Column – A Retrospective

It’s been a while…

My last weekly column was penned on the 22nd October 2020. Town had just been thumped by Doncaster and all the promise provided by another fast start was slowly beginning to dwindle. The culture of failure had crept back into play and I sat on my hands whilst my passion faded, along with any hopes of a fruitful campaign. Fast forward six months… the world is starting to heal, a bright light shines at the end of the dark tunnel, and the tide may be turning at Portman Road. The departure of Paul Lambert was the first step on a long journey in reviving this docile giant, and whilst wounds are being licked from a tumultuous few months at the club, the beacon provided by Paul Cook and prospective new owners, matched with the ever-growing vibrancy of creative content being produced, it would seem that the devastating chapter of regression is finally coming to a close.

When looking back, I feel it important to first acknowledge the positives. Paul Lambert may have failed in his role as manager, but in both the inception and conclusion of his reign, he united a divided fanbase. The polarising Scot made an initial impression which flattered to deceive, but ultimately served an important role. I dare say that the vibrancy in our footballing community is sparked by the passion created during those initial weeks of Lambert’s reign, and whilst he can take no credit for galvanising our supporters, he will always be the caretaker that oversaw the upturn in passionate fan media, as well as the worst 18 months in the clubs history.

Throughout the months, my position regarding Lambert remained the same. I never saw him as the man to take us forward and whilst I respect any servant to the club I love, I won’t miss his antagonistic and often contradictory pre and post-match discussions. For me, it was the treatment of respected journalists that overstepped the mark. Whilst I respect the difficulties and stresses invoked by the role of a football manager, Lambert’s lack of compassion and professionalism exposed his ill-fit as manager of a club that prides itself on community and togetherness. These points neglect to mention the impact of insulting comparisons to ‘giant’ clubs, and it was nothing short of embarrassing when the Paul Lambert bingo cards were full by the end of every presser.

Town’s undoing over the past six months has largely been attributed to a negative aura surrounding the club. Whilst Covid hasn’t helped heal any wounds, you wouldn’t have to look very hard to discover that relationships inside the club were jaded and broken. Paul Lambert’s reign won’t be remembered with any great fondness, but it will hopefully bookend a section of Ipswich history that we prey will be long forgotten.

Whilst the manager takes the brunt of negative attention, we must aim our fair share at the owner. Marcus Evans has never covered himself in glory and the ‘be careful what you wish for’ phrase used in his pre-Christmas statement did nothing to heal those scars. I feel the disdain towards Evans is aimed more towards his choices, rather than the financial support he offers. Whilst we would all love an owner that pumps in the cash, and that may well be coming, it simply isn’t a realistic expectation in this climate. However, Evans has had the chance to right his wrongs and he has continually failed in doing so. He has never surrounded himself with knowledgeable people, he has only overseen one successful managerial appointment and his ten-year neglect of Portman Road left an incredibly bad taste in the mouth. The amount of money provided by Evans is enough to keep the club afloat and for that we must thank him, but owning a football club isn’t about providing sustainability through offering the bare minimum, it should be a game of ambition and drive, innovating and creating in order to come out on top. Marcus Evans seems to believe that football revolves around money, whereas that simply isn’t true. We proved five years ago that you don’t need to spend big to get rewards, but you do need to be creative in your expenditure in order to flourish.

The culture surrounding the club has been incredibly difficult to watch from the outside, especially as a fan who yearns for better days. I commend Blue Action for their continued efforts in providing a voice for the voiceless and I commend the work of the EADT and Radio Suffolk for providing excellent coverage in a time of great difficulty. Spirits have been at their lowest point in years and I hope the club will acknowledge how poorly the fans have been treated during this difficult time.

Of course, things are different now. You only need to see the reaction to Cook’s appointment to know how bad things had gotten under the past regime. It’s nice to watch the media do work with a smile on their face, it’s nice to see fans voicing a united opinion and being excited for games, and it’s nice to see the players are starting to enjoy their profession again. I mean this as no great slight on Paul Lambert, this club had been broken for many years, but his departure signals a shift in the wind and I hope that can only lead to better things.

Whispers of a takeover have rumbled for a while and whilst it remains to be seen if Evans will take a step back from his role as owner, this brief spell of excitement should indicate to him how passionate and desperate this fanbase is to move forward. The way of the world, matched with the state of our club, was a dire mental challenge that we have all suffered through. Whilst the government may have provided a roadmap out of Covid, I hope that Paul Cook, Marcus Evans, the coaching staff and all the players are devising a detailed plan to retrieve the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We have suffered a cruel period and whilst there is no guarantee of success, it just feels so good to finally care about football again.

Thank you for taking the time to read my column. If you enjoyed, feel free to share it. I’ll see you soon!