The Premier League – Am I Enjoying It? Written by JDHolland on Friday, 11th Oct 2024 17:05
Around 2005, I went to see Bob Dylan play at Hammersmith Apollo. I’d wanted to see him live for over twenty years and was incredibly excited leading up to the gig. What a spectacular disappointment. He was totally uninterested, and the whole evening was flat.
Eight weeks into our first Premier League season for over twenty years, I’m having similar feelings. Is this really what we’ve been so desperate to achieve for so long? Is the reality as good as the anticipation? So far, for me at least, it’s all been a bit of an anti-climax. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving the football! I think Kieran has made some cracking signings, and I think there’s a genuine chance of it all coming good and us staying up. It’s not about us not winning games week in week out, it’s more about the experience that comes with it. Saturday’s game at West Ham was simply awful. Not the match itself (although that wasn’t great), but the utterly soulless, sanitised experience that surrounded it. When you think what a terrific ground Upton Park was, it makes it all the more sad. Two of my most memorable matches were at Upton Park under the lights – the 1-0 loss in May 1986 that effectively relegated us, and the 2004 play-off semi-final loss with Ian Westlake hitting the post in the last minute. Miserable nights football-wise, but incredible atmosphere, with the crowd right up close to the side of the pitch. I feel genuinely sorry for West Ham supporters of my generation. They gave ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ a good go on Saturday, but it was all lost in the vacuous stadium, miles from the pitch. The visit to Manchester City wasn’t much better. It was more like attending an afternoon kids' show at the theatre than a football match. Everything clean and tidy, well-ordered and polished with barely any atmosphere. The away game I’ve enjoyed the most so far this season is AFC Wimbledon. Losing on penalties to a mid-table League Two side wasn’t in the script, but it all seemed more authentic and real. The analogy I keep using is this. It’s like being a fan of a band and seeing them perform for years in intimate, atmospheric venues where you really feel part of the experience. Suddenly they make it big and start playing in huge soulless stadia that all look and feel the same, (Etihad, Amex, St Marys, London Stadium). We’ve been fortunate to have had some tremendous away days over the past couple of years – the 3-0 win at Barnsley at the end of the League One season, the last minute Jeremy Sarmiento goal at Leicester in January, the Hull and Coventry visits at the end of April which effectively sealed our promotion to the Premier League – these were magical nights that will live long in the memory. In fairness, the absence of evening fixtures doesn’t help. There’s something special about playing under the lights. There are only two scheduled this season, and the first isn’t until February when we visit Old Trafford. For the first time ever, I signed up to Sky Sports this season. I’ve always resisted, as football takes up enough of my time and, with two young girls, I wanted to make sure it didn’t completely dominate family life. With Ipswich in the Premier League though, I felt I really had to. So far I’ve only watched one Premier League game (Man City v Arsenal). I’ve found myself watching Hull v Sheffield Utd, Stoke v Hull, Sunderland v Leeds, etc. Sometimes I really miss the Championship, which seems a ridiculous thing to say when all we’ve wanted to do for years is get out of it. For me then, this season has all been a bit of a disappointment, frankly. Things will no doubt be better next week at Brentford, and I’m looking forward to that. The truth is, the atmosphere at Portman Road these days is better than many of the ‘big clubs’. I love our ground. So, am I really enjoying our first Premier League season in 22 years? Not sure really. Maybe I’m just taking some time to adjust. COYB!!
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terryf added 21:58 - Oct 11
I am in total agreement with you. I went to watch the international athletics at the Olympic stadium in the summer and said to my friends that I was pleased I wasn't going to watch Team play football in such a soulless place. Getting out was also a nightmare and took the best part of 45 minutes. Thankfully we were not in a hurry to catch our train back home as god knows how many of the 60000 crowd descended upon Stratford station. Portman Road is special and the atmosphere is second to none. Having enjoyed the ride over the last 2 years I'm on the fence at the moment as to whether I'm enjoying the Premiership, particularly as we are having to play catchup with the established Clubs. Hopefully a few wins on the board will make me feel more optimistic. I guess we've got to embrace the journey!
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hyperbrit added 00:27 - Oct 12
is it The Promised Land or a Poisoned Chalice?
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Churchman added 07:29 - Oct 12
Good blog. I agree with it. The PL is what I expected it to be only more extreme. Extreme hype and more importantly differences between the top and the bottom. It’s not a competitive league. I’ve enjoyed the home games, but it all seems such a struggle ant the moment and am I looking forward to watching MC and Arsenal wipe the floor with us at PR? No. I don’t go to watch opposition. So, it’s for me a poisoned chalice and promised land and I’ll only know if I enjoyed it at season’s end. It’s an experience and I wouldn’t miss it for the world though - using the Dylan analogy, bit like seeing Clapton at the Albert Hall. Somebody I always wanted to see, but was ultimately a little disappointed?
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turtle2 added 10:39 - Oct 13
Totally agree - its like F1 - i was a huge fan in the early 90's and raced in formula ford myself - now its sanitised B/S with little robotic nobheads driving !!! football is first and foremost about money and the sport is secondary to that - there's an old saying - its better to travel hpoefully than it is to arrive - be good t ogo down to league 2 now and start the whole process all over again - for me the last 2 years have been better than anything we will ever achieve in this stint in the premier league
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algarvefan added 12:40 - Oct 13
I thought I'd give you the perspective of a lifelong fan (60 years and counting!!)who now lives abroad & who has been to many many games in all the divisions over the years. I now watch most games, well the last few seasons on ifollow/TownTV. That's been great and now I'm watching on a channel called DAZN in Portugal which shows every premier league game live, yes every game. I miss Glenn and Westy commenting on Town TV but otherwise it's great to see every game. I first noticed a lack of atmosphere on a visit to Old Trafford in 2001, I was gutted, the Town fans were louder and more committed than the sterile crowd. The advent of new stadiums has made the situation worse and the other games I have watched on DAZN have sent me to sleep. In response to your blog I totally agree with you the league is so predictable, how a smaller team like Ipswich break through, I'm not really sure but I honestly believe Keiran will turn it around, he is a top top manager. Town's results are the only thing that will turn the fans season into a good one. Can we ever achieve the results of the Robson era, sadly I think not unless we manage to stay a lower placed PL side for at least 5 years, hopefully growing every season. No matter what we shouldn't change our playing ethos after the last 2 years have been spectacular.
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hamish added 08:37 - Oct 14
I went to see Bob Dylan at Hyde park whenever that was and you're right, he was absolute sh1te. But you can't compare that to Ipswich playing in the prem. Yes West ham was a horrible soulless bowl (and a pretty worrying performance) but we have to enjoy the ride, it might only last one season. At least we are back at the top table. Every fan should want us to play at the highest possible level, even if it is sometimes painful.
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Facefacts added 12:12 - Oct 14
We've been away far, far too long. Our £100M doesn't buy the same level of players as other clubs can get, especially strikers identified with skill and great judgment but marooned/injured at their big clubs and simply aren't interested in joining us. They've never heard of us, we may as well be Accrington Stanley. We're completely dependent on whether Kieran can turn it around. The next three games define the season, Everton (H), Brentford (A), Leicester (H). I hope we can fill the No. 9 shirt in January - again we will need to spend big in the January window. I'd say we need more points in the first half of the season than the second - as teams will be more bothered to do their homework on us and get more desperate for points in the New Year. It will be a far bigger achievement to stay up than it was to get out of League One and the Championship. Soulless, yes, but this is the top level and to stay there is everything.
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Kitman added 15:52 - Oct 14
I think to OP's comments are fair and I am largely in agreement. My biggest let down is the scramble for tickets now every single game. I can't commit to going to every fixture (100 miles from PR anyway) and getting to any match home or away I've just about given up on-despite being the owner of a membership card. At least in the Championship we were on TV for nigh on every fixture. Now I have to endure a few minutes of that odious creep, Linkeker on MOTD to grab a few highlights....
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VanDusen added 16:08 - Oct 14
100% spot on. Championship - and even League One and League Two - way more fun.
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Daniel72 added 22:33 - Oct 14
To be slightly more optimistic... I have heard Van Morrison is still knocking out five star performances and whilst cheaper than Dylan is still beyond my budget.. in turn we may be slightly cheaper than many in the prem but just to stay there and retain an ounce of the soul of our club... we are doing well.. keep the faith for 17th or higher... Up The Ipswich!
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d77sgw added 14:05 - Oct 15
Interesting how a lot of fans have that view at the moment. There is no doubt that the match experience is very different this season to anything else we've experienced for a very long time. For a start its a much less competitive division. I remember the last two stints we had in the Prem - each time (and admittedly this time it has been 20 years...) the step up has just got bigger and bigger. In '92 the bulk of teams were a mixture of journeymen and the odd international and in 2000 we certainly didn't look out of place (to say the least). This year though - every player we're coming up against is an international, and that includes the players coming off the bench. Fulham was a wake-up call - the sort of game some were talking about as though we should win - they played us off the park in the first half, triangles around us. Sure we improved in the second half, much as we did against Villa, but honestly, in no game these season have we dominated, looked comfortable with the ball, or been the better team (arguably we could have nicked a win from one of our draws). Aside from the much higher standard, the 'stop-start' nature of the season, with its lack of mid-week games and the international breaks just makes me feel like we've lost some of that momentum we've had for the last 2-3 years. Feels like the season really hasn't got going yet. Finally, on the subject of momentum, it's clear to me that whilst we've got a better quality squad now (and we had to upgrade to have any chance, I get it), I'm not convinced that £120m has bought us a better 'team' than we had the last couple of years, at the moment. I emphasise those final words because, long-term, its the right thing to do - when these players gel then they have a higher performance ceiling than our squad last season. But right now, I'm missing "Wolfie at the back" and "Chappers in attack" - we bonded with them over the last couple of years, relatable heroes, hometown boys, Town fans on the pitch and off. So to summarise, I'm going into every game with a slight fear we're going to get tanked, getting p'd off with international breaks and missing that bond between the fans and the players, but....what did we expect? And I bet Brentford fans and Brighton fans probably felt the same way - and now where would they rather be? I love seeing Town on MOTD. I love the fact that kids from Kinchasa to Kiev will now have heard of my home town (again!). And I wouldn't have traded the pure adrenaline and joy of last season for anything. And if we go down again next season then I will be quietly confident we'll be more like Sheff Utd or Burnley than Luton. Having gone through so much cr@p over the last 20 years I genuinely feel optimistic for the club.
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bobble added 01:47 - Oct 17
Dylan live is like watching arsenal in the 80s...boring
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Lightningboy added 12:31 - Nov 5
100% spot on post. Sky and now VAR have squeezed the life out of football in the top flight..I for one can't wait to get back to "reality" in the championship rather than this overrated,overblown,corrupt pantomime. It's not sour grapes - I said many times during last season that i'd love to win the championship but then stay put - it's a far more exciting league - I actually enjoyed division 3 (league one) more than this experience..and I bet if you asked every Birmingham City supporter I bet they're enjoying this season more than any other over the last 20 years.
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