Sorry Youre Leaving

Gavin Williams is the first player to find himself offloaded this summer, signing for prospective promotion rivals, Bristol City. Emma feels its a case of "what might have been".

With a long list of transfer-listed players, certainly longer than in the recent past, it wasnt going to take long before one of them left.

Unfortunately, its the one I least wanted to leave.

Gavin Williams was one of the best players at the club during a very difficult transitional period between Joe Royles promotion "nearly-men" and Jim Magiltons tentative first steps into management. Williams seemed to be a key component of the future of the club; the player that we could build a side around.

But it all seems to have ended in a fashion which is probably not too unfamiliar to many other players at countless other clubs- all the key ingredients are there, phrases such as "poor injury record", "unable to recover form" and "poor attitude". Certainly, the first two have been evident, whilst the latter has been widely speculated on, particularly in light of thinly veiled criticisms from his manager.

But with players such as this, it leaves everybody feeling a bit unfulfilled. There are probably plenty of Ipswich fans thinking to themselves "what if?". Because we have seen what he is capable of and there was always a hope that he wouldnt find a club and would recover that form, becoming a key player for us once again.

After all, look how Sito recovered his career last season.

(yes, I know, he left too).

Changing Face of Ipswich Town

These are exciting times for Ipswich Town Football Club. The takeover by Marcus Evans has led to several big changes at the club, as it seeks to move purposefully towards promotion and beyond. However, Emma is concerned that the changes might result in people feeling they are losing touch with the club they love.

Ask any fan, and they will tell you that they long for their club to become succesful. Any fan of a lower league club will long for a benefactor to pick their club up and sweep it through the leagues, to levels they have only dreamed of. Results mean everything.

If things arent going very well at the club, fans are baying for changes at the club, either on the board, on the bench or on the pitch. Results, still, are everything.

With Ipswich being taken over by Marcus Evans, delivering money and the promise of big money signings, these are exciting times for Ipswich. Fans can now genuinely believe that, with the addition of a few real quality signings, allied to the stability of the clubs finances, the club can make a real challenge for promotion next season.

And yet, amongst all this positive change, I cant help thinking thats its not all entirely positive. Some of the changes have left me feeling as if my club is leaving its former self behind, and its a bit uncomfortable.

For all the misgivings about our spell in administration, I cant help remembering that David Sheepshanks was one of the key figures behind the clubs rennaissance in the mid 90s and early 00s. He has been the figurehead for some time, but now it feels like he has been quietly shuffled out of the door.

Our clubs board is now made up by a majority of people who, until the last few months, had probably never watched an Ipswich Town game in their life. This is quite removed from the set of predominantly Ipswich fans who sat on the previous board.

When we won promotion, our shirts were sponsored by a locally based Brewery. Next season, our shirts will be adorned with the name of the clubs owner.

The clubs shop in Bury St Edmunds is closing. Having a shop making losses is obviously not practical, but the inference has simply been that it isnt making enough money. Its a shame, it feels like the club have retreated back into their castle.

Most of the excitement surrounding the takeover has revolved around the players on the pitch- nobody is too adverse to some ruthlessness on the pitch as the squad is improved and the teams chances of success improved with it. At the end of the day, its all we really care about, its what we pay our money to see.

It was always going to be the case that there would be other changes within the club. But now that its happening, there is a realisation that, in return for an improvement in the playing squad, some of the identity that we have come to associate with our club is going to fall by the wayside.

But, to quote Jose Mourinho "You cant make an omelette without breaking some eggs".

Player of the year awards

The club have announced that Jon Walters has been named as Players Player of the Year. Probably not too much of a surprise, Emma investigates.

First things first, Jon Walters is thoroughly deserving of any player of the year award on offer this season.

No player has really come close. Pablo, Alan Lee and David Wright have all been excellent over spells of the season, but nobody has matched the consistency of performance that Walters has produced.

There will be those who argue that a player of the year who missed over two months of the season is an indictment on the rest of the teams general level of performance. Certainly, at Christmas we had three players all on course to score 20 goals this season, but the fact that only Walters has an excuse for not managing this target, suggests some level of underachievement in the second half of the season.

But, its unfair that this should detract from Walters achievement of being named as player of the year. He has been the outstanding performer throughout most of his performances this season, which is even more impressive when you consider how many of those performances have been when playing out of position. He has shown that he is capable of a playing to a very high level, but that he also has the versatility to produce at that level in a variety of different positions. The only other player in the squad who can claim to offer that level of versatility is David Wright.

The one sour point to the player of the year awards this year is that the one that counts, the Supporters Player of the Year, will not be announced until after the final game of the season. The tradition of presenting the player of the year trophy in front of the home fans will be sorely missed by supporters this year, but its also the player himself who will miss out too- Jon Walters will miss getting the thanks from the fans that he deserves.

Heres hoping that the club see fit to rectify this situation in the future.

Losers. Again.

Our away form has been the bane of our season. It probably reached its low point at Colchester on saturday, and Emma is sick of it.

Its been a deeply frustrating season. If we werent so good at home, you would just resign yourself to the fact that we arent good enough this season and its time to look to next season with the usual renewed hope.

But we have played so well for much of the season at home, that you know the team have a real chance of promotion this season, which gives you that hope for this season, rather than next.

But every week it seems this season takes a turn in a new direction. We win at home and we are in the play-offs. Then we lose yet again away from home and we are outside of the play-offs, with little to convince that the situation will change.

Colchester feels like the point where I lose faith in this season finally. Just when we got a foothold in the play-off places, heading into the run-in, I started to dream we could actually do it. Then a dismal performance and defeat to the bottom of the table side, without a win in months and without a clean sheet since August (which we of course gave them) and I cannot possibly see any way through this.

With two of our five remaining games away from home, against far better opposition than Colchester, we look to have just three games left to save our season. With Hull in such great form and Norwich desperate to beat us, its hard to see where the points come from.

Im not going to get my hopes up anymore. Lets hope we make some good signings in the summer and make a real go of it next season.

P.S. I have this feeling we will just go and win away at Wolves now, shocking everyone including me, and that promotion will be well and truly back on again!

Spitting out the dummy

After a good away victory which has made an enormous difference to our play-off chances, much of the debate following the game seems to have focused squarely on one aspect. Emma looks at the reaction to Pablos red card for an alleged spitting incident and whether the criticism is justified or over the top.

As I sat basking in the glory of an Ipswich away win (its a rarity, we should enjoy it!), it seems that much of the attention is on Pablo once again.

Counagos sending off could have a big impact on our season, now that we will be without him for the next three games. But its the circumstances behind the sending off which have drawn most attention. The Scunthorpe staff accused Pablo of spitting at their player, leading to the pushing and shoving that ended with both Pablo and Scunthorpes Jack Cork red-carded.

First things first, Pablo was not sent-off for spitting, he was sent off for what followed. Up to now, the spitting incident is simply something that has been reported by the Scunthorpe players. It remains to be seen if any other sources confirm it.

Jim Magilton moved very quickly to say that if he sees that Pablo spat on an opponent, then he will "throw the book at him". Its the right response as no Ipswich fan would want their team to be seen to condone spitting on the football pitch (assuming it happend at all).

But it also highlights a moral issue that the club have. Danny Haynes recently got convicted for driving offences, punished in a court of law, but the club made very little comment on it. Should they? The club would always advocate that they are part of a community and that their players are role models for that community. When their players are not good role models, shouldnt they stand up against it and show its not acceptable? Without even taking into account the relative differences between driving without a license and spitting at another player on a football pitch.

Maybe its not fair to compare the two. Taken on its own, its quite simple. Pablo is an employee of Ipswich Town Football Club. He is paid a lot of money to play football. He is 100% responsible to them for his actions on a football pitch. If his actions on the pitch are totally unnacceptable, and as a result mean that he is therefore unable to do the job he is paid for, then they probably have every right to throw the book at him.

Their actions in other scenarios shouldnt have a bearing on it (thats another discussion altogether!!).

The run-in! Will we make it?

With seven games to go, the Championship still remains as competitive as ever, with little appearing to be decided in the promotion race. But it has become much clearer. Emma looks at the table with a magnifying glass.

We are into the home straight and the division is still wide open. This is, of course, only a good thing for Ipswich, given our recent run of indifferent form.

But in the last week or so, it has become quite clear exactly who the competition is and what we are left to compete for.

A month or so ago, a good run of results for Ipswich or Charlton could have put both clubs in the equation for the automatic promotion places. But both teams provided precisely the opposite. If teams win their games in hand, the top four will have a five point cushion to the rest of the league. Unless there is a dramatic collapse, those four teams, Stoke, Bristol City, Watford and West Brom, will occupy those same positions at the end of the season. The only debate being in what order and which two will be the lucky wins to win automatic promotion.

Which leaves two play-off positions up for grabs. Again, if teams win their games in hand, and Ipswich are one of just two teams in that position, then it looks likely that Burnley in 11th place would be the last team who could realistically have expectations of still making the play-offs, being six points adrift. Beyond that, the gap is just too great to be made up (Cardiff could draw level with Burnley, but need to win two games in hand, which for a midtable side, with an FA cup semi-final to distract them, seems a tall order).

So, the equation for Ipswich seems very clear right now. Two places up for grabs, seven clubs playing for them. Its tight, but we are right in the middle of it. Our fixtures should, on paper, give us a good advantage against many of our rivals. But we have to turn the potential results into reality. The weekends game at Scunthorpe looks crucial.

What could be interesting is that, with such a close group of teams, those making those last two positions are going to make it on the back of a good run of form and with a great deal of confidence. Whereas their opposition in the play-offs are likely to be one of two teams who have come up short after leading the league and being within touching distance of automatic promotion for much of the season. Given how closely matched the division has been throughout, with any team being able to beat anyone else, this could be a huge advantage.

Squad Strengthening or Destabilising?

Now that winning away from home doesnt appear to be a problem, much of it is being put down to our five new signings and the new mentality we have developed. Several players have credited the impact the new players have made and that the squad is now very strong. But can it be too strong?

As Richard Naylor and Dean Bowditch have passed each other going in opposite directions towards and away from the first team, both have mentioned the strength of the current squad. In particular, mentioning Sylvain Legwinski and Gavin Williams, two players who would have probably been in our first choice XI last year, but no longer even find themselves in the first team squad.

Its great to have strength in depth, it gives the manager options. But not all of them are positive. With a large squad, its impossible to keep all the players even remotely happy and that can breed discontent in the squad. The last time Ipswich had this kind of luxury was in 2001/02 when the club experienced relegation amid much rumoured squad unrest. Back in those days, you often forgot that certain players were even at the club anymore, as time passed since they were last mentioned in a first team squad. It led to resentment, particularly towards the newer players coming into the squad for big transfer fees and big wages.

No-one can blame the club for looking to give us the best chance of getting promotion. But for Amir Karic, Ulrich Le Pen, Richard Naylor, Fabian Wilnis and Thomas Gaardsoe, read Liam Trotter, Sylvain Legwinski, Dean Bowditch, Gavin Williams and Gary Roberts. A manager would describe these kind of squad selection problems as a good problem to have, but lets hope that Jim is able to manage it better than it has been previously.

Unrealistic Expectations

Its been an unusual transfer window for Ipswich. For the first time since they came along, we have actually had a real interest in buying players. But boy have we lost the plot a bit!!

Jim, has done well in continuing to forage away for good quality at reasonable prices. However, it seems us fans have got a little carried away with things.

Its right that we should raise our expectation, after all, we have money to spend. But some fans seem to have gone a little overboard in their aspirations for signings.

In the last few weeks, speculation, which has been mostly led by fans, has had us linked with players like Paul Scharner (£3m transfer pending to Fulham), David Nugent (£6m signing for Portsmouth), Jason Koumas (£5m signing by Wigan), Denny Landzaat, Leroy Lita (£4m proposed transfer) and Nicolas Anelka.

Ok, I made the last one up. But the point is still the same- players of the calibre mentioned are not only out of our price range, but are also out of our wage range and are more than likely to receive far more enticing offers from elsewhere (i.e. premiership clubs).

Even last week, news that Theo Walcott was possibly available for loan led to speculation as to whether he would end up at Ipswich. After Arsenal had turned down a bid from Liverpool, of course. We dont need to be pessimistic, just realistic. In our current position, there is a narrow niche market between those that are not good enough to improve us and those that are that bit too good and will get far better offers elsewhere. The fact is, that the David Norris market is exactly where Ipswich Town should be- chasing players who arent likely to be offered an immediate move to the premiership, but are likely to see Ipswich as a step up and a more realistic stepping stone to the premiership.

It seems that money has well and truly gone to the head of Ipswich Town Football Club. But fortunately, it doesnt seem to be the case with the management, only the fans.

In sickness and in health

Sickness is prevalent. FA Cup games lead to sudden bouts of Flu, which fortunately means you dont get cup-tied? Doesnt it?

Not really, No.

It seems these days that any player who suddenly falls ill on the day of a cup game is immediately about to be sold. Where Ashley Coles frequent Champions League illness was concerned, it may just have been paving the way towards a transfer to another Champions League competing team.

But in the championship? Hardly.

David Norris was sick and couldnt play for Plymouth. The instant conclusion is that it was ahead of any potential transfer. It cant be to avoid an injury. After all, Jim Magilton made it known that he had bid for a player, later confirmed to be Norris, before the games on New Years Day. If there was a concern to avoid injury, then Norris would not have played in Plymouths match at Cardiff.

It cant be to avoid being cup-tied either. There are very few teams who would bid to sign Norris who have any kind of long-term ambitions in this seasons FA Cup. In fact, Ipswich now have no ambitions at all. The Championship and the Premiership are the number one and only priority for most clubs.

The rumours which Norris "sickness" prompted, developed into hysteria when it emerged that Jon Walters was also "sick".

Lets just look at the facts and relax. Players are allowed to be ill aswell and playing a football match holds far more of a challenge than many of us have going to work.

And so it changes....

When news of the takeover first broke, I wrote a piece on how things might never be the same. Now that it has finally happened, have perceptions changed?

Firstly, the most immediate factor is that its now truly evident that the football club is owned by a Company. The difference between this reality and the prospect of simply a multi-millionaire owned is quite significant. The initial reaction of most supporters when the takeover news was first made public was to assume that we were going to have a Jack Walker-style figure pumping money into the club and hoping to influence some of the decisions being made. However, the reality is that we now have a board where half of its members are employees of a multi-national business and that those members hold the advantage should a decision be split.

Secondly, most fans were delighted at the prospect of the club being rid of its huge debt burden and there was a distinct air of "can this really be possible?". Well, now the deal is done, its clear that it hasnt quite worked out as some of us might have hoped- or perhaps simply wished. The debt isnt gone, its still there and its now gaining interest again. Of course, the burden of paying it back right now, when we cant afford it, is now gone completely, which can only be a good thing.

Thirdly, the expectation of £12m to spend seemed to provoke much hysteria as to who we were going to be able to go out and buy as we cut a swathe through the rest of the Championship, alongside cautionary tales of "spending it wisely". But it seems more likely that once that money has been used to deal with current and future shortfalls, not all caused by the increase in the wage bill, we arent left with an awful lot left to spend.

However, who am I kidding?! It was never going to be the fairytale we wanted it to be. But when is a takeover ever that? In some ways, removing the threat of financial insecurity and giving us a bit of money to spend in the transfer market is way beyond even the wildest dream any self-respecting town fan would have allowed himself to have two months ago.

Its a time of change and its a time of unfamiliarity. But it can be nothing if not a time for real optimism, at last.