Blues legends Frans Thijssen and Terry Butcher will taking part in a question and answer session at The Dove Street Inn this Saturday afternoon ahead of the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Watford to raise money for the Kevin Beattie statue campaign.
The Dutch midfielder is back in Suffolk to attend Friday night’s gala evening at Greshams - for which tickets are still available - and will then take part in An Afternoon With Frans Thijssen and Terry Butcher where the pair will tell stories from their days at Portman Road, answer fans' questions, as well as signing autographs and having photos taken.
The Saturday afternoon event, which will be hosted by Mark Murphy, starts at 3pm and costs £5 on the door, with the FA Cup final subsequently shown on the screens in the pub.
Thijssen, 67, has fond memories of his former team-mate Beattie and his time with the Blues.
"It was my best time in my career,” he said. "It was a very special team, with so many national players.
"Kevin was a great guy. He was the guy who gave us the nicknames - I was Sam McCloud [US marshal in 1970s TV show] because of the moustache! "He made a very big impression. I have never seen anybody jump so high. He was so strong, he was a powerhouse.” Reflecting on Town’s relegation to League One, unthinkable in his time with the Blues, he added: "It is a pity what happened this season, with a lot of negative results. Hopefully we have enough quality to come back.” Led by the EADT and Ipswich Star in conjunction with BBC Radio Suffolk and TWTD, The Beat Goes On was launched on December 18th last year on what would have been Beattie’s 65th birthday. The current target is £110,000, although it is hoped that figure will be reduced as the campaign progresses. The total raised so far is around £56,000. Other events coming up over the summer include screenings of Escape to Victory at Greshams on June 12th and 13th where Russell Osman, John Wark, Laurie Sivell and Kevin O’Callaghan will be telling stories from the film in which Beattie was Michael Caine’s body double. There is also the night of Proper Comedy at Portman Road on Friday 31st May. Blues season ticket holder Sean Hedges-Quinn, known as Coach, will sculpt the statue of Beattie having been the man responsible for the Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson statues at Portman Road. You can make a donation online via the Go Fund Me page or send a cheque made payable to ‘The Beat Goes On’ to Kevin Beattie Statue Appeal, EADT, Portman House, 120 Princes Street, Ipswich, IP1 1RS. There are also collection buckets at reception at the EADT’s offices and at BBC Radio Suffolk.
Frans with fellow Dutchman Arnold Muhren
What to read next:
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
Town are reportedly willing to pay Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney £35,000-a-week, TWTD having revealed that the Blues had made an approach for the 23-year-old almost a fortnight ago.
A strong Blues U21s side was beaten 2-1 by Luton Town at Bent Lane in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon with Tommy Taylor's first-half strike cancelled out after the break by a much-improved Hatters side.
Town’s U19s finished lost one and drew one of today’s place play-off matches at the Zlaty Kahan tournament in Czechia.
George Hirst has revealed he almost came to blows with departed captain Sam Morsy early in his Town career, but believes the incident was illustrative of the high standards maintained by the former Blues skipper.
Former Town defender Corrie Ndaba is set to join Serie A Lecce from Scottish Premiership Kilmarnock, according to reports in Italy.
Town manager Kieran McKenna has spoken about the additions of new first-team coach Junior Stanislas and set-piece analyst Michele Aragona.
Blues boss Kieran McKenna says new signing Ashley Young can give the club different things in different areas, among them his experience, competitiveness and his edge.
Town striker George Hirst was pleased to add to his pre-season goals tally during the Blues’ 3-1 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Town manager Kieran McKenna was delighted with Jaden Philogene’s performance in the Blues’ 3-1 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.