Six questions on our next opponents with the answers being put on here tomorrow.
60s. Can you identify these two members of Ipswich’s League Championship winning side in 1961/62?
70s. Name this Ipswich player from this decade.
80s. Perhaps better known now for his time at another club (the picture shows him outside their former ground), this defender spent more than half of this decade with his first club – Ipswich Town. Who is he?
90s. The man in the photo joined Ipswich from TOP Oss in the mid 90s and made nearly 100 appearances for them. After leaving Portman Road, he played for a variety of clubs during which he “gained something of a cult status at Sheffield United” – his career ended with him being given a free transfer by Halifax Town, can you name him?
00s. He played against us for Ipswich thirteen years ago and has appeared in the Premier League this season, who am I describing?
10s. Can you name the man who played against us for Ipswich twice during this decade, but, sadly, passed away late last year at a very young age?
Answers.
60s. Larry Carberry and John Compton.
70s. Ian Collard.
80s. Ian Cranston.
90s. Gus Uhlenbeek.
00s. Kelvin Davies.
10s. Marton Fulop.
90’s – Gustav Uhlenbeek (patting myself on the back).
Is correct Clive.
Thanks for your ever welcome quiz, Paul.
But that is not why I write.
My eyes fell on your reference to Ipswich winning the highest possible honour…The First Division title in 1962…the year when The Bluebirds were cast into the abyss for half a century, the season after they had refused to pay their inspirational captain and star player Danny Malloy an extra tenner a week.
And I am reminded of what a poor sense of history modern “Fleet Street” soccer writers have, when they bang on about how if Leicester win the big prize, it will be the biggest upset ever in the English top league.
Sorry folks, but the feat of Ipswich Town back then, is every bit its equal, and I would argue, possibly has the edge on it.
How come?
Well…
In 1957 they were still playing in the Third Division South. And in 1060 were still in Division 2.
In between, saw them play three rimes at Ninian in Div 2.
And then we were promoted in April 1960, and we waved them goodbye…seemingly for a long time, as they were small town provincial, and we were the big city assassins of the greatest club team I ever saw: the 60-61 Spurs double team.
But in the first of our two seasons in Div 1, Ipswich surprised us all by winning Division 2, under Alf Ramsey.
And then comes season 61-2. The smart money is on the mighty Spurs to do it again. But their main opponent would seem to be the young exciting Burnley team who play an attacking brand of football.
I don’t know what Ipswich’s odds on winning the title in their first ever season in the top flight were, but it would not surprise me if they did not match Leicester’s outlandish odds at the start of this season.
Yet, Ipswich only went and did it, didn’t they, and defied gravity.
Astonishing.
A rural backwater Div 3 team just 5 years before, and yet without superstar purchases, get themselves up to their first ever season in the top flight…and then do the impossible.
And their astounding feat means they lose their brilliant manager: Alf Ramsey gets the England job, which of course culminates in “they think it is all over” etc.
And it WAS all over for us at Ninian…for we were waving goodbye yet again that season, just two years after thinking we had left the likes of Ipswich Town behind, for many years to come.
But now we were moving in the wrong direction, and Ipswich were unbelievably CHAMPIONS of all England.
DW.
Remember that side coming to Ninian Park and I was expecting a comfortable win but being totally disappointed. Sadly as far as the quiz is concerned the only two players from that side that I can remember are Ray Crawford and Ted Phillips – the latter looked like a throw-back to the 1940’s but the pair took us apart.
Thanks both for your contributions. Dai, I agree with you about Ipswich’s achievement in 61/62 Dai. While I was too young to appreciate it at the time, I knew enough about the game a few years later when I first became aware of it to appreciate what a tremendous feat it was. As for a comparison with Leicester, I would argue that a modern day Premier League is harder for a “smaller” club to to win than the First Division was in the early sixties, but, to counter that, Leicester came into this season with incredible momentum that marked them out as the most in form side in the league – I’m not saying I expected them to do what they have this year, but I always thought they’d be a top half side. I believe many would have felt like I did, whereas my guess is that Ipswich were most people’s tip as one of the teams to go down. Another comparison is with Brian Clough’s Forest team of the late seventies that followed up promotion with a league title and then the European Cup – I think I’d rate that above Ipswich because Forest went on to conquer Europe, but, if we limit things to just domestic football, then, again, I’d say Ipswich’s triumph beats Forest’s.
By the way, I’ve put the answers to the quiz on the blog now.