BA properly and having such excitement really made a difference to the players I'd say.
This is reported in Scotland and aimed at a Scottish audience, but it comes from this weekend's national conference.
It is something that seems to really polarise people in education, breaking up fights is a horrible thing to do and always leaves staff upset in one way or another. However, there's a general sense of aggression and entitlement people are putting down to "since COVID" that has been debated and discussed for a long time.
When a teacher was stabbed to death in Leeds a while back it rightly caused outrage, but having police or security staff in schools also raises tensions in my experience. I'm not a fan of the Michaela school - walk on the line in silence approach or it's willingness to exclude and push out students who don't fit their mould.
On the other hand there seems to be a need for a societal conversation about where the lines are drawn. Often parents will defend their child being violent, abusive and whatnot rather than accept responsibility or ensure their child does either.
I wonder if the nationals are going to pick this up and run with it next week and what the response will be.
2 pints deep, I look up from across the heaving bar and stood right in my gaze was a stalwart of my first ever ITFC team: David Linighan. It was too packed to do more than try to nod at him as he left a few minutes later, but it was definitely him.
Inflatables at football are sh1te. Please stop it lads. I don't want a rubbery lump to the mush when I'm trying to enjoy myself.
As for the game. I can't believe we won that. The second half was spent mostly shaking like a dog doing its business. How Blackburn didn't punish us I'm not sure. Morsy will dominate most games but I thought Luongo did some really good things today, had Leif not got an early booking for a robust challenge we might have been a little more fluid.
He breaks records not legs that boy. Lovely little footballer.
Felt massive that we got a goal from poor defending and early on. The crowd was turned pretty easily in the home end. The away end, different KFC gravy. Even when it was feeling a bit dodgy in the final moments, the drum was banging, the voices loud.
Omari really worked for my money, on and off the ball he seems to have his tail up right now and I think over the run in it'll really come to the fore. Al Hamadi by contrast did not have a good game. Doesn't matter but in a day of highs and lows it's important to note not everything went our way today.
Yet we're top when we walk out. Adrenaline and limbs all over the shop as Harry punches the air. What a feeling. Dribbling down the concourse out in front of the locals and travelling horde as we go home.
Went into Manchester this weekend, thought I'd pop into Moss Bros and it was no longer there.
Guess it's a sign of the times, retail units change hands all the time and I rarely buy stuff that's not online; but I do wonder how shops will change over time. Suits are one of the few things I'd not buy without trying on, but I reckon I'll have to order online in a few years unless my budget goes up significantly!
Was driving along the M60 and noticed two people on bikes on the hard shoulder. Was probably kids (although hard to tell as I was driving normally) no lights, in the dark.
Hopefully they got off safely, or I was hallucinating but I've never seen anything like that before.
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