Here you can chat about everything and anything related to ITFC and other football issues. This forum also hosts the now Internationally famous TB.com ITFC match previews which contain insightful pre-match thoughts, previous highlights, news links relating to Town, form guides and other bits and pieces. Feel free to discuss meet ups/travel plans in here as well.
Welcome back folks to another hurly burly season of Championship football. Rob and I hope you had a great summer and look forward to your input into the forum over the next 9 months or so.
As has happened in previous season, we have made a few changes to the structure of this year’s 'Match Previews', but most importantly we welcome Bluemike to the preview team, as he replaces me (stop the bloody cheering!) with his 'Final Thoughts' each week.
Once again, my most sincere thanks to James, Colin, Trev and Marko, who have dusted themselves off and come back to bring these previews to life, match after match, week after week. Without your input, these threads would be a shadow of themselves.
COYB!
Best Regards Dave
Opening Thought – Jamma
And so here we are once again, on the eve of another Championship season, our 15th consecutive campaign at this level. Wimbledon may still be fresh in the memory, and it most certainly doesn’t feel like three months have been and gone since we turned our back on 2015/16, but we are ready for another nine months of ups and downs which only the England national team could aspire to! EURO 2016 may not have had the outcome that all of us hoped for, but the exploits of the likes of Iceland and Wales, following hot on the heels of Leicester’s incredible season, served as a timely reminder of the power of team spirit and togetherness.
Mick McCarthy has already been quoted as saying that he is hoping to emulate the achievements of some of the underdogs from the EUROs. With very little transfer activity at Portman Road as yet, that again looks to be the road we will have to go down if we are to enjoy success. Mick did smash his personal Ipswich Town transfer record, with the capture of highly-rated central defender Adam Webster from Portsmouth worth a reported £700,000 plus Matt Clarke. Also in the defensive ranks, Paul Digby made his short-term deal permanent, arriving from Barnsley to provide cover and a degree of versatility. We have seen very little movement other than that, with Liam Feeney turning down our advances following his loan spell in preference for a switch to Blackburn. This has left us very short on the flanks, and by that I don’t mean that Jay Tabb has been offered a one-year extension! With Luke Varney and Larsen Touré also heading for the exit door – and Ryan Fraser and Ainsley Maitland-Niles having returned to Bournemouth and Arsenal respectively – we have inevitably been linked with every wide player in the division, more often than not Irish and/or one of McCarthy’s former players. Michael Kightly is one name that has been linked, while Roland Lamah – neither Irish nor a McCarthy protégé, as far as I’m aware – impressed in the latest friendly against Charlton. Rumours have also been circling about an approach for ex-Canary Elliott Bennett. If this signing comes to pass, it will add more fuel to the already raging fire of the East Anglian derby, with acquaintances set to be renewed at Portman Road early on.
If the ‘welcome’ extended to our Norfolk rivals will be anything but cordial on 21 August, it will be fascinating to see how the other two sides relegated from the Premier League settle in to their new surroundings. Newcastle are widely tipped to adjust well, with Rafael Benítez committing his future to the club and several (more) illustrious names arriving at St. James’ Park. After their embarrassing 2015/16, expectations are less clear-cut for Aston Villa but, with their own former Champions League-winning manager in Roberto Di Matteo, and backed by the infamous parachute payments, there is the sense that Villa could just as easily replicate Burnley and Hull’s feat by bouncing back at the first attempt. It is a cliché that seems to be trotted out this time every year, but the Championship really does look to be as strong and competitive as ever ahead of 2016/17. Sheffield Wednesday, Derby and Brighton will be aiming to go one better than their play-off heartache of last season, Wolves, Leeds and Nottingham Forest will seek to back up their investment with an improved showing and the three promoted clubs will be keen to take their form into the higher level.
Talking of the promoted sides, our first outing of the campaign pits us against League 1 play-off winners Barnsley. It’s amazing how often the fixture computer likes to throw up intriguing sub-plots, and this is no exception. Not only will Mick McCarthy be facing his hometown team, and the club that gave him his start in professional football, but Paul Digby will also have the chance to feature against his former teammates having been deemed surplus to requirements at Oakwell. But if we think that the script has already been written, and that Digby is set for a starring role in a comfortable home win, this opener has the potential to be a trickier assignment than it might first seem. One of the great things about opening day is that we all start on a level footing (something tells me we won’t be seeing Burton level on points with Newcastle for long…). But, equally, if a team is only as good as its last result, the Tykes will approach the season in confident mood, having won four out of four at the back end of 2015/16, including a 4-1 victory at champions Wigan on the final day. Having said that, we should also be looking at it as an opportunity, backed by a sizeable crowd, to give Barnsley our own ‘welcome back’ to the Championship…
The Opposition – Barnsley FC
Barnsley have spent more seasons in the second tier of English football than any other club in history.
Barnsley FC was established in 1887 by a clergyman, Tiverton Preedy, and played in the Sheffield and District League from 1890 and then in the Midland League from 1895.
They joined the Football League in 1898, and struggled in the Second Division for the first decade, due in part to ongoing financial difficulties.
In 1910, the club reached the FA Cup final, where they lost out to Newcastle United in a replay match. However, they would then reach the 1912 FA Cup final, where they would defeat West Bromwich Albion 1–0 in a replay to win the trophy for the first and only time in their history.
When the league restarted after World War I, the 1919–20 season brought some significant changes to the league. The principal difference was that the First Division would be increased from 20 teams to 22. The bottom team from the previous season was Tottenham Hotspur and they were duly relegated. The first extra place in the First Division went to Chelsea, who retained their place despite finishing 2nd bottom and therefore in the relegation places. Derby County and Preston North End were rightly promoted from the Second Division, which left one place to be filled. Having finished the previous season's Second Division in 3rd place (1914–15), Barnsley expected to achieve First Division status for the first time, but the Football League instead chose to call a ballot of the clubs. Henry Norris, the then Arsenal chairman, had recently moved Woolwich Arsenal north of the River Thames to Highbury, and needed First Division football to attract fans to their new home. He was later to admit some underhand dealings, allegedly including the bribing of some member clubs to vote for Arsenal's inclusion. They duly won the vote and Barnsley were consigned to the second tier of English football for another 8 decades.
During the years preceding and following World War II, the club found themselves sliding between the Second and Third Division.
When the Northern and Southern sections of the Third Division were replaced by national Third and Fourth Divisions for the 1958–59 season, Barnsley were still in the Second Division, but went down to the Third Division at the end of that season.
In 1965, Barnsley were relegated to the Football League Fourth Division for the first time, winning promotion three years later. They went down to the Fourth Division again in 1972, and this time stayed down for seven seasons, finally returning to the Third Division in 1979.
Two years later, they went up again and quickly established themselves as a decent Second Division side throughout the 1980s, although they still failed to clinch that elusive First Division place.
At the time of the creation of the FA Premier League in 1992, Barnsley had been Football League members for 94 years, before finally clinching runners-up spot and automatic promotion and gaining the top flight place that they had spent 99 years trying to win.
Barnsley lasted just one season in the Premier League but did not go down without a brave fight.
In the following years, Barnsley were not as successful, with relegation to Division Two in 2002 and administration both threatening the existence of the club.
Barnsley had the distinction of playing in the last Play-Off final at Wembley before the stadium was closed for redevelopment. We don’t need to tell you that their opposition that day in May 2000 was Ipswich Town! In 2006, the Tykes won in a Play-Off final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, to earn promotion to the Championship.
The team struggled in their first season back in the Championship and in the 2013/14 season were relegated back to League 1.
On Sunday 3 April 2016, Barnsley won the Football League Trophy after a win over Oxford United at Wembley.
On 29 May, Barnsley gained promotion back to the Championship with a win over Millwall at Wembley Stadium in the League 1 Play-Off final.
Shelbourne W 2-1 Away Barnet L 0-1 Away Colchester W 1-0 Away Cambridge D 1-1 Away Charlton D 0-0 Away
Barnsley Last 5 Matches - 2nd place - 0 points
Stalybridge Celtic W 2-0 Away Guiseley W 2-0 Away Weston-Super-Mare W 6-0 Away Cheltenham Town W 3-1 Away Everton L 0-3 Away Hull City D 2-2 Away
Fixtures of Interest
Fulham V Newcastle
Birmingham V Cardiff
Derby V Brighton
Sheff Wed V Aston Villa
Marko's Caption Contest
Season is upon us all again. Let's have a laugh. Not at the football on display at PR (hoping not anyway), but with some more witty captions to go with the pictures put up. Funniest wins 5 points, then its 4, 3, 2, and the one point is for everyone entering. Only one picture per week this season and there will be no bonus rounds over Christmas and New Year. I think gaps started opening up in the league table with the regulars and others dropped out. Even though it is only for the fun of it, the season winner will be added to the "TractorBoys.com Caption Competition" Trophy. 2015/16 winner’s name, Ando, will be added to the trophy this week at some point and will go underneath 2014/15 winner Blueblood. I will ask that the picture is posted in the 2nd preview of the season.
Enjoy it and let's hear them.........., the politer and cleaner, the absolute effin shitter!
Match referee – Keith Stroud
Final Thought - Bluemike
First off I would just like to say a big thank you to the guys for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the already excellent match previews. I hope I can add something to what is already a fabulous read.
With the disappointment of the Euros well and truly behind us, we can now turn our attention to what really matters, ITFC and another season in the hardest league in the world. Quite what this season will bring is so hard to predict, what with a very underwhelming pre-season campaign allied to a distinct lack of transfer activity, and already many fans are of the opinion the Super Blues are destined to struggle. Of course there is still time for new arrivals while the emergence of some of the kids could be pivotal to our chances of success.
First up is a visit to PR for newly promoted Barnsley and, while at first glance it would appear the fixture computer has been kind to us, let's not forgot it was this type of game that proved to be our nemesis last season. Complacency must not be allowed to creep in at this very early stage, we must hit the ground running or MMexit will soon be as big a topic of conversation as Brexit. Let's get our season off to a flyer. I for one cannot wait. COYB'S.
Loving the new condensed previews. Much easier on the eye and can be read with ease during 10am coffee and entire box of Jaffa cake time.
Massive welcome to Bluemike and his Final Thoughts. Expecting a season of him finding positives from potential negatives and that can only be a very good thing. Yes, some like to wallow in a pool of unrelenting negativeness, but too much of it and I'm heading for that Forth Road Bridge parapet.
MUST start with being positive. It's the only way. With friendlies out of the way, this game is where the seriousness starts. No one really knows how things will go and one can only pluck a scoreline from thin air. I'm leaning towards a 2-0 home win for Ipswich Town with an equally convincing display on the park. Getting that good start is arguably the most important part of an entire season......., things are built on top of that. So, COME ON......, get the job done, TC & Choo Choo.
Barnsley manager caption:
"Yes, good win in the Paint thing, nice trophy etc, ......, but, Heckingbottom? What sort of a feckin name is that, Paul?"
Caption: A young Wolfie looks on in admiration as his hero signs the first autograph of the 2016/17 campaign. It reads, "MM says Relax COYB! Here we come PREM!!".
Can't believe the new season is almost upon us once again, seems only yesterday we were involved in last-day action and where has the time gone ? May be an indication that the summer's European Championships were something of a non-event for some, but seriously, hard to take in we're just about ready to start again after before.
Voted for a win for ourselves, just couldn't entertain the thought of another sorry-as* score after the disappointment of last season and hope we can get off to winning start and provide the fans with a level of optimism for the weeks and months ahead.
Don't want no high-ball tactics, McCarthy pissing around with line-ups and other misjudgments, just get at them from the start, play to our abilities, and hopefully it should be enough for a winning start.
saint jude wrote:Can't believe the new season is almost upon us once again, seems only yesterday we were involved in last-day action and where has the time gone ? May be an indication that the summer's European Championships were something of a non-event for some, but seriously, hard to take in we're just about ready to start again after before.
Voted for a win for ourselves, just couldn't entertain the thought of another sorry-as* score after the disappointment of last season and hope we can get off to winning start and provide the fans with a level of optimism for the weeks and months ahead.
Don't want no high-ball tactics, McCarthy pissing around with line-ups and other misjudgments, just get at them from the start, play to our abilities, and hopefully it should be enough for a winning start.
Ipswich 4 Barnsley 1
We do play to our abilities every week...........HHOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFF!!
At last !!!!!!! Football is back, proper football. Even the hoofball wins over that Euro sh*te for me. At the time of writing we have made very few signings although I am still pretty certain a couple more new faces will be arriving before long, hopefully wide players but arrive they will, Lamah looks to be a possibility, much will depend on tomorrow's friendly I guess.
This ought to be the ideal game to start our season off with but as we all know Town have a habit of messing up these type of games, in fact we would probably be better off going to Derby or something as we always win there. Anyway it will be interesting to see what line up we go with, MM has already said Webster is unlikely to be ready to start the first league game so the defence looks to be as you were from last season. I will have a guess at the following line up :-
This season will hinge on us getting our Home form right again, we were excellent on the road last time out and our style of play will probably see us pick up a fair few away wins again as we catch teams on the break as they try to come on to us, at home we have to take the game to the opposition and have belief, the fortress needs to be built again, especially against teams of the ilk of Barnsley, let's get some atmosphere going and reserve the moaning for when it is called for rather than the norm.
No game is easy, we know that, but I am hopeful the boys can get us off to a flying start with some points on the board at the first attempt so a tight home win for me.
Town 2-1 Tykes
CAPTION....MM to sad arse....." Is that Hunt with a "C" ??"
Last edited by Bluemike on Sat Jul 30, 2016 10:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Not long to go now before the talking and speculation stops: how will things feel at a quarter to five tomorrow? Excitement and anticipation levels rising all the time at the start of another season - whatever differing levels of expectation, and no matter how many times we've stood at this threshold, every supporter will feel the tingle!
Barnsley at home is one of those potentially gritty encounters, that can so easily see wheels come off. However, am confident that tomorrow will not be one of those occasions. Some interesting team selection issues for MM to tackle - can only be good. But we'll win it 2-0.
For me tomorrow is all about the win, let the pretty football start when we have confidence back in the fans because they can destroy the atmosphere if unhappy, just as we saw last season.
Say again unable to believe the season has come around so quickly, seems so recent the win over Derby on the last day but with that in mind let's continue where we left off and provide three points for the support in tomorrow's game.
Going to be a good many new faces involved and they'll be eager to impress and if McCarthy can get his tactics right, and with home advantage, see no reason why victory can't be ours.
Ipswich Town v Barnsley 
EURO 2016 may not have had the outcome that all of us hoped for, but the exploits of the likes of Iceland and Wales, following hot on the heels of Leicester’s incredible season, served as a timely reminder of the power of team spirit and togetherness.
