Ipswich Town are no longer Big Fat Joe’s blue-and-white army. I’m not altogether surprised, because Ipswich have had a disappointing season and he was due to retire in a year anyway. But he has been a good thing overall, steadying a club that could have gone into free-fall Forest-style after relegation from the Premiership three years ago. He did amazingly well on no money for two seasons. Despite the usual grumbles from the Portman Road whinge brigade, he wasn’t ejected by fan pressure.
Who takes over? My money’s on Tony Mowbray — currently with Hibs — unless Middlesbrough have got in there first. After that I’ve no idea. Terry Butcher would delight much of the North Stand but I’m not convinced his spell at Motherwell has been quite so brilliant; and surely we can’t nab another Colchester United manager (Phil Parkinson) just as he begins to do the business, as we did with George Burley?
Now, Burley. Hmmm. I’d have him back, but would he take it? All the players he fell out with have left. Still lives locally: I ran into him the other day on Princes Street. But there's still the major problem of David Sheepshanks, chairman of the board, who fired him back in 2003.
But to leave you with a little chant that caused a lot of offence in the 1970s — I can't think why — when sung away to Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa:
I-R-A
Ipswich Republican Army!
I-R-A
Ipswich Republican Army!
No comments:
Post a Comment