Blues co-owner Brett Johnson says his whistle-stop trip to Portman Road has been one of the most memorable experiences of his life and he can’t wait to return with the rest of the Gamechanger 20 group.

Johnson flew over to the UK on Friday with his wife to make his first visit to the club since the takeover in April.

The 51-year-old, one of the Three Lions along with Berke Bakay and Mark Detmer, met the players and staff at Playford Road on Friday morning, spoke with reporters, including TWTD’s Phil Ham, in the afternoon before watching his first live Town game on Saturday.

Johnson’s delight at Bersant Celina’s last-gasp winner was very evident with his reaction having gone viral among Blues supporters.

“The mask can’t hide the smile on my face for the entire flight home,” Johnson wrote on Twitter.

“Thank you to all at Ipswich Town for making my visit to Portman Road and beyond one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

“Can’t wait to return with the entire GC20, so they can meet the family as well.”

Johnson said on Friday that he and his fellow Three Lions, plus Ed Schwartz from ORG, the investment firm which manages funds on behalf of Arizona's Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS), and Mark Steed, the chief investment officer of the PSPRS, will be over for a game before Christmas with the home fixture against Sunderland on Saturday 18th December a leading candidate.

Photo: Matchday Images

Dissboyitfc added 13:58 - Oct 24 And thank you Brett!
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Skip_Intro added 14:00 - Oct 24 Cheer up Peter Reid...
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RegencyBlue added 14:03 - Oct 24 Thank you Brett for helping to rescue the club from the previous regime!
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midastouch added 14:06 - Oct 24 So pleased for him. Made his day and some! Also, I spy with my little eye George Burley. And is that the Ipswich boxer Fabio Wardley also in the picture?
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itfc1108 added 14:32 - Oct 24 Cheer up George Burley as well!
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Hipsterectomy added 15:01 - Oct 24 Some of our Suffolk fans are quite memorable :)
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chepstowblue added 15:02 - Oct 24 Looks like Bryan Hamilton next to George Burley and obviously Simon Milton behind. Big John Henderson the Scottish dart player at the front (it isn't, but it's a bl**dy good lookalike).
1

Fatboy added 15:21 - Oct 24 Do I take it that Mrs Johnson flew over from LA and then didn't go to the match?
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backwaywhen added 15:28 - Oct 24 Is that the Gillingham manager 2 along from Brett ….. lol
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carlisleaway added 15:42 - Oct 24 Who is the guy that looks very much like an Alan Brazil look alike to the back left
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pennblue added 15:56 - Oct 24 ^^^^. This is what a joined up football club looks like. Love the reaction from both Brett and Ashton and what a great photo, perfect for a caption competition!
6

Bazza8564 added 16:22 - Oct 24 Brett, so glad you got a taster but make no mistake, it is us thanking you for restoring our football club to a position where we have genuine hope once again. I have seen the Robson side conquer Europe and be arguably one of the continent's best sides, but in the modern world football has changed to a point that without significant outside investment a club like ours can easily get lost in the crowd. GC has given us the hope once again that we can truly compete with the bigger clubs and the next 5-7 years should be very exciting for us all now that you have made our recovery a real possibility.

17

HalesworthBlue7 added 16:23 - Oct 24 Hi Brett I was one of the fans who met and chatted to you at Ipswich Station after the game , what a fantastic guy you are, our club at long last in good hands. Look forward to you coming back soon, all us boys invite you to come and join us for a beer here in Halesworth, hopefully soon
12

Nobbysnuts added 18:54 - Oct 24 Peter Reid looks like he's just followed through...💩💩💩
1

ITFC_Singapore added 19:14 - Oct 24 Who was less excited by the goal......Reid or Burley ?? :)
0

telpajak added 19:14 - Oct 24 Thankyou Brett. Even I get excited to the games ahead! I lost my passion for our club and now look forward to games again! Weird but I can see with you and co owners this club could be back on the map!!! Thankyou. X
4

Bluearmy_81 added 19:16 - Oct 24 Thank you for rescuing us from an awful period in the clubs history where we lurched from one low to another under an owner who never showed in 14 years the same passion and love for ITFC you showed on one afternoon. The futures bright thanks to you and GC20
3

Stato added 21:06 - Oct 24 Be good to see us play Phoenix Rising maybe once a year ? Pre season or maybe during the international break if our fixture cancelled ?
0

ButchersBrokenNose added 21:17 - Oct 24 It's great to see Brett finally make the trip over, and clearly he genuinely enjoyed it. I'm so happy to see us have owners who care about the club as passionately as we do. It would be great to see all Three Lions at a game sometime soon. I live in the US and I've already been over for three games (and I didn't get to fly Business!). There were no restrictions due to COVID; you just add to show the UK govt. that you had your shots and had tested negative, so I don't see what the hold-up was. When I fly home, I try to stay more than 24 hours as well...

4

algarvefan added 22:25 - Oct 24 It's great to see the money people behaving like real fans, with passion and enthusiasm. Never saw Marcus excited, things are on the up for Town, well done Gamechanger and thank you for your support and commitment.
3

SoCalTownFan added 05:51 - Oct 25 Don't understand the love for Brett. He isn't some rich sugar daddy smiley American come to give us millions for the glorification of the Town. He is the front man for a investment vehicle- looking to make a profit, out of our club, our town, our fans. The club is their lowest priority under all and every circumstance- they are here for profit, nothing else. I'm all for it, if it works out for everyone, but color me skeptical. Looks like a nice business class seat there...

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trncbluearmy added 08:36 - Oct 25 Looks like nearly as much carnage in the directors box as there is in the Northstand, great to see and yes he and others are representing a pension fund that will rightly treat ITFC as a long term investment,but you do not have to dig to deep to see their enthusiasm and respect for our great club, sometimes you can have it all. The future is bright, the future is ITFC

3

Bazza8564 added 08:52 - Oct 25 The comments from socaltownfan are interesting. This purchase is about balance sheet value not cash. Their investment in the club grows with its value, and its value will depend on success alone, because the model is built on cash inwards not outwards. If they spend £150m developing the club, stadium, squad etc but get us to the premiership in 7/8 years, the ‘value' of the club then rises to a saleable asset to somewhere around £300m and they double their money. They revalue the club on their balance sheet show s great investment return and either stick with it or sell us on again to a fresh set of owners who want to reinvest even more and, in time, double their money. As a fan, we are a premiership club once again, why on earth would we begrudge GC a paper profit for rebuilding our club. There's a huge difference in asset revaluation and seeking to take out cash. This is a win win situation because if it takes a bit longer they realistically have nothing to sell. The Phoenix fund is 10th in size in US, it is huge. They can afford to be in this for the long haul and their investment is tiny in terms of their size.Personal investors like Evans and the guy at Derby have to gamble large percentages of their fortunes and want instant success or they lose their nerve. It's a huge difference This is why we should be excited not wary of the Americans !

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Bluearmy_81 added 10:28 - Oct 25 Bazza, I think some fans were happier when we were shopping in pound land and buying players like Hawkins who couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo. When we couldn't get a shot on target in 90 mins vs Wimbledon... Just mind boggling...
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blues1 added 13:11 - Oct 25 Socaltownfan Ur either a scum fan jealous of the fact that we are now in a far better financial position than ur club will ever be, or just an idiot. U clearly haven't listened to a word any of the new owners have said since buying the club. Yes, of course they'll be looking to make a profit on the club, if and when they decide to sell, but u only have to look at what they've done already, and everything they are planning to do, both on and off the pitch to see they care.

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