| Favourite era for watching football? 09:38 - Nov 11 with 3343 views | Blue_In_Boston |
Following on from the Leif debate yesterday, comparing left backs across the years.
What era have you enjoyed matches most, taking the whole experience into account such as standing on terraces, pre VAR, number of substitutions allowed, physicality, law changes, all games kicking off at 3pm etc.
Secondly, do you think, like music, that so much is related to your age and situation rather than the actual game. [Post edited 11 Nov 9:39]
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 13:08 - Nov 11 with 805 views | Benters |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 11:18 - Nov 11 by Sharkey |
Same for me. Going to both Portman Road and Layer Road as a kid, mostly by myself. I loved everything - the passive smoking, the whiff of violence, the long urinals, the witticisms from the crowd, the strong accents of some of the old blokes. It was like being allowed in the pub before you were allowed in the pub. |
I was at Layer Road yesterday in the Drury Arms it’s a Sainsburys now.
Burley years for me. |  |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 13:10 - Nov 11 with 806 views | mellowblue |
1971 to early 80's for me. Related to the success which as a young fellow assumed would gone on forever. The Ferguson, Duncan years cured such naivety.
Also relates to my formative years learning about professional rather than boys football. Basically the whole of my early age from 9 through through my teens and a bit beyond.
Though of course, I loved the slow progression of the Burley years to 5th in the Prem, (why did it all have to collapse so badly) and the last few years also.
I'm not sure if all the changes over 50 years has improved anything much. Even the hooloigan times gave an electricity in the air and an edge that is very much lacking now. All-seating and moving the away fans was a dross decision though understandable given the context of the times.
Having single subs was fun because there was always a game of jeopardy once that sub had been used whether for injury and tactical purposes. There was always the chance that you or the opposition might be down to 10 and a walking wounded which could be game-changing. Also we were good at tiring out opposition with our passing prowess so that second half we often got the winning goal or ran away with games as the opposition tired. Now any fatigue and on come 5 subs. | | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 13:22 - Nov 11 with 792 views | Illinoisblue |
Probably from around 88 - 92. The buzz of away days and new grounds, terracing, still living at home so money not an issue, living for the weekends. And the pure joy of 91-92 will live forever. Going up at Wembley in 00 was great but would take on the pitch at Oxford every time. |  |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 13:23 - Nov 11 with 790 views | Churchman |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 11:33 - Nov 11 by woodbridge_blue |
It's one of the advantages of being the age I am now (65), to have had the glorious enjoyment of growing up with Bobby's teams.
No ID required in pubs, bar staff turning a blind eye to 16 and 17 year old drinkers. No irregular kick off times, we would commence at 11.00 in the Cock and Pye, a lot less comfortable than it is these days, maybe a couple of frames in the Lucania, then the Coach and Horses, long since disappeared as a pub, followed by The Plough, maybe Blue Coat Boy if we felt brave enough and finally The Falcon.
Into the North Stand via pay as you enter turnstiles by 2.30 at the very latest.
Entertained by a group of players the like of which we will never see again.
Games ending no later than 4.45, speed walking to Mannings, which always opened earlier than the legal time in those days.
Collecting the Green Un from the bottom of Lloyd's Avenue before 6.00 pm....how on earth was such a marvellous publication produced in such a short space of time?
An evening in Ipswich without any threat or peril, ending with the unique entertainment of the First Floor Club, and the excitement of not knowing where we would end up at the end of the night.
Almost seems like a different world, but boy it was great. |
Similar age, but my experiences were a little different. We always went to the game from my grandparents house next to Christchurch Park and returned afterwards to a nice warm house and tea, until the mid 70s when they passed away. After that we inevitably went by car, not living there, as I still do. Alcohol didn’t play much of a part. It did when I went to games with chums whether ITFC or their teams - but not if I was driving.
My memories were seeing the tv cherry picker over Churchmans if we were on tv that night. In the ground by 2pm. Shuffling to get a view. Letters for half time scores that were never right or there. Invacars in the corner. Visionhire and Churchmans ads around the pitch, the massive new Portman (Cobbold) stand, us usually winning.
The Green un (always waited for that) there by 6pm and sold by what seemed to me an ancient woman off the Cornhill. Loved it all. Always bought a programme too. Read it cover to cover with the exception of the away team. Who cared about Kevin Keegan or anyone else?
Great memories.
Watching us struggle wasn’t so good, the Duncan years being pretty hopeless in every way. I think it’s why we enjoyed the 91/92 side so much. Burley’s teams too. Then came bankruptcy and Evans after that. Sorry, I endured and admired how Mick M made something of nothing, but I didn’t enjoy it or the mess under the rest.
Then came Gamechanger. It’s been brilliant and the past described above is the reason I find the entitled bedsheet bawlers so annoying. Anyone who has seen the ups and downs of ITFC will know just how short sighted they are. Nobody knows the future, but I thank my lucky stars we are not in 2020 or Sheffield Weds now. Or Plymouth come to that. Noticed how they’ve fallen?
Overall, I count myself very lucky to have experienced what I have. [Post edited 11 Nov 18:10]
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 14:28 - Nov 11 with 752 views | Pendejo |
It should be 77-82, but it is 22-24, 10 league defeats in 2 seasons, both promotion winning, and the love developed for the players who got us there |  |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 14:29 - Nov 11 with 748 views | Bluemike31 |
Late 70s / early 80s, never to be forgotten and never to be repeated. | | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 14:34 - Nov 11 with 740 views | Bluemike31 |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 11:33 - Nov 11 by woodbridge_blue |
It's one of the advantages of being the age I am now (65), to have had the glorious enjoyment of growing up with Bobby's teams.
No ID required in pubs, bar staff turning a blind eye to 16 and 17 year old drinkers. No irregular kick off times, we would commence at 11.00 in the Cock and Pye, a lot less comfortable than it is these days, maybe a couple of frames in the Lucania, then the Coach and Horses, long since disappeared as a pub, followed by The Plough, maybe Blue Coat Boy if we felt brave enough and finally The Falcon.
Into the North Stand via pay as you enter turnstiles by 2.30 at the very latest.
Entertained by a group of players the like of which we will never see again.
Games ending no later than 4.45, speed walking to Mannings, which always opened earlier than the legal time in those days.
Collecting the Green Un from the bottom of Lloyd's Avenue before 6.00 pm....how on earth was such a marvellous publication produced in such a short space of time?
An evening in Ipswich without any threat or peril, ending with the unique entertainment of the First Floor Club, and the excitement of not knowing where we would end up at the end of the night.
Almost seems like a different world, but boy it was great. |
This was my life to a tee back then, halcyon days and so so happy. | | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 15:01 - Nov 11 with 706 views | BseaBlue |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 09:42 - Nov 11 by Swansea_Blue |
Burley’s I think. There was something special about that slow build improving over the years along with the multiple heartbreaks of losing out in the POs. It made Wembley 2000 all the more sweeter and then that first PL season was the cherry on top. Obviously we were more of a force in SBR’s time, but I was too young to appreciate how good we actually were and that it wasn’t normal.
PS. I highly recommend the Burley era book available via TWTD for anyone else who found that a special time, if there are any left. [Post edited 11 Nov 9:43]
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Burley years for me too. The atmosphere was phenomenal before the ground re-development and getting comments from Sir Alex etc showed how good it was 'loudest ground in the Premiership'
The Bolton play off home match will forever live with me. |  | | |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 15:13 - Nov 11 with 688 views | solemio |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 15:01 - Nov 11 by BseaBlue |
Burley years for me too. The atmosphere was phenomenal before the ground re-development and getting comments from Sir Alex etc showed how good it was 'loudest ground in the Premiership'
The Bolton play off home match will forever live with me. |
Yes, we were hugging people we hardly knew! Not a bad old player that Jim Magilton. | | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 15:21 - Nov 11 with 672 views | Churchman |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 15:13 - Nov 11 by solemio |
Yes, we were hugging people we hardly knew! Not a bad old player that Jim Magilton. |
Same here. What a night that was. One of the if not the most intense match I’ve ever witnessed. Off the scale.
I thought Jim Magilton was a waste of a signing. A journeyman with little to offer. That one didn’t age too well…
I hope relations between him and the club are now repaired. He was treated abominably. | | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 16:37 - Nov 11 with 637 views | Blue_In_Boston |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 15:21 - Nov 11 by Churchman |
Same here. What a night that was. One of the if not the most intense match I’ve ever witnessed. Off the scale.
I thought Jim Magilton was a waste of a signing. A journeyman with little to offer. That one didn’t age too well…
I hope relations between him and the club are now repaired. He was treated abominably. |
Agree with you completely, the greatest night ever at Portman Road for me. I am not sure the drama of thar game, goals galore, sending offs etc will ever be repeated. | | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 16:59 - Nov 11 with 625 views | Meadowlark |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 16:37 - Nov 11 by Blue_In_Boston |
Agree with you completely, the greatest night ever at Portman Road for me. I am not sure the drama of thar game, goals galore, sending offs etc will ever be repeated. |
1970's
Growing up with Mr Robson's teams gradually getting better and better.
My first matches were under McGarry, but then Mr Robson arrived. After a shaky start he brought in Jimmy Robertson and Frank Clarke and things began to change. It was wonderful seeing a team that got better and better, first of all winning the Texaco Cup in 73, then being cheated out of that Cup final place in 1975 before winning it in 1978.
And glorious European nights under the lights and a few away trips included.
Then my real life took over and it was impossible to get to matches so regularly.
Back in the habit now though! |  | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 18:02 - Nov 11 with 594 views | IpswichTownBlue |
I would say between 1998-2007ish (i'm in my 30s). I felt there were more off-the cuff maverick footballers around at that time. I just found that every game had a real sense of excitement around it, the pre-match atmospheres at the more traditional stadiums just had a realness to it that is lacking in most stadiums nowadays. [Post edited 11 Nov 18:03]
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 15:55 - Nov 12 with 490 views | southnorfolkblue |
Definitely the Robson years of 70s/80s but that’s probably coloured by the fact we were for the most part brilliant. Dont miss the hooliganism though, which was a massive blight on that era | |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 18:26 - Nov 12 with 458 views | USA |
Football as a whole was the era when Klinnsman signed for Spurs. That was a wow for me and when I really loved football.
Town was the play offs era with George Burley. Some great memories of big wins despite the regular play off heartbreak.
Not old enough for the European tour era | |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 18:38 - Nov 12 with 452 views | flykickingbybgunn |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 16:59 - Nov 11 by Meadowlark |
1970's
Growing up with Mr Robson's teams gradually getting better and better.
My first matches were under McGarry, but then Mr Robson arrived. After a shaky start he brought in Jimmy Robertson and Frank Clarke and things began to change. It was wonderful seeing a team that got better and better, first of all winning the Texaco Cup in 73, then being cheated out of that Cup final place in 1975 before winning it in 1978.
And glorious European nights under the lights and a few away trips included.
Then my real life took over and it was impossible to get to matches so regularly.
Back in the habit now though! |
We clearly went through this together. Great times.
I will just add by way of colour. My Dad ran a wholesaler. A rep came to stay with us and we took him to a UEFA cup game.
He was so excited to go to a European game. "Real!y ?" Said Dad. "They are normal for us. " |  | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 18:54 - Nov 12 with 444 views | DJR |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 09:59 - Nov 11 by norfsufblue |
Mid 70's to early 80s can't really be topped for me, apart from the violent undercurrant we had great teams, trophies ,great music and I turned 18 in 78 Polegate drinking too.... TWTDs! |
Me too. Indeed, growing up then we just took it for granted and never thought it would end. |  | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 19:54 - Nov 12 with 431 views | WeWereZombies |
1978
Archie Gemmill's wonder goal at the World Cup, the madness of the final itself and the Netherlands almost overcoming the odds, Then there was that incredible FA Cup semi-final at Highbury and being there and then at Wembley for my first time and seeing Mick Mills lift the trophy. Reasonable year for music too, back to Wembley for Nils Lofgren / Stranglers / The Who, well out of my teens at 23 and starting to drink etc. a lot less, so getting a grip on life too. |  |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 20:18 - Nov 12 with 425 views | TheBlueGnu |
Any time before the following sh1t came into it:
VAR
"Number 10's"
"False 9's"
"Inverted Full-Backs"
Twitter / X
"High Press"
"Low Press"
"Counter Press"
"Assists"
"XG"
"Low Block"
"Turnovers"
"Pivot / Double Pivot"
"Hybrid Full Back"
.........all total b0llox | |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 20:44 - Nov 12 with 417 views | GlasgowBlue |
I started going to Portman Road in 1974 and gave up football in 1982 for cars and girls (to quote Prefab Sprout) until returning in 1991/92.
So that first 8 years will always be my favourite period. |  |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 20:53 - Nov 12 with 411 views | Herbivore |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 20:18 - Nov 12 by TheBlueGnu |
Any time before the following sh1t came into it:
VAR
"Number 10's"
"False 9's"
"Inverted Full-Backs"
Twitter / X
"High Press"
"Low Press"
"Counter Press"
"Assists"
"XG"
"Low Block"
"Turnovers"
"Pivot / Double Pivot"
"Hybrid Full Back"
.........all total b0llox |
So you're a playing on the half turn and being dangerous in transition kind of guy. |  |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 21:20 - Nov 12 with 403 views | Bigalhunter |
As a child of the sixties, 1972 onwards was a virtually unbroken decade of awe and excitement.
The European nights were electric and the Saturday 3pm games, competing with Leeds, Liverpool, Derby, QPR were just so exciting for a kid heading into his awkward teens.
If you didn’t get to the game it was Grandstand or World of Sport for the scores.
If your mum had dragged you round Debenhams all Saturday afternoon and the bus home was late, it was the Green’un and the hope you might be on MOTD.
No internet, no intricate analysis of every mistake, Just Brian Moore or Jimmy Hill to nod to camera and state that that was a big two points for Ipswich..let’s see how Leeds got on at Burnley..
Subsequently, the Burley years were a joy for someone heading towards their forties who thought the great days were a distant memory.
The MM days bought out a hitherto undiscovered siege mentality. I sort of liked him for his single-minded belligerence in the face of having nothing more than pocket money to spend.
As a man in his early sixties the KM revival just made me emotional and reinvested in a way I never expected. [Post edited 12 Nov 22:19]
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 21:54 - Nov 12 with 382 views | FBI |
I'm going to add another reason, very personal, for my '78-82 choice earlier and it speaks to a lot of things that are good about football which get forgotten under the money stuff.
My parents split in the mid seventies. I was a Town fan after my dad had taken me to see my home town team, WBA, getting tonked 7-0 in THAT game and i was an Ipswich fan from that day on. For context.
Anyway, FF a couple of years and my mum had a very, very new and, as it transpired, rather wonderful man in her life. His big sister was a Churchman's regular and, even though she barely knew me at this point, invited me along in August 1978. Her first words to me were "You're the Ipswich fan, then?"
She took me to virtually every game for the next 6, 7 seasons until relegation coincided with some tough times for our now step-family and, of course, I was also getting older. I don't need to tell you what I saw during those seasons, but what I only really twigged recently was just what a big deal it was that she did that and, actually, how much it meant to me, even now. She subsequently did the same with my 20-years-younger stepbrother.
I'm pretty sure the ungrateful little sh!t I was never said thank you because it wouldn't have occurred to me. A few years ago I managed to organise tickets for the Oxford home game. She was there anyway of course but my little brother and his wife, my sister and her partner, me and my daughter all went and it was one of the most special days of my 58 years. All because of something someone didn't have to do in 1978.
I know she lurks on here and I can't think of a better place to say thanks, Deb: love you x |  |
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| Favourite era for watching football? on 23:04 - Nov 12 with 346 views | Churchman |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 16:37 - Nov 11 by Blue_In_Boston |
Agree with you completely, the greatest night ever at Portman Road for me. I am not sure the drama of thar game, goals galore, sending offs etc will ever be repeated. |
I don’t see how it can be repeated. It started intense then went right off the diving board. Berserk. | | | |
| Favourite era for watching football? on 06:45 - Nov 13 with 276 views | ITFC_Forever |
1991-92. Was at sixth form and starting to enjoy the freedom of a fledgling adult.
Discovering a new group of friends, pubs, the opposite sex (or trying to!) and a big group of us going home and away every week to watch Lyall’s team win Division 2.
The Burley years would come next, had joined the working world by then and as Illy said, as I was still living at home and also had a company car with unlimited private fuel, we followed Burley’s team home and away every week, this time culminating in the European tour.
Then I would pick the McKenna era… kids are in their mid-to-late teens so are doing their own thing, which means I can go back and to going to away games regularly again and see us play some fantastic stuff and achieve the double promotion. |  |
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