Ex-Town chairman David Sheepshanks has been made an honorary vice-president of Town at the invitation of chief executive Simon Clegg. Sheepshanks stepped down from the club's board after 24 years in the summer.

Clegg said: "I think it's fitting that David's outstanding commitment to this club over many years should be recognised in this way.

"As supporters of the club will know, David was a member of the board from 1987 and became chairman in 1995, a position he held for many years.

"He also led the search to find an owner for the football club and played a leading role in securing Marcus Evans's investment into Ipswich Town.

"I'm delighted that he has agreed to accept the invitation to become an honorary vice-president at Ipswich Town and look forward to his continued support of the club."

Sheepshanks was chairman of the Blues from 1995 until 2009 and a board member from 1987 until earlier this year, but still remains the chair of the PLC which owns 12.5% of the club and the ITFC Charitable Trust. He also the chairman of St George’s Park, the FA’s National Football Centre project at Burton.

Photo: Action Images

BROTHERBLUE1974 added 09:03 - Aug 19 Well deserved. What a great bloke.
0

beerhelps added 09:03 - Aug 19 so administration was all a bad dream then? I must stop eating over rope chedder before sleeping.
0

tractorboybig added 09:06 - Aug 19 The man who killed Ipswich Town.
0

PeekFreans added 09:06 - Aug 19 Great recognition of an excellent and honourable man.
0

beerhelps added 09:06 - Aug 19 sorry, that should be 'over ripe' !
0

algarvefan added 09:16 - Aug 19 Some of you are real muppets, yes he may have made mistakes bur Sheepy loves this club & deserves this...end of!
0

jong75 added 09:18 - Aug 19 A wolf in sheeps clothing, used ITFC to further his own career, not the Messiah some of you think he is.
0

ozzydog added 09:19 - Aug 19 Should be made CEO He could put right so many things that are wrong with ITFC Starting with the obscene ticket prices.
0

rogie_dog added 09:26 - Aug 19 If you cut this man in half he'd be blue and white in the middle. I don't remember being to a match without spotting him in the posh seats supporting this club. People with negative comments on here should have a rethink.
0

old_and_blue added 09:32 - Aug 19 Another woeful decision by SC. Does he really need Sheepshank's advice on how to run a club into the ground. Simon Clegg, are you Ann-Dray-Ah Hill in disguise?
0

Behind_Enemy_Lines added 09:43 - Aug 19 Lovely bloke and every match day he would walk amongst the crowd chatting and cheering the supporters on, yes things didn't work out well but he always had the club at heart !!
0

Basil_Smallpiece added 09:55 - Aug 19 Ugh! The nice-but-dim General's smarmy language and the overall sentiment are enough to make you throw up. Sheepshanks' crass and incompetent management are responsible for the club's dire situation and its lingering death. The Man With A Bag Over His Head is the greatest calamity ever to hit the Town and Sheepshanks is responsible for it. Go back to Rendlesham, odious character, and ponder on your massive incompetence. Let's await the next shambles on the pitch. When you are watching it, blame Sheepshanks.

0

bedsitfc added 10:14 - Aug 19 some pathetic town supporters on here again i see. the man made a few mistakes (dont we all), but his commitment to itfc was unquestionable. yes he played his part in us going into admin but that was because of the players he signed (on managers request) in trying to keep us playing in europe his crime was only getting a bit carried away with signings.
0

big_gaz67 added 10:15 - Aug 19 I offer you two facts Firstly a quote "We have financed the new stands in a similar way to Leeds Utd" and then he was the man who signed a cheque for £ 4.5 million for Sereni...... Hardly a hero is he.......
0

tractorboybig added 10:26 - Aug 19 bed sit itfc a few mistakes yes we all make these kind, administration sacking the 3rd best manager we ever had to cover his own incompetence. selling two players who scored 37 goals under joe royle not to replace them. sold the club with un due haste to pocket the money and give himself a well paid job for life with the fa. still walk among the fans at home games and smile knowing the sheep// will follow.

0

BLUEBEAT added 10:27 - Aug 19 A legend. A true blue who guided the club through their hardest years.
0

commuterblue added 10:32 - Aug 19 Without him we'd be like Charlton are now.
0

big_gaz67 added 10:54 - Aug 19 BLUEBEAT you missed three words at the end of your sentence.....having caused them. BEDITFC sorry if having a different opinion than you makes me pathetic
0

jas0999 added 11:02 - Aug 19 Agree with most - despite the mistakes, Sheepshanks clearly cares about the club and is actually a supporter. Also him and Bowden were better at signing players than Clegg.
0

Tractorog added 11:27 - Aug 19 BLUEBEAT I am surprised. He is clearly a fan, but to say he guided the club through its worse years is like saying the Captain of the Titanic did a good job steering the lifeboat.
0

Yallop added 11:31 - Aug 19 Sheepy's a blue. Yes he made a few mistakes but who hasn't. He did his very very best for little return. I'd always shake his hand and say thanks for what you have done for my club.
0

itfc1981 added 11:32 - Aug 19 Fully deserved! Some fans are really showing how little they know about ITFC's past.
0

Tractorog added 12:20 - Aug 19 ITFC1981 Really? So he was not in charge from 1995 before we were in the premiership and it is not partly his responsibility that when we were relegated we went into administration? Are you saying his job was not to control the purse strings? I accept the circumstances of relegation and a collapse in the value of players was extraordinary but it was not entirely unpredictable that Bosman would have that impact. Players were signed on contracts without relegation release clauses. He did a good job getting us out of the mess we were in. He is a nice man. He probably bleeds blue, but he was in charge of the ship when we hit the iceberg. The fact he steered the lifeboat to comparative safety is a credit to him, but he still hit the bleeding iceberg. Ignoring that fact is re-writing history. Or are you saying that there is an alternative ITFC history?

0

osborne1nil added 12:44 - Aug 19 Well deserved. As has already been quoted, blue and white right through. Yes, mistakes along the way but always had the best interest for the club in mind. Remember those who mock him for the administration for the years leading up to that with promotion and Europe, some of the most successful years in the Clubs more recent history. Granted, Burley took the brunt of his desire to push on when Town finished 5th in the Premiership and buy rather than Burleys reported desire to consolidate for a few years. Compared to Kerr, he was a breath of fresh air and his desire for Town to do well, is wrongly mocked by some on here.

0

itfc1981 added 14:03 - Aug 19 Tractor Rog, Bosman had no effect, in fact I bet Shepshanks wished the loyal players left for free to lower the wage bill. yes he was in change from 1990's thank God he was we would never have gone up without his 5 year plans. No club had relagaton release clauses, to much championship manger I think. I thank god he was in charge when the iceberg hit, I doubt anyone else could have got Marcus Evans on board. Look at Scum they tried for years to attract an major investor without luck.

0

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls