Ipswich Town vs Bristol City 
Saturday 30th September 2017 – 15:00
Portman Road
Pre-Match Thoughts - Mike
We may only be Nine games into the new season but I can't help but ask the question, is this Town team potentially the real deal ? Are we genuine play off candidates or is this still just a false dawn ? Well following Tuesday nights superb demolition of Sunderland let's look at a few facts, having played One game less than everyone else we find ourselves in Sixth place, win that game and we'd be Second, with Nineteen goals scored we are the top scorers in the Division, bearing in mind again that we've played One game less that really is good going, in Waghorn, Garner and McGoldrick we have Three players scoring goals at will and playing at the top of their game, add to this the impending returns of Adam Webster, Emyr Huws, Teddy Bishop, Tommy Smith and Danny Rowe and we really do appear to be in a good place right now. Having played Fulham, Leeds & Millwall, Three teams in the top half it is also not strictly true that we've not played anyone decent yet, ok we lost to Fulham and Leeds but anyone who was at Elland Road will tell you that was not a true reflection of the game, we showed we can mix it with the best.
There will still be those that will tell you we are in a false position and the bubble will burst, and while that may or may not be the case I think we can all agree whatever form this season takes we are not anywhere near relegation fodder, for me the bookies got it completely wrong, that said we've only played Nine games. The doubters can point to our sometimes fragile defence which in fairness is correct, we do concede too many goals but we have had a makeshift defence for most of the season, our Thirteen goals conceded is the highest in the top half of the division but strangely Six of those goals have come in Three games that we have won. If you are a glass half full person or a glass half empty person I think we are all in agreement that the Football is light years ahead of the dross dished up last season while the entertainment is also much easier on the eye, it will take time but we can but hope some of the missing fans will begin to return, I don't think the Manager and the players can do much more than they are right now to entice them back, carry on winning at home and it has to happen, a Derby day victory would go a long way in helping.
With a tough looking game looming large on Saturday the big question on everyone's lips is will Mick stick with the same attacking line up, I must confess as cautious as I am I really do hope he does even if I do see potential pitfalls in doing so, we have momentum, we have confidence and most importantly I think the players have the belief that right now they can beat anybody, especially at home where we have won Four out of Five, however gone are the days where you only have to turn up to beat Bristol City, they are a decent side and can play a bit, unbeaten in Ten games bears witness to that and in Bobby Reid & Famara Diedhiou they have Two players that have scored Twelve goals between them already so our defence is sure to be tested again, this is no Sunderland who I felt were very weak for much of the contest. All that said I think we are on the crest of a wave, our tails are up and I believe we can edge this one again, how good would it be to go into yet another International break sitting in the top Three or Four with a game in hand ? It could well happen, Town to edge it for me. COYB'S!
The Opposition – Bristol City
The club was founded in 1897 as Bristol South End and changed their name to Bristol City on adopting professionalism three years later when they were admitted into the Southern League. City joined the Football League in 1901. .
Winning the Second Division Championship with a record number of points when they became the first club in Football League history to win 30 games as well as equaling Manchester United's achievement of the previous season in winning 14 consecutive games (still a record today, which was also accomplished by Preston in 1950–51).
They finished as runners-up in their inaugural First Division campaign. Three years later they won through to their only FA Cup Final. After a five season stay in the top flight in the 1910/11season brought City's first ever taste of relegation and it was to be 65 years before top flight status would be regained.
The 1920s were a rocky time as City bounced between the Second Division and the Southern Section of the Third Division. By the 1930s they had slumped into the lower division, and stayed that way until the Second World War. Harry Dolman became chairman in 1949, a post he would hold for over 30 years. An engineer who had bought out the firm he worked for, he designed the first set of floodlights installed at Ashton Gate in the early 1950s. The late 1950s were a better time for City, with a five-year stay in the Second Division, a league they returned to for a further spell in 1965.
In 1967, Alan Dicks was appointed manager, and things gradually began to improve, with promotion to the First Division in 1976, ending a 65-year exile from the top flight.
City's second stint in the top flight was less successful than the club's first, with thirteenth position in 1979 being their highest finish during this era.
In 1980, the City team went back to the Second Division in the first of three relegations, their debt mounted and their financial losses increased, with two successive relegations following. Thus, in 1982, they fell into the Fourth Division, and were declared bankrupt. BCFC (1982) Ltd acquired the club's player contracts, and the highly paid senior players who became known as the 'Ashton Gate Eight', each accepted termination of his contract for half the amount due. The club failed to pay its debts to many local businesses which left the new formed club difficulty in obtaining credit because of bad feeling toward them.
City spent two seasons in the Fourth Division before winning promotion in 1984. They consolidated themselves in the Third Division during the latter part of the 1980s, and in 1990 achieved promotion as Third Division runners-up.
Meanwhile, City remained in the new Division One (no longer the Second Division after the creation of the Premier League in 1992) but in the 1994/95 season were relegated to Division Two.
Bristol City again achieved promotion in 1998 as Division Two runners-up, but went straight back down again the following season.
City was a regular Division Two Top Six side over the next few seasons but couldn’t advance through the playoffs each time.
Despite a slow start to the 2006–07 season, City were in the top six of League One by November and at the end of the month began an 11-match unbeaten run which drove them to the top of the division. Promotion to the Championship was confirmed on the final day of the season securing the runners-up place in the division and resulting in automatic promotion.
After a stop start run of form City went top of the Championship on 1 March, However, a poor run ended City's chances of an automatic promotion place. They made the playoff final at Wembley but went down 1-0 to Hull.
After a poor start in the first half of the 2008–09 season, City finished the season in tenth place.
On 22 April 2010, it was announced that former Reading manager Steve Coppell would become the new City manager at the end of the 2009–10 campaign, when he would start a 12-month rolling contract, and that Keith Millen, who had guided the club to Championship safety in his brief spell as caretaker manager, would remain at the club as his assistant. It was announced on 12 August 2010 that Coppell had resigned as manager with immediate effect saying that he would retire from football management altogether citing a lack of passion for the job. This followed his only two competitive games at the club.
On 29 November 2011, the club announced a loss of £11.45 million.
After a promising start to the 2011/12 season City only just survived staying in the Championship having spent time in the relegation zone.
After a poor start to the 2012/13 campaign, Sean O'Driscoll was appointed head coach on a 12-month rolling contract however on 16 April 2013, City were relegated to League One.
After the sacking of Sean O'Driscoll on 28 November 2013, Steve Cotterill was appointed on a three and a half year contract. When he joined the club were bottom of the table and 5 points away from safety with a −7 goal difference. Cotterill made a huge impact and guided the club to safety and finished the season 12th.
Bristol City were promoted back to Championship for 2015–16 season after securing a top spot in 2014–15 Football League One on 14 April 2015. 1955 was the last time they won a league.
With Bristol City just inside the relegation zone, and only 256 days after Cotterill had lead them back to the Championship, Cotterill was sacked by club chairman Keith Dawe, on 14 January 2016.
Caretaker Manager John Pemberton was replaced by Lee Johnson on the 6th February 2016.
Last season Bristol City finished one place below Ipswich in 17th place with 54 points.
The Manager – Lee Johnson
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Media Watch - K L Blue
Simon Grayson says what happened in the changing room after the game, by a surprising source
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/09/27/si ... r-telling/
Woolfenden signs new contract
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... -1-5212841
Waghorn on the dressing room
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... -1-5211863
B.A.T.E Legal Battle with Town
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/64545 (its just the first paragraph)
Form Guide
Ipswich Last 5 Matches – Currently in 5th place with 18 points
Ipswich Town 5-2 Sunderland
Leeds United 3-2 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town 2-0 Bolton Wanderers
QPR 2-1 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town 0-2 Fulham FC
Bristol City Last 5 Matches – Currently in 7th place with 17 points
Bristol City 2-0 Bolton Wanderers
Norwich City 0-0 Bristol City
Bristol City 2-0 Stoke City
Bristol City 4-1 Derby County
Wolverhampton 3-3 Bristol City
Fixtures of Interest
ASTON VILLA VS BOLTON
BURTON ALBION VS WOLVES
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS SHEFFIELD UTD
PRESTON N.E. VS SUNDERLAND
Marko's Caption Contest
Leeds scores
Number 9 5pts
Barmy Billy 4pts
Ando 3pts
Ohiotractorboy 2pts
LEAGUE TABLE
TANGFASTIC 19
NICSCREAMER 18
SHED ON TOUR 18
BLUEMIKE 18
OHIOTRACTORBOY 16
BARMY BILLY 16
HERFORDER 15
FROSTY 15
DERICKIPSW 13
ANDO 11
NUMBER9 10
BLUEBLOOD 9
BLUEPETER 8
IPSWICHTOWNNO1 8
QUASAR 7
WATERSHIP DOWN 7
JAMMA123 4
LOUDnPROUD 3
AYLESBURY BLUE 2
PATTHEGIMP 1
Caption picture:
Match Referee – Simon Hooper
IPSWICH TOWN 2 BRISTOL CITY 1
I thought I was the only one who thought he was saying Gyna! That's actually hilarious! 
CRASH back to normal