Ipswich Town
Miracle sought in deepest East Anglia
Useful information
Moment of truth: Reuser hammers the final nail into the Barnsley coffin in the First Division playoff at Wembley to ensure Ipswich's place in the Premiership
Photograph: SIMON WILKINSON  |
Summer summary: Wright stays between Portman posts.
Transfers in: Martijn Reuser (Vitesse Arnhem) £1m; John Scales (Tottenham Hotspur) free; Keith Branagan (Bolton Wanderers) free; Nabil Abidallah (Ajax) free; Guillermo Graaven (Ajax) free; Hermann Hreidarsson (Wimbledon) £4m
Transfers out: Mick Stockwell (Colchester United) free; Marco Holster (Go Ahead Eagles) free.
Transfer avoided: After protracted negotiations, England goalkeeper Richard Wright signs a new, two-year contract.
You can stop now: Having competed in the play-offs for the past four seasons, Ipswich will take some persuading that the season has actually ended when 38 games are up.
Tactical profile: Manager George Burley always fields three central defenders. He will play either three central midfielders or two plus James Scowcroft in an advanced position behind the front two, when the former England Under-21 player will supply headed flick-ons.
Style: Patient, short passing.
One player they need: Pelé, to give them a chance of staying up.
Fans’ gripe: Portman Road’s capacity is not being increased quickly enough. Not enough money is being spent on new players.
Fans’ big wish: To avoid another 9-0, the score by which Ipswich lost to Manchester United
towards the end of their last stay in the Premiership, in 1994-95.
Up-and-coming prospects: Richard Naylor, a back-up forward, was outstanding during the play-off final victory over Barnsley in May, scoring one of the goals; Ipswich-born central defender Titus Bramble, 19, is hugely promising but has made just four league appearances for the club because of injury.
Likely disaster: Striker David Johnson is called up by England, Poland, Paraguay and Cambodia, and his form dips as he decides which invitation to accept.
Interest-rate rise: Average crowd at Portman Road in most recent season in Premiership (1994-95): 16,818; applications for season tickets for this campaign: 27,000. Only 18,000 are available.
Ipswich players named after London Underground stations: Mick Stockwell has just joined Colchester, but Jamie Clapham (Common) and Matt Holland (Park) remain.
Loyal: Having been shown such loyalty by the directors - he has been manager for five and a half years - Burley has in turn placed great faith in his captain. Holland, a central midfield player, has missed just four minutes of the 167 games Ipswich have played since he arrived from Bournemouth.
Not quite so loyal: Martijn Reuser, signed permanently after a loan spell last season, looks forward to a long career at Ipswich: “Of course, the lads are great, the manager is great and there is a positive vibe, but you have be honest — there are bigger clubs, and that’s my goal and my aim.”
Could they, by some chance, not be related? George Burley, calmness personified, is the uncle of the outspoken Derby County and Scotland midfield player Craig Burley.
Bogey team: Every Premiership opponent.
Lowdown on new signings: Martijn Reuser inspired an attacking transformation when
he arrived on loan last season; injuries hindered central defender John Scales in his attempt to establish himself at Tottenham; Keith Branagan will be an able back-up to Wright in goal. Hreidarsson's aerial power was one of the few positive features at Wimbledon last season.
Least likely TV soundbite: “Ipswich could be dark horses to win the title.”
Lookalikes: Ipswich 2000/ Watford 1999/Swindon Town 1993.
Useful foreign phrases for fans: The local equivalent of: “Excuse me, bartender, would you mind turning off the football so I don’t have to watch Ipswich getting thrashed.”
Prediction: Bottom of the Premiership.
BILL EDGAR
Useful Information
Squad: 1 Richard Wright; 2 Fabian Wilnis; 3 Jamie Clapham; 4 John McGreal; 5 Tony Mowbray; 6 Mark Venus; 7 Jim Magilton; 8 Matt Holland; 9 David Johnson; 10 James Scowcroft; 11 Marcus Stewart; 12 Richard Naylor; 13 Mike Salmon; 14 Jermaine Wright; 15 John Scales; 16 Gary Croft; 17 Wayne Brown; 18 Manuel Thetis; 19 Titus Bramble; 20 Richard Logan; 21 Keith Branagan; 22 Stuart Niven; 23 Sean Friars; 24 Neil Midgley; 25 Ashley Nichols; 26 James Pullen; 27 Guillermo Graaven; 28 Nabil Abidallah; 29 Justin Miller; 30 Martijn Reuser; 31 Stephen Moffatt; Hermann Hreidarsson.
Stadium: Portman Road
Capacity: 22,600
Address: Ipswich IP1 2DA
Telephone number: 01473 400500
Clubcall: 09068 12 10 68
Website: www.itfc.co.uk
One of the oldest football websites, having been launched way back in 1990, this simple and informative site is easy to navigate your way around and offers regular news.
Unofficial site: Nothing decent.
Manager: George Burley
Assistant manager: Dale Roberts
First-team coach: Tony Mowbray
Chairman: David Sheepshanks
Ticket details: 01473 400 555 (inquiries); 0845-605 0129 (sales); 09068 12 10 69 (Ticketline);
18,000 season ticket holders. Additional 2,000 tickets per match available to members.
Ticket prices: £19-£28
Cheapest/most expensive adult season ticket: £345/£705
Recommended radio station: BBC Radio Suffolk 103.9 FM
Programme: £2
Fanzine: Those Were The Days
Cost of adult replica shirt: £39.95
Training ground: Bent Lane
Directions to ground: A five- minute walk from the railway station. Portman Road is near the town centre, off the West End Road. Street parking is difficult.
Pubs near the ground: The Station Hotel, opposite railway station; The Drum and Monkey, Princes Street.
