| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! 13:10 - Oct 3 with 2065 views | StevieH |
Thanks to Mark Ashton for appointing Kieran McKenna. I’d honestly never heard of him when he got the job and now I’m just delighted that he’s in charge.
I’m 47 years old now (only 47) and that schoolboy mixture of nerves, excitement and expectation is back on matchday. It’s as if I’ve been brought back to life. It’s been too dull for too long.
I know the years under Burley were fabulous but I feel like I’m 17 again watching John Lyall’s Ipswich in 91-92. That was my favourite season following Town and although we’re a league lower this season, than we were then, it brings back memories of that season. Why? It’s to do with identifying with the players……..that unity with the fans. When it happens, it’s special.
This could very easily become nostalgic waffle but when I look at the team now, you feel like you know them almost and that they care as much as we do,
When I think of Craig Forrest, Billy, Shaky, Kiwomya, Dozzell, Big Dave, Stckwell, Stevie Whit, Steve Palmer, Warky, Frank Yallop………..it’s as if I know them intimately (obviously I don’t, but you know what I mean)
I get that same feeling of pride and unity in the club when I look at Walton, JD, Woolfy, Fridge, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Evans, Ladapo, Chaplin, Burns , Harness.
I couldn’t make it on Saturday due to the train Strike and other commitments, but the excitement coming from the club at the moment has just led me to booking a b and b in Morecambe for Friday and Saturday night which wasn’t really in my plans at all. I had no intention of going.
I was chatting to a mate the other day who was at the Pompey game and we kind of laughed at how it still means so much and the emotions that watching Ipswich can still evoke and that we probably should have grown out of it by now.
I know it’s not just me. An entire fan base has been resurrected!!!
COYB |  | | |  |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 13:16 - Oct 3 with 1978 views | abracaDOBRA_ |
I know some think its empty gestures, but Harness patting the badge and then Leif kissing it after the goals Saturday really warms the heart! |  | | |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 13:17 - Oct 3 with 1956 views | Asa |
I completely agree and get what you mean.
For the best part of a decade we were just another club, just another pay day. There was no culture or spirit to buy into or identify with.
Mick did his best by creating a team that worked hard and could be admired and in that time you had glimpses from one of our own in Bishop and then McGoldrick who was worth the admission, as well as Murphy, Chambers, Skuse who all earned a bit of love and admiration.
Ultimately though, that was a them versus the world mentality. This is an inclusive ITFC where the owners have been superb, invovled but not overly so, the CEO has identified the things the club was getting wrong and worked hard, the managerial appointment was a masterstroke, someone super talented than fitted seemlessly into the blue print and the work that goes into signing talented players, but ones that are good people and characters is really visible in the connection everyone feels with them.
It's more than due to us after 22 years of treating water or declining slowly and it's fantastic to see so many people wanting to the part of what looks like the start of an exciting journey. |  | | |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 13:20 - Oct 3 with 1932 views | SE1blue |
Very similar age to you and genuinely thought the club was dying a few years ago and going to be lost in the basement leagues of football.
McKenna’s influence cannot be underestimated. Cook and Keane have already shown that spending big does not mean you always win. You need to have so much more.
Hopefully our stars are finally aligning. |  |
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 13:30 - Oct 3 with 1892 views | BlueBadger |
I've already seen us play more times this season than I did in three seasons of Hurst and Lambert.
Good times.
I generally go with some boys and girls from [redacted] hospital - most of them are 15-20 years younger than me and have never seen a REALLY good ITFC team. It's brilliant to see their responses to it as well. [Post edited 3 Oct 2022 13:41]
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 14:13 - Oct 3 with 1749 views | Churchman |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 13:30 - Oct 3 by BlueBadger |
I've already seen us play more times this season than I did in three seasons of Hurst and Lambert.
Good times.
I generally go with some boys and girls from [redacted] hospital - most of them are 15-20 years younger than me and have never seen a REALLY good ITFC team. It's brilliant to see their responses to it as well. [Post edited 3 Oct 2022 13:41]
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I think that’s brilliant. Old hasbeens like me who witnessed the Robson years, had another taste with Lyall and of course GB know how special this club can be. Every supporter says that and there is total bias on my part, but I think there really is about ITFC. I always felt that.
After the disgraceful way in which the club fell into Administration, that feeling gradually went and when Evans slithered in, the club became just another one. Fading, dying, ordinary. I hated going to games, though we continued with season tickets until my dad no longer could. But there there was no real ‘feel’ in the way there had been. No association. Everything was wrong. Decaying.
That’s now changed. The club feels loved again. It’s moving forward. I was interested in the piece about changes to the ground the week before the season. The bloke who came from Norwich was so positive, so proud and driven with what he was doing. That engagement by the club from top to bottom shows. When opportunity allows, I’ll be back in the ground. I can’t wait.
As McKenna said the other day, we are at the start. Those boys and girls of yours might see something really special and once they’re hooked….
Good times. |  | | |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 14:30 - Oct 3 with 1692 views | N2_Blue |
Great post, and resonates with me...I'm 42 and that 91-92 time are my first real memories of going to Town games.
I haven't felt as excited about watching Town since Burley & Joe Royle. Burley was successful and arguably our best manager after Sir Alf and Sir Bobby. Joe Royle was exciting although I'm still haunted by both west ham defeats.
McKenna clearly has the potential to go down as a great at this club, and that's saying something with the pedigree of Town managers we've had (although maybe not the last 15 years or so). I really don't think there are more than a handful of managers in the English leagues who speak as well as him about the game currently, he is so insightful, switched on, tactically aware and communicates this in his interviews. No clichés and repeated soundbites. I actually think he will achieve more with the better players he works with. If and when we get out of this godforsaken division i really think McKenna could excel surprisingly quickly at a level above.
There will always be the risk we lose him to a bigger club, it will happen eventually especially if he is successful here, but he strikes me as someone who knows what an exciting project he has here and he will want to achieve a fair bit of it...i hope anyway! |  |
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 14:50 - Oct 3 with 1633 views | Metal_Hacker |
I thought it was just me . We get one matchday out of the way and I'm counting down the days / hours for the next
Lucky enough to have witnessed the Robson years standing in the old North Stand as a kid loving life - and it's back
Thanks to all concerned though - MA,KMc,Gamechanger and us...the fans !!! The fans have a massive part to play in all this and they/we are all delivering
For once the club is pulling in one direction |  |
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 14:57 - Oct 3 with 1578 views | NthQldITFC |
If I was a bit bigger, I'd have your post printed on a T shirt. Well said, you've captured how a lot of us feel I think. |  |
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 15:02 - Oct 3 with 1546 views | norfsufblue |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 14:13 - Oct 3 by Churchman |
I think that’s brilliant. Old hasbeens like me who witnessed the Robson years, had another taste with Lyall and of course GB know how special this club can be. Every supporter says that and there is total bias on my part, but I think there really is about ITFC. I always felt that.
After the disgraceful way in which the club fell into Administration, that feeling gradually went and when Evans slithered in, the club became just another one. Fading, dying, ordinary. I hated going to games, though we continued with season tickets until my dad no longer could. But there there was no real ‘feel’ in the way there had been. No association. Everything was wrong. Decaying.
That’s now changed. The club feels loved again. It’s moving forward. I was interested in the piece about changes to the ground the week before the season. The bloke who came from Norwich was so positive, so proud and driven with what he was doing. That engagement by the club from top to bottom shows. When opportunity allows, I’ll be back in the ground. I can’t wait.
As McKenna said the other day, we are at the start. Those boys and girls of yours might see something really special and once they’re hooked….
Good times. |
It's incredible really... today for my birthday I received a vinyl of Come on the Town/ Ipswich football calypso from my family and it just takes me back to the days of being a young teenager and buying a it from the club shop.... I was so young and enthusiastic and suddenly at 60+ it feels just as exciting!.... Can't wait for Saturdays now. |  | | |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 15:05 - Oct 3 with 1516 views | mrfixit426 |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 14:13 - Oct 3 by Churchman |
I think that’s brilliant. Old hasbeens like me who witnessed the Robson years, had another taste with Lyall and of course GB know how special this club can be. Every supporter says that and there is total bias on my part, but I think there really is about ITFC. I always felt that.
After the disgraceful way in which the club fell into Administration, that feeling gradually went and when Evans slithered in, the club became just another one. Fading, dying, ordinary. I hated going to games, though we continued with season tickets until my dad no longer could. But there there was no real ‘feel’ in the way there had been. No association. Everything was wrong. Decaying.
That’s now changed. The club feels loved again. It’s moving forward. I was interested in the piece about changes to the ground the week before the season. The bloke who came from Norwich was so positive, so proud and driven with what he was doing. That engagement by the club from top to bottom shows. When opportunity allows, I’ll be back in the ground. I can’t wait.
As McKenna said the other day, we are at the start. Those boys and girls of yours might see something really special and once they’re hooked….
Good times. |
This sums up exactly how I feel. I started going in 1986 and it always felt like Ipswich was different from other clubs. Experiencing the highs of the Lyall and Burley eras were really special times in my life.
Under Evans, it felt like just any other club. Uninspired managerial appointments from the manager merry-go-round and the general malaise around the place pushed me away. I was so disillusioned, I didn't even check for results after a while.
The Paul Hurst appointment caught my interest, but that didn't work, and then it was on to perhaps the most depressing managerial appointment in history.
But now, I'm bringing my 11yr old son to almost every game and it feels like the magic is back. He was a Man City supporter (kids!), but now he's completely lost interest in the Premier League and is fully engaged in what's happening at Ipswich and talks about it all the time. I'm so happy! |  | | |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 15:16 - Oct 3 with 1453 views | Keno |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 14:13 - Oct 3 by Churchman |
I think that’s brilliant. Old hasbeens like me who witnessed the Robson years, had another taste with Lyall and of course GB know how special this club can be. Every supporter says that and there is total bias on my part, but I think there really is about ITFC. I always felt that.
After the disgraceful way in which the club fell into Administration, that feeling gradually went and when Evans slithered in, the club became just another one. Fading, dying, ordinary. I hated going to games, though we continued with season tickets until my dad no longer could. But there there was no real ‘feel’ in the way there had been. No association. Everything was wrong. Decaying.
That’s now changed. The club feels loved again. It’s moving forward. I was interested in the piece about changes to the ground the week before the season. The bloke who came from Norwich was so positive, so proud and driven with what he was doing. That engagement by the club from top to bottom shows. When opportunity allows, I’ll be back in the ground. I can’t wait.
As McKenna said the other day, we are at the start. Those boys and girls of yours might see something really special and once they’re hooked….
Good times. |
^^^This^^^ |  |
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 15:20 - Oct 3 with 1416 views | clive_baker |
Well said Stevie.
That side you mentioned were a touch before my time, I was knee high to a grasshopper in 91/92, but certainly got the Town bug not long after, with a few of those players still around the squad. I was absolutely buzzing once when Craig Forest gave me a pair of his gloves, still got them somewhere. My golden era was under Burley. Wright, Holland, Magilton, Stewart, Mogga, Venus, McGreal, Wilnis, Clapham, Reuser, Johnno. We didn't half have some good footballers then, you don't finish 5th in the Premier league by accident.
It was hard not to become despondent through the Evans era, especially after the initial optimism faded. Mick's pragmatism papered over some cracks, and I still have admiration for his efforts in difficult circumstances. I think it's probably testament to his abilities that we performed as we did under him, albeit with a style that wasn't so easy on the eye and not one that was likely to attract too many fans back to watch. It never felt as sustainable as it does now either, with ageing players and a few choice loanees it always felt a little shorter and medium term.
As cliche as it sounds it does feel like we have the club back, attendances up, establishing those links with the community that have been decimated, we're well run on and off the pitch, good structured flowing football, good squad depth and a clear understanding of what we're trying to achieve. There's a lot to admire about the club right now and that's playing through in the results. This is certainly the best it's been and most optimistic I've felt in 20 years. |  |
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 15:45 - Oct 3 with 1314 views | Chrisd |
Completely agree. I'm from the same era as you StevieH and like you have seen plenty of ups and downs in that period. MA has certainly done a huge job in reconnecting the fanbase while also getting us recognised as a community club once again which had really been lost in recent seasons under ME, if not before then. PR has a little more of its sparkle back with the little cosmetic touches added around the ground. There are so many things to be proud of with what is happening off the pitch now and look at how the fans have reacted in return - 28,400+ on Saturday and a crowd expected in excess of 26,000 on a Tuesday night against Cambridge - I think our average attendance is 25K+ so far?
Things are happening and most definitely for the better. We now just need the players, KM and his coaching staff to start delivering consistently. The way we have started this season, there is plenty to be optimistic about and the brand of football has been so much better than what we have experienced for the last decade. Let's hope this momentum continues to accelerate along because we just don't know where we will end up and that's what makes it very intriguing as a Town fan. [Post edited 3 Oct 2022 15:47]
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| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 16:02 - Oct 3 with 1241 views | jontysnut |
I remember how great it was to go late 70s. Meet mates in Mulberry Tree, walk down through town, see loads of people, one in Black Horse, then under the subway and into the North thinking that there was nowhere I'd rather be. Its happening again. |  | | |
| The child like enthusiasm of watching us again !! on 18:06 - Oct 3 with 1000 views | monkeymagic |
I think that until now, post Sheepshanks I had very little enthusiasm. I still went to most home games but didn’t really have a strong connection to the club : it was a loveless marriage that just plodded on as divorce seemed worse.
The club felt soulless, no better than an awful lot of others within the pyramid of 92.
We now feel special again, and speaking as someone who has been a supporter since ‘78, it does seem that we’re about to enjoy another golden period.
COYFB. | | | |
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