x

McGreal: Strong Bond Between Boys of 2000 Will Last Forever - Ipswich Town News

John McGreal says plenty of his former Town team-mates, as well as his first Town manager George Burley, have been in touch since he took the role as interim boss at Portman Road on Monday.

"Tommy Miller, Veno [Mark Venus], David Johnson, Scowy [James Scowcroft], all these guys have wished me luck, Jamie Clapham,” he said.

"We had a really strong core of lads and a really tight bond as well, so they’ve been brilliant.

"I think that will last forever from what we did in that era, getting promotion, getting into the Premier League, the UEFA Cup, that was a callback to the 1970s and 1980s when they were a different type of player and type of breed, a winning team then.

"We had a good team and we’ve still got those connections. I saw Matty Holland the other night as well [at Charlton], he touched base with me as well, so it’s a great group of lads.”

He says he still has a close relationship with Burley, the man who brought him to Portman Road from Tranmere for a fee of £750,000 in the summer of 1999.

"I still text the gaffer,” he said. "He gave me a good text the other day and even when I was at Colchester he was a bit of a mentor for me.

"We used to debrief the game every now and again, so he's been a great help over the years, and again he gave me a lovely text the other night.”

What to read next:

Town Win LMA Performance of the Week Award
Town won the League Managers Association’s Everest Men’s Performance of the Week Award for the 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United last Friday.
[Podcast] Blue Monday - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
Ismael: A Good Challenge to Test Ourselves Against One of the Championship's Top Sides
Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael says his team’s next step is to record their first home win of the season when the Blues, who he views as one of the top sides in the Championship, visit Ewood Park on Saturday.
Furlong: The Club's Ambition Was the Main Pull
Town defender Darnell Furlong has outlined his reasons for making the summer switch to the Blues from fellow Championship side West Bromwich Albion.
U21s and U18s Both Face League Leaders
Town’s U21s and U18s are both in Saturday action this weekend, at Chelsea and at Arsenal respectively.
Furlong: Just Having Good Players Isn't Enough
Town full-back Darnell Furlong believes the Blues will need more than just a strong squad of players in order to achieve promotion back to the Premier League this season.
[Podcast] Life's a Pitch TV - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Life's a Pitch TV team is now available.
[Podcast] Blue Monday - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
McKenna: A Different Blackburn Team to the One We Faced Two Years Ago
Town travel to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday aiming to record back-to-back wins for the first time since the end of their 2023/24 Championship promotion season.
McKenna: Matusiwa Making Really Positive Steps
Blues boss Kieran McKenna says summer signing Azor Matusiwa has made positive steps in his first five games in the Championship with Town now very strong in their midfield department.