Form (last 6): W-W-L-L-L-D-
2002/03 Finish: First Division: 7th
FA Cup: Fourth Round
League Cup: Fourth Round
2002/03 Top Scorer: Pablo Counago - 19
2002/03 Discipline: 49 yellow, 4 red
2003/04 League Cup First Round Result: 1-0 vs.
After relegation from the Premiership, Ipswich proved that life in Division One isn’t the cake-walk that they expected it to be as the Tractor Boys, at the time of writing [19th September], lie 21st in the First Division – in the bottom four with two other teams that were not so long ago in the Premiership – Watford and Wimbledon who were both relegated during the 1999-2000 campaign.
Things are not made any easier by a host Premiership clubs approaching the array of stars that played in the blue of Ipswich, names like; Kieron Dyer [Newcastle - £6m], Titus Bramble [Newcastle - £5m], Matt Holland [Charlton - £750k], Darren Ambrose [Newcastle - £1m], Marcus Stewart [Sunderland – £3.25m], Richard Wright [Arsenal - £6m], amongst others.
However, woes aside, since the appointment of manager, Joe Royle the Suffolk club has seen a major revival as he turned the club round from a disappointing league standing at Christmas time into a seventh place finish by the end of the season.
One thing that Joe Royle managed to exploit from his side was an impeccable strike force that bagged a massive 80 goals last season, a significant amount more than promoted Leicester City and third-placed Sheffield United.
However, since then Finidi George has left the club by mutual consent, Marcus Bent has been loaned out for the rest-of-the-season to Leicester City leaving just two of the their big-name professional strikers to do the business.
A decisive factor in the clubs failure to seal promotion lies in their defence. The Tractor Boys leaked a massive 64 goals last term, radically more than their counterparts in the top-six of the division who only conceded an average of 46 goals each, last season. So, the Tractor Boys must first of all learn the lesson from last season and plug the hole in defence if success is going to be made a real possibility.
One man who was influential in the club’s highly respectable league position was former Liverpool midfielder, Jim Magilton. Since signing for Ipswich back in March 1999 for an initial fee £682,500 the Northern Ireland captain has started on more than 150 occasions scoring 9 nine goals.
The playmaker enjoyed his most successful moment in the blue of Ipswich when in May 2000 he clinched his first career hat-trick in the First Division play-off semi final in an emphatic 5-3 victory over Bolton Wanderers. However, Magilton rose to a whole new level during the 2002/03 campaign as he made 43 starts and 2 appearances from the bench as he established a solid looking central-midfield partnership with Matt Holland.
However, since Holland’s departure to Premiership club, Charlton Athletic he has been handed the captain’s armband and so far has started each and every of the club’s eight league games so far this season as well as the League Cup 1-0 victory against Kidderminster – the result that brings Ipswich to Meadow Lane for Tuesday’s game.
***STAR PLAYER*** - Darren Bent
Prior to the start of the season, this 19-year-old set himself a target of scoring 25 goals this season. Some say for a player so young, his target may be a little overly ambitious, however, I for one would not put to past this youngster to reach his goal.
The Ipswich born-and-bred front man has been developing at a phenomenal speed amongst the Tractor Boys ranks, and just as well, as the departure of his namesake, Marcus Bent, has left a gaping up front – one which Darren Bent must settle into, and fast, if he hopes to maintain his first team spot.
Bent was one of a small number of individuals who survived the cull that the Ipswich board had been forced upon as the Suffolk outfit looked to balance the books and reduce their wage bill.
However, Bent inevitably attracted the attention of the fat-cats of the Premier League and it was Newcastle who, again, was sniffing around the talented youngster at Portman Road. Fortunately for Ipswich, they managed to keep the services of the Bent in Town and now pressure is mounting on his young shoulders to carry the Tractor Boys back into the Premiership.
***What are the odds of that?*** - courtesy of Bet365 [www.bet365.com]
Notts County – 11/4
Draw – 11/5
Ipswich Town – 5/6