It’s been a historical season for Ipswich Town football club, unfortunately it has been for all the wrong reasons. The club was relegated to League One finishing bottom of the Championship with 31 points and 14 points away from safety, next season will be the first time that the club has played in England’s third tier since 1957.
To get more insight into the relegation I contacted BBC Suffolk’s Graeme McLoughlin, who has been covering the Tractor Boys all season. As far as expectations at the start of the season were concerned McLoughlin seemed very realistic, “We weren’t expecting promotion or even play-offs this season, but did we really expect Ipswich Town to sink to an arguable all time club low?” He stated.
McLoughlin brought to light the sense of optimism at the start of the season after debut signing Gwion Edwards scored five minutes in to the opening game of the season against Blackburn at Portman Road and the loud reception new manager Paul Hurst as he managed his first game in charge. His exact words were: “Owner Marcus Evans’ ‘first choice’ to replace Mick McCarthy entered Portman Road to a rousing reception on the opening day of the season, and debutant Gwion Edwards’ early goal against Blackburn Rovers nearly lifted the roof off the stadium.”
“But there was little to cheer in the immediate weeks and months that followed”, McLoughlin said. Paul Hurst was sacked on October 25th after a 2-0 loss to Leeds United with Ipswich at the rock bottom of the table, after 14 league games in charge. As far as factors for the poor showing from the Town, McLoughlin claimed that “Hurst’s summer of change has since been cited as a major factor in the Blues’ decline.”
McLoughlin addressed the massive overhaul the club went through in the summer, “In Martyn Waghorn, Joe Garner, and David McGoldrick, Town lost a lot of goals that weren’t replaced. They also lost some promise in the likes of Adam Webster.” Furthermore as far as actual in game performances were concerned he believed “Ipswich never looked like overwhelming teams with a high tempo and energetic game that Hurst had hoped to bring to his new club. But in fairness to the beleaguered boss, there were a few fine margins. A 1-0 defeat away at Rotherham in a match where Town had been the better side. Defeat on penalties in the opening round of the EFL Cup. Had those results gone the other way… …well who knows. Town never capitulated, and were never truly blown away by an opponent under Hurst.”
Paul Lambert was brought in as the new manager on October 28th. As far as opponents not truly blowing away Ipswich McLoughlin commented. “The same can’t be said of the Blues under Hurst’s successor Paul Lambert.” But he did follow up by saying “Granted, in a fair few games the football was better, but only really in spells if we’re being honest. Lambert told us things would turn if a bit of help arrived. They didn’t, and a significant part of that help got injured.”
The actions off the pitch off the pitch were really what helped him become backed by the fans McLoughlin mentioned the, “Gestures such as inviting club legends to the training ground, and paying for some supporters’ travel to Ewood Park were well received.” When discussing the day of relegation for the Tractor Boys, McLoughlin said there were, “Cheers, applause and ovations.” He then rhetorically asked, “Would that have happened anywhere else and under a different manager?”
McLoughlin’s summarising statement in regards to the season and the upcoming season in League One was, “Despite only recording 4 victories since early November, optimism has returned, and appears to remain. But whether that will be the case in mid-September if Town begin their League One campaign poorly remains to be seen. The mood in the stands will certainly turn if that is the case. Let’s hope it isn’t, and that Ipswich start well.”
I’d like to give a huge thank you to BBC Suffolk’s Graeme McLoughlin for providing me with his insight in to this miserable for Ipswich Town. You can follow him on Twitter @gmacsuffolk. Additionally, you can catch him every Thursday evening 7-10PM on BBC Radio Suffolk and when the football season returns, he provides match day coverage as well as post match coverage for all of Ipswich Town’s games.
Mark Murphy Journalist 