TWTD has one copy of On a European Journey: With Ipswich Town in Europe 1962-2002 by David and Philip Houseley to give away to a lucky competition winner. Below, seasoned European tourer Colin Kreidewolf reviews the new book, which charts Town’s overseas exploits and the fans' journeys to see them play, recalling some of the people and places from those trips.
As we all know, Ipswich Town has a rich European history, having played 64 games spread over 40 years. The new book from David and Philip Houseley On a European Journey: With Ipswich Town in Europe 1962-2002 contains many memories of these travels to locations exotic and not so exotic, with supporters telling their own individual stories of their trips abroad.
Following Town overseas was fantastic fun and there was a great camaraderie amongst supporters. As the fans quoted say, people were just really nice with the trips bringing out the best in those who went. For example, Betty Felgate, whose daughter provides some pictures for the book, was a fantastic lady and a true Ipswich supporter.
I can recall meeting her for the first time on the coach she organised to away games. The coaches from Portman Road were full and I’d been directed to Betty.
I turned up at the Electric House to pick up the coach not knowing anyone but she made me very welcome, even coming around with a drink for Christmas. I was easily impressed at 15 and never went back to the coaches from Portman Road. I met people on that coach who are still friends today.
Many Town fans will recall Philip Houseley’s Felixstowe Travel as the organisers of many of these great trips, particularly those in the 1970s when European travel was so new to many of us. The book covers many of the issues of the time, notably hooliganism when in 1975 we were the first English team to go to Rotterdam to play Feyenoord after the Spurs fans had rioted there.
I went on a number of these trips myself, the visit to Feyenoord was my first time abroad and I can recall my father speaking German in a shop when we were buying a memento for my mother. I didn’t like to tell my father, who had been in the German army, that he had in fact lost the war and they were still speaking Dutch!
Subsequently, we liked to make our own way to these games rather than on the official tours as we had more freedom to go where we wanted - essentially the pub - rather than to a cheese factory making Edam, as I recall on one trip to Alkmaar in the Cup Winners’ Cup, or was it Twente, it’s all Dutch to me.
However, the club and Felixstowe Travel often used to keep a close control on tickets for the games and we sometimes had to agree to meet Philip Houseley outside the ground to pick up our match tickets, as we did for the UEFA Cup final, so we were always on our best behaviour even if our travel plans may not have been so smooth as those on the official tours.
Travel in those days seemed more of an adventure, before the days of cheap air travel, and this is referred to in the book.
I wish though they had been able to find some more stories from the early days, particularly the games against Floriana and Milan in the European Cup in 1962. I seem to recall there had been a bit of an incident over a missing vase in Malta!
Included in the book are some great pictures that will bring back many memories for all the Town fans that ever followed their team into Europe and who, apart from a few very minor incidents, maintained a fantastic reputation for their excellent behaviour.
Although it is an enjoyable book, some of the stories seem a trifle superficial and it would have been great to go into more detail and tell us more about what really went on, however, as they say in the introduction, many of the supporters who related their stories essentially said the same thing.
No matter, it’s well worth getting hold of a copy and recalling the days when we were a leading force in European football.
To win a copy, send an email to this address before midnight on Sunday telling us the name of the club against whom Trevor Whymark scored four goals in September 1977 and be lucky enough to have it drawn at random.
You can buy a copy of On a European Journey: With Ipswich Town in Europe 1962-2002 for £12.74 from TWTD’s Amazon link here.