Ipswich Town FC - George Burley, Unfinished Business!

[Harris4Ips]

Ipswich Town FC - George Burley, Bring Back European Glory!!

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This year marks the 13th season in The Championship for Ipswich Town since their relegation from The Premier League back in the 2001/02 campaign.
Despite only having 2 seasons back in the "promised land", even today many a Ipswich Town fan still look back with great memories. As this was the closest Ipswich had come to tasting success since the glory days of Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson. (Two of the greatest managers to have lead Ipswich Town and England).
The statues of these two club legends outside the Portman Road ground are a constant reminder to those who lived through that successful period and to those who can only now dream of seeing those days returning to the sleepy town in Suffolk.
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Responsible for the last promotion to the Premier League was George Burley. An iconic figure at Portman Road already from his successful playing days under Bobby Robson.
After guiding Ipswich to the second division title in the 1991/92 season. The 1992/93 saw the launch of the FA Premier League. Two seasons later Lyall was struggling and was shown the exit door on 5th December 1994. Paul Goddard was to take charge whilst a replacement was found. On the 28th December 1994 George Burley took charge but could not save Ipswich from relegation.

Their first season back into the Old 1st Division saw Ipswich narrowly miss out on the playoffs. For the next 3 seasons Ipswich were to lose out in the semi-finals of the playoffs to Charlton, Sheff Utd and Bolton. The latter two on the away goals rule.
It was a case of 4th time lucky for Ipswich Town as they faced off against Bolton for the 2nd successive season, this time, progressing to the final after extra time. (The away goals rule was abolished. If it hadn't of been, Ipswich would have lost out again).

On their return to English footballs top division, Ipswich were largely tipped to come straight back down. However they overachieved and defied all the odds by finishing in an extremely respectable 5th place. Ipswich actually occupied a top 6 position for the majority of the campaign and stayed in the running for a champions league place until the last day of the season.
Unfortunately for Ipswich Town this wasnt to last as the following season they were to come back to The Championship. A bad start for George Burley saw his reign ended.
12 seasons on have seen the likes of, Joe Royle, Jim Magilton, Roy Keane, Paul Jewell and Mick McCarthy take the hot seat.

Despite lifting Ipswich back into contention as possible playoff contenders on shoe string budget, Mick McCarthy had decided enough was enough and without the necessary backing he didnt feel he could take the club any further.

The 2014/15 campaign sees the return of familiar face for the Portman Road faithful.


GEORGE BURLEY
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George Burley has said to be "delighted to be back in charge" of the club he has "always called home".

"It feels like ive been away for such a long time. I have been back in Ipswich for a few years now just living my life and enjoying my family. But seeing this job come available again, i just couldnt resist. I do feel like i have a wee bit of unfinished business. Im excited now to knuckle down and get this club back to where it belongs!"

"Im not going to give too much away right now with regards to transfers and backroom staff changes. But i do feel as though the first thing i must do, is bring back the family club feeling to this club. The togetherness of the club, the supporters and the whole town were massive factors which helped us win promotion last time around. Im confident we can all do it and very optimistic for the future."

________________________

{Manager Story EDIT}
The title of this Manager Story used to be 'Unfinished Business'. With the aim being to cement Ipswich's place in the Premiership. The last time Ipswich played in the Premier League they had a fantastic finish of 5th place on their return to the top flight but then suffered relegation the following season.

Im currently now in my 4th season in Premiership following finishes of, 8th, 3rd & finally 1st place last season (2017/18). I feel the players we have signed now make us a solid outfit for the Premiership.

The next aim will be to 'Bring Back European Glory'.

_____________________

Current Honours

Sky Bet Championship 2014

English Premiership 2018

____________

SEASON 1 - 2014/15

Championship - WINNERS
FA Cup - Semi Final
Capital One Cup - 2nd Round
_________

SEASON 2 - 2015/16

Premier League - 8th Place
FA Cup - 5th Round
Capital One Cup - 2nd Round
_________

SEASON 3 - 2016/17

Premier League - 3rd Place
FA Cup - Runners Up
Capital One Cup - Semi Final
_________

SEASON 4 - 2017/18

Premier League - WINNERS
FA Cup - 3rd Round
Capital One Cup - 3rd Round
Champions League - Semi Final
___________

SEASON 5 - 2018/19

Premier League -
FA Cup -
Capital One Cup -
Champions League -
Community Shield -

SEASON 2 - PAGE 4, POST 34

http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...n-fc-george-burley-unfinished-business-4.html

SEASON 3 - PAGE 10, POST 97

http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...-fc-george-burley-unfinished-business-10.html

SEASON 4 - PAGE 16, POST 158

http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...-fc-george-burley-unfinished-business-16.html

SEASON 5 - PAGE 20, POST 197

http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...-fc-george-burley-unfinished-business-20.html

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[Harris4Ips]

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[Harris4Ips]

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For the first season im not expecting to make any mad unrealistic signings. Realistically Ipswich Town arent really going to be signing many BIG PLAYERS. Not at least until ive got them promoted and consolidated my place in the Premier League anyway. I decided to load up all English Leagues and then the top two leagues for the following countries; Croatia, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Poland, Scotland and Sweden.

I have loaded up all players from 'top division sides' , 'teams in continental cup' from all of the big european countries including, China, Hong kong, Argentina and Brazil. As no doubt further into my save the regens from these countries can catapult my team and finances.



Im not going to be doing made up interviews as im not quite that creative haha. But i will be trying to add alot of detail into this story to hopefully make it more interesting and get some good feedback off everybody.
As i go along, if theres any particular screenshots you would like to see just ask.


I am now starting my save up, so my next post wont be until the end of pre season.
Then i can show you the tactics il be using, my squad, transfers and pre season results.
​

 

[Harris4Ips]

TRANSFERS

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Not the busiest transfer window so far for myself.

Federico Bonazzoli, a young striker from Inter Milan is probably my most popular buy. £500k upfront and £20k for each of his next 50 league games secured this deal. Im pretty confident he will prove to be a massive signing. He has huge potential and i know from another save that he does improve to be world class striker. Various clauses in his contract including 5% of his next transfer to him enabled us to fend off interest from big clubs such as Real Madrid.

Jack Grealish, a left winger on loan from Aston Villa for the season should prove to be a real hit with the fans. Hes an exciting winger who can score and create goals. If i can gain promotion, id like to possibly take him on loan again!

Eoghan O'Connell a centre back on loan from Celtic just to provide a bit of solid back up to my main 3 cb's im hoping will be a decent signing.

Finally, Lawrie Wilson, A right midfielder from Charlton. I paid £100k upfront with another £500k to follow over the next 2 years. He is very versatile and can actually play in a few positions. He will be my main RM however as i know from a previous save with Ipswich, he can bang in a fair few goals!

Didnt want to go mad on transfers. Ive got about 5 players who i would like sell before the end of the window to make space for maybe one or two more young loan signings.

Im hoping to move on; Paul Anderson, Cameron Stewart, Alex Henshall, Balint Bajner & Stephen Hunt. From the lot of them id like to think i can make at least £1m. Although only 10% of any sales will be made available.


Staff Changes

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I like to have all my coaches with decent marks in Determination, Level of Discipline and Motivation.
This will explain my reasoning for letting go Andy Liddell, Alex Chapman, Darren Smith & Jimmy Reynolds.

Coming in,
Jonathan Dalzell as fitness coach.
Richard Naylor as defensive coach with Myself.
John Owens as attacking coach with Terry O'Connor.
Colin Cooper for tactics.
Roger North and John James for the scouting department. Both have over 15 for 'scouting potential'.



THE TEAM

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My First Team & Tactics

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Please note that this tactic was downloaded via Zero Sea.
The link for this tactic can be found just below. I had a large amount of success with Arsenal using this tactic. So im hoping it will work with a slightly lower league team aswell.

http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/shar...ral-tactics-343-4411-442-etc.html#post2343826


Lets meet the players

Sweeper Keepers ( A )

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Dean Gerkin will be my Number 1 goalkeeper for the season. But in all honesty, there isnt too much difference between him and Bartosz Bialkowski. Bialkowski will be used for cup games. But if he impresses and Gerkin doesnt, i wouldnt hesitate swapping them around.


Central Defender Stoppers ( D )

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Luke Chambers, Christophe Berra & Tommy Smith will be main CB's.
With a young 4 and a half star George Fowler, on loan Eoghan O'Connell & Tyrone Mings as my second lot of cbs. Mings is naturally a LB. But as i dont have a LB in my formation, and because he is a big lad. Ive decided retraining him to CB will be beneficial for me.


Defensive Midfielders ( S )

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Although Cole Skuse is probably one of my better Midfielders, i have other options in CM and id like to see Luke Hyam reach his potential. I have decided Hyam will be my main DM with Cole Skuse in rotation in DM/CM.

CM Advanced Playmakers ( A )

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Kevin Bru on a previous Ipswich save was just awesome. He will be my main CM. The rise of Teddy Bishop in real life is one of my reasonings for having him as my 2nd option. He also has a half decent potential rating.
Jack Collison can be decent cover or rotation for CM & DM. But im going to wait until hes back from injury to see whether hes worth making a few quid out of or keeping and loaning out Bishop.



Right Wide Midfielders ( A )

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Lawrie Wilson is going to be my main RM. Ive purchased him before with Ipswich and he scores alot of goals from that position. Hoping he does the same in this save!
Darren Ambrose is my back up RM. I might give him game time in cup games. But hes definitely a decent back up. Can play CM aswell. ST false nine would probably suit his attributes too.


Left Wide Midfielders ( A )

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Jack Grealish im hoping is going to be one of my star players. He will be my main LM without any shadow of a doubt.
Jay Tabb i know can do a job out wide. He can also provide cover at CM/DM or even CB too.
Jonathan Parr is naturally a LB/RB on the game. But i like his stats as a LM. Seeing as i cant play him in his natural roles, im hoping he can still do a decent job for me on the wing!


Striker False Nines ( S )

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David McGoldrick, Daryl Murphy & Fedrico Bonazzoli will be spearheading my attack. I have alot of confidence in this front 3. Aslong as i can keep McGoldrick happy and Bonazzoli can bang them in right away, an automatic promotion spot could be a fair target.
Bonazzoli i know can become a beast. Hopefully exposure to first team football can really improve him quickly.

Connor Sammon and Balint Bajner will be my back ups. Bajner im looking to sell and i have Ryan Mason from Tottenham and Adam Armstrong from Newcastle in mind as loan deals. FINGERS CROSSED.
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[Harris4Ips]

PRE SEASON

PRE SEASON

Pre season saw me take a tour in Scotland against 4 weaker sides to build morale and confidence whilst i get used to my new tactics. Finishing up with 2 friendlies against 2 local teams to end pre season on a high. I did actually arrange two home friendlies against Boca & Blackburn inbetween the tour and local friendlies. But for some reason as soon as they accepted my invitation, the game then cancelled them. I then couldnt find any new teams to arrange friendlies with as the dates were 'Unavailable'. Gutted. Would have been nice to have some stronger friendlies to see what this team are really capable of. But nevertheless, i did dominate my games as expected. Ive come out of 6 friendlies with 35 goals scored and 2 conceded. So its still decent preparation before the season starts in my eyes. All my first team players are match fit, subs bench and reserves couldve been better. But i did end up 2 friendlies short of what i wanted.

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Media Prediction

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The media havnt been too generous to us. But to be fair, that suits me. Less expectations means slightly less pressure. Hopefully we can prove them wrong though really battle for promotion.


First 5 league games

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The first 5 league games id say is fairly difficult. I have 2 games against sides predicted to finish in the top 3 in Norwich and Fulham. Norwich being my local derby makes it even more massive! Portman road should be near on full and rocking for that!
Derby who are predicted to finish 9th i feel shows exactly how strong the championship is. They are a decent side....
Same with Reading, they will be a difficult side to beat. Birmingham are predicted to finish in the bottom 3 so that technically should be 3 pts.

My home games are against the "better teams" and my "easier" games are all away. Id be happy to come away with 9pts from a possible 15 out of them to be fair.

An easier tie than i could have got in the carling cup is welcome news, as that means i can play a few of my fringe and younger players.

Il be back after ive played these games to let you know how ive been getting on. And if theres been anymore transfer activity.




Hope everyone is liking this story so far. If im putting in too much, or if im missing out key information. Please let me know
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[Harris4Ips]

First 5 League games + 2 carling cup

The first 5 league games have been played, i would have been happy with 9pts out of 15. So to get 4 wins and 12 pts is very positive. Bonazolli, Murphy and McGoldrick are playing so well together. Very pleased with how things are going. One slight negative is the goals im conceding. But im out scoring most my opponents so i cant be to critical.

Slightly disappointing to be knocked out of the Carling Cup in the 2nd round!
The 2nd round against Leyton Orient AT HOME was wedged right inbetween the Local derby against Norwich and Derby away. The league is my main priority so i decided to let my assistant manager choose my team for the cup game made up out of reserve and youth players. Looking back, maybe i could have picked the team myself and chose a stronger side. But, end of the day....the league is our bread n butter and we would love to get promoted in the first season.

Theyre hasnt been anymore transfer news so far. I have accepted a £1m bid for Paul Anderson but its yet to be confirmed.

​

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A 6-2 win at home to Fulham who were predicted to finish 3rd is a massive result for us. Whether the predictions are always very accurate or not im not sure? But definitely an outstanding performance all round.
To let Fulham score 2 goals after going down to 10 men has got to be a concern. Whether i should have maybe changed mentality to contain would have helped il never know. I was 5-0 up before the red card so perhaps i shouldve guessed Fulham might have come gung ho at me.

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Always an amazing sight to see Ipswich beating Naaaarrrrwich! Norwich have got a real decent team on paper, and football manager doesnt suggest any different. Many of their players are Premierleague class, so mega chuffed to have beaten them.

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Another fantastic performance against a side many bookmakers tipped us to lose against. Im missing at least 2 or 3 clear cut chances every game. But im always winning the statistics on shots, possession and scoreline. Am i being a little too picky?
I dare not change the tactic about as i know its successful and works wonders.
My tactic is fully fluid now so i think i will change my match prep to attack movement. Hopefully this can give me a better shot to goals conversion rate!

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Its certainly early days, but you cant help but get a little excited can ya haha. Ive got a young team, so the more games i play and win, the better these guys are going to get. Come January im sure im going to end up getting a few players asking to move to bigger clubs. NO LOYALTY these days eh.

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My next 5 games see me face off against Millwall, Wigan & Brighton who have all made a good start to the league and sit on 10, 10 and 9 points respectively.
Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham make up the other 2 fixtures. Both of these sides are struggling early on and i should be looking to capitalise on this. 6 pts from should be a given. Maybe a win against Millwall, draw against Brighton to give me another 10pts from 15. Id be happy with that! Playoffs was probably our most ambitious target at the beginning of the season. So anything better than that is a bonus.

 

[Tracz]

Huge ipswich fan here, so i wish you luck and hopefully you can return the glory days,
How are your finances looking? As when i had a little go managing them i didnt spend in the summer and i sold a couple of players to lower the wage bill, by jan i kept getting news bout the clubs financial trouble n bout players that may have leave due to that

 

[SamPeters]

Great start to the season there mate! good luck with Ipswich

 

[xJamieWilliams]

Like the look of this mate, good club, good layout, and a lot of detail! Looking forward to seeing more of this!

 

[jbauerhun]

Don't sell Bajner pls! No Bajner, no party.. you know.

 

[joshcoles224]

Great story so far mate, keep it up. Is Collison going to get much game time?

 

[Mikeyp77]

Really interesting story
As a suffolk born but not Ipswich fan still really interesting one to read

 

[Harris4Ips]

Huge ipswich fan here, so i wish you luck and hopefully you can return the glory days,
How are your finances looking? As when i had a little go managing them i didnt spend in the summer and i sold a couple of players to lower the wage bill, by jan i kept getting news bout the clubs financial trouble n bout players that may have leave due to that

Finances
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My finances are not too stable at the moment. But this is pretty much how you start the game. I have got about 4 or 5 players im going to be selling. So thats a few quid plus a big chunk of wages i shall be saving.

Projection

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My projection is not that great either. In fact it shows that by the end of my second season il be in the red. Obviously this doesn't accommodate possible income through winning promotion, new television revenue if im in the premiership. So, although this isn't too encouraging at first glance. I think its something i'll keep an eye if i progress as well as i hope.



​

 

[Harris4Ips]

Really interesting story
As a suffolk born but not Ipswich fan still really interesting one to read

Don't sell Bajner pls! No Bajner, no party.. you know.

Like the look of this mate, good club, good layout, and a lot of detail! Looking forward to seeing more of this!

Great start to the season there mate! good luck with Ipswich

Great story so far mate, keep it up. Is Collison going to get much game time?

Thanks for reading guys, hope i can keep this thread interesting and be successful with Ipswich at the same time!

Jack Collison does look like he has good attributes to be fair. I liked him when he was at West Ham. Being injured for so long at the beginning of this save gives you the impression he is injury prone from the off. So il see when hes back from injury. If he performs, then maybe a Hyam - Collison midfield would be decent for a few years to come

 

[Harris4Ips]

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Alex Henshall who has been deemed surpluss to requirements unfortunetely could not be sold before the end of the transfer window. So a loan deal seemed the best option. Perhaps if he performs well in the next month he could come back to a few opportunities in this squad.

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Ive always liked Paul Anderson in recent football managers. But this year i like Darren Ambrose, he can score some goals and with Lawrie Wilson being a new signing, he has to be involved. I know he will come good soon enough!








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With Brighton and Wigan coming up in the 7 days, i felt i had to rotate a little bit to keep everybody fresh. For the next two games id prefer my 1st Team to be playing. They may get a little tired after the Brighton and Wigan game. But i do have a week off after so thats plenty of time to recuperate!

I decided to give Mings a run out as hes still lacking match fitness, plus Berra's condition was about 90%.
Darren Ambrose and Jonathan Parr were started on the wings in place of Wilson and Grealish.
Sammon and Bajner, who, have both actually scored when called upon, were given a start ahead of McGoldrick and Bonazzoli who will both be needed in top condition.

Going a goal down and then missing a penalty wasnt the greatest of starts, and you have to think today is just not going to be your day.

But on the 60 minute mark Parr played in a lovely cross for Sammon to slot home to equalise!

The scores werent level for too long as Millwall reacted and regained their one goal advantage through Scott McDonald.

With Luke Chambers and Luke Hyam both on yellow cards, i always think about subbing the yellow carded as i hate going down to 10 men. Both players were told to 'ease off tackles' and i decided to go against my usual habit, instead bring on Wilson for Ambrose and Bonazzoli for Bajner.

Sure enough it paid off, as Murphy on 82 and Bonazzoli deep into injury time managed to secure us a well earned and well needed victory against Millwall side who had started the season better than expected.



The game against Brighton at Portman road saw me return to my usual 1st team. Parr had picked up an injury so Stephen Hunt would get a chance on the subs bench. With Muphy also picking up a knock, that meant Sammon would stay in the side following his goal at Millwall with McGoldrick being the main striker in the middle. Berra, Wilson, Bru, Grealish, Bonazzoli all return.

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An early strike from McGoldrick on 7 minutes saw us run into a nice early lead.
Going into the changing rooms at half time, we have dominated and gone in with a lead. So just telling the boys theyve played well, but they can still do better was all that was necessary.
On 50 minutes Jack Grealish put us into a 2-0 lead. A bit of breathing space.
With the 60 minute mark arrive, i like to make some changes at this point just to rest some of the tired players. Especially with another big game coming up against Wigan.

Kevin Bru and Tommy Smith looked tired, so coming on to replace them saw Jay Tabb and Eoghan O'Connell given 30minutes of action.

On 62 minutes, Lawrie Wilson fired home to give Ipswich a comfortable 3-0 lead.

On 75 minutes the strikers were switched around a little bit. McGoldrick going wide right, Bonazzoli coming in as the central striker and Sammon was taken off for Stephen Hunt to come on. 15 mins for Hunt to make an impression on the left side.

The final 8 minutes of the game would see Ipswich finish with 10 men. An injury to Wilson with no subs left, meant Hunt would slot in at left mid and Grealish moved over to the right. Leaving McGoldrick and Bonazzoli up front.

Brighton capitalised on their 1 man advantage and managed to score a consolation goal. The game finished 3-1 to Ipswich.


View attachment 308824View attachment 308823 Injury to Wilson more game time for Ambrose. And an injury to Hunt meant he was losing out on 3 months to impress me. Come january, i wouldnt be surprised if he gets sold.

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I never actually realised Collisons contract runs out in January! Hes just come back from injury so il be easing him back into it from the bench. Hopefully he can impress and il keep him on. If not, i do already Bru and Skuse with Bishop aswell as id like ease him into the first team for his development. So if he does go it would save me a little bit on wages in all fairness.

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Games 6 - 10 saw Ipswich win all 5 of their most recent games and now on a run of 8 League wins on the bounce. McGoldrick and Ambrose have been key performers scoring a few goals each.
Top of the league after 10 games with a 4 point lead is very impressive. Ive kept good rotation in the side too which would have kept all my players happy.

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I think every 5 games might be a little tooooo much. So im going to leave it 10 games until the next post. Dont wanna clog this thread up with too many little posts.

Forest are my next game, who currently sit behind us in 2nd place.Blackburn currently sit mid table, before i play Cardfiff, Huddersfield and Blackpool who are all at the bottom end of the table.

If anybody would to like to see any other screenshots, just let me know.

COME ONNNN YOUUUU BLUEEEEESSSSSSSS.

HARKKKKK NOW HEARRRRR, THE IPSWICH SING, AS NAAARRRRRWICH RUNNNNNN AWAY.

 

[Harris4Ips]

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Forest fans will be feeling sick this morning after yesterdays 15:00 kick off at home to Ipswich saw the return of two old players. McGoldricks two goals ensured Ipswich defeated Forest 3-1 and as a result meant Forest fall further from the top of the Championship.
People may be surprised to learn that Chambers and McGoldrick were in fact free signings for the Suffolk side.
Perhaps two masterstrokes by recent manager Mick McCarthy as both players have become integral members of the first team for the Tractor boys. David 'Didzy' McGoldrick has seen life surge back into him as he is banging in the goals on regular basis now. Also Luke 'Chambo' Chambers is now the club captain.


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCK454u3uP8 - Chambo Fist Pump

Becoming hugely popular with the Portman Road faithful now is the "Chambo fist pump". Luke Chambers celebrates with the Town fans as he walks off the field after a victory with a Fist pump now.

The Ipswich Town fans will be hoping to see this more often than not this season as they dream of returning to the promised land which is, The English Premier League.

 

[Harris4Ips]

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Bonazzoli has recently cooled down on the goalscoring front, this being the reason for dropping him to the bench. He is only 17, so i cant expect him to score every single game. Hes still developing. HOWEVER, he did come on for the final 14 minutes to score a last minute winner and secure us a victory! Good ol'boy!

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Ive been pretty lucky this season, even when ive called upon my fringe players, ive still been able to pull off a victory. ANOTHER last minute winner against Cardiff here, this time, BALINT BAJNER! The tall Hungarian has managed a few goals for me this season. Accumulating in him getting called up to the Hungary squad where he scored on his debut!

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With Bonazzoli cooling down on the goalscoring front ive been happy to play Sammon up front with Didzy and Murph! All 3 are scoring on a regular basis. Todays visit of Huddersfield no different as between them they score all 5 goals!

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For those eagle eyed viewers you have noticed ive been giving more game time to Cameron Stewart and Jack Collison. Ive been easing them in from the bench and giving them starts in rotation. In this game away to Blackpool Stewart came off the bench to bag a goal. Jack Collison has been getting some 7.0 + ratings lately and the constant reminders in my inbox about his contract renewal must be playing the part in him impressing me!

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Another late winner, again by Bonazzoli. Im starting to like bringing this guy on from the bench. He makes such an impact.

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Conceding an early doesnt worry me too much at the moment, considering the pure amount of goals weve been scoring! But to go 2 goals down did concern me slightly. I changed my mentality to attacking and boy did it work. Somehow we came back to win 3 - 2 and stretch our winning streak in the league to 13 games. INCREDIBLE.

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Just before the Bournemouth game the board offered me a new contract. I made a slight change to view our vision to get promotion. I almost chose 'win the the league'. But JUST in case we have a blip around the corner i decided promotion should still be a safe bet!

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Eoghan O'Connell has been getting the odd start here and there to provide rest for Tommy Smith. Here at Bournemouth he bagged his first goal for the club and played a massive part in helping us keep a rare clean sheet! Omar Sowunmi was given a rare start. Tyrone Mings still hasnt got to match fitness yet. So ive decided to drop him to the reserves 'until match fit'. I was hoping on playing my youth cb George Fowler, but due to the youth team playing he was ineligle. Sowunmi wasnt playing great and his condition was low. So an early substitution on 53 minutes so his debut cut short.

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The only negative to take from the Bournemouth game was horrific injury to Daveeeee McGOAAALLLLLLdrink HOOOO. Hes been on fire this season bagging 19 goals in 16 league games.... So its not surprise that im absolutely gutted to see him now out injured for 3-4 months. The January transfer window cant come any sooner, hopefully i can sign a striker on loan for a few months just to keep some competition up front for Murph, Bonazolli and Sammon.

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Didzy being out injured hasnt harmed our goalscoring threat. Winning 6-1 shows just how many goalscoring options we have at the moment. Was delighted to see Collison score his first goal for the club. Hes fully deserved that for his performances of late. As a result, he has now been given a new contract until 2018. Ambrose also has been given a new contract for his amazing performances thus far.

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The visit from Leeds to Portman Road would see us lose our winning streak in the league, BUT keep our unbeaten run going. We now havnt lost a league game since that 3rd game against Reading at the beginning of the season.

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9 wins from 10 is impressive. So so chuffed with how we are doing at the moment. Nearly half way through the season, and looking very strong contenders for the title!

BURLEYSSSS, BARRRMYYYY ARMY!

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Dominating the stats all round. McGoldrick and Murphy are the top 2 goals scorers. They also have the highest average ratings. Murphy leads the assist charts too, aswell as most POM's. 6 points clear of second place. And also 22 points clear of 7th. The playoffs must be guaranteed at this point. Perhaps not mathematically...but i cant see myself losing more than 7 games more than anybody else below me.

Going up through the playoffs would be the traditional way for this football club. But i can safely say id prefer automaticly going up! As exciting as the playoffs are, its just too intense haha. Especially doing this manager story aswell with you guys keeping track.


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Luke Chambers is the only player in my squad to have played in every league game so far. And rightly so seeing as he is my captain supremo. Hugely reliable and always consistent. McGoldrick, Murphy and Bonazzoli have all scored over 10 goals, with Ambrose and Sammon trailing behind on 4 goals each.

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Going on the basis of how this season has gone, my next 10 games look fairly straight forward. Id like to think i take maximum points after the form weve been in. Middlesbrough, Derby and Brentford perhaps providing our sternest tests. Middlesbrough sit just behind us in 2nd place.
Derby are sitting in 4th place, and Brentford in 5th. Middlesbrough and Derby id say our toughest, but being at home and with the 100% at Portman Road, id fancy us take 3 points against both sides. Brentford away will be tough, but seeing as theyve just recently won promotion, id like to think we can beat them too!

Weve got the FA CUP 3rd round wedged pretty much in the middle of all them fixtures. Id like to progress in that cup, seeing as we got knocked out early on in the Carling Cup.

Ipswich have got history in the competiton, winning it for the one and only time in 1978 under the guidance of Sir Bobby Robson. George Burley was in fact part of that star studded team which shocked the country to beat Arsenal 1-0! With Roger Osbourne bagging the winner.

 

[Harris4Ips]

Our extreme lack of financial muscle is making it hard for ANY activity in the loan market. The only players we have available to us to loan would not improve or help our current squad. Ive tried loaning Harry Kane, but the board wont let us have any extra wage budget. Ive managed to shift Veseli off for £21k as im not keen on him. Parr has left for £1.5m as i had adequate cover on the left side of midfield. Bajner has left on a free transfer to Crewe as he just wasnt scoring or performing enough as id like. Hunt and Stewart are refusing to budge.

Anthony Wordsworth, Paul Taylor, Frank Nouble & Jack Marriott have all returned from their loans. Wordsworth im trying to shift on. And because i cant get any new loan signings in, Paul Taylor and Frank Nouble will be given a chance in rotation upfront!

 

[SamPeters]

What a great season so far mate some good wins there, you may get them back up!

 

[Harris4Ips]

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A strong 4-0 win against Bolton.
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Middlesbrough were one of our big games over this 10 game stretch. However we come through it very well. A resounding 3-1 win. We havnt had the majority for the last few games. Something which hasnt happened very often at all this season. Daryl Murphy still going strong and scoring goals though which is keeping us above the pack.
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With Bonazzoli still not finding his early season form which was getting him applaudits and getting injured. Bajner was back in the team. Although he did score with Connor Sammon, hes rating of 6.9 just wasnt exciting me. Murphy was having a rare off day aswell, so i reacted by taking them both off on 66 mins for Jonathan Parr and Sam Ford.
Being in a 2-0 lead, you would think the game is pretty much safe. It so wasnt....we ended up losing 3-2 away to Brentford. That talk of a possible blip which i mentioned in the previous post, started to make me worry after this defeat.

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With Bajner still not hitting the heights, Bonazzoli well out of form and still no McGoldrick. I thought id try Grealish on the left of attack with Tabb LM. We won 3-2, so i was happy. Especially with O'Connell and Mings in defence and against Charlton who are actually exceeding expectations this season. A good result. Worries of a blip are out of the window again. PHEW.
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A 2-0 win in the 3rd round of the fa cup against Cardiff was satisfactory. One major positive to take out of the game, was Sam Fords first goal for the club. For those of you unsure about Sam Ford, he is a striker from my youth team. He has been in great form for the U18's bagging over 14 goals. So i figured he had deserved a chance of late.
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Derby were the other big test we faced in this run of games. They have been in the playoffs all season so i expected a tough game. A 3-0 scoreline sending the fans home happy!
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Before we got ready for the arrival of Burnley in the FA CUP 4th round, a 5-0 hammering of Millwall was a brilliant confidence booster before we played a the premiership outfit. The scoreline perhaps flattered us, as Milwall certainly plenty of chances themselves. We didnt really dominate the game, but we were clinical!




FA CUP 4th ROUND

A visit from Burnley in the FA CUP 4th round was one to be watched with excitement. Given out fantastic league form and being top. Our hopes of promotion are increasing each game. A game against Premierleague opposition would give us a rough indicator of how far we are from competing with the best in the country.
Burnley are predicted to finish 20th in the Premiership, but they are currently 14th. 7 places above us.

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A fantastic win for us. If we had won by the odd goal, alot of people would have said we were just lucky. But to come out 5-2 winners with 59% possession and 33 shots to their 5. Really proved our dominance.
Alot of premiership teams would normally play a weaker side. Considering the result, i had to check if this was the case for Burnley. I had a look and in fact, judging on their games played for each player. They actually fielded their strongest team. Except for Scott Arfield who it would appear was rested for Mikele Leigertwood.

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After the teams heroics in the cup, i had make a few changes. The size of our squad simply cannot cope with the amount of games being played in such short space of time. This showed as we beaten 2-1 by Brighton during the Tuesday after.
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Another defeat, this time at home. Our first defeat at home in the league and in fact, the first time weve dropped points at home. Many players who had been rested returned to action, so to lose was hard to take.
Like in the Brighton game, we actually had more possession and the most opportunities to score. We just didnt take our chances.

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A 2-2 draw away to 21st place Rotherham. I decided to field a very weakened team. After 35 minutes it didnt seem to matter as we raced into 2-0 lead. Both goals scored by youth players, Teddy Bishop and Cemal Ramadan.
Perhaps a lack of experience showed as we ended up surrendering our lead to finish the game all square.
3 league games without a win.....this was our worst run of the season. Hopefully this blip wont last and we can regain our points advantage over 2nd placed Middlesbrough.
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A 2-1 win, the rot was over. Connor Sammon stepping up to take charge and wins us the game with 4 mins left of normal time. Murphy has been magnificent all season but hes starting to show signs of inconsistency. I would love to rest him for a few games and bring him back for the run in raring to go. But without McGoldrick its hard. Paul Taylors return from loan has seen him feature recently. But im not sure hes up to filling Murphys boots.
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A comfortable 6-0 win over Sheff utd at home in the FA CUP fifth round sees Ipswich through to sixth round and with a big chance for making the semi-finals!​

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That chance of making the sixth round were all of a sudden squashed. Being drawn at home to Man Utd is going to be an extremely tough ask. Norwich have been drawn at home to Arsenal too. Imagine and Ipswich V Norwich fa cup final! ... WOW, that would be crazy. Very much doubt that will happen but we shall see. Hopefully Van Gaal will underestimate us play a weak team. Progressing to the semi-finals of the fa cup would be great for our finances.
Possibly a full house at Portman road aswell is a chance for Ipswich to gain some new supporters and ensure the crowd returns.
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One thing that has really annoyed me this season is, despite how well we are playing and our position in the league. The attendances at Portman Road just have not been good enough. At this stage of the season considering our success, i would have liked to have seen at least 25,000 every home game.
To get 29,542 for the 5th round cup game against lower league Sheff Utd is a plus though.

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30 games, the league has really taken shape now. 8 points clear of Middlesbrough in 2nd with 16 games left.
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A tough run of games before our last 6 games of the season.
The 6th round against Man Utd has got to slotted in their somewhere as yet too!

One thing ive just noticed though, i have Brentford at home twice..... I have already played them away. So that is a bit of bug. Not unless the saturday game has been moved to tuesday, and that saturday game on the 7th march is supposed to be the Man Utd game?!


Would be nice to see a little more interest in the thread
Always nice to hear peoples thoughts. Im still not sure whether im giving you too many screenshots?
Or if im missing certain details.

Is anybody else currently doing an Ipswich save? or another side from this divison?
Be nice to hear from you all.
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