| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms 13:37 - Apr 12 with 3663 views | tpsontour |
Ipswich fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms
By Lewis Steele
Martin Dale has seen almost everything at Ipswich Town — glorious European nights under the guidance of Bobby Robson, league title challenges and FA Cup wins beneath Wembley's twin towers. But now he is about to witness something new: relegation to English football's third tier.
Ipswich will tumble into League One for the first time since 1957 on Saturday if they fail to beat Birmingham City at Portman Road. Their fate has looked inevitable for months — they are 14 points adrift of safety, with just four wins to their name all season — but that will not stop Dale, 64, shedding a tear when the worst is finally confirmed.
“Whenever the relegation happens of course I will have a tear in my eye," he told Telegraph Sport, just before the latest of Ipswich's 22 defeats this term — 2-0 at Brentford on Wednesday. "Even though I've known it was coming for months it'll still hit me.
“I've seen us competing at Wembley in FA Cup finals. Now our best hope is the Football League Trophy."
Wednesday represented Ipswich's season in microcosm — moments of competence interspersed with horrendous defensive mistakes that ultimately sealed the side's fate. There were still over 1,600 travelling fans there to see it — a remarkable tally for a side marooned at the bottom of the table — and they were in good voice, despite events on the field. At one stage, fans sang about "going to Shrews-bu-ry" to the tune of Que sera sera.
Paul Lambert, the Ipswich manager, is also looking ahead to next year. He used four academy graduates in his midfield at Griffin Park — with Teddy Bishop, Flynn Downes andAndre Dozzell, in particular, impressing — and the blooding of young talent, traditionally one of Ipswich's strengths, has provided a sliver of light amid the gloom.
“They will need streetwise players with them but you can’t stress enough their development,” Lambert said. “It’s really going to help them. They will learn from it and get better and better at it. They will become a really good side.
“There’s a lot of good things at the club. We've got some great players.”
It is not difficult to find sympathy for Lambert, who also experienced relegation with Stoke last season, and who has won just three of his 26 games in charge of Ipswich since taking over from Paul Hurst in November.
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Hurst arrived as one of English football's bright young coaching minds, and was supposed to be the antidote to the more prosaic football offered up by his predecessor Mick McCarthy. That football was enough to keep Ipswich safe but fans had turned long before his departure; surprisingly, few now consider that to be a mistake.
“Despite going down the atmosphere at the ground is the best it’s been in years," said another fan, Tash Arculeo. "I went when McCarthy was there and it was toxic.”
There are no guarantees that Ipswich will find League One much easier — as Sunderland will testify — but fans are relishing the prospect of watching some victories, at least.
“People are looking forward to it, weirdly," added Dale. "They may see us win a few games, and it’ll do us all some good in the long run."
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Tash's father, Mark, agreed. "I was angry until Christmas about the performances. Now I’m embracing League One. Most clubs do come back up but some go the other way. I don’t think we will be one of those. We may not win the league, we have to be realistic, but Ipswichshould be back in no time."
Lambert seems to have time, at least, and it was notable that there was no ire aimed at the Scot from the away contingent at Brentford. Instead, those fans preferred to focus their frustrations on the owner, Marcus Evans.
“We can’t rely on loan signings again — the owner pumps some money into the club," Dale added. "I just hope he sees what Ipswich means to us."
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| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms on 16:31 - Apr 12 with 423 views | Guthrum |
| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms on 14:23 - Apr 12 by homer_123 |
Whilst no surprise to any regular visitor to home or away matches this season.
The fact that Lambert hasn't been able to address our inability to play football for anything other than short spells and nor has he managed to eradicate the stupid collective and individual errors is a genuine cause for concern.
Sure, this isn't 'his' squad but he was brought in, first and foremost, to stave off relegation. In that task he's failed completely.
He's the right manager but at the wrong time for us. Had we seen him here in the summer I am positive that we would not have let 45 goals walk out of the club and our recruitment process would have been different. Therefore I doubt we'd be where we are now.
I'm not sure, looking back, how feel Lambert would have been received after Mick though - less welcoming that under Hurst though, I think that is safe to say.
Lambert should not be immune to scrutiny, even at this juncture. He deserves the summer and an opportunity to build his team for League 1.
But, let us be honest here. It's League 1 - how depressing is that. It's been death by a thousand cuts. it is nothing to be proud of, or to look forward to. It's a disaster.
We needed change but we miss Mick. We've made a complete clusterf*ck of things since his departure. Mick showed that we could compete at this level on a shoestring of a budget. Hurst proved not up to the task, admitting as much himself - what's worse is that no one at the Club thought to question him gutting us so completely.
Off the field Lamberts appointment has brought a different feel and tone to the Club - which is great. We can feel it and I have no doubt we, as fans, feel closer to the Club than we have in a while.
But on the pitch, we are no more than marginally better than under Hurst. We play in spells, we are toothless and we make significant mistakes that are easily punished.
Ultimately, the cause of our predicament is Evans but nothing under Lamberts tenure on the pitch, so far, gives much hope for anything other a mid-table League 1 finish next year.
I hope I am wrong and we win the league. |
A couple of my least favourite phrases this season have been "but he's put it wide" and "but straight at the 'keeper". Time and time again that has been the end result of promising Town attacks.
The single thing which has most damaged us this season is the lack of fit, clinical strikers. Even when Sears and Keane began to hit some form, they got injured. Sure, the defence has made mistakes, but they are magnified hugely by our consistent inability to score.
Sorting out that one issue will be the key to our success next season, as the inability to do so was to the current failure. |  |
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| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms on 16:47 - Apr 12 with 411 views | Tendring_Blue |
I watch Coventry Vs Bristol Rovers last Sunday. Rovers fans filled the away end and were great. As for the football, Coventry reminded me as a slower version of us. Some good football but it fell down in the final third and the finishing.
But League 1 is slower, not as organised and not as clinical. We will be fine, we just need some strikers. The quality of the football is much lower, outside of the top 6 we should be fine. We will need more up front to get ourselves really competitive for the top 2.
Final note. Criticising Lambert for not fixing things in January is stupid. The players he could get in improved us, the injuries and underlying weak squad fecked us.
Lambert is the right manager at the right time. We were not staying up this season come hell or high water. So far off the rest of the league. Give him time. What he has done is galvanize the squad, sign crucial young players on longer deals, judge! And a style of play that lays the groundwork for years to come. We have had a championship pre season in preparation for league 1. I'm excited. |  | | |
| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms on 17:09 - Apr 12 with 390 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms on 16:47 - Apr 12 by Tendring_Blue |
I watch Coventry Vs Bristol Rovers last Sunday. Rovers fans filled the away end and were great. As for the football, Coventry reminded me as a slower version of us. Some good football but it fell down in the final third and the finishing.
But League 1 is slower, not as organised and not as clinical. We will be fine, we just need some strikers. The quality of the football is much lower, outside of the top 6 we should be fine. We will need more up front to get ourselves really competitive for the top 2.
Final note. Criticising Lambert for not fixing things in January is stupid. The players he could get in improved us, the injuries and underlying weak squad fecked us.
Lambert is the right manager at the right time. We were not staying up this season come hell or high water. So far off the rest of the league. Give him time. What he has done is galvanize the squad, sign crucial young players on longer deals, judge! And a style of play that lays the groundwork for years to come. We have had a championship pre season in preparation for league 1. I'm excited. |
"We will be fine, we just need some strikers"
And that's the problem. It has been this season too - arguably we would have been fine too without missing so many relatively easy chances. In many games we've done everything but score. And when you've go a catastrofeck of a mistake in you at the back that's always going to hurt.
I'm not even going to attempt to suggest how we'll got on next year. If we have a decent goal scorer or two, we should be fine. If we don't it could be a bit of a surprise for some. All depends on what happens with player movements in the summer imo. |  |
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| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms on 17:14 - Apr 12 with 386 views | Tendring_Blue |
| Telegraph: ITFC fans ready to 'embrace League One' as historic relegation looms on 17:09 - Apr 12 by Swansea_Blue |
"We will be fine, we just need some strikers"
And that's the problem. It has been this season too - arguably we would have been fine too without missing so many relatively easy chances. In many games we've done everything but score. And when you've go a catastrofeck of a mistake in you at the back that's always going to hurt.
I'm not even going to attempt to suggest how we'll got on next year. If we have a decent goal scorer or two, we should be fine. If we don't it could be a bit of a surprise for some. All depends on what happens with player movements in the summer imo. |
Remember our problem in 16/17 was a lack of goalscorers. Mick aced it at got in garner and waghorne. We won't be getting in players like that, but 2 strikers that can find the back of the net in league 1 must be possible. | | | |
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