Some people think it is all over. It is now!
Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor left after last Tuesdays 1-0 home win over Barnsley..see this video link at BBC Sport website:

Mick McCarthy_leaves ITFC April 2018

Thanks Mick and Terry and best wishes for your future.

Town need to move onward and upward now…COYB!!!

(NB Brian Klug is caretaker manager now, until a new permanent manager is found….).

“My passion for football, to be out there, to win games and to get the best out of the players is still there. But, with the situation as it is, a little bit of it has died.”
This quote is from BBC Sport website (see this link McCarthy’s passio0n for football..some has died…

The website article linked to above, states McCarthy no longer feels in control at Town as he waits for his coming departure at the end of the season and summer (he is to leave when his contract comes to an end in the summer-when is that exactly?).

He describes the experience as being in a driver-less car. This is quite sad and somewhat of a monumental cock-up!
(This reminds me a little of another awful non existent exit strategy…Brexit…still Town did not have anything to do with that-thankfully). Hands up those who think the Town board couldn’t organise a proverbial piss up in a brewery!? Same shit…different day and the same old, same old from the Town management.

With still another 6 games to go to the end of the season, this is not an ideal scenario!

Goodness only knows who will be the next Town manager, but it doesn’t really matter, as with an un-supportive owner and poor management Town, will be lucky to do any better with anyone else than Mick.

Instead, anyone and everyone who supports Town, should demand good leadership from the owner, the new manager, the players and also all fans! Unfortunately, as a Town fan again, I know I will get what I’m given and be expected to be happy and supportive, come hell or high water. All I am saying (to misquote John Lennon) is “to give commonsense a chance” and surely Town have learnt from their years of mistakes and languishing in the Championship. It is clearly obvious a new change for the better is needed, to turn our frowns upside down and get good football back to Portman Road with a good team to go forward!

COYB…………………………

McCarthy agrees to leave ITFC in summer 2018.

This is great news for me! See link:
McCarthy to leave ITFC summer 2018

I’m so very pleased to hear this good news. Thanks to manager McCarthy for trying to get Town promotion and make a good team, but it is clear he is not capable of this. It is a shame he has not had success and I thank him for trying and saving us from relegation when he arrived and the horrendous mess Paul Jewell left the club in. Thanks for the good times Mick, good luck and if I were you, I would retire now, as the modern game does not suit your style at all and it is clear how stubborn you are and set in your ways!

The current squad of Town players are just mediocre and he has done as well as possible with them, but not had enough support or been able to make enough change himself, to fix the team properly.

A lot of the blame for this, must also rest with owner Marcus Evans and he needs to show more passion for the club and change his attitude and involvement and support the next new manager and team a lot more, or nothing will ever change!

COYB….

This news means though, I can start supporting Town again and when the new manager gets here next season, actually go back and watch games again at Portman Road.

In the meantime, COYB!

ITFC 5 Sunderland 2

Well played Town for last night’s fine home win, following a narrow 3-2 defeat away against the then leaders Leeds last Saturday.

I started listening to Radio Suffolk commentary last night and was pleased when Waghorn scored early, but was then sickened when just 4 minutes later, Sunderland equalised, so I stopped listening to the commentary and followed the game only from the BBC Sport website. Well it was quite some game in the end, with Town winning in style and it ended 5-2. WELL PLAYED TOWN!

Last night’s win, was a good and much needed entertaining game for Town and I hope this can be repeated and Town can sustain this throughout the coming season. COME ON YOU BLUES!

ITFC 2 Bolton 0

Town win today and I listened on Radio Suffolk. The last comment on the radio commentary, was that Town made hard work of the win, but it puts Town in fifth place. It comes after 2 previous losses (home to Fulham and away at QPR).

I am not going into any depth of analysis, as it is clear Town have a lot of work to improve, but results are important and Town fans should be pleased and grateful for wins, so well done Town for getting the win today!

A miracle did happen today for Town…Cole Skuse scored the opener (albeit with a wicked deflection). Go Cole! I think he has now scored 2 goals for Town in two thousand appearances….
Mick McCarthy knows there is a lot of work needed to improve and the next Town game will be tough, away to leaders, Leeds United.

A poor home attendance today, shows how badly Town fans feel about the team (having had a good start but losing the last 2 games) which has been a long standing issue and not helped by the poor last season performances. Still, somehow Town are in a decent position in the table and need support through the good and bad times. I hope for Town to improve this season and will continue to support them come what may!

COME ON YOU BLUES!

ITFC 2 Brentford 0

Town win again and maintain an unbeaten and winning start to the new Championship 2017/18 season!
Town are joint first in the Championship (actually in second, behind Cardiff on goal difference).

Well played Town.
What is this good run of form due to, after an indifferent pre season? Manager Mick McCarthy does not know! Town of course, have a few new signings and Garner and Waghorn have scored goals and this has helped enormously. The others seem to be playing reasonably well too (a miracle!), and apart from some centre back injury worries that could cause problems, the team look good.

Town are due to play Crystal Palace away in the cup, which will be a big test for them. However, the Town team are now in confident mood and so could easily win the game if they play well. COME ON YOU BLUES!

Town play the last game of the season this afternoon (1230) away at Nottingham Forest.

All other Championship teams are also playing and the games will decide who will be the Champions, between Newcastle or Brighton (both already secure of promotion) and who will be the third team to be relegated from Nottingham Forest, Birmingham and Blackburn.

So Town’s game will be tough, as Forest need to win to avoid potential relegation. Town do not need anything as they are not in the race for a playoff place or in the relegation battle. After losing to Sheffield Wednesday last week, Mick McCarthy said Wednesday were more committed than Town, as they had more reason to win, as they were playing for a play off place. He stated they played better than Town.
Those are inexcusable excuses!

What do I expect today? Well, possibly Town to lose, IF they have anything like the attitude McCarthy described after losing last week! Of course I hope and want Town to win, and they really should try to win, to finish a poor season positively. Can they do this and win? Certainly! The main question is will they get stuck in and battle the game out and really try their best and hardest to win and show that they can be a good team? Or will they just roll over, as they have “nothing” (but pride for themselves, the fans and the town)……and lose?!

Ideally a Town win would at least end this poor season on a positive note and an away draw would also be a fair result. A loss, might save Forest from relegation, but it will just pour more negativity onto Town and finish the season badly. What more incentive do the Town players need to play well?!

GO TOWN…come on you blues….

COYB COYB….COYB!

Nottingham Forest 3 ITFC 0

It goes without saying that this result is very disappointing! Once again, the team weren’t good enough. Very sad times for all at this once great football club that is now a shadow of it’s former self!

Town need to do better on all levels next season and that will take lots of hard work. A poor season for Town ends, but the work to restore and rebuild the club must start now. Things have to change. Why not change the owner, manager and all the players and start afresh?!

Town lose the last home game of the season.

A very disappointing end to a disappointing season.

The Wednesday goal was a great goal, as Wednesday tore open the Town defence so easily to score! In reply Town only had a few half chances. Wednesday have secured a play off place.

Mick McCarthy gave some bland, lame excuse after the game that Wednesday were the better, more motivated team!

Everyone at Town and especially the manager and team (and the fans) needs to stand up and examine themselves and acknowledge they have not been good enough this season and decide to change and do better!

This includes myself and personally, I have blogged here about what great potential football talent the Town players have, but only really the goal keepers (Bart and Dean) and Tom Lawrence have played well enough this season.
Several of the new footballers that have come in to the Town squad this season, seem to think they are great players, but have not shown this game after game and only good team performances, game after game will take Town back to the top, and that does not seem to be part of their agenda. Couple that with a long list of injuries and established players not playing well enough every game and that is the reason Town have been poor and struggled this year.
I have generally supported Mick and Terry, but they too, have underperformed and the owner Marcus Evans needs to stand up more!

I am a Town fan at heart and have been for many years and always will be, but it is hard to keep positive when we do not even have our own young footballers showing enough. Footballing talent is great but realising that talent is another thing altogether.

So, just one more game to go now to end the season, away at Nottingham Forrest. I hope the team will dig deep and want to prove that they deserve to play for the town of Ipswich and the county of Suffolk and win or draw the game and the Town revival can start with this positive step forward! Let’s all pull together and commit to doing and being better and move forward…..COYB!!!

Town won a good game last Monday against Newcastle (ITFC 3 Newcastle 1), but lose today against relegated Rotherham, with nine changes to the team!

So a poor season continues right to the end. Town are the only side not to beat Rotherham this season.
Not only have the Town first team regular players under performed this season, the squad players when called on have not played well enough either.

Just 2 more games to go, home against Sheffield Wednesday and away against Nottingham Forest. Both of these will be tough games.

Town are safe from relegation, but have wasted another good opportunity to win a potentially winnable game. Dean Gurken saved a first half penalty, so the result could have worse. I listened to the game on Radio Suffolk and Richard Naylor agrees the team incomers did not do well enough (Dozzell, Bishop, Rowe and Samuel). Pitman and Diagouraga played poorly too!

If Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor stay next season, Town will need a huge improvement to challenge for promotion. The best Town player this season, Tom Lawrence won’t stay with Town and Town need investment from Marcus Evans the owner and also not the huge ticket prices if they want to keep any fans!

As I mention above, Town have 2 tough games to end the season with and if they lose these morale, in the team and fans will be close to rock bottom! Tough times for Town… Whilst it is hard to endure these times with Town everyone needs to stick together and WORK and SUPPORT hard to turn these bad times around…COYB