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Thread | Was told last week by someone that knows Rosenior from his time here
at 11:28 17 May 2024
That he'd been sounded out through his representatives about going to Norwich if they failed to go up.
Was hoping it was Leroy!
But given Rosenior turned down Plymouth, I would imagine it may well have some substance in it and he's on their shortlist.
Which would be a shame. Rosenior seems a really likeable, top bloke. Thought similar about Chris Hughton but managed to find a way to want him to fail miserably so I'm sure I can manage.
Hopefully it's this Arsenal guy however. Feel like that's more of a risk. First they welcome the coaches with pyro's, then they look to take on the assistant of a top Premier club. Where do they get their ideas? [Post edited 17 May 11:29]
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Thread | Ipswich Town is famous for being a decent, friendly club
at 11:25 17 May 2024
Ashton has done so much great work in the local community, I thought perhaps the good folk of TWTD could come together and help those just outside of that range, especially our good friends struggling in Norfolk.
For many years we have been told that history doesn't count. Having been Champions of England, UEFA Cup winners, FA Cup winners, it doesn't matter. It is in the past. Unless of course it's 1993 and it's the best team you ever had (one that matched Town's fifth greatest feat, which we managed several times) and a win against the worst Bayern Munich side statistically in the previous 70 years or so. Then of course it counts.
But Norwich need not worry about that. Because a lot of us would have begrudgingly agreed that the here and now counts too. But oops. We seem to have found ourselves a bloody division higher didn't we. So I guess the here and now can't be a true indicator of success after all. Because they'd have to concede we are better now AND better historically.
So I guess we can at least give them the small award of having better attendances and a bigger stadium and all that. But hang on. We seem to have overtaken them there too. The stadium is of course bigger. But somehow, with a Town smaller in population than their City we now seem to be getting bigger crowds too. With sell outs next year that can only continue. Oh well. For a while when we were better than them currently and previously at least they had crowds.
So help me out here. I'm struggling. All that REALLY matters in football is not the now or the past but the very specific head to head fixtures over a period of time, carefully selected, when your team had a £400m advantage from multiple Premier League promotions which was ultimately frittered away with nothing at all to show for it apart from a much older, weaker squad.
So come on. Help them out. They need our support. We've got head to head record (you know the sort of thing that means that ultimately Cheltenham are better than us and that we are better than Real Madrid. That's how it works right? That's what matters.
They also have more social media followers. But to be honest we all know the moment we step into the Premier League we will overtake them too with all the new Town fans from across the globe.
So what can we give them?
- Higher mustard production?
- More celebrity chefs on the board?
- More incoherent drunken ramblings during half time speeches?
I'm struggling now. There must be something. After all they are The Pride of Anglia don't you know. |
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Thread | It’s ……
at 21:31 16 May 2024
Four. [Post edited 16 May 21:33]
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Thread | If Town could only wear one home kit for the rest all time
at 14:55 14 May 2024
What would you choose?
Options would be:
Blue shirt
Blue shirt, white pinstripes
Blue shirt, white sleeves
With
White shorts, Blue socks
Blue shorts, Blue socks
With
Traditional yellow crest
New red crest
Shade of blue is non-negotiable as anyone choosing the 2001 TXU Energi blue is banned from any such vote!
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Thread | Back to back promotions is one thing. But with the same script?
at 11:02 8 May 2024
It's just completely crazy that (aside from clean sheets in League One and conceding a load in the Championship) we had pretty much the same script throughout.
Out of the blocks with a crazy run of wins, cementing our place in the Top 2 with a solitary home defeat all season thrown in.
Winter months hit and we go through a bad patch which is actually just too many draws but a couple of defeats in there too.
Then a strong January window, a relentless winning run amongst our end to the season that culminated in a team throwing away a massive lead at the top, a brief potential four horse race, before an away win all but secured it.
Really all that was different was winning every game 4-3 and 3-2 instead of 4-0 and 3-0. One year it was clean sheets, the other it was come backs.
That aside it was absolutely spooky how similar it was. Unless McKenna really is that bloody good. |
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Thread | Can we now all agree that Saturday was the final nail
at 10:25 8 May 2024
In a great big, banter-era sized coffin?
At Coventry I felt sick for parts of the game. Pretty much everyone around me was a total mess. When the goals went in and when the whistle went there were top tier limbs and the scenes afterwards will live with me forever just like Barnsley last season, Bolton at home, Wembley.
But on Saturday as the teams ran out. Nothing. No nerves. No sick feeling. No jeopardy. Just this completely unlikely calm and absolute confidence that this team and this manager and these fans would not disappoint. It was done. It was just a matter of time. Never in my time supporting Town have I ever felt that. I feel apprehensive before an end of season encounter when we are guaranteed 12th!
So for all the rubbish that went on before. That's done.
Good riddance banter era. No a single crumb of that time remains. |
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Thread | For those not old enough to remember
at 09:01 6 May 2024
There was a time when we used to watch the Euros and the World Cup wondering who we might sign.
There was a time before that when a lot of our existing players would pop up in those tournaments too.
Who is the current Batistuta anyway? |
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Thread | The one stat that blows my mind
at 20:49 5 May 2024
More than 96 points. More than 93 goals. More than back to back promotions.
Is that every Championship team hit double figures for defeats except us.
Six defeats. The level of consistency to do that it absolutely ridiculous whatever squad teams have had at this level.
To do that with a side willing to play in League One that we basically added 2-3 excellent loans to is just staggering. |
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Thread | Phil - what's the plan for TWTD Asia, TWTD North America and TWTD Africa?
at 09:14 3 May 2024
If you look at the social media followers of a Brighton, Brentford, Palace or Wolves now they absolutely dwarve some of the similar or bigger sized clubs who've not spent as long in the Premier League.
The 'EPL' consumption in Asia, America and Africa is absolutely ridiculous to the point where some of these clubs social media followers have comments 10:1 from fans that have likely never been to a match against those who've followed the club for years.
If promotion is secured tomorrow how long will the servers be down for as you quadruple capacity to handle all the new overseas PL fans just about to pick their team?
How many boards will there be to cater for other languages or are we all going to mix in here and welcome our new disciples?
I'm not knocking anyone who chooses to properly support the Town from abroad. After all I 'chose' to support Buffalo Bills as a 10 year old, with no connection other than they wore Town colours, but have gone to crazy lengths to follow them and in the following decades. Anyone who wants to cheer the club on, boost it's profile and finances should be welcomed.
But from the few mates I have that support big and small Premier League clubs they've often commented that social media is even more unbearable as it's 90% comments from entitled people outraged the club they hand-picked aren't all conquering and have absolutely no clue.
You could argue that's social media currently anyway! |
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Thread | A completely self indulgent post which may resonate with a few
at 10:17 2 May 2024
As someone who isn't overly emotional I've no idea where this came from lol. Guessing 3am / 4am finishes after Hull and Coventry have helped! But here we go ...
Have gone on record a few times explaining how much damage the McCarthy / Evans era did to my own individual (in hindsight selfish) wishes and desires.
For context I have two boys, 15 and 10. I went to my first match when I was 2. I went regularly to home matches from the age of 3-4 and have had a season ticket for most of the 40 years that have followed. Started going away at the age of about 7 and have now done most of the PL / EFL grounds.
My dad took me every week and it was our thing. Something my mum and sisters didn't have much interest in. Every Saturday from the age of 7 I'd be at Portman Road, Hull, Walsall, Stoke, Leeds, West Brom with him. When my parents split up when I was 10 it became even more significant. My dad worked every hour imaginable apart from Saturday afternoons. We barely saw him. The only thing he had for himself that wasn't work was watching Town and it was pretty much the only time I saw him for those following years.
Fast-forward to 2009 when I became a father. I was desperate initially for my son to love football as much as me. Was thinking of the time we'd go home and away and how we'd have the same sort of fun as I did with my dad. But I never wanted to force him into it. I'd rather he found his own passions and I supported him with those than forcing mine on him. I'd split with his mum at this point and when he was old enough to go to football I had him every other weekend. He went to his first match at the age of 4. He missed his first ever goal after 4 minutes in after telling me needed a poo in the 3rd minute. Assuming it was destined to end 1-0 I was happy that we went on to beat Birmingham 3-1.
But he loved it. Bluey, Crazee, the food before the match, playing in the park over Alderman Road, the atmosphere and the permission to sing and shout and not have to be quiet! This continued for a little while and on those weekends he wanted to go. He had his own season ticket and he looked forward to it.
Then came peak McCarthy. 0-0's. Gutless home performances after another. 8,000 dressed up as 12,000. No shot on target. No shot off target until 80 minutes. Boos. As the cold weather set in try getting a small child to be excited about that. Being bundled up playing with toys or a phone for 90 minutes turned into asking me not to go. We persisted for a bit but eventually he simply didn't want to go. It was crap, it was cold, it was boring and I had a decision to make.
For the only time in those 40 years, I spent a couple of years not going to every single Town home match. We'd do something else on those weekends. With the way the fixtures fell I'd get to maybe 16/23 games with midweek matches and having not missed any game for absolutely years I was now missing a few. But ultimately as much as I loved Town, I loved my son more and that time with him was to be spent doing whatever would make him happiest. On reflection it was actually a good thing to be doing something other than football 24/7 and I absolutely love that most of the things we share now are things he found his own way into and loved for himself.
I continued to buy a season ticket every year and he started to tolerate it. He was happy to, have a McDonald's, go into the Fan Zone and he was there for the League One seasons, promotion last season, this season. He comes to half the games now because he tolerates the day as a whole, and knows I love him coming, but he is not that fussed on the football. If it wasn't for the darkest days for the Evans era and McCarthy's football I am pretty certain he'd have loved football rather than being where he is but that's cool. He has a lot of stuff he loves which we share and enjoy. I was never forced to love football by my dad. I just did. I never forced him but the he liked it a lot until that era made football to synonymous with being bored.
I met someone else a few years later and married. We have a 10 year old son and he was the same initially. I took him to a few games. He liked it and then about 5 years ago overnight, through his own accord, he became totally obsessed with football. Absolutely obsessed to the level I was at that age. He spends the entire weekend in the garden playing. He's top scorer for his U10'steam. He's on the PS playing FIFA and PES as Ipswich, watching YouTube videos of the top goals from years gone by. He absolutely bloody loves it. I find myself trying to get him to do other stuff!
I'm 44. We were last in the Premier League when I was 22. My sons have never seen us there. My youngest doesn't remember Lambert's dross but us winning a lot in League One, winning promotion and completely grasps and understands how magical what we are doing is. He'll come in telling me that since McKenna took over we've won more points than any other club in England.
I can't imagine my life without football and without ITFC. It's largely all I've ever known. As a kid it was all I wanted to do. I've had a very lovely life up until now but in the few rare moments of loss, sadness, stress and pain it's been looking forward to going to watch Town that pulled me through before I became a dad or met the love of my life. I don't regret choosing to miss those Town games over that couple of years but it will always bug my slightly that if the timing had been different and my eldest had Gamechanger, McKenna or even League One at that time I reckon he'd have continued to enjoyed going to Portman Road.
The thought of being at Portman Road on Saturday with my dad again and with my youngest to watch us potentially clinch promotion amongst you all, after all those years of hurt when even I wondered why I was bothering to go, brings me to the point of completely losing it. The biggest thing that I can say for Gamechanger from a personal point of view is that after the Coventry result my eldest, who wasn't due to be at mine this week, told me he wants to go on Saturday which will absolutely tip me over the edge if we do clinch promotion.
There are plenty of people for whom football is life. For a great many others it's only family that is more important. The amount of enjoyment I have taken from following Town home and away over the last two seasons cannot even be quantified. To be able to share all that with my dad, my youngest who absolutely loves it and my eldest, who has not been at all fussed over the years but now wants to be part of Saturday is absolutely incredible.
One day my old man won't be here and for all the happy memories I will have, it'll be Barnsley and Coventry and Exeter and hopefully Huddersfield that come rushing to the fore.
Some of us are no longer here. Some of us will have people that should be here Saturday missing because this opportunity never came around when they did.
For everyone who loves this club, for everyone who loves someone who does or has lost someone who did, that perhaps never got to share any proper good times with them, I hope that we do it on Saturday because the thought of something I want to happen so badly happening, surrounded by the most important people in my world who want exactly the same is mind-blowing. Last year was good but felt inevitable. We were always going to get out of League One one day. The Premier League though? Didn't think I'd necessarily ever see it again, let alone with my dad.
But my god does everyone that stuck with this club deserve the last two seasons. As I posted last week seeing so many kids walking to school in their Town shirts totally got to me. The thought that there are plenty of other people now having these amazing memories and experiences with their old football mad children who shun Man City and Liverpool and are proud to support Town. Something we'd lost significantly.
As someone who barely drinks, maybe 5-10 units a year, I hope to be getting absolutely smashed with the players and management long into Saturday night!
I love you Gamechanger. I love you Kieran. You too Mr Ashton. All these bloody players too. Even you lot. Even the odd bloody troll.
COYFB.
[Post edited 2 May 10:27]
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Thread | Credit to everyone there last night
at 08:53 1 May 2024
Would have been incredibly easy to let nerves take over. Everyone around me was in pieces.
Like the 5 minute Blue Army at Barnsley last season, every time the away end quietened down someone would pick it back up again and it was phenomenal in the circumstances.
EDIT - Just seen a similar, more eloquent thread on the exact same thing. [Post edited 1 May 8:53]
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Thread | IF we go up
at 08:47 1 May 2024
Been watching football too long to take anything for granted.
How much do you realistically imagine we'd spend and how much would it cost to get Hutchinson permanently?
I'd imagine we could do a deal with Chelsea for £10m - £15m given their financial situation, need to sell and the fact he's going to still be way down their squad depth.
I could see us bringing in 3-4 players in the £5m - £10m mould to add what to what we have with a couple of shrewd older heads on frees. We aren't going to go out and spend £100m + but in order to add the desired quality we are going to have to make at least 4 signings and when you look at what Coventry paid for the likes of Simms and Wright, then we are going to beat the previous transfer record numerous times over the summer.
The likes of Downes, Sheaf, players of that ilk are going to set us back £10m each or around there you'd imagine.
But what an incredible 12 months when I now look at Hladky, Burgess, Burns, Hirst, Edmundson as players I'd have no issues seeing play for us as part of a Premier League side. Madness.
We'd still need a good deal of improvement but with McKenna, the players, the system and the togetherness it's nowhere near the levels you'd imagine. With Omari, Sarmiento and a few other quality loans you'd have to fancy our chances of not just staying up but perhaps even being a mid-table side.
Unreal. Let's get the job done first. But after decades of nothingness it's lovely to be able to have these conversations. [Post edited 1 May 8:50]
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Thread | A few years ago my son went to school in his Town top
at 11:35 26 Apr 2024
It was the only one I saw. Plenty of the big six and that was about it really.
Today walking him to school and every other shirt was blue, orange, red and black. Absolutely awesome to see.
For all the short term awesomeness that Gamechanger have brought, it’s absolutely amazing to see what they have started to create long term. 29,000 every week, thousands of kids falling in love with this club like you and I did.
It could have been so different. It was so different. But really made me smile this morning at how incredibly the club has turned round in just a few years for the next generation. |
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Thread | If Coventry and Hull stays a draw
at 21:12 24 Apr 2024
Then weirdly a Norwich win Saturday would mean both Hull and Coventry have nothing to play for when they face us. |
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Thread | Coventry v Hull
at 20:21 24 Apr 2024
Of all the teams to be playing each other tonight.
Of all the teams to be the only ones who can catch Norwich.
Just a bonkers season. |
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Thread | Of all the things I didn’t think I’d end up hoping for tonight
at 21:41 23 Apr 2024
Was Southampton being so absolutely humiliated at Leicester that they’d potentially go to Leeds absolutely determined not to lose for fear of another thrashing.
Us and Leeds then. Suppose the tiny consolation here will be listening to Russell Martin later. |
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Thread | Absolutely no problem not going up if two teams are better than us
at 22:04 22 Apr 2024
But absolutely sick to death of Hutchison being decapitated in the box whilst Dewsbury-Hall gets a penalty for falling over on the half way line or Moore has an axe planted in his back whilst Bamford wins a spot kick for slipping over his own smarmy puddle.
Isn’t is something like 16 penalties to Leicester, 14 to Leeds and 3 to us, the top scorers in the league? We get absolutely nothing from refs and the amount the relegated clubs get is insane. To see Leeds that crap and scoring when three yards offside is really grating.
That’s before you have to look at Farke’s stupid face.
That aside … |
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Thread | Vaz’s dad was behind me today I believe.
at 18:22 13 Apr 2024
Never seen a man look more stressed in my life when he made those two quick wonder saves.
The second was possibly the best save I’ve seen since Alexander at West Ham. Hope it was actually as good as it seemed to be from our angle. He looked beaten. |
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