Our Friends down the Road

[ricardo 8,034]

They seem to be a little bit upset by the local TV news coverage today if TWTD is anything to go by.

Southend got a mention For 2 seconds on look east! They''ve stolen

nodges Thunder, they only had 25 minutes with 4 minutes other news and 1

minute weather

The TV repairmen should have a busy day tomorrow.[:D]

[morty 0]

Oh my God.Just looked on TWTD, and I thought it was whiney and pathetic earlier, but its ever worse now.Cringeworthy.

[damn that Ralph Coates! 74]

TWTD forum is making hilarious reading at the moment - real implosion since yesterday''s promotion of their "budgie" rivals. lol

[quentin 0]

They''ll probably be playing Southend the season after next [:D]

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="morty"]Oh my God.Just looked on TWTD, and I thought it was whiney and pathetic earlier, but its ever worse now.Cringeworthy.[/quote]But we''ll never be them, Morty.[:(]Laugh, I thought my socks would never dry.[:D]

[morty 0]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="morty"]Oh my God.Just looked on TWTD, and I thought it was whiney and pathetic earlier, but its ever worse now.Cringeworthy.[/quote]But we''ll never be them, Morty.[:(]Laugh, I thought my socks would never dry.[:D][/quote]The level of delusion astounds me. To be honest, I am, at best, indifferent to them. The one and only argument they spout is this history thing. Sure history is nice to have, but 14 seasons in the Championship, 80 million quid in debt, pitiful ( and falling) attendance figures? Surely even the most dimwitted could appreciate just how dire their situation is?Or maybe not.You were around when it happened, what was it like when they were winning their trophies, did we get all whiney and jealous?

[Making Plans 957]

Somebody on TWTD has started a thread called "Best Moments of the Season" - it includes a video which lasts 2 minutes & 12 secondshttp://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/345854/new-video--best-moments-this-season/#0

[Miss Bum Bum 0]

Get on there and rip them a second hole

[Indy 3,471]

Our win yesterday is worth more than all their so called history! If we did this looking back then Oxford have won three FA cups, it was back in the 1890''s but still history, so that along with Blackpool PNE and others have more history!

I bet their fans now would trade their history for where we are today!

History is nice but unless you were there and have that memory it''s worth nothing today!

[Making Plans 957]

History?Most of them weren''t even born the last time they did anything worthwhile

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="morty"][quote user="ricardo"][quote user="morty"]Oh my God.Just looked on TWTD, and I thought it was whiney and pathetic earlier, but its ever worse now.Cringeworthy.[/quote]But we''ll never be them, Morty.[:(]Laugh, I thought my socks would never dry.[:D][/quote]The level of delusion astounds me. To be honest, I am, at best, indifferent to them. The one and only argument they spout is this history thing. Sure history is nice to have, but 14 seasons in the Championship, 80 million quid in debt, pitiful ( and falling) attendance figures? Surely even the most dimwitted could appreciate just how dire their situation is?Or maybe not.You were around when it happened, what was it like when they were winning their trophies, did we get all whiney and jealous?[/quote]Yes, their good period in the 60''s and 70''s was very good. They had two great managers and some good players and it was a tough time for us to be always second best. One of the very few years that we finished higher in the league than them, they went and won the FA Cup so it was a very frustrating time.This last 20 years or so, things have turned round and now it''s obvious to everyone that this is our time. The big disparity now is the money and the debt which makes their predicament worse. Looking at the all time Premier League stats we have played 278 games at .441 points per game while they have played 202 games at .413 points per game, so we are now ahead in that respect. However in the all time top League stats they still have the lead in games and average points thanks to their good period in the dim and distant past.Fortunes can change quickly in football but the future looks much brighter for us than it does for them.

[morty 0]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="morty"][quote user="ricardo"][quote user="morty"]Oh my God.Just looked on TWTD, and I thought it was whiney and pathetic earlier, but its ever worse now.Cringeworthy.[/quote]But we''ll never be them, Morty.[:(]Laugh, I thought my socks would never dry.[:D][/quote]The level of delusion astounds me. To be honest, I am, at best, indifferent to them. The one and only argument they spout is this history thing. Sure history is nice to have, but 14 seasons in the Championship, 80 million quid in debt, pitiful ( and falling) attendance figures? Surely even the most dimwitted could appreciate just how dire their situation is?Or maybe not.You were around when it happened, what was it like when they were winning their trophies, did we get all whiney and jealous?[/quote]Yes, their good period in the 60''s and 70''s was very good. They had two great managers and some good players and it was a tough time for us to be always second best. One of the very few years that we finished higher in the league than them, they went and won the FA Cup so it was a very frustrating time.This last 20 years or so, things have turned round and now it''s obvious to everyone that this is our time. The big disparity now is the money and the debt which makes their predicament worse. Looking at the all time Premier League stats we have played 278 games at .441 points per game while they have played 202 games at .413 points per game, so we are now ahead in that respect. However in the all time top League stats they still have the lead in games and average points thanks to their good period in the dim and distant past.Fortunes can change quickly in football but the future looks much brighter for us than it does for them.[/quote]Was there similar levels of bitter vitriol back then? Or is it just the modern ability to express it online that makes it worse?

[ricardo 8,034]

It''s far worse now Morty.Back in the old Third Division South days (pre 1958) I can remember City and Town supporters standing together on the terraces with nothing more than good natured banter going on. Unthinkable now, but normal back then.We live in a different world now.

[morty 0]

[quote user="ricardo"]It''s far worse now Morty.Back in the old Third Division South days (pre 1958) I can remember City and Town supporters standing together on the terraces with nothing more than good natured banter going on. Unthinkable now, but normal back then.We live in a different world now.[/quote]This is interesting stuff.Can you put your finger on when it changed, and what the catalyst was, in your opinion?

[mel0 0]

I''m embarrassed for young Ipswich fans who harp on about history. Football is all about experiences and memories Ones like beating your biggest rivals in a semi final. Ones like seeing your team lift a trophy at Wembley.

I''d rather that than have to live vicariously through something that happened 30 years before my birth.

[First Wazzock 1,014]

1859 Morty.

We started using traction engines and they were still using horses...

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="morty"][quote user="ricardo"]It''s far worse now Morty.Back in the old Third Division South days (pre 1958) I can remember City and Town supporters standing together on the terraces with nothing more than good natured banter going on. Unthinkable now, but normal back then.We live in a different world now.[/quote]This is interesting stuff.Can you put your finger on when it changed, and what the catalyst was, in your opinion?[/quote]Its hard to say Morty, things seemed to get progressively worse from the late 60''s when they had to start separating the fans. The 70''s became a very scary time and it was very easy to get caught up in trouble and I witnessed more than a few frightening times. In the early 1960''s I used to go away to FA Cup matches and you could use the same pubs as the locals and have a good old time. I have good memories of going to places like Sheffield and Sunderland with absolutely no thought of getting into trouble and there was no segregation.Some people say it was due to the ending of National Service but whatever it was, society in general became much more unruly than it was in the early post war decade.

[Branston Pickle 4,150]

The thing is that their ''glorious'' history that they warble on about doesn''t exactly stretch far, however much they want it to, though - we''ve won two ''proper'' trophies to their three; our last was in 1985, theirs in 81/82(?), ie both a generation ago. That''s it. Neither of us has been exactly dripping in silverware, not that you''d have thought so the way they go on about it - but putting those stars on their kit shows how desperate they are to cling on to something to prove how apparently ''great'' they once were.

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

The 1970''s was where I came in as a kid going to games with my mates and it wasn''t pleasant.

Norwich took very few fans to away games so we often warranted no segregated area in those post industrial towns and we hardly ever got a result.

The bright spot was having a good time travelling with Lily Kemp on her coach. After match parties in numerous pubs were great, especially the ones in her old Walthamstow stomping ground.,

But you ran the gauntlet to and from the grounds and that included the police on occasions.

In many situations there was no opportunity to let your players know they had any support at all; you were simply a spectator.

Aged 15 I went to Derby to see if the City team which had won at Old Trafford and Elland Road could take a third scalp from a top club and beat Derby at The Baseball Ground. After Ted MacDougal opened the scoring The Rams scored three and we became the subject of an organised crowd surge which decimated our support.

Ipswich rivalry was nasty as were Suffolk Police. In those days the terrace went to well below pitch level so the police lined up in front so you could see nothing and to make matters worse Town were in their prime.

At Carrow Road we had floor to ceiling metal grilles along with fences along the front in The Barclay which saw nasty violence from Spurs and Man Utd fans in particular as I recall.

It wasn''t about being brave or tough; sides like that brought thousands of nasty males of a certain age whereas Norwich has always been a mix of sexes and ages. We were always outnumbered but I do believe we made plenty of noise.

It was the way it was and football supporters were vilified and despised. National shame was brought by English fans abroad and at home it was easy to mistreat the football fan in general because of the sweeping persona. That ended at Hillsborough which was the outcome of all that disregard and distain.

But for all that the dirty old grounds, appalling pitches and violence did have a romance which has long left the game.

[Marchant 5]

[quote user="Making Plans"]Somebody on TWTD has started a thread called "Best Moments of the Season" - it includes a video which lasts 2 minutes & 12 secondshttp://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/345854/new-video--best-moments-this-season/#0[/quote]

I really don''t mind the verbal abuse from them, Good banter can be funny. But this delusion about what a good season they had? They ''stormed into the play offs'' thanks to a 3-2 defeat against Blackburn FFS.

[GPs Beard 0]

Even moderately sensible ITFC "fans" (who mostly haven''t been for 6 years until April this year) have lost the plot. Not just on message boards but in ordinary conversation. People have been stopping me in the street to talk about football who for years haven''t uttered a word about it .

Believe it or not Suffolk is actually a great place to live . Well the West of it is. Towards to East, apart from Felixstowe which is just full of lorries and imports, it is becoming more and more depressed. The Town of Ipswich is bordering on deprived, business has left in droves, and shopping is non existent.

What has happened this weekend has just put the boot in further. Norwich is flying, not just football , but the Big Weekend, the UEA, the coast. Ipswich on the other hand is a disaster.

The glimmer of hope shown was more a clutching of straws. You will always get idiots on all message boards , but even the prospective MP tried to get in on the act on twitter. Have a look for yourselves - Jo Churchill comes from Lincolnshire and tried to jump on the bandwagon.

What you are seeing now is a good old fashioned outpouring. Ipswich massively over achieved with a decent manager. All of the shirts have disappeared , all of the new scarves are back in the drawer.

It really is quite sad in its own way.

[Just Dan 10]

There is talk of them wanting to go for SWP and asking why they didn''t push the boat out for Bent in January. Are they really that dim? At least £40k pw for Bent when you are only getting 18,000 fans through the gate every couple of weeks?

I can see MM not being there at the start of next season. He has done really well, but must see that he is swimming against the tide. Would not be at all surprised if he jumped ship.

[Herman 11,136]

Good tweet on the Pink Un account. Well done to whoever[:D]

Ipswich Town FC

@OfficiaI_ITFC

 · 

2 hrs

2 hours ago

Congratulations to @NorwichCityFC on a deserved promotion

Thanks for the football lessons and for making us relevant this year

#ITFC #NCFC

[TimDim 0]

Much will depend on what offers MM gets. It must have been galling for him to watch our ''smash and grab'' of a PL place. A relative unknown like AN helps himself to a very fat bonus and undoubtedly a much increased wage whilst MM rues what might have been. Second in the table and ten points ahead and we still snatched it from them. With the added insult of giving them a good old slap in our own back yard.Was he imagining what could have been at Wembley, if he had the much needed backing in January ?He has repeatedly talked of the money other clubs have. If he is expected to make do and mend this season, when many clubs have adapted to FFP, he may well be looking further afield than the limited options offered in Suffolk. This would be the time to move whilst he has a bit of success to lean on. If the binners follow Wigan and Brighton by tumbling down the table there won''t be too many knocks on his door then. Best go when things are looking good. So it is now a case of seing what offers come in.

[ricardo 8,034]

MM is a good manager and saved them when relegation threatened. However it might have been better for them to go down like we did because they would have been a big fish in a small pond and have come back pretty quick with some momentum. As it is, they just seem to be stuck in the doldrums without any sort of spark to push them into being a realistic promotion prospect.Marcus Evans does not appear to be in favour of pushing the boat out and really going for it. He is hoping that promotion will come along without him having to put his hand in his pocket and in the meantime he is happy to use them as a tax right off for the more profitable parts of his business. Many of us envied them and thought that they had struck lucky when a multi-millionaire bought old Sheepshanks out, but the shoe is certainly on the other foot now.

[Rhiadd 7]

I recall that there was certainly a rivalry but no violence either physically or vocally. Our society is more reactionary in every forum than I remember from the era I began going to Carrow Road. Football support is just one of the examples of the anger many in society apparently feel. This forum is often a reflection of that, and the participants are on the same side....or so it would seem.

[Felixfan 53]

[quote user="GPB"]Even moderately sensible ITFC "fans" (who mostly haven''t been for 6 years until April this year) have lost the plot. Not just on message boards but in ordinary conversation. People have been stopping me in the street to talk about football who for years haven''t uttered a word about it .

Believe it or not Suffolk is actually a great place to live . Well the West of it is. Towards to East, apart from Felixstowe which is just full of lorries and imports, it is becoming more and more depressed. The Town of Ipswich is bordering on deprived, business has left in droves, and shopping is non existent.

What has happened this weekend has just put the boot in further. Norwich is flying, not just football , but the Big Weekend, the UEA, the coast. Ipswich on the other hand is a disaster.

The glimmer of hope shown was more a clutching of straws. You will always get idiots on all message boards , but even the prospective MP tried to get in on the act on twitter. Have a look for yourselves - Jo Churchill comes from Lincolnshire and tried to jump on the bandwagon.

What you are seeing now is a good old fashioned outpouring. Ipswich massively over achieved with a decent manager. All of the shirts have disappeared , all of the new scarves are back in the drawer.

It really is quite sad in its own way.[/quote]

When was the last time you went to Felixstowe because it is a great place to live with a great south facing sea front, a traditional town centre and good transport links. The docks do not impinge upon the town and the dock viewing point is Suffolk''s busiest tourist attraction overlooking the Orwell estuary and Harwich.

Our only downside is the proximity to Ipswich but we have a fantastic group of Canary supporters that follow the team all over the country.

Come and visit again and have a second look and you could do worse than the Ferry Boat Inn for lunch and a pint.

[kdncfc 28]

They are getting desperate now and some have even described our support at Wembley as embarassing.Apparently they have suddenly become the best fans in the world on the strength of getting a bit excited at the prospect of beating us in the play off semis.They also supposedly outsung us at the second leg but I can honestly say the only song I head clearly was the when they sung theres only one Bobby Robson near the end.They really are a bitter, pathetic and delusional bunch of idiots.

[king canary 8,759]

It''s funny because I was thinking about this earlier- my first game was in 2000 and my first season ticket 01-02 season. Since I''ve been going regularly I''ve seen two play off finals, four promotion and three relegations. An exciting time to be a fan and even with the extra relegation to league 1 I''d take this over 14 years in the Championship. In that time we''ve spent 4 seasons in the prem (about to be 5) beaten Man U, Arsenal, Spurs and Man City. So for someone my age (27) looking in from the outside, Ipswich must seem a bit like Wolves, Forest or Derby- permanently banging on about past glories that nobody really remembers.

[Binky 0]

[quote user="kdncfc"]They are getting desperate now and some have even described our support at Wembley as embarassing.Apparently they have suddenly become the best fans in the world on the strength of getting a bit excited at the prospect of beating us in the play off semis.They also supposedly outsung us at the second leg but I can honestly say the only song I head clearly was the when they sung theres only one Bobby Robson near the end.They really are a bitter, pathetic and delusional bunch of idiots.

[/quote]

Sorry if this has already been posted - but anyone see the banner over the A14 at Ipswich? "Good Luck Boro!" Raised a few smiles Tuesday morning. Who needs good luck like that?!