Tim Sansom says Fabian Wilnis’s autobiography Full English is as fine a way as any to relive the last decade at Town
I may be a bit too young to admit this, but I love wallowing in nostalgia. Memories of those great moments from the past can help you deal with those dog days when everything seems to go wrong as soon as you decide to untangle yourself from the bed sheets and stare bleary-eyed at the mirror. You wonder whether that was you on the other side of the glass.
On a day when everything seemed a struggle from making a cup of tea, spluttering a bit of toothpaste onto the toothbrush and trying to shave without cutting myself, Full English took me away from this misery to an era of Town’s history when there seemed to be no doubt that each season would end in a play-off campaign.
This autobiography also transported me back to those carefree university days that were defined by my early trips around the UK, to catch a bit of action from my home town football team. The book did give me those memories as well as some pretty eye-catching photographs from those memorable games throughout the Wilnis years.
The start of this particular season does not seem to be happening for Town so far, and there has been much talk about the ‘passion’ of certain current Town players, but there is no doubt that had Wilnis had, and still holds, a strong affection for Ipswich Town Football Club, that took him to places beyond his wildest dreams.
Many players are noted throughout the chapters, which suddenly makes you wonder ‘where are they now?’, but this is an honest account of Town’s recent history on and off the pitch. Wilnis’s passion to play in every game caused explosive rows with George Burley and Jim Magilton during their respective periods as manager.
The book begins with an account of the 2000 play-off final at Wembley from the moment when the team coach arrives at the Twin Towers, and throughout the big match build-up. Wilnis talks about his misery in not being part of the starting 11, as well as his joy on reaching the field of play to replace Jermaine Wright. Martijn Reuser scores the winning goal for Town, and we are able to relive the team celebrations. Bank Holiday Monday 29th May 2000 will remain in the minds of anyone connected with Town, so it is never a problem to relive the memories of that day, or to realise that I was not the only Town fan who was screaming and dancing around London after the game.
Wilnis talks about his early years in Dutch football that began with trials at Feyenoord followed by spells at a number of clubs such as Sparta Rotterdam, NAC Breda and De Graafschap. His single-minded desire to become a professional footballer seems to keep himself focused, despite severe financial problems, before his big break transfer to Town during the Christmas of 1998.
It is not an effortless settling in period for Wilnis at Portman Road. The Dutchman talks about his difficult adjustment to British football, with long periods away from his family within the sterile and lonely surroundings of a large Ipswich hotel.
There is an interesting insight into life in the Town dressing room, as Wilnis adjusts the "heavy garage” music booming out of the dressing room by resident DJs Kieron Dyer and David Johnson, as well as trying to improve his English. Wilnis also talks about his close friendships with Bobby Petta and Marco Holster, as well as Jim Magilton, who also stayed in the same hotel during their early months at Town.
Town reach the Premiership in 2000, and Wilnis talks about the various memorable matches from that unforgettable season, including his goal in the dramatic 1-1 draw with Manchester United as well as the away wins against Everton and Liverpool. His passion for football means that Wilnis becomes frustrated with his lack of opportunities within the first team. The relationship with George Burley gradually collapses as a result of Wilnis’s belief that he is being frozen out of the match day first 11.
Throughout the book, Wilnis does not especially vent his spleen about fellow players, and it would be unprofessional for him to do so. This book is not a grubby exposé that would feature in a celebrity magazine, but there is some vivid evidence that can support many terrace rumours about what happened during the miserable 2001/2002 season.
The team spirit seems to dramatically fracture in this season that has defined the club for most of this decade. Finidi George is described as a "class act but unfortunately, the move didn’t pay off” and Matteo Sereni "was very loud and vocal- traits which probably didn’t endear him to some people.”
Wilnis’s relationship deteriorates with George Burley too. Although Wilnis pays tribute to Burley for engineering his chance to play in the English leagues, an explosive row between player and manager after the UEFA Cup fixture against Helsingborgs IF sours their working relationship and it never really recovers until after Burley is sacked as Town manager. Wilnis suggests that his Town career would have ended a lot sooner if Burley had stayed as manager.
Joe Royle seems to provide an Indian summer even though it was just over five years ago. Despite the chaos off the pitch, Wilnis talks about how the team spirit was rekindled for those years despite West Ham preventing Town reaching the play-off final in two consecutive seasons. These years seem to be the most happiest of Wilnis’s Town career despite the fire sales of players and the play-offs becoming a distant dream.
It is weird to class Jim Magilton’s management of Ipswich Town as history because those years only finished last April. Wilnis talks about the difficulties in accepting Magilton as the Town boss following a deep friendship between the Town players that had lasted since they had arrived at Portman Road at the same time. Another row between manager and player occurs as Wilnis gradually loses his regular first team place, although you sense that this friendship seems to have survived.
Full English has been a very interesting book to read, discussing an era of Town that arguably finished in April this year. Wilnis talks in the final chapter about moving back to Holland after his 11 years in England, but you hope that this particular player remains part of the club in some future form.
You can buy signed copies of Fab’s book from TWTD here.