Missing Pride for Burley?

Once again, Ipswich Town have claimed a piece of history by supplying yet another international manager. A further example of the clubs fine footballing traditions? You wouldnt think so, judging by the ambivalent reaction.

Ipswich Town produced the two most succesful managers that the England national team have ever known. So proud are we of that fact, and rightly so, that both have been honoured in the form of a statue.

Whilst Scotland are Englands traditional enemy, the fact that George Burley got his footballing education at Ipswich Town, both on and off the field, should be a subject of enormous pride once more. Yet the reaction has been fairly muted. Of course, the football club and the local press have ticked all the right boxes by rolling out the traditional "honour for him...... all the right credentials..... we wish him well" reprisals, but it all seems rather forced and somewhat lacking.

George Burley is one of our own. His reputation goes down in folklore as a member of the FA Cup winning and Uefa Cup winning sides. Alone, that is enough to seal his legend. But with Burley, it goes further, for he was also the man to come back to the club and play an enormous part in not only rescuing it, but bringing back European football to a generation of fans who were beginning to think they were going to have to rely on their fathers for stories of Ipswichs "European Glory Nights".

But of course, it didnt end there and, sadly, perhaps that is the problem. Relegation in 2002 proved to be the most costly exercise in the entire history of the football club and, as manager, George Burley understandably took much of the blame for the teams failure and its enormous repercussions. Those repercussions are still being felt today to some extent, which possibly goes some way to explaining why the fantastic news of his appointment as Scotland National Team Manager perhaps wasnt greeted with as much pride as it should have done.

Perhaps if George manages to steer Scotland to success, and perhaps include Neil Alexander along the way, then his reputation will be fully restored.

Probably best not to get your hopes up for a statue yet though, eh, George.......?