In part 24 of the series, Kieron Dyer catches up with his old captain Matt Holland, who selects the best XI from his time playing for Town before Dyer evaluates his selection.
Goalkeeper Richard Wright - Probably the easiest decision in the team. A great attitude with an unbelievable work ethic. An excellent shot stopper who made so many key saves to win matches for us
Centre-half John McGreal - Such an intelligent footballer who was so composed and never flustered. Important that the two wider centre-backs could play out from the back and he certainly could
Centre-half Tony Mowbray - A genuine leader and along with Simon Milton the person I would turn to for advice when I first joined the club. A great organiser and talker who rarely lost a header.
Centre-half Mark Venus - Like John McGreal a brilliant passer from the back. A big personality who challenged you to improve and never short of an opinion. Also scored important goals.
Right wing-back Mauricio Taricco - Another quality footballer. Loved to get forward but equally good when faced with a one-v-one defensively. Quiet off the pitch but had a fierce desire to win and a little nasty streak when he crossed the white line.
Left wing-back Hermann Hreidarsson - Tough as nails with an unbelievable engine. Loved the physical battle and would run through a brick wall for you. Important in the air in both boxes.
Centre midfield Jim Magilton - A joy to play alongside. Passionate and always demanding of the highest standards. Never afraid to get on the ball. He had great vision and passing ability - his first thought was always forward.
Centre midfield Matt Holland - A bit embarrassed to pick myself to be honest, but think Jim and I complement each other well!
Number 10 Kieron Dyer - Happy to give you a free role behind the strikers but want a few more goals from you with that freedom! Seriously though, an exceptional talent. A bundle of energy and a burst of pace. Versatile but I always thought better going forward with your ability in tight areas and taking people on.
Striker Darren Bent - Loved to play on the shoulder of the last man. Terrific pace and a very good finisher. Confidence was never hurt if he missed a chance. Was even better when I played with him at Charlton and his goalscoring record in the Premier League is superb.
Striker Marcus Stewart - Such an intelligent player. Knew when to come short and when to spin in behind. Could link play brilliantly and so cool in front of goal. His most impressive asset was his movement. So clever and difficult to mark.
I could easily have picked another team! So many unlucky to miss out: David Johnson, James Scowcroft, Fabian Wilnis, Mick Stockwell, Jamie Clapham, Jermaine Wright, Darren Ambrose, Tommy Miller, Richard Naylor, Martijn Reuser, Pablo Couñago, Titus Bramble...
Kieron’s View
First off, I cannot believe Mauricio Taricco at right-back. I thought that George Burley would be right-back, Matt Holland’s dad. I thought Matt would have said that he trained with him and that that would have counted and he’d have had his dad in the team. So I was shocked that Taricco got the shout in front of George Holland.
Hermann Hreidarsson’s playing in a different position, left wing-back. I’ve got no problem with that, he had a terrific engine. At Southampton I remember him going on a mazy run and set up one of the goals, cut it back for Marcus Stewart when he scored his hat-trick. He loved to bomb forward. He was one of those that once he got going was very hard to stop.
The central defensive three of Veno, John McGreal and Mogga, they’re in virtually everybody’s team of that era as a back three so you can’t really argue with that selection.
I’m surprised Matt picked himself. I could understand him picking himself if he hadn’t been included in many teams but he has been named in every XI so he maybe could have got someone else in.
But, it’s his best XI and there have been many players who have picked themselves in their best XI. I don’t really have to talk any more about that midfield three.
The front two will cause a lot of debate. What is great about Matt’s period at Ipswich was that he had a good chunk of it with David Johnson, he had a good chunk of it with Marcus Stewart and he also had a good chunk of it with Darren Bent.
I agree with Matt, I would pick Darren Bent and I say that because this is a guy who scored 100 goals in the Premier League. He scored 55 goals for Ipswich by the time he was 21.
Yes, we can say Marcus Stewart scored 19 in the Premier League in that one season but I don’t think Marcus or David Johnson would have scored 100 goals in their careers if they’d played more at that level, and Darren Bent did.
Darren Bent was a clinical goalscorer with serious pace, who went on to play for England, scored England, played for some big, big clubs.
He’s a better footballer than he is a pundit on talkSport and on Sky Sports, and that Mastermind performance was terrible. Stick to football!
I have no argument with that selection and Matt’s gone for Marcus Stewart alongside him. In the first season in the Premier League, he scored 19 goals and was the main guy. But Matt did play with Johnno for three or four years and he was scoring 20 goals a season. As I’ve said before, I think it’s a toss of a coin between those two.
And then Matt, because he didn’t really want to upset anyone, because Matt is such a nice guy and a perfect professional, he’s named every single other player he ever played with at Ipswich as unlucky to miss out. Bless his cotton socks!
Martijn Reuser makes the subs’ bench again, will we see him in one of the first XIs soon? Darren Ambrose, I forgot that Matt crossed paths with Darren Ambrose. And unlucky Titus, you only made the bench.
A bit like Terry Butcher’s second team, if you put together a second team out of that list, I think fans would die for that team at the moment. A fantastic team.