Ipswich Town - Bringing Back The Glory Days

Another good run in november to stay in the tight top four. Remarkable work from Martin yet again, also Oshimen picking up some pace this Month.
The results should see you in the Knockout round of Europa League, lets hope for an easy draw.

Still going very well this season, with Martin continuing his form. Two good results against City and Liverpool could see you topping the league come the new year which would be massive for a team who only a few years ago were a troubled league one side! Excellent work.

Fantastic effort once again! Dean Martin has really stepped up, as have the whole team this season.

It doesn't matter if you don't know how you're doing so well, so long as you're getting the results nothing else matters!

If your a sucker for a good pub quiz, then you’ll love the big festive quiz day down at Seckford Golf Club. Chuck on your Christmas clothes and enjoy a night of strenuous competition following by rousing insults because someone on the next table was using their phone.




The FA Cup third round draw has been made, and there are a few decent looking ties knocking about for this round. 5 Vanarama National League sides are left in the competition, with either Wrexham and York getting a very tough trip to Turf Moor.

Holders Ipswich Town travel to League One MK Dons as they look to retain their crown. Chelsea have a home tie with Championship side QPR, whilst Liverpool travel to League Two Chesterfield.



03/12/23

The first game of the month sees us travel to top of the league Liverpool, in a huge top of the table clash.

Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Pascal Le Bros for today’s game against Ipswich as they look to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Ipswich have a fully fit side to choose from as they look to overtake Liverpool in the league.




An excellent draw against a very good team. I’ll take that every day of the week. Glad our young side can keep up with the big boys so far.



06/12/23

Into the second game of the month, as we travel to Bournemouth looking to get back to winning ways.

Bournemouth will be without Christian Biraghi with a groin strain for today’s game against Ipswich, as they look to navigate their way into the Europa League spots.

Ipswich have a fully fit side to choose from for this game against Bournemouth, but will have one eye on their game against Man City in a few days.




Shame to lose a game we dominated. Fortunately we are still in a good position to keep our hopes of the title alive.



09/12/23

Another game in quick succession as we host Man City in a top of the league clash, a game we need to try and get something from.

Ipswich will be without Valentin Antov till the new year, whilst Jack Lankester broke his ankle in training and we’ll be out for 3 months.

Man City have a fully fit side to choose from for today’s game against Ipswich Town.




An amazing victory against an impressive Man City side. Osimhen nets another goal, whilst Solet is showing his class from corners once again.



12/11/23

We play our final Europa League group stage game today as we travel to France to face LOSC Lille to see who will finish top of the group.

Lille will be without Jaly Mouaddib for today’s game against Ipswich as they look to safe their fairly poor European campaign.

Ipswich will be without Valentin Antov today as they look to solidify top spot and get a favourable draw in the next round.




Made a few changes because we had already finished top of the group. Happy to have gone through and still kept our home European Record in take in the group.



17/12/23

Back to the Premier League now as we travel to relegation threatened Leeds in a massive game in our season.

Leeds have a fair few players out for today’s game, with them being without Theo Hernandez, Luca Connell, Xavier Amaechi and Helder Costa.

Ipswich are still without Antov for a few games, whilst Seppanen is suspended for today’s game.




Another point closer to Europe. Good comeback from our side to grab a draw against a Surprising good Leeds side.



20/12/23

Another gap of 2 days between games sees us host Leicester City in the Carabao Cup Quarter Final looking for a place in the Semi Final.

Ipswich will be without Valentin Antov today as they look to advance to the Semi final of the Carabao Cup for the second time in the save.

Leicester will be without Jamie Duncan as they look to cause an upset and reach the semi finals.




Shame to lose as I really wanted to win it this year. I guess we try again next season.



23/12/23

Another gap of 2 days between games sees us host Leicester City once again in the league.

Ipswich will be without Valentin Antov, Nikola Colic and Dominic Stevens as they look to gain revenge against Leicester today.

Leicester will be without Mariano and Jamie Duncan as they look to record another win over Ipswich today.




Should be winning these types of games if we are to stay in the hunt for the top 4.



26/12/23

The games come thick and fast as we travel to relegation threatened Wolves in desperate need of a win to get back on form.

Wolves will be without Viktor Fischer and Andrea Petagna for today’s game against Ipswich as they look to shuffle away from the relegation zone.

Ipswich will have Nuno Mendes suspended after his red card in the last game against Leicester, whilst Valentin Antov will require a late fitness test.




Much needed win to end our rot. Another goal for Osimhen and Solet is excellent to see, and of course Dean Martin scores as well.



30/12/23

The final game of a very long December sees us travel to mid table Watford as we look to end what is probably our best year of the save in 2023.

Watford have a fully fit side to choose from for today’s game against Ipswich as they look to stake their claim for European football.

Ipswich will be without Peter Jensen and Christian Tue for today’s game who are both suspended.




An excellent way to end the year. Not been the greatest of months for us, so I’m glad that we could get two wins to end off 2023.



Dean Martin was the obvious choice for player of the month. We didn’t have a great month, and he was the only stand out getting some really key goals and assists.




Fortunate to still be in 2nd place in the league, as we have played a game more than some other teams. Still a lot of teams bunched together at the top of the league, and we really need some of them to start dropping away.






Scholle - Osimhen has really stepped up his game in the last few months, and he’s finally looking like he is worth 10mill. Due to the weird new European Rules, we now enter the knockout round at the second round, skipping the first round entirely. Weird. So won’t know our draw until March 1st.

TheLFCFan - the city and Liverpool results were great, and then we go and mess it up to Leicester and Bournemouth. Problem with consistency seems to be our problem.

ScottT - Martin is on route to being probably the best player I’ve signed in a long while.

Jack - that’s very true. At this current stage we seem to be getting results when we don’t dominate, but when we do thats when we slip up

A difficult month overall for you, but I think a bad run was to be expected at some point. If this proves to be your down-turn in form and the Wolves and Watford results act as the games that get you back on track, then this season looks set to be a good one.

A poor month by the standards set to kick off the year, but December is always a tough period. Getting a point against Liverpool and a win over City is massive. But dropping points against Leicester, Leeds and losing to Bournemouth isn't the greatest. I think I have said it before that the consistency at the club is costing you some valuable points. But still second which is a remarkable place to be at this stage of the season! Good job as always!

We move into 2024 still in a very good position in the table. In real life, if you were fortunate enough to be in Suffolk in January then you’ll have definitely wanted to check out the Ed Sheeran Exhibition in Christchurch Park. Images, photos and portraits all about Suffolk’s ‘Golden Boy.’



01/01/23

However, before the January update starts there are a few more transfers that need to be discussed, particularly coming into the club.




So that's the transfers for the month of January, I am very happy with the squad we have for the rest of the season, and with quality in depth it could be an exciting end to the season. Here is a link to all the new signings details for this season.

RB - Yukhym Konoplya
ST - Aytac Durmus
LM - Andre Green


01/01/24


I’m so happy for Dean Martin that he was given the prestigious ‘European Golden Boy’ award. He follows the likes of Ansu Fati and Mason Greenwood to win the award in our save, whilst players like Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba have won this award in the past. He is part of an elite group of players, which means it will be even harder to keep hold of him.



06/01/24

The first game of the year sees us travel to MK Dons in the FA Cup 3rd Round. Hopefully we can show our class to secure a win and advance to the next round.

MK Dons will be without Thomas Allinson today who has a tight Achilles, whilst Luke Webb is unavailable due to him being on loan from us.

Ipswich will be without Nuno Mendes who is still suspended for today’s game, but everyone else is fit.




Solid win as we move into the next round of the cup. 2 more goals for Martin as well.


07/01/24



Some interesting ties in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. Most notably, Man City are set to face Liverpool in a big match clash. League 2 Grimsby could be set for a trip to Newcastle if they can overcome West Ham in a replay. Two League Two sides face off for a place in the 5th Round in Leyton Orient and Port Vale.

Ipswich face a trip to recently relegated Brentford.



13/01/24

Up next we have mid table Aston Villa in the Premier League as our league game against Everton was postponed due to their involvement in the FA Cup 3rd replay.

Ipswich will have a fully fit side to choose from as they look to close the gap to top of the league Liverpool.

Aston Villa will be without Jack Grealish, Samuel Gouet and Harvey Elliott for today’s game against Ipswich.




Massive. A much needed win against the sort of teams we seem to struggle against. Osimhen getting two goals is great as he is finally finding his feet.



16/01/24

The third game of the year sees us host Champions League chasing Everton, who will be looking to make up the gap to 2nd with a win over Ipswich today.

Ipswich have a fully fit side to choose from for today’s game against champions league rivals Everton.

Everton will be without Nicolas Hansen and Leandro Dendoncker as they look to overtake Ipswich today.




Shame to draw a game we dominated by at least we didn’t lose to them like we did earlier in the season.



20/01/24

The next game sees us travel to Championship Brentford in the FA Cup 4th Round.

Brentford will be without Cameron Carter-Vickers and Luke Daley for today’s match against Ipswich as they look to progress to the 5th round.

Ipswich will have a fully fit side to choose from for today’s game against Brentford.




Solid win for the squad with some rotation that gets us into the next round of the FA Cup as we look to keep hold of our crown.


21/01/24



Still a fair few big teams left in the competition, whilst numerous football league team survive. Liverpool pushed Man City aside in revenge for the Carabao Cup, and have been awarded with an away trip to either Swansea or Burnley. League Two’s Leyton Orient or Port Vale will be awarded with a home trip to Championship side Middlesbrough.

Holders Ipswich face a tough home tie to record holders Manchester United.



23/01/24

The fifth game of the year sees us host relegation threatened Wolves as we look to try and shock the system by moving closer to the top of the league.

Ipswich will have a fully fit side to choose from for this game against Wolves.

Wolves will be without Nathan Redmond and Jorman Campuzano as they look to move further away from the relegation zone.




A decent result against what is fair to say has been our bogey team in recent years. We lost home and away to them last season, but we seemed to have kicked that habit in the teeth by getting our revenge this year.


24/01/24


It’s taken 4 1/2 years and 5 seasons for us to finally have the best youth facilities in the country. I must give credit to Marcus Evans for what he has built for us. As you can see our new set up was designed when we first came to the club. This was the idea presented by myself and my backroom staff to Marcus, and it’s taken it’s time but now we can say that our facilities, junior coaching and youth recruitment are at the maximum they can possibly go to. Marcus has also allowed for our training facilities to be further upgraded, which will be completed in October of 2024.



26/01/24

The games come thick and fast, as we host Burnley at Portman Road looking to beat a team fighting for Europe.

Ipswich will have a fully fit side to face Burnley today as they look to play catch up to top of the league Liverpool.

Burnley will have a fully fit side to face Ipswich today as they look to break into the best of the rest group alongside Tottenham and Watford.




Excellent win against decent opposition, love seeing Gul getting some goals now from midfield. He looks like a great prospect if he keeps out of the clubs and bars.



I’m going to give it to Victor Osimhen for January. He didn’t have the greatest 2023, with big expectations on his shoulders having been signed as a direct replacement for Gouiri. It looked like the £10mill spent would be wasted, but he has really stepped it up in the last two months.




Brilliant month of football in January. Unbeaten in 9 games including the 7 played in January. Through to the 5th round of the FA Cup, and trying our best to catch Liverpool, and a slip up in the final game of the month against Leeds sees us sit only 4 behind them now






ScottT - those games against Wolves and Watford were massive for confidence, and as you can see it played a big part in how we performed in January.

TheLFCFan - It’s a shame our inconsistency halted our progress in December, but it looks to have been kicked in January. However, as favourable as February looks, you do not want to see our end of season run in.

Plenty to digest in this update. Firstly, some very good business in the transfer window both in terms of ins and outs. Andre Green is a nice little nostalgic recruit to fill-in as an option in the short-term.

Dean Martin has well and truly deserved the title of European Golden Boy. He's been absolutely brilliant and you're bound to be in a battle to keep hold of him next season, irrespective of where you finish I think.

Moving onto the results section of things, it's been a very good month on the pitch, but also off it with the news of the completion of the youth complex. You're establishing yourselves as genuine contenders this season which is astonishing really. Let's hope this form can be maintained. I hope so!

Still going strong this month with great results to keep in short distance to Liverpool. If you manage to keep the results at the current level, its Champions League time for next Season. Great Work!

Nice to see Martin getting rewarded for his astonishing season. His Market Value should jump up by quite a bit after this. If he leaves he should be way more expensive than Gouiri was!

It’s Valentines Day, which means Casablanca is offering a lovely 2-person meal in Ipswich today to celebrate your relationship. It’s very fancy is Casablanca, so I know you’ll enjoy if it you choose to dine there.



03/02/24

The first game of the month sees us travel to mid table West Brom as we look to extend our unbeaten run to 10 games.

West Brom will be without Andre Almeida and Nathan Collins for today’s game against Ipswich as they look to move away from the relegation zone.

Ipswich will be without Andre Dozzell for the next month after he tore his wrist ligament in training.




An excellent win against a decent team in good form. I’ll take that every day of the week. Glad our young side is keeping up with the big boys so far.



11/02/24

Into the second game of the month, as we travel to Leicester looking to get keep this insane run going.

Leicester have a slight injury crisis, with Mariano a doubt with a dislocated shoulder, whilst Gerard Deulofeu, Jesus Corona and Josh Thomas are out injured.

Ipswich will be without Andre Dozzell and Luke McCowan through injury for today’s game, whilst Steffan Seppanen is suspended for the next two games.




ANDREEEEEEE! He does it in the Championship and now he’s scored for us in the Premier League. Only seen as a back up but he knows where the back of the net is. He proved that in the Championship. Osimhen is showing why I spent £10mill on him. Excellent team performance.



17/02/24

The away games continue as we travel to Staffordshire for a game against recently promoted Stoke City.

Stoke have a fully fit side to choose from for today’s game against Ipswich as they look to move away from the relegation zone.

Ipswich will be without Andre Dozzell for a few more games whilst Steffan Seppanen serves the second of his 2 match ban.




Another win in a time where every team from 1st to 5th is not slipping up. Liverpool, United, Arsenal and Man City keep finding ways to win, so we have to match that. Fortunately we are, but it will get MUCH tougher in the next few months.



24/02/24

Finally back to Portman Road in our final game of the month against Leeds United. Hopefully we can end the month with a 100% win record.

Ipswich will be without Andre Dozzell still for today’s game, but Steffan Seppanen is back from his suspension.

Leeds may be without Nohan Kenneh who is a doubt with a facial laceration, but other than that they have a fully fit side as they look to encroach on the European Places.




Not good enough. Our home form has been our downfall at times this season, and it’s shown again. Should be a comfortable 3 points but the players bottled it at home again.



Victor Osimhen was the obvious choice for player of the month. He’s showing his class in 2024, with 8 goals in 9 games making him an excellent partner for Martin up front.




Good to still be in 2nd place in the league, with a near perfect month bar that abysmal draw against Leeds. Should have been closer to Liverpool than we are but the players are crumbling at home. It’s not going to get any easier as you will see later on.





The draw has been made for the Europa League 2nd Knockout Round, with a few interesting ties to take place. Chelsea have been given an easy tie with Russian side Krasnador, whilst AS Monaco entertain Ajax at home for the first leg. Ipswich have been drawn away to Belgian side KAA Gent as they look to progress into the Quarter Final.





ScottT - Andre was legit just because he used to play here. Didn’t expect much from him, but then he goes and bags against Leicester. So I’m glad he’s here. Martin was terrific in 2023, but I can’t see him picking the award up in 2024 as he hasn’t hit the same heights. Fortunately, Osimhen is making his time count. The Youth Academy is huge as I’m really hoping we can bring through some excellent English players.

Scholle - results have been flying in, annoyingly everyone else around us is picking up wins as well. Martin is now up to £57mill, with Arsenal, Liverpool, United, Tottenham and Wolves all interested.

Osimhen is proving to be an absolute bargain! A shame you only managed a draw against Leeds, else that would have been an absolute flawless month. Regardless, you're in a great position.

Good luck against Genk!

If you want to learn how to be a techno wiz and be the king of the computer, then there will be computer creative classes in March to help you be the best smart guy you can be. Sounds like a treat.....



02/03/24

The first game of the month sees us host mid table Bournemouth in a must win game before a very tough run of fixtures.

Ipswich will unfortunately be without Angus Gunn for the rest of March after he suffered a twisted ankle in training, so Daniel Naumov will have to cover him.

Bournemouth may be without Callum Wilson, Mark Travers and Efthymis Koulouris who are all doubts for today’s game against Ipswich.




An excellent win against a decent team. We usually slip up to mid table sides at home, like we saw in the last game to Leeds, but we held firm for the 3 points.

Now, for the big run of games. You’ve only seen March, but here is our next 7 league games.

Man City - Away
Chelsea - Away
West Ham - Home
Liverpool - Home
Tottenham - Away
Manchester United - Away
Arsenal - Home

06/03/24

The first of the tough Premier League run in begins with Manchester City away. Anything from this game would be massive.

Man City will be without Tom Scott, Raheem Sterling and Nathan Ake for today’s game against Ipswich as they look to get back into the Champions League spots.

Ipswich will be without Angus Gunn and Luke McCowan through injury for today’s game as they look to keep pace with Liverpool.




Expected result. In fairness we actually dominated them, but we couldn’t break them down. It’s going to be a tough run in from now on, I’m just glad we built up such a gap to 8th that we should be almost guaranteed European Football next season.



09/03/24

Away from the league now and into the FA Cup, but the games still get tougher, as we host Manchester United looking to reach the Quarter Final.

Ipswich will be without Angus Gunn for a few more games with his ankle injury but besides him have a full team to choose from.

Man Utd have a fully fit side as they look to advance to the Quarter Finals.




Changed the team up a little so that we could focus on the league. Already won the FA Cup so I’m not too fussed about it right now.



14/03/24

Away from England now as we travel to Belgium to face Gent in the Europa League 2nd Knockout Round. Ideal opportunity for some European Glory.

Gent will be without Benito Moens, Ulysses Garcia, Alexey Santiago and Fernando Brenes are all unavailable for today’s game against Ipswich.

Ipswich will be without Angus Gunn and Andre Green for today’s game against Gent as they look to take a lead back to Portman Road.




Excellent result that gives us a two goal lead heading into the second leg. Should be a comfortable route into the Quarter Final.



17/03/24

Back to the Premier League now as we travel to champions league hopefuls Chelsea in a massive game in our season.

Chelsea have a fully fit side to choose form as they look to break into the top 4 today against Ipswich.

Ipswich are still without Andre Green and Angus for a few games as they look to try and keep their spot in the top 4.




Thank god we had that lead over the sides below us, because we are going to really struggle to find some points in the end of season period.



21/03/24

Back to European Football now as we try to hold our lead over Gent from the first leg.

Ipswich will be without Angus Gunn and Andre Green for today’s game as they look to advance to the quarter final.

Gent will be without Samuel Bossiwa, Alexy Santiago and Fernando Brenes for today’s game as they look to overcome the 3-1 defeat in the first leg.




Into the Quarter Finals we go, with a solid 1-0 win over Gent so Martin scoring what seems to be his first goal in forever.



Victor Osimhen was the only player to really make an impact in a month of poor results. 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 games.




Only 3 games played in the league as our match against West Ham was postponed due to their involvement in a replay in the FA Cup. 3 league games with only 1 won so we fall down to 3rd. Top two feels out of reach, so finishing top 4 will be the main aim now.





The draw has been made for the Europa League Quarter Final Round, with a few interesting ties. Lazio host Real Betis with both sides looking to reach the Semi final, whilst Chelsea have a tough away tie to AS Monaco. Valencia face Zenit whilst Ipswich travel away to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen.





ScottT - Osimhen is shining where Martin is beginning to falter. thank god we did so well in January and February, because these games could kill our wonderful season

Are you a fan of musicals? Broadway adaptations brought to your local theatres? Then you’ll love Ipswich Regent’s version of Oliver Twist in April. A beautiful piece brought to you by local actors striving for a place on the big screen.



06/04/24

The first game of the month sees us host top of the league Liverpool in another tough game in our extraordinarily tough run in.

Ipswich will be without Nuno Mendes for the next few games through suspension, but Angus Gunn has returned to full fitness and will be available for today’s game against Liverpool.

Liverpool themselves may be without Fabinho who is a doubt with a damaged foot, whilst Rafa, Jonathan Tah and Bruno Guimaraes are all out injured.




They are the best team in the league, didn’t help when Colic got two yellows in the first 5 minutes of the game. Our only hope now is teams below us messing up to smaller sides whilst we deal with every big team.



11/04/24

The first of the quarter final games has arrived as we travel to Germany to have Bayer Leverkusen in a tough first leg.

Leverkusen will be without key player Thilo Kehrer who is suspended, whilst Rogerio is a doubt from a calf strain.

Ipswich will have a fully fit side to choose from as they look to advance to the semi finals of the Europa League.




I’ll take that. An away goal can come in handy when we face them again back at Portman Road, and hopefully we can take advantage of that.



14/04/24

Back to the league now as we travel to mid table Tottenham looking to try and pick up at least a point against all these good sides.

Tottenham will be without Ferro who is suspended, whilst Ryan Gravenberch and Rakeem Harper are both injured and unavailable for today’s game.

Ipswich will be without Nuno Mendes and Nikola Colic who are both suspended for today’s game against Tottenham




So many games, so many suspensions. Team is getting more and more depleted as the season goes on.



18/04/24

Away from the Premier League now as we host Bayer Leverkusen at Portman Road looking to advance to the semi final.

Ipswich will be without Nuno Mendes who is suspended for today second leg with Leverkusen, whilst Steffan Seppanen is a doubt with a bruised thigh.

Leverkusen will need a late fitness test for Emil Buendia who has a tight hamstring, whilst everyone else is a fit and available.




Excellent result that gets us into the semi final of the Europa League. Let’s see who we will now face as we look to advance to the final.



18/04/24


The semi final draws have been made, with 2 English sides being separated by an Italian side and a Spanish side. Chelsea will face Lazio at home in the first leg, whilst Ipswich host Valencia.



21/04/24

Back to the Premier League now as we travel to title chasing hopefuls Manchester United in a massive game in our season.

Man United will be without Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jose Juan Macias as they look to launch an assault on Liverpool at the top of the league.

Ipswich have a fully fit side to choose from for today’s game against Manchester United as they look to somehow stop this horrible league form.




Thank god we are out of this run of games. 6 games, 0 points. How the Premier League thought this was the right way of scheduling games in the league is abysmal, but somehow we are still in Champions League contention.



24/04/24

Its taken 7 games but we finally face someone not in the top 8 of the league. A home tie against West Ham is our reward.

Ipswich will be without Luke McCowan for the rest of the season after he tore his wrist ligament in training.

West Ham have a fair few players out today. Ajibola Alese is suspended for today, whilst Felipe Anderson and Francisco Trincao are a doubt for the game. Kevin Malciut, Sime Vrsaljko and Jacopo Mastrogiovanni definitely out.




You see what happens when we face a team that doesn’t spend 10million on wages. West Ham probably have one of the best squads in the league outside the top 6, so beating them 4-0 comfortably is great as well.



Kemal Gul scored a massive hat trick in that game against West Ham, ending our horrific league form. He’s a great player that needs to step up with McCowan now our injured.




That win against West Ham was massive in our pursuit for Champions League football, with Chelsea and Arsenal chasing us down now for that final spot.

That awfully tough run of games has certainly affected your league position. A vital win against West Ham could be decisive come the end of the season. Your European exploits have been great to follow... A tough couple of games await, but a place in the final is a possibility. I bet you didn't anticipate that when you were fighting for promotion from League One just a few years ago!