Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

Paul Hart failed to impress his home crowd with Saturday's scrappy 2-1 win over Bristol City but he will surely recieve a more positive reception from the assembled QPR away fans tomorrow should his side produce a similar result. In the meantime, here is a quick update on Rangers' opponents, Ipswich Town.

Ipswich can call on their top two goalscorers for tomorrow's game. Jon Walters returns from suspension to potentially lead the line and Jon Stead has appealed the red card he recieved at Crystal Palace so is at least available for this game. Midfielder Grant Leadbitter, who has already made 16 appearances in the league this season is a good bet to start as he also returns from suspension.

The current incumbent of the Ipswich managerial seat has received some less than kind words for much of this season and the man he replaced fared even worse in his short spell at QPR, but previous Ipswich managers have been amongst the biggest names in English football (which is not to suggest that Roy Keane and Jim Magilton won't still reach those ranks).

First up is Alf Ramsay who led Ipswich into the top division for the first time in 1961-2 and then miraculously won the title at the first time of asking, something which would be unthinkable nowadays. A big name for his footballing exploits, Jackie Milburn, then took charge as Alf went on to even greater glory with England but Milburn's prowess on the field (177 goals for Newcastle) didn't extend to the managerial arena and the club returned to the Second Division in 1964.

They can point to the two greatest English managers learning their trade at their club though and Bobby Robson soon followed in Alf's footsteps to lead the club into another glorious period. Forging a side which married continental flair in the shape of Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen with a steely backbone of John Wark and Terry Butcher, Robson took the team to FA Cup and UEFA Cup glory and on two occaisions finished as runners-up in the top flight.

Most clubs would struggle to emulate such success and Ipswich soon returned to the second tier once Robson left to manage England. In the modern era, they've had two spells in the Premiership, even reaching fifth in 2000-1 but were never able to sustain their presence there. Roy Keane was supposedly the man to push for a return, but that that has looked less than likely this season.

Highest Point

To guide an English provincial club to European glory has rarely been achieved, but something was clearly in the air in the late 70s and early 80s. As Brian Clough twice guided Nottingham Forest to the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, Bobby Robson soon brought European glory to Ipswich, guiding the team to the UEFA Cup in 1981. Ipswich did it in style as well, beating Saint Etienne 7-2 over two legs in the quarter finals. The final was also a two-legged occaision and after cruising to a 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar at Portman Road, the Tractor Boys put their supporters through the ringer, falling to a 4-2 defeat, thereby just sneaking an aggregate win.

Lowest Ebb

At least a dozen clubs currently in the Championship have aspirations to get into the Premiership, though some might question the wisdom of such a wish if your team serves as a whipping boy once there. The hope has to be that you perform more like a Wigan Athletic or Birmingham City (this season at least) than a Derby County. After struggling to stay in the top flight during the first two seasons of the Premiership, the wheels really came off for Ipswich in 1994-5, when they spent much of the season rooted to the bottom of the league and suffered the ignominy of a record Premiership defeat losing 9-0 to Man United: http://www.vbox7.com/play:cc826f57 (this version is preferable to the one which has 'Glory, Glory Man United' as the soundtrack). It should be no surprise that they finished bottom of the league that year.  

The Grass Is Always Greener - Life as an Ipswich Town Supporter

Views on Ipswich's current manager seem pretty split going on the Footy Mad forum: http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=304&fid=152&sty=1.  Whilst some think he is 'quality' and enjoy his ability to wind up the opposition, others seem less enamoured by his outspoken nature, branding him a 'hypocrite' for criticising Crystal Palace players for haranguing the referee in Ipswich's last game as he was known to act similarly in a Manchester United shirt. 

Star Man

The current Ipswich side has been low on goals this season so none of the strikers jump out as key dangermen for the clash tomorrow. With the fixtures coming so thick and fast though, this could be a game which is won and lost in the physical battle of the midfield. Despite being unfancied by Roy Keane at first, Owen Garvan could now play a significant role if Keane's side are going to move up the table. He is a one-club man, coming up through the Academy ranks to make his debut in the 2005-6 season and since then has been a regular in the Ipswich starting eleven.