Hi all. I hope you don't mind me venting (in a good way) but I love football and have been an avid supporter of my home town club for my whole life. My early experience, as soon as I was conscious of what was going on in the late 90s was good. A swashbuckling team fighting for promotion to the Premier League. Then, in 2000, they did it, by winning the play offs. Not for us was mere survival in the top flight, oh no. We battered all-comers, finished 5th, and qualified to play in European competition. I thought we'd made it. It would always be like that. We were established. But no. A painful relegation in our second PL season (did that European campaign spread us too thin?) followed by second tier stagnation for the next SEVENTEEN seasons. This stagnation was only ended by a gut-wrenching relegation to the third tier of English football. We hadn't been in that division since 1957. We even managed to stink out that division for a while. The fans thought it would be a one season "tour". After THREE seasons finishing 9th, 11th, 9th, finally, some good news. A takeover by a progressive consortium of American businessmen backed by a big US pension investment firm. The appointment of a young Northern Irish coach followed. The 2022/23 season saw us score 98 points to go up automatically in 2nd place behind the impressive Plymouth Argyle. What could we do now, back in the second tier? Well, the season concluded on Saturday and, again, we have finished second, with 96 points, becoming only the fifth team to ever clinch back-to-back promotions, and we will play in the Premier League next season for the first time since 2002. It's been a long and humbling road back, but Ipswich Town, I love you. I loved you at your worst, and I bloody love you at your best!
Welcome, from a long time Nottingham Forest fan (and grudging Liverpool afterthought fan via family). Hopefully we will meet on the field next year, we will (not) go easy on you
Ipswich have really deserved promotion this year, and I really hope they can last it in the Prem. They were even kind enough to let us have 3 points earlier this year in our campaign for mid table mediocity (and hopefully finish above Swansea!). From a long suffering Cardiff fan
Love you, too
