| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. 07:54 - May 2 with 6980 views | The_Romford_Blue |
Let’s have a thread with the best and worst moments we can remember of our spell in League 1. Moments where it felt as though everything was looking up at last or horrendous lows where it couldn’t possibly get worse for us.
I’ll start:
Highs - Derby away this year. First time it really felt like we were going to catch Wednesday. To go there and win (and in the manner we did) was a huge marker for the rest of the league. Almost as if to show us all that this wasn’t going to be another false dawn and that this year was going to finally be different. The Ipswich of all of the previous seasons would’ve found a way to drop points there but at no point at Pride Park did it feel like we wouldn’t win. I think mentally it was the result at the time that highlighted we had both the footballing ability to go to anywhere and get a win but also more importantly to grit it out when the home team put the pressure on. Psychologically it felt huge. Maybe our biggest result in our whole spell in the third tier.
Lows - The new contract before the Wycombe game from Evans to Lambert. Not only was it absolutely insane to give a failing manager a new deal like that amid such a terrible run we were on at the time, the timing of it just highlighted how out of touch and ultimately clueless our owner was. It really did feel like a devastating day for the club when it happened and it still doesn’t truly make sense even now. [Post edited 2 May 2023 7:58]
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 10:31 - May 2 with 2805 views | Bluespeed225 |
Oddly, and not a 'low' as such, but sitting in the pub after Coventry at home, week before it all locked down. We went top, and none of us around the table could work out how as we were sooo average. It then fell apart and we just knew we were destined for a long stay in this league. Home to Peterborough, away to Barrow?
Highs. Bolton away, Port Vale at home, difficult, hard won win coming after games we'd cruised to victories in, showed another side to the team. Grit, mental strength. The last 10 days have felt as good as the night we beat Villa away in 81', of post Bolton 2000. Thankyou ITFC. |  | | |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 10:44 - May 2 with 2788 views | BlueBadger |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 08:31 - May 2 by Swailsey |
High: Janoi 2.0, everything since KM came in, Broad head’s freekick, the Port Vale win, seeing us promoted with my dad on Saturday.
Low: Sticking with Paul Lambert after he relegated us without a fight. I’ll never loathe a town manager as much as him. |
As I said above, I still, STILL don't understand how he managed to be so popular, for so long, despite being so obviously half-arsed and fraudulent. People STILL give me crap for a joke(in admittedly poor taste) about how cynically he was cultivating the 'he just gets it' thing he had going on. |  |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 10:45 - May 2 with 2787 views | kiwiblue |
Lows watching the Cook and Lambert interviews and excuses following mad Micks similar continual excuses
Highs making a decision after so many years to invest in a 140 quid for iFollow video and seeing the style and change in the team after watching the steady decline on here.. plus the West Ham game in July with my kids and sharing the passion again. |  | | |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 10:47 - May 2 with 2777 views | LankHenners |
Highs - in short: Gamechanger and McKenna. I still remember the feeling of relief and excitement the day the takeover happened whilst it's been brilliant watching McKenna and his staff present the fans with a team they can take so much joy from.
In terms of individual matches/moments - recency bias taking over but any and all of the wins from Bolton really. Was in London that day and had to make do with checking the score when I could and got such a buzz seeing we'd won, felt like a big moment at the time. The Derby win after Sheff Wed had spent the international break royally screwing things up for themselves was a similarly great moment. You felt the players really had the belief and confidence you feared they didn't *quite* have over the Christmas period. From then on you can rack the games off - thrashing Charlton, comfortable 3-0s away back to back at tough opponents, and the game on Saturday really capped off this first chapter of the Gamechanger era splendidly.
Lows - in short: Lambert. Felt a bit sick seeing he'd been given a new contract (5 years as well! 5 bloody years ffs!) when it was clear he'd very quickly lost his way and wouldn't be able to turn things around. After that you can take your pick - the blaming of anyone and anything that wasn't himself, the tedious and petulant behaviour in press conferences, culminating in a bizarre rant at Stu Watson and banning Phil from attending them, never looking like being at minimum a play-off worthy team and so on. Never felt comfortable having a Norwich man in charge and him turning out to be more awful than the most pessimistic predicted drained the life out of everyone.
Mention to Cook here as well, the dire losses to dross at the end of the season when he first came in before throwing all the players under the bus was a red flag and a bit embarrassing. Only knowing we had Gamechanger in the background with money and ambition to fix things softened the blow. Starting so badly last season that by the time of that awful defeat at Charlton under McGreal everyone was resigned to having yet another year in this awful league was another low point. |  |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 11:05 - May 2 with 2729 views | SlippinJimmyJuan |
High: Saturday 3rd September 2022
Town on a run of four away wins travel to perennial thorn in our side and as yet unbeaten Accrington. For weeks I felt queasy looking at the fixture list. Would this be where we would slump back into our old ways?
On the evidence of the first half on a muggy day at the Wham Stadium, then yes. It was tense, not many opportunities at either end and lots of the expected physicality from our hosts. We grew into the game a little after a nervy start, although with the scores tied at 0-0 at half time, we were far from convincing.
Early in the first half Town forged a good opportunity for Jackson, but he couldn't take it and not long after he and John-Jules were replaced with Ladapo and Chaplin. The game changed. The industry and energy of Ladapo a constant menace, who in combination with Chaplin earned a corner with around 15 to go. Lee Evans stepped up, Connor Chaplin dispatched the volley and the Town were in the lead in front of the 1100 stunned travelling supporters.
Not long after, Leif Davis would leave the pitch after a heavy tackle in front of the Town faithful which went unpunished but seemed to energise the fans. The reception he got as he walked past the fans told me something special was happening. Mobbed by fans right across the ground as he walked past them, embracing then and posing for selfies. It was magical to see after so long of feeling no connection with a Town side.
A few minutes later Chaplin/Burns' backside sealed the deal and the release I felt was extraordinary. We had done it, we had come all this way against a horrible, scratchy team and continued our momentum. I believed from this moment that no matter what challenges we faced, we would be going up come the end of the season.
Low: Honestly? Pretty much everything prior to 16th December 2021
Two results stick out to me, results that still hurt.
Tuesday 26th November 2019: Ipswich 0 - Wycombe 0
Starting the day five points behind Wycombe at the top of the table, albeit with two games in hand, this felt like a massive game at the time. It was as it turned out, although mainly for them. The disallowed goal still haunts me in my sleep from time to time (although maybe I can finally let go). It's the closest I have ever got to assaulting an official. I'm not proud but I thought I was going to climb over the low wall at the front of the Cobbold in pursuit of the lino for that disgraceful decision.
The penalty that never was for them, thankfully saved by Tomáš Holý. A game we should have won by rights that was almost gifted to them at the last thanks to something we would become very familiar with - inept League One officiating.
We fizzled out that season, for many reasons. Wycombe actually ended up getting a play off berth on points per game with the season interrupted by the pandemic. They finished third, we finished 11th - they didn't steal anything from us in the grand scheme of things, and yet it still feels as though they did. I have always hated them since. 4-0 at Portman Road this Easter was incredibly sweet.
Saturday 24th October 2020
A new season under Lambert and Evans, same old dreary nonsense. Slipping into oblivion - a summer where a new EFL budget cap hung over us like a grim spectre. A squad desperate for reinvention, only receiving the "upgrades" of Dai Cornell, Stephen Ward and Oli Hawkins. Jesus wept.
While Cornell happily remained on the bench that day, Ward and Hawkins somehow started another game for us away to Lincoln. Urgh, Lincoln. "We'll never play you again" surely born to be sang about these horrible, sausage loving schmucks. I would sooner run head first into oblivion than attend a game at Sincil Bank.
The game itself was pedestrian, which should be no surprise. We were dire, it had 0-0 written all over it until Nsiala did what he did best and brought someone down inside the box. Penalty to Lincoln. 1-0. Pain.
We finished with a flurry though. Jon Nolan getting himself sent off with seconds remaining of a bloated added time. Good work Jon. That'll learn 'em.
That should have been the game we all realised it was never ever going to happen, but still we trudged on, somehow fourth in the table. I felt numb, I felt as though League Two was closer than the Championship by a long way. Little did we know the excitement that would come in the revolutionary January transfer window to follow. | |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 12:03 - May 2 with 2647 views | Herbivore |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 09:08 - May 2 by Funge |
As a performance, for sure - but I was gloomy as hell leaving the ground; the Brizzle Rovers game 3 days later just reinforced my view that we'd screwed it up - again.
Shows what I know, right?
I take the wider point tho - the last month of Cook (and the first couple games under McGreal) were dreadful; if we're honest, it was all pretty grim under Cook, other than in respect of a couple of nights at Portsmouth and Wycombe.
I'd pretty much forgotten I even had a football team under Lambert... |
Fair dos, my good man. I was very ambivalent after the Wednesday game. On the one hand I was disappointed as felt we needed a win to stay in the hunt for the top 2 (how wrong I was) and for half an hour we'd basically been outmuscled and outhustled by a pretty basic Wednesday side. On the other hand, the way we managed to come back from 2-0 down and ultimately looked the more likely to get the three points gave me hope that we were still a more than decent side and just needed to find an extra few percent to turn our form around. Never would have predicted this run though. |  |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 12:16 - May 2 with 2598 views | bluewein |
Lows - Charlton and Nsiala. Barrow away and, to quote John McClain "Getting butt f**ked on national TV"
Making Accrington, Cheltenham, Wimbledon and Northampton look like Man City.
The feeling on NYD when already in the sh1t tip of Wycombe, finding out that Lambert had another 5 years. Surely Evans was still p1ssed from the night before when he offered that contract.
Seeing the likes of Wigan, Lincoln, Wycmobe, Rotherham, Bristol Rovers putting up more of a fight for promotion than the "drown out the noise" bunch.
Paul Cook. I was desperate for him to come in. Still can't believe how badly he messed it up.
Highs - That run of 13 wins in 14. Those games against Bolton, Derby, Peterborough and Barnsley will stay with me forever. Just when you thought each game couldn't be topped, they just kept getting better and better. Sharing those with my brother and my mates is why we fell in love with this club.
The images and sounds of Saturday. Who'd have thought we'd see these sorts of crowds again?
Gamechanger. Ashton. O'Leary. Just give them all the freedom of the town now and make sure they never have to buy a beer again.
The trust I have in the management. The confidence I have in them to get it right, whether that's players coming in, tactical changes, spotting issues that need rejigging (set plays anyone?) I don't think I ever even managed that confidence under Burley.
The taste of Owl crumble.
This team and how good they are as players and as people. Real proper blokes... |  |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 12:20 - May 2 with 2559 views | BigCommon |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 10:09 - May 2 by BlueBadger |
Low point:
Lambert's new contract. All the cynical posturing and empty gestures that bought him all that(to me) inexplicable popularity had seemingly paid off for him, just as he was being properly found out on the pitch and people were starting to realise that he was a fraud seemed like the ultimate kick when you were down.
Highs: Barnsley away. I know we still needed something Saturday, but to essentially clinch promotion in the fashion that we did, on my birthday, whilst playing away to one of THE form teams in the division was something else. [Post edited 2 May 2023 10:11]
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That spell we had last season, Charlton away and being dumped out the cup by Barrow, being made to look like under 12s by Rotherham at PR. Was pretty awful. I actually thought we were blowing the biggest opportunity the clubs had in decades.....
There's loads of highs since then, thankfully... Wierdly, for me, one of the best moments, or at least something that stands out as a sliding doors moment for me. Was Gillinham away last season 4-0. That was the game, for me, that announced KMs arrival and gave us a whiff of the kind of football we'd be watching under KM. It restored a lot of belief in me, that Ashton and GC, new what they were doing. I was walking on air after that game... |  | | |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 12:59 - May 2 with 2497 views | Plums |
Highs - it's been a fabulous season but the three games I went to at Bolton, Derby and Barnsley were extraordinary. I still can't quite believe it's OUR team that are THIS GOOD! For the first time in over a decade, I found myself watching Championship football on TV last night and thinking 'we're way better than this'. Exciting times!
Lows - The 5 year contract announcement was bizarre but personally, buying iFollow passes from Doncaster and other clubs because Phil had been banned and I refused to fund Evans' regime any further was as low as it got. [Post edited 2 May 2023 13:06]
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 13:08 - May 2 with 2452 views | Stenvict |
Low - Barrow away
High - Barnsley, Derby, Bolton, and Posh away in the last few weeks | |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 13:52 - May 2 with 2388 views | CrayonKing |
Highs: The last 3 matches were spectacular. Fantastic away performances and support, setting up a promotion party at Portman Road. What an amazing 8 days! Being able to enjoy all 3 with my son was special too.
The rebirth of the ITFC foundation. The way it was originally run-down and eventually disbanded was arguably the biggest stain on Evans' stewardship of the club for me. Seeing the club wanting to become an active part of the community again with full buy-in from everybody at the club has been great. Huge credit to everybody involved for how far its come in such a short space of time.
Lows: I'm not as down on Lambert as most on here, but there's no denying that his conduct towards the end was a disgrace. Banning Phil was probably the lowest point.
The 5 year contract was a ludicrous FU to the fans from Evans. |  | | |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 14:08 - May 2 with 2324 views | RobTheMonk |
That Barnsley game is the ultimate high. It was an accumalation of everything good that's been happening over the past 18 or so months.
The low was those final 6-7 games of Paul Cook's time in charge. Players knew they were off, we had a team of awful loan players and every game was dull as dishwater. The Mrs knew it was bad when I suggested we go out for the day and she said "Okay, but we need to be back by 3:00pm so you can watch the football". I think I replied with "It's okay, let's enjoy the day", followed by a confused look on her face. |  | | |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 14:16 - May 2 with 2282 views | N2_Blue |
High - Last Saturday, and is now probably my favourite ever town day, beating Wembley 2000.
Low - That 2-0 defeat away at Charlton after we sacked Cook. I wanted Cook sacked but there was the realisation of how much a mess we were in and back to square 1 looking for a manager and the game and performance were horrendous. Absolutely abysmal that night. Then Ashton pulled off a masterstroke, McKenna arrived, and the rest is history. |  |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 17:22 - May 2 with 2149 views | TractorFrog |
2019/20:
I remember being extremely happy in October 2019 when we had just beaten Fleetwood 1-0 and were top of the league by some distance after 8 wins and 3 draws from 11.
Then after that we just imploded. The 5-3 defeat against Lincoln was one of the biggest lows in League 1 for me and it was when we dropped out of the automatics.
The brief revival of form with the win against Accrington, Tranmere and then Lincoln which put us top of the league was another huge positive as it looked back on again.
Then we collapsed again. Perhaps the biggest low was the fact that when we lost to Coventry, I remember seeing the score was a 1-0 defeat and being relieved it wasn't more. Of course, then the season ended and we were 11th. And I had had so much hope at the start of the season.
2020/21:
We may have lost 4-1, but in that pre-season friendly against West Ham, our midfield of Downes, Dozzell and Bishop was genuinely better than theirs. That was an initial feeling of hope and excitement. And the first six or seven games or so when we looked amazing, with Gwion Edwards in fine form and our full-backs, Stephen Ward and Luke Chambers, seemingly doing an outstanding job.
Then, of course, it all went wrong again, although not as badly as the season before. I don't remember a specific moment of utter dejection from this season, although it could possibly be a loss against Peterborough because we had just had a very encouraging win before it.
It seemed to be coming good again when we won three in a row against Hull, Doncaster and Accrington under Matt Gill and when Cook came in I was convinced we would make the playoffs. So his first game, that miserable defeat against Gillingham, was a huge low. And the subsequent dire performances, including a 0-0 draw against Rochdale, the dullest game I have ever seen, were obviously a major low.
2021/22:
Started poorly with the announcement of the 'bomb squad' including some good players. Then the recruitment started and this was one of the biggest positives of the season. The early games were, of course, very disappointing, but the highlights of the first half of the season were the random games where we were outstanding such as the 6-0 against Doncaster, 4-0 against Portsmouth and 4-1 against Wycombe, while it was also particularly exciting to see Macauley Bonne in such outstanding form and his not even an assist against Sheffield Wednesday has to go down as one of the best moments of the season.
But the biggest low points were the fact that every one of these games seemed to be a false dawn with a terrible match just after it, and the two 2-0 defeats against Charlton and Barrow under McGreal were among the worst performances I have ever seen from Ipswich Town.
A win against Wycombe on Kieran McKenna's debut was a big positive and through the entire first few months of his reign, the great performances were a huge positive and set us up brilliantly for this year. But the lowest point was a 2-1 defeat, I think against Cambridge, which seemed to end our hopes of the playoffs.
2022/23:
A season of three thirds. In the first third, we were on form good enough to win the league. In the second third, we were on midtable form, and in the final third we were on form good enough to absolutely dominate the league and get a record points score by some distance. The 3-2 win against Portsmouth early in the season was a big highlight, while the biggest low was perhaps the miserable 1-1 draw against Lincoln where they put their entire team in defence, an awful game. The comeback against Sheffield Wednesday was quite special, but the first part of that game was miserable. Also, in the away game at Sheffield Wednesday, losing because of an offside goal after fans had been throwing things at the referee and linesman was a huge blow. And the final minute deflected equaliser against Fleetwood was infuriating.
But in the improved run of form, the biggest highs were the win against Derby, because it kept our momentum up after the break, and then every game since Wycombe bar the draw at Cheltenham. The first was an example of totally dismantling a playoff-contending team. Charlton was even greater domination and also Sheffield Wednesday lost their game to bring us into the pound seat. Then Port Vale was perhaps the most exciting match of the season and the most important goal. Peterborough and particularly Barnsley were extraordinary performances against top teams, and of course Exeter sealed it. |  |
| They'd all laugh at me if they knew what I was trying to do. To create a new strain of super-wine in half-an-hour with a fraction of nature's resources and a FOOL for an assistant. 'Bernard Black, he's mad,' they'd say, 'he's insane, he's dangerous.' Well I'll show them! I'll show them all! | | Poll: | Who should start in CM with Cajuste? |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 17:52 - May 2 with 2114 views | Mach_foreignBlue |
Highs:
1. Gamechanger's arrival followed by the Demolition Job. Two turning points in the modern history of the club.
2. January 2023 transfer window. Best in this century.
3. Derby away. Chaplin's goal and its build-up followed by very noisy celebrations. The moment when I felt: 'this is our time, we are going up'. Barnsley away too, overwhelmed by that evening's experience.
Lows:
1. Every day with Evans in charge until the change of the ownership. Him giving Lambert 5 yrs deal was a pure mockery.
2. That group of players who had taken us down without a fight to represent us in League One. As expected they failed and The Demolition Job would have given us a new chapter
3. Fleetwood 0-1 at home, Peterborough 1-4 at home. Very demoralising defeats.
5. Barrow arguably the lowest point. [Post edited 2 May 2023 21:56]
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 18:11 - May 2 with 2099 views | carlisleaway |
Along with 200 diehards watching us lose 2-0 to Barrow
Father and son moment at Barnsley, the fantastic atmosphere created by the fans especially with the lull in play and the fans singing Blue Army for 5 minutes |  | | |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 18:36 - May 2 with 2076 views | Hipsterectomy |
My serious answer is Charlton away last season being the lowest. Charlton were absolutely dogpoop but played us off the park - could easily have been 5 or 6 with Stockley missing chances. We played like a team who had just met.
There were rumours that Marc Bircham was watching us in the stands and would be our new manager. Others were saying they had heard Neil Harris was now our main choice as manager.
Maybe it was the lukewarm Fosters they sold there, or the atmosphere of resignation amongst fans that we're Ipswich and this is what we get, but I don't think I've felt lower in League 1. |  |
| Walter Smith's Barmy Army |
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| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 21:47 - May 2 with 2012 views | cooperd5 |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 09:04 - May 2 by Whos_blue |
Highs
It's a fairly short list when you look past the joy of the last few months.
Lows
12th December 2020.
Sat with 2000 other town fans unlucky enough to "win" a ticket in the ballot for one of the lockdown games.
Freezing cold, pi55ing with rain, no one to talk to and on top of that, an abject, toothless 2-0 loss to a bang average Pompey side.
I think this was truely my low point as a town fan. [Post edited 2 May 2023 9:07]
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Same low for me. I was "lucky" enough to sit in SAR upper freezing and wet to watch a limp, lifeless, gutless, clueless display against Pompey. I cancelled my ST at this point, writing to club I'll be back when Lambert has gone
High. Away to Wycombe 4-1 win. I thought this is it for Cookie. Nah, scratch that, best is Saturday, style of play, ruthless and organised, love it! |  | | |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 23:18 - May 2 with 1966 views | cressi |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 08:03 - May 2 by BanksterDebtSlave |
High.....leaving
Low.....arriving |
Low ending up in league 1 and appointing a scummer as manager
High Gamechanger transforming our club top to bottom for the good | | | |
| Your League 1 highs and lows of the last four years.. on 23:35 - May 2 with 1956 views | FBI |
Lows:
1. Realising that Paul Cook wasn't going to be the answer after all. Still, I came on here and admitted I was wrong so that was fun :-/
2: Going to Forest Green away. Interesting club, journey from hell and looking around me, thinking "Hang on, I followed this club to the FA Cup Final and now I'm here."
Highs:
Only one: aged 56 and blubbing, alone, in my office at 5pm on Saturday. |  |
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