Vital QPR takes a look at Championship side Ipswich Town
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FACTS & FIGURES |
Founded: 1878
Nickname: The Tractor Boys
Ground: Portman Road – 30,311
Manager: Roy Keane
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SELECTED HONOURS |
UEFA Cup: Winners – 1980-81
FA Cup: Winners – 1977-78
First Division: Champions – 1961-62
First Division: Runners-Up – 1980-81, 1981-82
Second Division (Old): Champions – 1960-61, 1967-68, 1991-92
Division One Playoff: Winners – 1999-00
Third Division (South): Champions – 1953-54, 1956-57
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RECORDS |
Record Attendance: 38,010 v Leeds United (FA Cup 6th Round, 1975)
Record victory: 11-0 v Cromer (FA Cup, 1936)
Record defeat 1-10 v Fulham (First Division, 1963)
Record Buy: Matteo Sereni – £4,800,000 from Sampdoria
Record Sale: Kieron Dyer – £6,000,000 to Newcastle United
Record Appearances: Mick Mills – 741
Record Goals: Ray Crawford – 218
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PREVIEW |
There simply must be an improvement from Roy Keane’s Ipswich Town after flattering to deceive last season in quite dramatic fashion.
All the pre-season talk had Keane’s Tractor Boys challenging the higher echelons of the division, owing to his positive experience with Sunderland, but they spent the vast majority of the season in the bottom half.
It’s now make or break time for Keane as Town chiefs dispatched Jim Magilton based on his ninth-placed finish in the Championship, a far cry considering last season’s performances and results.
Prediction: 11
I would expect an improvement from Town, but the consistency required to challenge for the playoffs, along with the strength in depth still isn’t evident to my mind.
It is therefore my opinion that not only will the Tractor Boys miss out on the playoffs, but Keane will walk out on the club before he’s pushed given his personality within the game, should this become an eventuality.
However the unpredictable nature of the league could see Town hit their straps and fire higher, but they would require further investment in quality players before this can become an eventuality.
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