| Let this sink in…. 10:42 - Jan 18 with 4156 views | WestSussexBlue |
Sometimes it’s easy to forget and there have been threads on a similar note but,
I struggle to believe at times just where we find ourselves. On the eve of playing Man City at PR, we have some of the finest young talent in the country, an unbelievable young manager who I must admit, brings tears to my eyes the way he speaks, acts and conducts himself regarding our football club, and an ownership group including Mark Ashton that has the very best intentions for the long term future. Oh and we’ve just about the biggest music artist as a fan.
TATD. What a time to be a Town fan. |  | | |  |
| Let this sink in…. on 10:51 - Jan 18 with 4007 views | le2blue |
Agreed. I walked away from the Ethiad, and, the Brentford game, thinking there was a real chance that we could end up being like Southampton are this season. The fact that we're in the mix and making signings that could impact this season is frankly remarkable considering our journey. We've just got to hold our nerve and believe in Kieran and the team. |  | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 12:32 - Jan 18 with 3746 views | ghostofescobar |
How far we have come, in such a short space of time is beyond incredible. And not just on the pitch, but everything about us, top to bottom, inside and out. The overall management, the investment, the training ground upgrades, upgrades to PR, community work, youth set up, there’s probably more, and that’s before you even get to what has gone on on the pitch over the past 3 years. In all honesty I think this season will just be a step too far and we won’t quite make it, but to be in with even a sniff is beyond my expectations. Brighton are one of the best run teams in the PL, superb recruitment, excellent managers in recent years, have been able to spend millions and millions over their Prem years on building their squad, yet we weren’t a millions miles away from them for the first hour, and many of us came away feeling quite low that we lost 2-0, which is in itself amazing that we could go into that game thinking we could get something out of it. I feel very proud of our club again, very proud. |  |
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| Let this sink in…. on 12:35 - Jan 18 with 3710 views | Pioneer_Blue |
Wouldn't necessarily feel like it, but 3rd bottom ahead of the other two promoted teams would be a massive achievement with this group given everyone else is in at least 3rd consecutive season in the league and Leicester and Southampton having bounced back. Obvs hoping for at least one place higher. | | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 12:43 - Jan 18 with 3630 views | pointofblue |
| Let this sink in…. on 12:32 - Jan 18 by ghostofescobar |
How far we have come, in such a short space of time is beyond incredible. And not just on the pitch, but everything about us, top to bottom, inside and out. The overall management, the investment, the training ground upgrades, upgrades to PR, community work, youth set up, there’s probably more, and that’s before you even get to what has gone on on the pitch over the past 3 years. In all honesty I think this season will just be a step too far and we won’t quite make it, but to be in with even a sniff is beyond my expectations. Brighton are one of the best run teams in the PL, superb recruitment, excellent managers in recent years, have been able to spend millions and millions over their Prem years on building their squad, yet we weren’t a millions miles away from them for the first hour, and many of us came away feeling quite low that we lost 2-0, which is in itself amazing that we could go into that game thinking we could get something out of it. I feel very proud of our club again, very proud. |
That's been the story of many matches this season. In a game until the hour mark and then...
It does show that our biggest weakness, understandably, is our depth. | |
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| Let this sink in…. on 13:04 - Jan 18 with 3511 views | WestSussexBlue |
| Let this sink in…. on 12:32 - Jan 18 by ghostofescobar |
How far we have come, in such a short space of time is beyond incredible. And not just on the pitch, but everything about us, top to bottom, inside and out. The overall management, the investment, the training ground upgrades, upgrades to PR, community work, youth set up, there’s probably more, and that’s before you even get to what has gone on on the pitch over the past 3 years. In all honesty I think this season will just be a step too far and we won’t quite make it, but to be in with even a sniff is beyond my expectations. Brighton are one of the best run teams in the PL, superb recruitment, excellent managers in recent years, have been able to spend millions and millions over their Prem years on building their squad, yet we weren’t a millions miles away from them for the first hour, and many of us came away feeling quite low that we lost 2-0, which is in itself amazing that we could go into that game thinking we could get something out of it. I feel very proud of our club again, very proud. |
Very well put. | | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 14:08 - Jan 18 with 3340 views | dirtyboy |
| Let this sink in…. on 12:32 - Jan 18 by ghostofescobar |
How far we have come, in such a short space of time is beyond incredible. And not just on the pitch, but everything about us, top to bottom, inside and out. The overall management, the investment, the training ground upgrades, upgrades to PR, community work, youth set up, there’s probably more, and that’s before you even get to what has gone on on the pitch over the past 3 years. In all honesty I think this season will just be a step too far and we won’t quite make it, but to be in with even a sniff is beyond my expectations. Brighton are one of the best run teams in the PL, superb recruitment, excellent managers in recent years, have been able to spend millions and millions over their Prem years on building their squad, yet we weren’t a millions miles away from them for the first hour, and many of us came away feeling quite low that we lost 2-0, which is in itself amazing that we could go into that game thinking we could get something out of it. I feel very proud of our club again, very proud. |
Great comments.
Come the end of this season, every aspect of the infrastructure of the club is ahead of where it was last season.
Finishing above Leicester should be seen as an improvement on last year.
Southampton you'd hope stay below us still.
We then end up in the Championship next season with an enviable squad (even if we lose a few) and you'd very much hope we'd be in with a shout of coming back up.
Will certainly enjoy winning more games than we lose again lol!
If by some miracle we stay up.
It will be a miracle, we've not been selling players for £100m like Brighton and having the 'pull' that an established Premier League team has.
We've been favourites to go back down since May, so it's not a surprise we are where we are and were always going to struggle to attract top players both in where we were predicted to be and probably on what we can afford to pay in PRS by way of wages.
It's all good, it really is...just doesn't feel like it when we lose so often against some unreal players.
Baleba? Another £100m player there for starters! |  | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 14:18 - Jan 18 with 3254 views | Dubtractor |
| Let this sink in…. on 12:35 - Jan 18 by Pioneer_Blue |
Wouldn't necessarily feel like it, but 3rd bottom ahead of the other two promoted teams would be a massive achievement with this group given everyone else is in at least 3rd consecutive season in the league and Leicester and Southampton having bounced back. Obvs hoping for at least one place higher. |
Yep.
I wouldn't for one minute be happy with 18th place and relegation, but I was more than a little nervous about this season, even with all the signings. So relegation without embarrassing ourselves (which we haven't so far!) wouldn't be the end of the world for me - the club and squad will be in a really good place to face the future.
All that said, and despite genuinely disliking so much about this league and the circus that goes with it, I really hope we get our performances and results up a notch or 2 in the second half of the season and keep above the dotted line! |  |
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| Let this sink in…. on 14:45 - Jan 18 with 3164 views | Churchman |
| Let this sink in…. on 14:18 - Jan 18 by Dubtractor |
Yep.
I wouldn't for one minute be happy with 18th place and relegation, but I was more than a little nervous about this season, even with all the signings. So relegation without embarrassing ourselves (which we haven't so far!) wouldn't be the end of the world for me - the club and squad will be in a really good place to face the future.
All that said, and despite genuinely disliking so much about this league and the circus that goes with it, I really hope we get our performances and results up a notch or 2 in the second half of the season and keep above the dotted line! |
I’ll be desperately disappointed if we go down. I am when we lose and even more when we are given a chasing. I’m really not a good loser.
However, age and experience has added a little sprinkling of looking at the big picture/ perspective and sometimes even understanding it. That’s where the posts in this thread hit the right spot. What the club looks like compared to four years ago is frankly absurd. I never believed it could happen. Established mid table Championship, average crowd 24k was my expectation.
I don’t think we are strong enough to stay in this division. But I see players, staff, management all doing their best. I can’t ask for more than that. Continue with that approach and one day we will be stronger than the Brightons of this world even if it ends in disappointment this season.
The Premier League itself? I dislike it with its weak management, obvious greed, stupid cardboard arches, loud music, theatrics, cheating, dopey pundits, obscene money and uncompetitiveness - exactly what the big clubs want. But it is the top of the game in this country. The top table and I want to see us at it. Why not?
So while I think we will fall short, we are giving it a go and you never know. At least nobody can accuse the club of taking the money and accepting failure in return - as our friends and neighbours did. |  | | |
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| Let this sink in…. on 15:34 - Jan 18 with 3001 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
I agree with all apart from the last line. We have made great steps over the last few years and are in a far better place than for 2 decades.
However, our current situation is not as good as 2000, most definitely not on a par with the Robson years, nor 1961. I only enjoyed the first of those but I am confident much is in place to at least match that in the near future. |  |
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| Let this sink in…. on 15:34 - Jan 18 with 3002 views | VanSaParody |
Oh my word, that was going so well til the mention of a certain music artist! |  | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 15:56 - Jan 18 with 2920 views | Kropotkin123 |
| Let this sink in…. on 15:34 - Jan 18 by VanSaParody |
Oh my word, that was going so well til the mention of a certain music artist! |
It would be nice if some people dropped the musical snobbery. He's been great for the club and is just a passionate supporter who committed to putting money into they club at pretty much our lowest point.
It makes a big difference when speaking to non-football fans. I've taken my wife to games like Millwall away, and she's really enjoyed it. But it isn't her thing. Since the Ed Sheeran connection she wanted to be part of it more. Get a Town top, keen on raising our kid to support Ipswich (not because he is a fan but because of the way he articulated the sense of community and belonging he felt when he was isolated on the road), and encouraging me to spend time enjoying watching Town and reconnecting with more distant family members. |  |
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| Let this sink in…. on 17:40 - Jan 18 with 2666 views | MVBlue |
| Let this sink in…. on 12:35 - Jan 18 by Pioneer_Blue |
Wouldn't necessarily feel like it, but 3rd bottom ahead of the other two promoted teams would be a massive achievement with this group given everyone else is in at least 3rd consecutive season in the league and Leicester and Southampton having bounced back. Obvs hoping for at least one place higher. |
While 2 seasons ago a third bottom finish in the Prem sounds unreal, and myself I made a pact with myself that i'd settle for us to be a yo yo team between top championship and bottom Premiership... despite all that the feeling that promoted sides can't cope well and the other sides get stronger and stronger the Bournemouths and Brentfords using the money to build high quality squads of 22 first team players. My feeling is it actually does us and other clubs too no favours to have again this season the same 3 promoted teams relegated, just like last season. So thats it...
We must stay up. To save football. |  |
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| Let this sink in…. on 17:59 - Jan 18 with 2573 views | BlueBadger |
| Let this sink in…. on 15:34 - Jan 18 by VanSaParody |
Oh my word, that was going so well til the mention of a certain music artist! |
Come on now, it's not like they mentioned Morrissey. [Post edited 20 Jan 0:11]
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| Let this sink in…. on 18:08 - Jan 18 with 2524 views | AVJones |
I love everything you say, and you say it brilliantly.
And yet, and yet…
Sorry, no, these aren’t the days.
That’s not our fault. The PL as a concept, sucks. It’s not the fun place it should be. It is so utterly skewed to the top teams.
And we’re in the bottom 3, deservedly so, sadly. Relegation is likely.
And if we go down, we really don’t know the impact. All these players we’ve signed will be on big, big money. Our wage bill will be enormous. Many, many will leave and might not go for big money. We won’t hold the aces.
I think staying up is so critical. [Post edited 18 Jan 18:10]
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| Let this sink in…. on 18:15 - Jan 18 with 2477 views | VanSaParody |
| Let this sink in…. on 17:59 - Jan 18 by BlueBadger |
Come on now, it's not like they mentioned Morrissey. [Post edited 20 Jan 0:11]
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Didn't really want to distract from the OP, just wanted to poke a little fun at our patron's style of music
As you can tell, not my cup of tea
As if you couldn't tell by the name I use, people don't need to take anything I post too seriously!!
COYB's | | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 18:28 - Jan 18 with 2405 views | TractorWood |
| Let this sink in…. on 10:51 - Jan 18 by le2blue |
Agreed. I walked away from the Ethiad, and, the Brentford game, thinking there was a real chance that we could end up being like Southampton are this season. The fact that we're in the mix and making signings that could impact this season is frankly remarkable considering our journey. We've just got to hold our nerve and believe in Kieran and the team. |
West Ham was where I knew it was going to be a long season.
Tottenham is where I thought why not.
Chelsea was where I thought we could be in a false position.
It's been amazing so far. I'm reconciled to whatever outcome we arrive at. |  |
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| Let this sink in…. on 19:37 - Jan 18 with 2254 views | WestSussexBlue |
| Let this sink in…. on 18:08 - Jan 18 by AVJones |
I love everything you say, and you say it brilliantly.
And yet, and yet…
Sorry, no, these aren’t the days.
That’s not our fault. The PL as a concept, sucks. It’s not the fun place it should be. It is so utterly skewed to the top teams.
And we’re in the bottom 3, deservedly so, sadly. Relegation is likely.
And if we go down, we really don’t know the impact. All these players we’ve signed will be on big, big money. Our wage bill will be enormous. Many, many will leave and might not go for big money. We won’t hold the aces.
I think staying up is so critical. [Post edited 18 Jan 18:10]
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All very factual to be fair. | | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 20:06 - Jan 18 with 2167 views | Eireannach_gorm |
| Let this sink in…. on 15:34 - Jan 18 by Nthsuffolkblue |
I agree with all apart from the last line. We have made great steps over the last few years and are in a far better place than for 2 decades.
However, our current situation is not as good as 2000, most definitely not on a par with the Robson years, nor 1961. I only enjoyed the first of those but I am confident much is in place to at least match that in the near future. |
The money levels are the difference between then and now. You are talking gross national product of small countries levels now. |  | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 20:21 - Jan 18 with 2091 views | Linners |
There's always caveats and conditions to these things, but there are plenty of other threads for that sort of thing so I'm going to wholeheartedly agree.
This has been a remarkable and joyous three years or so (although I do think we've earned it!) and I feel a connection to some of these players and this manager that is comparable to Burley's teams of the late 90s and early 2000s.
It's not going to last forever of course, but I am also as proud of this club as I have been for a very long time. Not just for the promotions or the successes, or KM or the players, but for the journey we've all been on. And that's partly why the memorial game video chokes me up so much because I can't help being glad that so many of them got to slip away with those most recent memories in their minds and their hearts. COYB |  | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 20:37 - Jan 18 with 2020 views | pointofblue |
| Let this sink in…. on 20:21 - Jan 18 by Linners |
There's always caveats and conditions to these things, but there are plenty of other threads for that sort of thing so I'm going to wholeheartedly agree.
This has been a remarkable and joyous three years or so (although I do think we've earned it!) and I feel a connection to some of these players and this manager that is comparable to Burley's teams of the late 90s and early 2000s.
It's not going to last forever of course, but I am also as proud of this club as I have been for a very long time. Not just for the promotions or the successes, or KM or the players, but for the journey we've all been on. And that's partly why the memorial game video chokes me up so much because I can't help being glad that so many of them got to slip away with those most recent memories in their minds and their hearts. COYB |
"... I feel a connection to some of these players and this manager that is comparable to Burley's teams of the late 90s and early 2000s"
I think that's the key difference between now and Burley's tenure. In 2000-01, there were barely any changes from the team who won promotion and who finished fifth in the top flight - Hreidarsson was the solitary summer signing to make an impact. The only players of note who we brought in mid-season were Makin and Armstrong, and the latter was behind Stewart in the pecking order. Johnson was the single standout player who left, in January. | |
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| Let this sink in…. on 06:40 - Jan 19 with 1575 views | NickITFC |
Great post and a great reminder! |  | | |
| Let this sink in…. on 07:10 - Jan 19 with 1494 views | PioneerBlue |
I can can say that I’ve enjoyed reading this thread somehow it’s not infected like some threads! I too love the overall position of the club, relegation zone aside. Staying up is probably falling to the 30 percent chance level now but we are playing in a way that keeps the candle burning.
For this season the last 15 are the key, once we get to the Southampton game its head down, that run is massive, that game might be one of the biggest for years without loading too much on any one game!
I don’t want to look too far ahead. We should have no fear over the future, in May, club wise we will be in a position we could never imagined only a short while ago. The pieces that are not clear are which league, the manager, the coaching team, the players. We might be preparing for season 2 in the PL, or for fighting to get out of Champ which is never a given, but we will be starting that journey in the best possible way, MA and GC20 will ensure that.
If we did go down, as it stands, there is still a rump of players with the earlier experience, now with a year of PL experience, Walton Clarke Wolf Burgess Townsend Morsy Taylor Burns Broadhead Szmodics, that’s before considering who stays and goes and comes in fresh.
Future is good.
Now let’s get back to fighting for PL survival. | |
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| (No subject) (n/t) on 08:39 - Jan 19 with 1280 views | Vic |
| Let this sink in…. on 18:28 - Jan 18 by TractorWood |
West Ham was where I knew it was going to be a long season.
Tottenham is where I thought why not.
Chelsea was where I thought we could be in a false position.
It's been amazing so far. I'm reconciled to whatever outcome we arrive at. |
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| Let this sink in…. on 10:08 - Jan 19 with 1171 views | VanSaParody |
| Let this sink in…. on 18:28 - Jan 18 by TractorWood |
West Ham was where I knew it was going to be a long season.
Tottenham is where I thought why not.
Chelsea was where I thought we could be in a false position.
It's been amazing so far. I'm reconciled to whatever outcome we arrive at. |
One game at a time
We'll finish where we deserve
COYB's (I BELIEVE!) | | | |
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