Some or many will recall the 1981 Euro Success that finalized with a two-game success over Alkmaar of The Netherlands and the preceding matches before it i.e. Cologne and St Etienne etc, however there's always time to read up on the issue for those not old enough to remember that seasons European exploits - and those of an age with vivid memory willing to recall past moments.
Point being, this is a good read that entails each round amid minor report on other endeavors of the time such as the League Championship race. Of course the team very nearly made the FA Cup Final also.
It's a long read be advised : but believe well worth the effort. An education for all ages if you will. It starts here :
In 1981 Ian Botham single-handedly destroyed the Australians. Adam and the Ants were the biggest band in Britain and Margaret Thatcher was embarking on the trade union reforms that would emasculate the labour movement.
And a small club from Suffolk took on and beat some of the best teams in Europe to win the UEFA Cup
This season, Ipswich Town have once again been in pursuit of a place in European competition and the town is buzzing with excitement. But mention European football to the fans who have been around a while and talk turns to the days when George Burley was an Ipswich player and his mentor, Bobby Robson, assembled the greatest team the club had known.
In 1980 / 81 Ipswich not only won the UEFA Cup, they made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and only lost on the Division One championship to Aston Villa on the last weekend of the campaign (there are still those who mutter darkly about how Ipswich should have won the title). But by their exploits in Europe shall ye remember this older generation on Tractor Boys.
Bobby Robson had taken over as Ipswich manager in 1969 after an unsuccessful spell as boss of Fulham. It was a surprise choice for a team that had won the League title only seven years before, under Alf Ramsey. Soon, though, he has laid the foundations for the greatest years in Ipswich's history.
"I built three great teams" says Robson. "First in 1975, then when we won the FA Cup in 1978 and the best of course, in 1981"
Winning the FA Cup in 1978 was a great achievement because Ipswich were the undoubted underdog when they beat Arsenal 1 - 0. By 1981, however, Robson had a team so full of quality that it was hardly a surprise when silverware arrived.
"We got the balance right" says Robson, obviously still proud of that teams legacy. "We had the two Dutch boys on each side. Just like Manchster United today have Giggs and Beckham, we had the same. Arnold Muhren could hit a ten pound note from 50 yards while Frans Thijssen would open so many doors with his dribbling. We also had two wonderful strikers, Alan Brazil and Paul Mariner. One was right-footed, one was left, so that gave us a good balance. Mariner was terrific at holding the ball up, while Brazil had it all : he could dribble, head the ball, had a great shot and never missed in a one-on-one situation".
The European adventure started on September 17 1980, with the Greek side Aris Salonika visiting Portman Road. For John Wark it was to be the first of many memorable nights in Europe. "My mother-in-law was from Salonika" says Wark. "My wife's family came to the first leg and I scored four in a 5 - 1 win so they wouldn't speak to me. I think they've forgiven me now though".
John Wark's family would be consoled by a 3 - 1 win for Salonika in the second leg, with an Eric Gates goal in the second half alleviating any nerves after the Greeks had gone three up. The second round saw Ipswich drawn against Bohemians of Prague. Again the first leg was at home and again Wark provided the goals, scoring two in a 3 - 0 victory.
Wark went on to have an incredible season, scoring 14 times in Europe (a record that was only beaten by Jurgen Klinsmann in 1996) and 36 in total to win the PFA Player of the Year.
"Every European game I always fancied scoring" says Wark. "In Europe we made loads of chances. The way we played suited me scoring goals from midfield, and when we had a big European game on the Wednesday night, everybody was up for it".
Despite his scoring record, Wark was the defensive third of the midfield trio, while the Dutch pair were charged with attacking responsibilities. "Wark was a a great defensive midfielder" recalls Robson. "However, like Bryan Robson he could time runs into the box perfectly. He was a great header of the ball and could take a penalty, which is always important. All his goals were different. He was Brilliant"
Wark's form at Portman Road on those memorable European nights was to prove Ipswich's salvation, because their away form was often unconvincing. The 3 - 0 advantage against Bohemians was only just enough, with the Czech team jangling Suffolk nerves with a 2 - 0 victory in freezing conditions in Prague.
However, the team had shown enough fighting spirit, and with the likes of Mariner and Thijssen missing, the squad had been shown to have enough depth to warrant a place in the third round.
While Ipswich's opponents in the first two rounds had been decent, organised sides, the hard work really began in the third round. Ipswich were drawn against Widzew Lodz, who, having knocked out Manchester United and Juventus in the two previous rounds, were among the favourites for the trophy.
The rest of Europe's confidence in Lodz seemed to have rubbed off on the clubs management : Bobby Robson remembers a strange request from his opposite number Jacek Machcinski. "Before the game he wanted to have a bet on the outcome" recalls Robson. "Apparently this was common practice in Poland, but when he said he only had Polish money I told him that I never bet on my own team, especially with useless currency. I had never experienced anything like that".
However, Robson probably regretted not having a flutter on his boys. Ipswich absolutely destroyed the Poles, even with Zbigniew Boniek in their side. Another Wark hat-trick and further goals from Brazil and Mariner spelled a 5 - 0 drubbing. Ipswich were starting to turn continental heads.
"We were lucky it was only 5 - 0," said Machcinski after the game, doubtless thanking Robson for being so wary of a wager. "We could do nothing with Ipswich. They are one of the best teams we have ever played and I have given up hope of winning the tie".
The trip to Poland was more difficult principally because of the weather. If the team and their travelling support thought Prague had been cold then Lodz was even more of a shock. There were fears that the Russians might invade Poland (this was at the time of the Solidarity Uprising) and some of those scheduled to travel from Britain joked that at least the game might be postponed and played somewhere warmer.
"The pitch was so hard the UEFA official gave us the option of postponing the match" Robson says. "However, he said we would not be able to play the game until March. If it had been only 1 - 0 from the first leg I may have taken him up on the offer, but at 5 - 0 I was confident we could defend our lead".
The conditions were so treacherous that one Polish official who examined the pitch mustered what little English he knew and said simply, "Robin Cousins". The players - dressed in stockings, gloves and some even rubbed down with olive oil - skated their way to a 1 - 0 defeat. One man though, remained sublimely unconcerned with the cold, arms and legs bear to the Polish winter.
"Kevin Beattie wore no stockings and a normal shirt" Alan Brazil says. 'He was from Carlisle, so that explains a lot. What a character".
It didn't go unnoticed by the manager either. "Everyone went out in tights and gloves" laughs Robson. "Beattie, though, comes running out in short sleeves, no stockings, no vest, nothing. He was amazing".
Ipswich were now though to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, but they surely needed to improve their away form if they were to progress. At home of course, it was a different matter. Ipswich Town had always had a reputation as a friendly club with a countrified family atmosphere. But once opposing teams came on to the pitch the friendly faces were replaced by a team hell bent on flowing, attacking football.
Robson believes the club's reputation for hospitality worked in Ipswich's favour. "For years, I think many people didn't give us enough respect," he says. "Teams thought they were coming to Ipswich Town, a nice country-based club, and they weren't quite prepared for us. We eventually got their respect though".
The quarter-finals, in March 1981, saw Ipswich paired with St Etienne. Les Verts were a team of stars - Michel Platini, Patrick Battiston and Johnny Rep were in the line-up. St Etienne had only lost twice at home in 31 years of European football : this would surely be the acid test for Town.
In front of a crowd of 42,000, St Etienne took the lead through Rep, but Ipswich were in no mood to admire their hosts. Paul Mariner equalised before half-time to set up 45 minutes of football that will live long in the hearts of Ipswich players and fans alike.
Goals from Muhren, another from Mariner and the customary Wark contribution completed a famous 4 - 1 victory. "That was the best performance" says Wark. "Especially away from home. We went out there and they had Platini, Johnny Rep and some good French internationals and we stuffed them".
The French were overwhelmed. Some St Etienne players tried to use their boggy pitch as an excuse, saying the conditions suited the English team, but most were honest enough to admit they had simply met a team at their peak. Robson was both thrilled and proud of his team. "It was great", he says, a hint of glee still in his voice. "The then St Etienne president came into the dressing room afterwards and said 'Congratulations, we have never ever had a team come here and play football like that".
There were to be no slip-ups in the return leg and another convincing performance in Suffolk saw a 3 - 1 victory and Les Verts dismissed 7 - 2 on aggregate. Wark recalls an upturn in the side's confidence after those two results. "After that, I thought, We're going to win it. We really fancied ourselves".
Ipswich, having overcome the flair of the French, would now have to deal with the organisation of the German side Cologne. However, Ipswich had self-belief to spare. "Cologne were a good team as well", he says. "I think we frightened them though. They were scared of us".
Strong words, especially considering the German team were masterminded by the Dutchman Rinus Michels, who had been at the helm of Holland's famous 'total football' side in 1974. Cologne had knocked out Barcelona in the second round and came to Portman Road in the first leg with plenty of confidence of their own.
The German side were organised but unspectacular, and with Cologne's former Nottingham Forest striker Tony Woodc0ck posing little threat upfront, Ipswich were disappointed to only take a 1 - 0 win from the home leg.
Wark, yet again, was the matchwinner, but Alan Brazil recalls the Cologne players being more than happy with their night's work. "The Germans were actually saluting and punching the air. They seemed happy enough, and we knew that to go over there was going to be really tough".
Ipswich had gone to France and fought flair with flair. Now they had to travel to the banks of the Rhine and combat grit with grit. An additional pressure was that Town's success in the FA Cup (they were through to the semi-finals) and continued contention for the League meant their was no chance to relax. Robson took his weary players to Germany worried about their fatigue.
"We didn't bother training over there, they were too knackered", he says. "Instead I took the players to a fair and got them relaxing on the water splash, the swings and the roundabouts. It was great".
Unorthodox maybe, but it rejuvenated his team. They put on a solid defensive performance before Terry Butcher put the game beyond doubt with a headed goal past keeper Harald Schumacher. "Everyone goes on about the St Etienne performance" says Brazil. "I think the Cologne game was a belter. I wouldn't want to choose between them".
Ipswich had made it to their first European final and despite losing out on the two major domestic honours, they were determined to make it third time lucky. Their opponents would be Dutch side AZ 67 Alkmaar, who had won their league with something to spare.
Ipswich had made it through to their first European final and despite losing out on the two major domestic honours, they were determined to make it third time lucky. Their opponents would be Dutch side AZ 67 Alkmaar, who had won their league with something to spare.
The first leg was at Portman Road. Ipswich had lost out on the League title only four days earlier and there was a nervous air of expectation both in the crowd and the dressing room. "This was the last chance for a trophy and we all looked at each other and said, 'Come on, let's do it," Brazil remembers. "It was a packed house, a European final, and we went out that night and our togetherness was really clear. It was a great, great night."
Goals from Wark, Thijssen and Mariner secured another home victory - a three-goal lead looking a healthy margin to take across the North Sea. Robson, though, was quick to warn against complacency : he knew the Dutch would for broke. Despite an early Frans Thijssen goal to make the aggregate score 4 - 0, Alkmaar poured forward with a never-say-die attitude that worried the Ipswich bench.
"It was on a knife edge", Robson says. "They were 4 - 0 down on aggregate and threw caution to the wind, they stopped thinking about defensive football and came at us." Ipswich's quality upfront was sufficient to take advantage of the gaps and a Wark goal settled any nerves.
To Alkmaar's credit they continued to push forward, winning the game 4 - 2, but Ipswich held on to secure a 5 - 4 aggregate victory. Mick Mills, who had been skipper at the FA Cup final three years earlier, soon had his hands on Ipswich's first, and, to date, only European trophy.
After such a strenuous season, the relief at actually winning something was immense. "It was great to hear that whistle" says Wark. "For the whole second half we were in the trenches. It helped having so many Ipswich fans over there. I think the whole town came over to Holland that night. We went out afterwards and walked into thousands of our fans. It was like being out in Ipswich on a Saturday night. It was great."
That was the pinnacle of Robson's reign at Ipswich. The small club he had nurtured for 12 years had produced a side that ranked among Europe's finest. Robson himself had become one of the most respected coaches in Europe, a target for both big clubs and the English FA. Robson took the England job a year later, but it was the only post that could have tempted him away from Suffolk. "I could have joined Manchester United after that, but I was happy at Ipswich. I had a great team, the best board in the country and was very fond of Suffolk. I still am"
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