havanatopia

"Your football is s---!" they shouted. "Your football is s---! Mick McCarthy, your football is s---!" Ipswich fans last season. McCarthy shook hands with his opposite number, Kenny Jackett, and began the long walk from the benches on the halfway line to the tunnel in the far corner of the stadium. As he walked, the fans he passed intensified their volume, booing him all the way. Near the entrance to the tunnel, one man unleashed a ferocious staccato, first violin to the swelling symphony of catcalls around McCarthy. "W---er! W---er! W---er! W---er! W---er! W---er! W---er!" McCarthy, chin stiffened, eyes focused forward, didn't react. He simply strode down the tunnel and into the dressing room before the heavy, blue doors shut firmly behind him. Whether at a World Cup or in the Premier League, he imposes principles from above. He makes a point of shaking the hand and learning the name of everyone at the club. He insists that his players be polite at all times, that they greet visitors to the club with courtesy. His staff are fiercely loyal; his personal assistant, Francesca Manning, bristles when we discuss the intensifying dissent in the crowd. Yet the team aren't scoring goals, and they aren't winning games. That was last season. Ipswich Town is a most peculiar football club. If you didn't know their history, you might be tempted to consider them one of those provincial English oddities, an entirely unremarkable team drawing regular crowds of loyal locals but attracting little attention from anyone else. But the past is littered with rueful ex-footballers who underestimated Ipswich in a similar manner and paid the price. In 1962, Alf Ramsey won the league with Ipswich. In 1978, Bobby Robson won the FA Cup, and the UEFA Cup followed in 1981. This was after poor results had the fans calling for his head, but chairman John Cobbold's response was to award Robson a new contract. "There is no crisis at Ipswich until the white wine runs out in the boardroom," he said at the time. In 2001, their first season back after a five-year absence, George Burley had Ipswich in the Premier League title race until they ran out of steam in the final weeks of the season and slipped to fifth. It has been some time since there was anything to celebrate at Ipswich. In spite of a poor season last year McCarthy has finished in respectable upper half positions in his previous seasons managing Ipswich on a very meagre budget and with the club regularly posting a loss for the year as most if not all clubs do in the Championship not on a parachute back up. He received a lot of abuse last season. But like I recall Sean O'Driscoll saying on many occasions he repeats the mantra of 'I do not read the press'. He goes on to say, "But reading it is just self-defeating. Why would you want to read or listen to peoples' comments if they're being critical? It's a bit like social media, which I'm not on, either. So if you see somebody say they're Mick McCarthy on Twitter -- or 'Twitter,' as I like to call it -- then it's not me." Mick McCarthy is easily the longest serving manager in the Championship having been appointed in November 2012. Mick McCarthy and Eric Blair have something in common. Well I think they do. They both take solace from walking the banks of the River Orwell, a majestic and hypnotic body of water. Eric Blair was so enamoured with it that he took its name and became George Orwell taking much of his writing inspiration from his time meandering its course. The River Orwell flows entirely within the county of Suffolk. It is only about 20 km long and flows from the River Gipping to the River Stour estuary. The Orwell enters the North Sea at Harwich, near the port of Felixstowe. And of course the Orwell flows through Ipswich that place that is proud to have produced two of Englands better managers, Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson but the club remains a peculiar place. Is it perhaps because Ipswich is said to be the longest inhabited town in the United Kingdom? Perhaps the people are just, well, more grounded, obscure, happy and sad and satisfied with it all than words can convey? Mick is no mug. Inspired perhaps by his solitude or the fresh air where he allows himself the luxury of inner patience with all the nonsense of short term clamours for change at the first sight of failure. Ipswich have form for holding on to a manager and this season, at least so far, it seems that patience by owner Evans might pay off. Playing Ipswich at Portman Road might just provide City with their toughest challenge of the season to date. How many people would have said that at the start of the season? Not I. And that is what makes this division so challenging, so stressful, so exciting and oh so unpredictable. To all those hardy souls going to Suffolk today do enjoy the trip. There is certainly plenty to see in the fair county and the town itself has much to offer; if ye shall seek ye shall find. Aldburgh for fish and chips might be a bit far out of town but just reward if you do; the best in Britain. Cheers ye'all. p.s. thanks to ESPN for much of the story on Mick.

Good result but expected. No point jumping to conclusions about what the season might hold not least because after 10 games we are in exactly the same position as last season, i.e. 17 points. We do, however, have 1 more goal to the good on our goal difference and have lost 2 fewer so reasons to be cheerful. And then, like last year, Cardiff was just around the corner and we all know what happened after that match. I am fairly confident lightning will not strike twice although stranger things have happened like this for example..

Sunderland, according to some of their fans will be extraordinarily lucky to avoid administration.. in fact they say they will be lucky if that is all it is. 140 million in debt. Shambles. FT.. good solid win by City. Well done lads.

Where is that sky goal report from their girl at the Gate?

Pack.. get in.. or Flint ? 2-0

I have made it beautiful now if you care to scroll back up me babber!!

Same day last season.. points, goal diff identical and goals scored and conceded almost identical.. progress for this season all you cynics though?... only lost 1 this season... Have we got Cardiff coming up? Oh heck!

Home Away Total P W D L P W D L P W D L F A +/- Pts 1 Cardiff City2-0 5 4 1 0 5 3 1 1 10 7 2 1 16 8 +8 23 2 Leeds United0-2 5 3 2 0 5 3 0 2 10 6 2 2 17 7 +10 20 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 5 3 1 1 4 3 1 0 9 6 2 1 15 9 +6 20 4 Ipswich Town2-1 5 4 0 1 4 2 0 2 9 6 0 3 16 12 +4 18 5 Sheffield United 4 3 0 1 5 3 0 2 9 6 0 3 12 8 +4 18 6 Bristol City1-0 5 3 2 0 5 1 3 1 10 4 5 1 16 10 +6 17

Hull equalise at home to Preston and City cruise into the top 6

Thanks for posting Hillzider.. that girl likes to go to AG. I am guessing she lives in the west country areal then?

17 pts +6 goal difference. Exactly the same as September 26th 2016. Progress because have only lost 1; then 3.

Morais off. HT

Cardiff showing some real metal against Leeds tonight. 2 up. You really have to doff your hat to Warnock's magic. Plenty of time for Leeds to get 2 goals and end it 2-2. Close from City.

Get innnnn Djej

Leko on for 2nd half I should think along with Taylor?

Yes he is decent.

Have to say that on the odd occasion Lloyd is asked to say something he comes across as calm and eloquent. BBC might have found a natural there. Commentator, forget his name, is half decent as well. All makes for a pleasant change.

Villa into the top 6

All I can say is that City had better deliver; setting the alarm for 0240 in the morning? I must be mad. I just felt goals and I do want goals by golly.

I dunno mate but I dug myself into that one so research will begin in the near future. p.s. I might have to start employing a helper!

Major... it does unless you want me to regurgitate the same topic over and over again... this is about the 5th thread on Bolton; I mean what else can I talk about. Maybe the next match will be about Bolton made ice cream being thrust down the pants of the first player to score a hattrick for the club back in 1879. All suggestions welcome. Happy to research and try and deliver. Otherwise you can belt up!!!

The Indians called it Saqumsketuck and if there are any Podunk Indians left perhaps they still do. That was in the early 1600's when the first settlers from Hartford travelled the short distance to what is now called Bolton and along the Podunk River. Probably the first of 13 Bolton's around the world outside the original that is. Many of those first settlers were from Bolton, Lancashire and, even now, there is a significant Bolton Wanderers following in the town of nearly 5,000. However, like England, they have a Manchester just 6 miles up the road so the pull of supporting a more successful team is likely a strong one. On October 20th, 1720 Bolton became a town and as late as 1774 the inhabitants were still claiming allegiance to King George III. Good chaps. Early industries in Bolton included distilleries, hat manufacturers, cigar manufacturers, and a gristmill. The Bolton Quarry was sending flags of stone to Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Orleans as early as 1820. It is interesting to note that much stone from Bolton went to build a number of significant monuments in Washington DC and while such transactions were usually paid for with pounds, shillings and pence there were occasions when bartering was used. In fact this became common place when most states that were using British sterling did not have parity of exchange with each nor with the UK itself. This created a demand for bartering as a way of somewhat leveling out possible arguments. Tobacco from Bolton was one such product used to pay for other goods. Most of the other Boltons around the world are so named because of a founding forefather's name and most are in the USA with one in Canada and another in Australia. Boston, Connecticut though is alone in gaining its name from Bolton in Lancashire or so my research seems to suggest. But there is, rather interestingly, a Bolton in Pakistan. Well actually it is a market in Karachi but was not faring too well recently when its main building caught fire. Prior to this rather upsetting mishap Bolton Market Saddar Karachi was a large Wholesaler and Supply Store, located in M.A Jinnah Road, Saddar, Pakistan. It had a huge variety of items available in bulk quantities at very low prices. You could find all types of stuff like, toys, old books, caps, hats, shoes, electronic items, bobby pins to sports goods, plastic goods to kitchen utensils, cosmetics, artificial jewellery, spectacles and all kind of watches. A Bolton with perhaps a more interesting past is Bolton in Ontario. Originally called Bolton Mills, this Canadian town was founded around 1822 when a James Bolton helped build a flour mill. It's now home to 26,000 inhabitants. The 1996 hurricane thriller, Twister, was partially shot there, as well as the 2005 action movie, Four Brothers, starring Mark Wahlberg. But most Bolton's are rather small or quiet spots that have seen gradual decline in the latter half of the twentieth century and that is how Bolton in Lancashire must have felt at times as well and maybe is perpetuated with a football team that many thought might be on the up again only for reality to start consuming the psyche once more this season with a transfer embargo and Phil Parkinson wondering now what he has to do to to turn the already faltering Championship club around. Not happy days, again, for being a Bolton fan. Maybe if you are a Bolton fan you should just say 'damn to the world', kick back in your old walnut rocker with a straight up bourbon in your good hand and take a listen to that raw blues singer Bo Carter, who wrote 'Let Me Roll Your Melon', 'Banana in Your Fruit Basket' and 'Please Warm My Weiner'. And if you did so in Bolton in the very fine southern state of Mississippi you would be a very well respected visitor because Bo Carter was born and raised in that there Bolton. I have no idea if Bolton Wanderers even register in the deep south but what I do know is that they are heading south and we are not gonna bat an eye lid if we give them a helping hand tonight. In fact, I believe it is our solemn duty, partaking in a favour if you will, to thrash them to kingdom come like we jolly well did two seasons ago so that those fair people in Lancashire can say to those hapless owners who are arguing amongst theyselves to wake up and do something positive for the long suffering fans. Amen to that brothers and sisters. You'all enjoy the game now. And I found a few Bolton fans in Connecticut or maybe this is the US Academy.

About 3 mins and 20 seconds in it gets really filthy. Apart from that it was a good watch.

I am impressed how soon you guys got on to the subject of public houses from Remains of the Day. Time to move on now though to pubs depicted in those other films.

Funny, I think we will tonk them right and proper or very narrowly lose. Read the archives u lazy rascal.