In the first of a new series, Kieron Dyer catches up with 1990s striker David Johnson who selects the best Town XI he played alongside at Portman Road before Dyer runs the rule over his old team-mate’s side.
Goalkeeper - Richard Wright - Great shot stopper and was an integral part of the squad.
Right-back - Mauricio Taricco - Fantastic footballer who very rarely gave the ball away and loved defending.
Left-back - Mark Venus - Had a great left foot and technically used the ball very well playing out from the back. Another great character in the dressing room.
Right centre-half - Tony Mowbray - Leader on and off the field. Read the game very well and was a big influence in the team.
Left centre-half - John McGreal - Slotted into the squad so easily and was a great addition to the squad. Another one of George Burley’s master signings.
Defensive midfield - Jim Magilton - Fantastic footballer with great ability. A leader and a player who never wanted to lose at anything and lifted the levels in training which resulted in us getting promoted.
Centre midfield - Kieron Dyer - Only played with him for a short time but his talent and ability was there for everyone to witness. Great athlete, technically excellent and had a great work ethic.
Centre midfield - Matt Holland - Matty led by example on and off the field. Barely had a bad game for the club. His ability and dedication to the game was a massive plus for the team, and a player we could always rely on in big games with a goal.
Attacking midfield - James Scowcroft - Loved playing alongside him. Technically an excellent player with great feet for such a big player. Intelligent, had good movement and created so many chances for me and whoever he played alongside.
Centre-forward - Marcus Stewart - For someone who wasn’t the quickest, he made up for it with his game intelligence. Had unbelievable movement, great awareness and an appreciation for his team-mates and was lethal in front of goal. Great player and even a better lad in the dressing room.
Last place - Would be myself!
Kieron’s View
It’s intriguing because when I recently selected the best XI I played alongside at Town I played three at the back and the reason I did that was to get Veno in because I thought he was so underrated, he was a fantastic player but he was a centre-half.
However, Johnno’s played four at the back and he’s put Veno at left-back. His distribution with his left foot was fantastic, I’ve no bones with it but there is a debate whether Jamie Clapham would get in that team at left-back. Other than that, I think it’s a fantastic back four.
He’s gone a for a diamond in midfield with Jim at the base of it, me and Matt to the right and left of it and Scowy at the top of it. I didn’t bribe him about putting me in, by the way, I want to put that out there, but he obviously knows his players if I’m in the team.
When I was going through my team I really tried to find a way to get Bobby Petta in as those last six months of the 1997/98 season his form was just on a different stratosphere, he was incredible. But in a diamond, you can see why Bobby isn’t in it.
I reckon Matt would be better on the left of the diamond because he could cut in and smash them with his right foot and I never used to shoot. Matty could just come in a bit and thump a 25-yarder.
It’s a fantastic midfield four, it’s got a bit of everything. It’s well-balanced and that would be a handful for any team.
I didn’t play with Marcus Stewart but the spell he had at Ipswich speaks for itself. He’s an icon of the club and I think that picks itself. I went for Scowy up front, so I’m glad that Scowy’s in Johnno’s team.
They say to be a good striker you have to be selfish in certain ways and I see Johnno’s picked himself in the team. When I said to him to pick his best team I meant a team without him in it but being a striker and being selfish and driven by goals he’s put himself in it! But Marcus Stewart and Johnno, that’s at least 40 goals a season.
It is a very good team, I like the shape of it. Johnno was at the club for a lot longer than me so there were a lot more players who could have made his team. But the notable absentees for me are probably Bobby Petta and Jamie Clapham, the club’s Player of the Year in 1999, but they didn’t get in my team either and they can feel hard done by.
Over the next few weeks other former Blues will be picking the best Town XIs from those they played alongside and Kieron will assess their selections. Feel free to give your thoughts in the Comments section below.