Support your global brand

The recent embarrassing own goal from the Premier League when they outlined their outrageous plans for taking games global on the pitch as well as on the television wasn't just breathtaking in its shameless greed and total indifference to supporters - it caused outrage the world over.

Not in the addled brain of Sheepshanks however, who once again demonstrated his unique ability to appear arrogant, stupid and out of touch with reality all in the same mindless sound bite.

Being Sheepshanks though, he wasn't content just to appear foolish - he went a step further in openly showing his contempt for the thought processes of Town fans by telling us that Marcus Evans wants to develop Ipswich into a global brand. Bizarrely, painful slaps in the face for Town fans didn't stop there last week - we were promptly treated to another one, courtesy of Danny Haynes magnificently accidental goal at Palace.

All in all an interesting week. Not only did Town beat a strangely listless Palace with something to spare, they livened up a routine home win over Blackpool with one of the most bizarre goals you or I could ever wish to see. And while Blackpool's goal was both surreal and funny - it also showed Magilton might be better advised to make his next signing from a Primary School. School kids after all realise you have to play to the whistle.

Still let's look at the plus points. Two away wins on the spin - and one against a principle challenger for a play-off spot. Why the sudden turnaround? New signings of course. Not necessarily - I suggest. I think it is more do to with a bit of fine-tuning in the very area where the one signing we actually needed wasn't made - defence. Is it any coincidence that our defence has tightened with the return of Bam Bam?

Richard Naylor is probably the very antithesis of Sheepshanks' vision for a global brand. A home-grown journeyman striker with dodgy knees who has stuck to his guns despite being dropped more times than Sheepshanks has talked garbage. Worse still, Burley tried to drive him out, even sending him on loan to Milwall. But despite plumbing such depths at his one and only club, Naylor has stuck around - and metamorphosised under Royle from journeyman striker into a journeyman defender who is more than a bit handy at corners.

The return of Naylor to partner de Vos is not one that I would normally be too enthusiastic about. Both appear to have the speed and turning circles of oil tankers. But both also have something of a combative attitude that more than makes up for any deficit in innate ability and lack of mobility. Maybe the move of Bruce to right back is also something of a masterstroke.

The other major surprise (to me at least) has been the form of our Macedonian Gerrard who came to Town by way of Russia, Turkey - and Carrow Road. Maybe global branding is alive and well at Portman Road after all.

Which brings me back to the global branding on offer at the weekend. It was FA Cup weekend - the greatest knock out cup competition in the world. But alas for the hype merchants of the BBC, the FA Cup was also an unwanted prelude to this week's 'Champions League' games. So we got the farce of half a Manchester United playing half an Arsenal - whilst being expected to enthuse that gallant Barnsley had somehow overcome a half-Liverpool team that had flirted with an early exit in both previous rounds.

Interestingly though, it wasn't the supreme indifference of Liverpool to their own paying public that caught my eye. It was the absurdity of the Barnsley team that was largely overlooked. The hero of the tykes was a West Browm goalie who was only playing because Barnsley had somewhat carelessly loaned their goalie to warm our bench. Even stranger, they had to flood the Barnsley team with Barnsley players - because a new signing and two further loan players were cup-tied.

And so there in one glorious hotchpotch was the magic of the Cup. Liverpool reserves lining up against a team that through sheer force of circumstance had to field their own players (well ten of them anyway). And glory-be, Barnsley players actually seemed to care about playing for Barnsley. Well - someone has to I suppose.

Which brings me back to Sheepshanks' addled vision of our future. If all goes well - and we make the play-offs- what then? Well it's a big ask for Town to actually win the play-offs - but if we do, what then? Well first and foremost, bucket loads of money pours in, to be quickly siphoned off who knows where. But having got the important business out of the way first - what then? Well, we get the glamour of games against Reading, Bolton, Wigan and Middlesborough. And in European weeks - a chance to see some reserves from the 'big 4'.

And therein lies the magnitude of Sheepshanks' delusions (or madness). Because to be a global brand, Ipswich have to dominate their market. Very few markets have more than two successful brands. So that means overtaking Manchester United and Arsenal, not just for years - but for decades. Hopefully in the dressing room, minds will be a little bit clearer and more focused. I'd be happy to believe for a month or two at least, we can catch Stoke City. And with Naylor at the heart of things it wouldn't surprise me if we can go one better than Scunthorpe - and actually hold on to a lead at Stoke.