I may be stating the obvious when I say things have changed at our beloved club over the years, but there is one area especially that is completely different. I’m talking about the atmosphere at Portman Road, the singing, the songs and how the crowd reacts to incidents on the pitch.

Over the last few years especially, Portman Road has hardly been jumping. This is, of course, down to some of the dire performances we have had to endure since Jimbo left. He had his faults did Magilton but the football was (usually) decent.

A particular low light for me was Barnsley at home a few seasons ago, the now infamous Ole-ing of the Brazilian-esque maestros from Yorkshire from the home crowd as they stroked the ball around the immaculate turf, with no one in blue willing to stop them.

Waltzing away (or should that be a rumba?) from Portman Road with three points after winning the game easily by three goals to a very big fat zero. My daughter came to that game, she’s never been since!

Anyway back to the point, stay with me gentle reader as I whisk you back to the good old days of 1978 and our final league game against the Wanderers from Wolverhampton, incidentally played AFTER the FA Cup final win.

It was my first ever Town game, I was at the top of what is now the Co-op Stand (before the stand was rebuilt in the eighties) with my Granddad, Uncle, Grandmother and Auntie.

It was a special treat as the team paraded the cup before the match kicked off. I was completely awestruck, obviously and from this point on, I was a true blue.

Apart from the cup being paraded there was one other outstanding memory for me from that game. Wolves had a player called George Berry, he had a HUGE afro and, yes, he was a black player, a relative rarity in English football at the time.

Whenever George touched the ball he was barracked with an almighty chorus, from all four corners of the ground (yes, even the Churchmans) of monkey type noises! I was seven at the time and I remember looking round and there was my Gran, who I loved dearly, joining in.

This (it appeared) seemed perfectly acceptable behaviour at that time and I guess poor George and the other black players probably got similar treatment from every other league ground in the country.

I wonder what they thought of it all. Thinking back it really does seem incredible that this actually happened week in, week out.

This got me thinking about songs or chants that you do not (or cannot) hear any more, very sexist “she fell over” is one I haven’t heard for a many years, the “dirty northern bas****” is rarely heard. The North Stand's geography of the UK wasn’t great back in 1989, when singing to Blackburn Rovers “F*** off back to Yorkshire”. Oh dear!

The referee used to get stick constantly throughout the games back then with the crowd regularly questioning his parentage with the classic “Where’s your father referee?”, and of course who can forget “Who’s the w***er in the black”. It’s never heard these days, maybe because the only person wearing black on the pitch is the guy who escorts the managers out of the tunnel area.

I’m not saying these chants should return of course, they are in general consigned to history, a different day, a different type of football, a throwback to a different type of football follower even. Even if you did utter a swear word at a match these days, some guy in an orange hi-vis vest will ask you to leave as it may upset the little darlings in row B seat 72.

So here’s a question for you, when was the last time the hairs on the back of your neck were standing up because of the singing from the North Stand? When was the last time the atmosphere was electric?

When was the last time the team where inspiring the whole crowd to scream them onward to victory? Not often is it!

But 20 years ago it was every home game, the smell of beer, the cardboard pies, the constant pall of blue cigarette smoke wafting over you, the continual ribbing of the local plod, the half-time sweet sellers in their hot pants being wolf whistled all around the ground. The queuing for the bloody toilets, queuing for the bloody bar, queuing for the bloody exit and, yes, it's true, as Town supporters we were smug and clever and sang loud and proud, because Town were one of the best sides in England. I could weep when I think of how good we were back then. Those were indeed the days.

Modern football is very different, it’s slick, it’s a product to be bought and sold to the highest bidder, it’s a sanitised, family orientated, homogenised version of our beautiful game, but does that make it a better match day experience?

I will leave that for you to decide, while I remove my rose-tinted specs and put them away for another day.

Altogether now, but very quietly as my kids might hear... COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!

Che added 18:30 - Aug 29 Lots of things I like about your article, I remember that game well and many others from 1968 onwards. I do not remember a four corners hostility towards George Berry. There were always odd people who made racist comments but they also made comments about other players Ipswich opposition and officials . What I do remember is a North Stand Chant that was often heard "Ipswich lives in racial harmony" I am not denying there were racists amongst the fans because there were and still are, you only have to read some of the comments on this board sometimes about Gypsies, Eastern Europeans and other ethnic people who come to the UK. However the days you refer to were fantastic and I fear will never come again. We had a fantastic manager brilliant young players and in my opinion for two periods 74 to 77 (the best team in England and 80 to 82 the best team in Europe. Portman road was rocking.

3

SamWhiteUK added 18:33 - Aug 29 Last time it was buzzing? CC semi final v Arsenal. I'm 17, have been a season ticket holder for the last 3 seasons and have never experienced a game like it before or since, and the way things are going, probably never will again.
-1

M4rkyboy1 added 18:51 - Aug 29 Great read, kinda makes me wish i was born earlier to experience that. Last time was definitely the Carling Cup match against Arsenal, that was good. Or the few seconds of amazement when Pablo Counago scored straight after Coventry did in extra time a few seasons ago!
0

LeighOnSeaBlue added 19:06 - Aug 29 That was a great read and you are absolutely right it isn't the same. I use to remember feeling emotional every time Town ran out and I haven't had that feeling for many a season. The ground use to be so noisy especially the night games. I am an oldie at 41 but have been going since 80-81 season and I just no longer enjoy it like I use to do. The Milan game was the last time I experienced a great atmosphere specially when Armstrong popped up with that header and the time before was the home game against Manu when Wilnis opened the scoring against the champions. Since then just haven't felt the same excitement, maybe I am just a glory hunter and an old git!!

1

Dissboyitfc added 19:15 - Aug 29 Great blog Nitro, enjoyed reading it. How times have changed, remember us having a player called Johnny Miller who was affectionately known by many different names to the town faithful,he was a right winger who could cross the ball to land on a sixpence, also our first black player. i remember the girls in the hot pants i remember the cost of getting in being 5 shillings , standing in the northstand on my homemade stool. The northstand back then having a fence to separate the rival supporters( created an incredible atmosphere ) .I remember rattles and Rosettes ( still got the one i wore for the 78 cup final) have to admit wasnt too sad when rattles left the scene. So many memories come flooding back, most of them good, most of them special memories with my dad, sadly now departed, but he makes every kick off, his ashes are under the pitch. I remember going to an arsenal game, so many fans turned up, they put us youngsters on the pitch by the corner flag, remember Frank M'clintock doing a sliding tackle and only just stopped b4 Colliding into us. None of the above mentioned would be allowed to take place today and rightly so in many ways, it has though led to football being a totally different product. Terry Butcher made a comparison between his time and the game as it is now, " its like comparing an Ale to a good wine " The old game being the Ale. Me personally, i preferred the Ale. So in comparison todays game for me lacks so much. The big match experience almost none existent, Sky tv coverage doesnt help, back then it was either Jimmy Hill on MOTD or Gerry Harrison on MOTW.... "THOSE WERE THE DAYS" they really were.........COYB

1

John added 19:31 - Aug 29 Started going in 73 so feel very lucky and privileged to have experienced the noise and atmosphere from that era. Not to mention the legendary team from that time. One small point diss boy Steve Stacey was our 1st black player.
-1

Blue041273 added 19:32 - Aug 29 A very interesting read. I too remember that Wolves game. It was played, as I recall, the day after Mickey Lambert's testimonial which itself was only two days after the Cup Final. As you would expect much partying had taken place and the final league game of the season was a low key affair. I was not aware of any racial abuse at that game but I do recall that a small group of 'Ipswich' supporters in the North Stand spent pretty much the whole game pouring abuse on one Terry Butcher who at the time was a youth team player. I remember that the abusers were rebuked in no uncertain terms by other supporters in the area but the abuse continued on and off for the whole game for no reason that I could fathom. I have often reflected whether or not those 'supporters' enjoyed their fill of humble pie as Terry developed into a true legend for both Ipswich and England.

3

Strikes added 19:48 - Aug 29 Point of order... didn't Tommy Smith score a second-half headed consolation in the Barnsley game of which you speak? I believe it was three goals to a very big fat one that day.
1

hoddo40000 added 20:51 - Aug 29 is this down to not feeling connected to the players anymore. so many players coming and going every season. we are all missing a favourite player and am i right that luke hyam is our longest serving player now???
1

owdboy1 added 20:55 - Aug 29 Atmosphere has largely changed due to all sitting stadium and the fact as mentioned above that few of the players stay for more than about three years. Small point - pretty sure that Johny Miller was playing in the Youth team before we ever signed Steve Stacey.
2

canveyblue added 21:05 - Aug 29 Excellant blog. Being a supporter since the 70's i remember a lot of the songs that were mentioned in the blog. And also being from the east end of London and going to watch the odd West Ham match in the early seventies these songs seemed tame at the time!!!!!!!!!!!
1

nitroblue1970 added 21:48 - Aug 29 thanks for your comments everyone. I do remember Micky Lamberts testimonial, there was a large hoarding advertising it over the boxes on the Cobbold stand. We lost the Wolves game 2-1 I believe, I didn't care as I got to see the FA cup!!! for a 7 year old that was pretty amazing! Strikes, if Tommy Smith did score that day , that must have happened when I was the other side of the practice pitch, rope in hand, seeking out a sturdy tree!

1

Dissboyitfc added 22:33 - Aug 29 John.... i have to correct you steve stacy joined in 1969 Miller joined in 1968
1

Dissboyitfc added 22:39 - Aug 29 hoddo40000 tommy smith is our longest serving player
1

Lesta_Tractor added 08:28 - Aug 30 last time the hairs stood on the back of my neck? United at home when Wilnis scored.. We lost a lot of the atmosphere when they decided to make the new north stand two tiered
0

JimmyJazz added 08:39 - Aug 30 Think those rose tinted spectacles, you mentioned, were most apparant during this statement - This is, of course, down to some of the dire performances we have had to endure since Jimbo left. That last season of his was absolutely dire, and I would say should also be included. That really was the season when all hope evaporated, since then all hope has been false.
0

MVBlue added 09:58 - Aug 30 NitroBlue, are you serious? This is news to me, mainly because I don't go to Portman road. Went once in 2010 Roy Keane V Coventry, but all away games before as I lived outside of Suffolk. My era of home games was 1990's and all the non-racist cants you describe were regular. I mainly sat in the North Stand and joined in. The atmosphere was great and the chants were part of the expeience. Its a shame if they are not sung any more becuase there are derogitary chants but also huge shots of encouragement which visibly spurs the players on, and turn the game into a rollercoaster of emotion. Its a real shame. Fans like Liverpool, West Ham, Milan, Portsmouth, Juventus, Newcastle all seem to have the noise factor. We need the 12th man Ipswich.

-1

MVBlue added 10:00 - Aug 30 Now I live in Oz
0

WeWereZombies added 11:05 - Aug 30 Have to echo Che's comments - I was down the front of the North Stand at that home game to Wolves (I think we had to win it to ensure we stayed up but we dire - suppose because most of the team were still hung over from celebrating the cup win, luckily Wolves were worse) and was not aware of any chanting towards Berry but that could have been, as you say, although you never joined in with that type of stupidity it was so ubiquitous that you did not notice it either...and George Berry did have such a stupendous afro that it almost warranted giving the points to Wolves as soon as he walked on the pitch. Sometimes racism in those days was seemingly affectionate - Johnny Miller was often called Dusty Miller, a character in the childrens TV series Trumpton or Camberwick Green?, to most it was an innocent joke but some managed to give it a sly and unpleasant undertone. And the last game at Portman Road that made me feel like the blood and thunder of the 70s? Under Joe Royle, of course - we did not appreciate him as much as we should have (because he came with baggage - the Norwich connection that did for Andy Marshall even more, nowhere near as severe as racism but the start of a slippery slope). At home to Sheffield United 0-2 down with ten minutes to go (maybe it was 1-2 but it is a more heroic 0-2 in my memory) we came back to win 3-2, it felt like the dead had come back to life and were roaring us on.

1

Kitman added 06:39 - Aug 31 Try going to a few away games.... Interesting comments about the halcyon days of the 70's. Sir Bobby had an article written about him and Town in a Sunday paper magazine around 1977 and he commented about crowd noise in it. He said he was often in despair given the quality of what was being produced on the pitch over the quietness of the supporter watching crowd. He described the supporters almost likened to "people sitting contemplating swans on a lake".. oh yes, we did make some noise then, and have done down the decades since. lets face it though, we are not and probably never will be a loud crowd noisy club..

1

julesbda added 21:30 - Aug 31 i believe the home supporters have been called " Zombies " by Mr Robson and co ...and for very good reason sadly ..
0

Notts_tractor added 20:51 - Sep 1 Che, thanks for reminding of me of the 'Ipswich lives in racial harmony" chant. It would come up from the North when the opposition fans were either booing a black player or goading the many young black fans who stood in the home fans. It made me feel proud then in the late '70's, and even more so now. How things have changed. Zero atmosphere at PR these days, no-one sings and the football is rubbish and overpriced.

1

Bergholtblue added 14:26 - Sep 3 Those rose tinted spectacles are very rosy. There again perhaps you were never beaten up by West Ham Fans whilst quietly walking home, running for your life from Arsenal fans whilst doing the same. Threatened by Chelsea thugs with knives in the Gents. Beaten up again by West Ham fans after watching England pull off a boring 0-0 draw and doing nothing more than walking through the car park looking for the coach. Not to mention the ripping up of seats on the trains, buses and stadiums visited throughout the season. The sanitised version of football that we are dished up today may lack some of the passion and the grounds some of the atmosphere, but at least I can go and watch a match without being bombarded with stones, darts, ball bearings, cans filled with p*ss, etc. I recall watching a girl lead from the stands with blood gushing from a wound in her head after being struck by a 12" long iron bar thrown from the Man Utd fans. Yes, there was a lot that was good about the 70's and 80's but there was an awful lot that was bad also. Days that I would not want to see back again, ever!

0

arnold241 added 01:12 - Sep 5 Get rid of the seats and the ridiculous sound system and you'll have your atmosphere back! Few passionate players would also help e.g loach
0

Blogs 295 bloggers