| Sheepshanks book… 20:25 - May 15 with 4112 views | ITFC_Forever |
Anyone read it yet?
Appreciate he’s not without his critics due to events post-relegation, but no-one will ever deny he cared as passionately about the club as anyone.
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| Sheepshanks book… on 10:53 - May 17 with 750 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Sheepshanks book… on 09:57 - May 17 by Radlett_blue |
Fair points. I agree with Sheepy's defence which was that Town's wage bill when we went down wasn't extreme by PL standards & he would have been endlessly criticised for not backing a manager who got us to 5th in the PL. But GB's transfer window of the summer of 2001 must be Town's worst ever. None of the players GB signed enhanced the team. |
Sereni was our best goalkeeper in 2001-02.
Finidi was one of our best players… when he was fit, we had our best spells of the season. | |
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| Sheepshanks book… on 10:59 - May 17 with 732 views | WeWereZombies |
| Sheepshanks book… on 09:57 - May 17 by Radlett_blue |
Fair points. I agree with Sheepy's defence which was that Town's wage bill when we went down wasn't extreme by PL standards & he would have been endlessly criticised for not backing a manager who got us to 5th in the PL. But GB's transfer window of the summer of 2001 must be Town's worst ever. None of the players GB signed enhanced the team. |
Ahem, Pablo. It was also the window we brought in Sixto on loan. And Gaardsoe arrived that summer too. For what it's worth I think Finidi definitely enhanced the team, but he was starting to show his age - quite surprising for such a young man. |  |
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| Sheepshanks book… on 11:05 - May 17 with 725 views | PhilTWTD |
| Sheepshanks book… on 17:01 - May 16 by Churchman |
I met Sheepshanks once in the run up to the 2000/01 season. He was pleasant, helpful and good conversation. A nice man. He cared about the club. No doubt about that.
But he and his Board got us into such a mess. It felt like post the phenomenal Premier League season he lost his head. ITV Digital copped the blame. It was a factor but it was also a smokescreen. North Stand (Churchmans had already been planned for) Finidi, Sereni, artificial training pitch, you name it. He might not have taken a salary, but I seem to remember his pension took a nice little top up.
When it went wrong for GB, did he back him? No he fired him. Administration? Local businesses got rinsed. When the club fell into trouble again, he couldn’t sell it fast enough to Evans and we all knew where that led. Yet we are meant to be grateful Evans wasn’t an Oyston or Chansiri. I’m not.
My view was always that he was a man that cared. Bleeds blue and white. A likeable man. He just wasn’t a very good Chairman.
I will read his book when it’s cheap enough with interest. Maybe it’ll change my view. I hope so. [Post edited 16 May 17:08]
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Worth pointing out that the stands weren't a factor in administration, indeed the bond which paid for them hung around the club's neck for years given the lack of a return to the Premier League. FieldTurf pitch was put in in 1998. ITV Digital was a big factor which led to administration as was the collapse in the transfer market. Mistakes were obviously made - looking at the foreign market in the summer of 2001 without any real knowledge of it, for example - but outside factors played a significant part. |  | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 11:08 - May 17 with 699 views | Libero |
| Sheepshanks book… on 10:53 - May 17 by ITFC_Forever |
Sereni was our best goalkeeper in 2001-02.
Finidi was one of our best players… when he was fit, we had our best spells of the season. |
This is it, both were adequate replacements in themselves, but the disruption to how we play and the change that was needed- just never really settled. |  | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 11:23 - May 17 with 679 views | mellowblue |
| Sheepshanks book… on 09:57 - May 17 by Radlett_blue |
Fair points. I agree with Sheepy's defence which was that Town's wage bill when we went down wasn't extreme by PL standards & he would have been endlessly criticised for not backing a manager who got us to 5th in the PL. But GB's transfer window of the summer of 2001 must be Town's worst ever. None of the players GB signed enhanced the team. |
Sheepy was a bit unlucky. Having finished 5th in the Prem, everyone was upbeat, expansive and ambitious . In May 2001 it would have seemed ridiculous that we would be relegated a year later. the most pessimistic of us would have expected another 2 seasons in the Premier and that would have paid a good chunk if not all of the ground re-build.
Then doomsday scenario, we were relegated.
The landscape was completely different to today. There were no parachute payments and with outgoings of the rebuild funded at a time of higher interest rates, much reduced income stream including the collapse of the easily hacked ITV digital we really picked the worst time to be relegated. The salary bill, though not excessive by Prem levels, certainly was by Championship levels. we were forced to trim it to 5 million, (which is probably our top 3 or 4 players total salary today, how times have changed).
And that was the start of our journey into administration and 20 odd years of further decline and obscurity.
Sheepy was a big supporter of signing up with ITV Digital rather than the alternative Sky Premier 2 league format. He had a lot of clout in the EFL in those days and carried the day. With hindsight if we had gone with the Sky deal it might have covered us enough financially. As you say, the 2001 transfer was bad, really added little to the team at that time. One small ray of light was signing Tommy Miller, though of course he was very much for the future. |  | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 11:44 - May 17 with 643 views | Churchman |
| Sheepshanks book… on 11:05 - May 17 by PhilTWTD |
Worth pointing out that the stands weren't a factor in administration, indeed the bond which paid for them hung around the club's neck for years given the lack of a return to the Premier League. FieldTurf pitch was put in in 1998. ITV Digital was a big factor which led to administration as was the collapse in the transfer market. Mistakes were obviously made - looking at the foreign market in the summer of 2001 without any real knowledge of it, for example - but outside factors played a significant part. |
Fair enough. Ta for that. |  | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 11:49 - May 17 with 642 views | algy |
| Sheepshanks book… on 11:23 - May 17 by mellowblue |
Sheepy was a bit unlucky. Having finished 5th in the Prem, everyone was upbeat, expansive and ambitious . In May 2001 it would have seemed ridiculous that we would be relegated a year later. the most pessimistic of us would have expected another 2 seasons in the Premier and that would have paid a good chunk if not all of the ground re-build.
Then doomsday scenario, we were relegated.
The landscape was completely different to today. There were no parachute payments and with outgoings of the rebuild funded at a time of higher interest rates, much reduced income stream including the collapse of the easily hacked ITV digital we really picked the worst time to be relegated. The salary bill, though not excessive by Prem levels, certainly was by Championship levels. we were forced to trim it to 5 million, (which is probably our top 3 or 4 players total salary today, how times have changed).
And that was the start of our journey into administration and 20 odd years of further decline and obscurity.
Sheepy was a big supporter of signing up with ITV Digital rather than the alternative Sky Premier 2 league format. He had a lot of clout in the EFL in those days and carried the day. With hindsight if we had gone with the Sky deal it might have covered us enough financially. As you say, the 2001 transfer was bad, really added little to the team at that time. One small ray of light was signing Tommy Miller, though of course he was very much for the future. |
The itv digital was a bad risky deal from the start, a contract with a stand alone company owned by some of the larger franchise holders within the itv consortium with little guarantee that the contract would ever bring the clubs the money expected. It was no surprise when itv digital failed and the owners just wrote off their investment with no liability to the clubs when they put it into administration. Ridiculous that anyone connected to the FL or any club ever thought it was a viable competitor to Sky.s | |
| Never forget that on 7th. April 2021, for ITFC, the Game Changed. |
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| Sheepshanks book… on 12:03 - May 17 with 608 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| Sheepshanks book… on 11:49 - May 17 by algy |
The itv digital was a bad risky deal from the start, a contract with a stand alone company owned by some of the larger franchise holders within the itv consortium with little guarantee that the contract would ever bring the clubs the money expected. It was no surprise when itv digital failed and the owners just wrote off their investment with no liability to the clubs when they put it into administration. Ridiculous that anyone connected to the FL or any club ever thought it was a viable competitor to Sky.s |
Indeed and don’t forget how involved Sheepshanks was in aspects of that deal (including failing to get sufficient parent co guarantees). [Post edited 17 May 12:03]
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| Sheepshanks book… on 12:46 - May 17 with 545 views | patrickswell |
Seeing a lot of posts on here focussing on the undeniable mistakes made post-2001, but the work that the man put in between 1995 and 2001 getting us up the mountain alongside Burley, and the implementation of the Five Year Plan should never be forgotten. He deserved the post-2001 brickbats, but he also deserved the 1995-2001 bouquets, not least because he was operating in a much tighter environment to try and build the club up. |  | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 13:12 - May 17 with 510 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| Sheepshanks book… on 12:46 - May 17 by patrickswell |
Seeing a lot of posts on here focussing on the undeniable mistakes made post-2001, but the work that the man put in between 1995 and 2001 getting us up the mountain alongside Burley, and the implementation of the Five Year Plan should never be forgotten. He deserved the post-2001 brickbats, but he also deserved the 1995-2001 bouquets, not least because he was operating in a much tighter environment to try and build the club up. |
Yep did a great job in that period. | | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 19:48 - May 17 with 423 views | darkhorse28 |
| Sheepshanks book… on 20:34 - May 15 by Hugoagogo_Reborn |
No, but I'll check it out. He always treated me very kindly when I worked at the club, and his passion for wanting the club to succeed was undeniable.
I emailed him after our 23/24 promotion, thanking him for facilitating the takeover with Marcus Evans in a way that protected the club and allowed the cancellation of debt. Without that, I don't think we would have been able to achieve what we did in such a resounding manner.
He sent a really lovely reply back and it's clear that he is absolutely delighted with the success ITFC have realised in the last few years. |
Remember a cup game at Newcastle, cold wet, we lost 5-0 (I think) Shearer and Robert running riot for Bobby Robson’s Newcastle.
He came and sat with supporters, up in the gods, I can’t think many owners would do that, in those circumstances, he sat a couple of seats away form me, asked people and genuinely cared about their responses, he listened, was engaged, and it’s very obvious he cared a lot.
An in spite of mistakes made, and there were clearly some big ones, he’s still responsible for the best season ever since the Robson era.
It would be the equivalent of McKenna take us to Europe this season.
It seems a bit reductive when people criticise him, and forget just how high those highs were, in terms of levels it’s like out three promotions squared, to take us from the EFL to Europe with a group of young players, and experienced pro’s like Venus (who was superb) written off by other clubs.
We’ll be blessed if we ever get a season like that again.., feel sorry for those that didn’t see it, living the dream. Huge gratitude to David’s role in that. | | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 20:33 - May 17 with 400 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Sheepshanks book… on 19:48 - May 17 by darkhorse28 |
Remember a cup game at Newcastle, cold wet, we lost 5-0 (I think) Shearer and Robert running riot for Bobby Robson’s Newcastle.
He came and sat with supporters, up in the gods, I can’t think many owners would do that, in those circumstances, he sat a couple of seats away form me, asked people and genuinely cared about their responses, he listened, was engaged, and it’s very obvious he cared a lot.
An in spite of mistakes made, and there were clearly some big ones, he’s still responsible for the best season ever since the Robson era.
It would be the equivalent of McKenna take us to Europe this season.
It seems a bit reductive when people criticise him, and forget just how high those highs were, in terms of levels it’s like out three promotions squared, to take us from the EFL to Europe with a group of young players, and experienced pro’s like Venus (who was superb) written off by other clubs.
We’ll be blessed if we ever get a season like that again.., feel sorry for those that didn’t see it, living the dream. Huge gratitude to David’s role in that. |
Was a League Cup game, we lost 1-4 and I think I’m right in saying Darren Bent scored his first goal for the club in that game.
McKenna getting us into Europe would be a much bigger achievement than when Burley did it, simply because the gap between the Champ and Prem has widened to an enormous chasm. | |
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| Sheepshanks book… on 20:54 - May 17 with 362 views | carlisleaway |
Those who are short minded should remember without David Sheepshanks we would not have got George Burley as manager. Before David was placed in charge as Chairman, we were going nowhere. Hence the two were involved in play offs before that wonderful day out at Wembley in 2000. David loved Ipswich Town and as many will say not afraid to speak with supporters however we were playing, still sits in the Directors box and follows the team he loves.
The book should be an interesting read. |  | | |
| Sheepshanks book… on 20:59 - May 17 with 348 views | algy |
| Sheepshanks book… on 20:33 - May 17 by ITFC_Forever |
Was a League Cup game, we lost 1-4 and I think I’m right in saying Darren Bent scored his first goal for the club in that game.
McKenna getting us into Europe would be a much bigger achievement than when Burley did it, simply because the gap between the Champ and Prem has widened to an enormous chasm. |
Steady! Speculating about Europe already! He hasn't even won a plural home win yet in a whole season yet. Give him time. | |
| Never forget that on 7th. April 2021, for ITFC, the Game Changed. |
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| Sheepshanks book… on 22:24 - May 17 with 302 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Sheepshanks book… on 20:59 - May 17 by algy |
Steady! Speculating about Europe already! He hasn't even won a plural home win yet in a whole season yet. Give him time. |
I wasn’t, or didn’t mean to, it was a response to the post before which mentioned Burley getting us into Europe. | |
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