History of Ipswich Town F.C.

For a statistical breakdown by season, see Ipswich Town F.C. seasons.

For the history of Ipswich's home ground, see Portman Road.

Portman Road, Ipswich's home ground since 1884

Ipswich Town F.C. is an English association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The history of Ipswich Town F.C. covers the years from the club's formation to the present day. The club was formed in 1878, and played as an amateur team until 1936 when the club turned professional and played in the Southern League. Ipswich Town was elected into Division Three of the Football League in place of Gillingham F.C. on 30 May, 1938.

The club experienced league success during the early 1960s, winning back-to-back division championships, the Second Division in the 1960–61 season and the First Division the following season. A decade later, under the guidance of Bobby Robson, the club achieved success both in the FA Cup and in European competition, winning the UEFA Cup in 1981.

Along with Robson, the club was also managed by Sir Alf Ramsey, both moving on from Ipswich to manage England to its best results in the World Cup, including the victorious 1966 campaign.

Foundation to professionalism: 1878–1936

The club was founded as an amateur side known as Ipswich Association F.C., under the presidency of the Ipswich Member of Parliament, T.C. Cobbold. Ipswich Association played their first home game at Broom Hill, a ground in the town, on 2 November, 1878, a 6–1 victory over Stoke Wanderers, followed the week after with a 2–0 victory over Harwich in the club's first away match. Losing only one game in 17 in its second season, the club was able to build enough interest to enrol players for a 2nd XI. The 1880–81 season saw Ipswich record its biggest ever victory, a 15–0 defeat of East Stamford with one player, John Knights, registering three hat-tricks, both achievements remain club records. The team moved to Portman Road, the current ground, in 1884, sharing the pitch with the East Suffolk Cricket Club who had played there since 1855.

The club won its first silverware in the 1886–87 season, triumphing 2–1 against a team representing Ipswich School in the final of the Suffolk Challenge Cup. In 1888 the club merged with Ipswich Rugby Club to form Ipswich Town Football Club. During the 1890s, the club began to enter the qualifying rounds for the FA Cup with little success, but won a number of local cup competitions, including the Suffolk Senior Cup and the Ipswich Charity Cup. The 1896–97 season saw the arrival of the first European opponents at Portman Road in the shape of Sparta Rotterdam who were defeated 10–0 by an Ipswich representative XI. Despite invitations to join both the Southern League and the Norfolk and Suffolk League during the 1890s, it was not until the 1899–1900 season that Ipswich finally accepted one of the offers. The club finished fourth in their inaugural season in the Norfolk and Suffolk League.

Ipswich Town results were indifferent throughout the early 1900s and in 1907, joined the newly established Southern Amateur League. The club narrowly avoiding relegation in many the following seasons, and suffered a club record 15–1 defeat at the hands of the Corinthians at Portman Road on New Year's Day, 1910. The outbreak of the First World War and the commandeering of Portman Road by the Army curtailed the 1914–15 season and organised football did not return until the 1920–21 season. Just one year later, Ipswich Town became champions of the Southern Amateur League in the 1921–22 season, clinching the title on the last day of the season. The club won the league a further three times, in 1929–30, 1932–33 and 1933–34, before becoming founder members of the Eastern Counties Football League at the end of the 1934–35 season.

Early Football League: 1936–1955

League positions since 1938–39 season.
Coloured horizontal lines indicate league divisions.

Local businessman Leonard P. Thompson threatened to lead a breakaway from the amateur club to create an entirely separate professional club, Ipswich United. Captain John Murray Cobbold, the club President, called together rival factions for a meeting at the Town Hall on 1 May, 1936, where it was agreed that Ipswich Town should turn professional. The club were unanimously elected to the Southern League for the 1936–37 season and former Irish international footballer Mick O'Brien was appointed as the first professional manager of Ipswich Town. The club's first professional game at Portman Road resulted in a 4–1 win against Tunbridge Wells Rangers and the club went on to win the Southern League at the first time of asking. O'Brien left after just one season after the death of his wife. The club were managerless for around three months before the appointment of A. Scott Duncan who had left recently relegated Manchester United.

Duncan led the club to third place in the 1937–38 season and became their first League manager when Ipswich were elected to The Football League on 30 May, 1938 at the expense of Gillingham F.C.. The club's last competitive match before the league was suspended due to the Second World War was a 1–1 draw with local rivals, Norwich City. Despite the interruption due to the war, Duncan managed the club for over 500 games between 1937 and 1955. Following three successive top-eight finishes, the 1949–50 season ended with Ipswich in 17th position of Division Three (South), the club's lowest ever league finish. The early 1950s saw striker Tom Garneys finish as club top-scorer for four seasons in a row, becoming the first Ipswich player to score four times in a game.

During this period, Ipswich won the title and promotion to the Second Division in the 1953–54 season, during which a club record eight consecutive wins were recorded. The club was relegated back to Division Three (South) the following year at the end of a poor season, the highlight of which was progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup, a run ended by First Division Preston North End. Duncan resigned but stayed on at the club in a secretarial role for a further three years. His replacement was former England international and double Championship winner at Tottenham Hotspur, Alf Ramsey.

Ramsey and Champions of England: 1955–69

Alf Ramsey's first season at the club saw the club score 106 goals in 46 games and finish third in Division Three (South). The following season, 1956–57, the club won the Division Three (South) title for the second time in its history and saw the emergence of local Suffolk striker Ted Phillips who scored 46 times during the season. This remains the highest number of goals scored by an Ipswich player in a season. In 1962, a report in the East Anglian Daily Times said of Phillips:

It is an undisputed fact that he is the best kicker of a dead ball in the game.

The same season saw Ipswich play under floodlights for the first time, at Coventry City in September 1956. Three seasons of mid-table finishes followed as Ipswich established themselves in Division Two, along with moderate success in the FA Cup, most notably reaching the fifth round in the 1958–59 season.

Ted Phillips (left) and former team-mate Ray Crawford at Portman Road

The 1960–61 season was Ipswich's most successful yet, winning the Second Division ahead of Sheffield United and Liverpool. The season saw Ted Phillips and Ray Crawford score 70 goals between them. Winning the league, Ipswich won promotion to the top level of English football, Division One, in 1960–61.

In the top flight for the first time, Ipswich became Champions of the Football League at the first attempt in 1961–62. As English league champions, they qualified for the European Cup, defeating Maltese side Floriana 14–1 on aggregate before losing to AC Milan. Ramsey quit the club in April 1963 to take charge of the England football team; after the team won the 1966 World Cup, he received a knighthood for "services to football" in 1967.

Ramsey was replaced by Jackie Milburn, under whose leadership fortunes on the pitch plummeted. Two years after winning the league title, Ipswich slipped down to the Second Division in 1964, conceding 121 league goals in 42 games. Milburn quit after just one full season and was replaced by Bill McGarry in 1964. The club remained in the Second Division for four years until McGarry and his assistant Sammy Chung guided Ipswich to promotion in the 1967–68 season, winning the division by a single point ahead of Queens Park Rangers. McGarry left to manage Wolves and was replaced by Bobby Robson in January 1969.

Robson and Europe: 1969–82

Bobby Robson

It took a while for Bobby Robson to establish himself at Ipswich. His first two seasons were a case of staying up. However, this marked the most illustrious period in the club's history, winning two major trophies, enjoying several seasons in top flight European football, producing a team full of international players and playing some very attractive football. From finishing 18th and 19th (from 22) in his first two seasons he then managed to push up the table finishing 13th in 1972, and in 1973 Ipswich finished 4th, qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time, won the Texaco Cup and secured the FA Youth Cup. Ipswich became a regular feature in the top five of the league and in the UEFA Cup, again winning the Youth Cup in 1975.. Ipswich would have won the 1974-75 season on goal difference if 3 points had been awarded for a win instead of 2 (which was later implicated in 1980). Instead they finished third, but with more wins than Champions Derby County and a better goal difference.

Bobby Robson gained Ipswich Town's first FA Cup success in 1978 with a victory over Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, and more success came with a UEFA Cup victory in 1981 and runners-up finish in the league in 1981 and 1982. Key players of this era included Frans Thijssen, Arnold Muhren, Kevin Beattie, John Wark and Paul Mariner. Robson left Ipswich in the summer of 1982 to take charge of the England team and was replaced by his assistant Bobby Ferguson. The club has never repeated the success of the Robson years.

After Robson: 1982–1995

Bobby Ferguson's transition from coach to manager was not an easy one. This, combined with financial restraints following a new stand being built meant that Town could only manage to finish mid-table for a couple of seasons, then spend a season struggling followed by relegation a year later. Ferguson resigned a year later after losing to Charlton Athletic in the old Second Division play-offs.

From 1987 to 1990, Ipswich Town were managed by John Duncan, but they never really looked like gaining promotion. For a club with such a proud history, the Ipswich Town directors decided that the team's form under John Duncan had been unsatisfactory and he was sacked in June 1990. He was replaced by John Lyall, whose 14-year reign as West Ham United manager had ended the previous summer—during that time the Hammers had won the FA Cup twice and finished third in the league.

John Lyall guided Ipswich to a mid table finish in the 1990-1991 Second Division campaign but the following season saw them crowned champions of the Second Division and gain promotion to the new FA Premier League, ready for the 1992-1993 season.

Defender John Wark had returned to Ipswich after a spell at Middlesbrough, while Ipswich's key players included the ever reliable Mick Stockwell (who played in every position other than goalkeeper), Canadian international duo goalkeeper Craig Forrest and full back Frank Yallop, Welsh international midfielder Geraint Williams and Bulgarian striker Bontcho Guentchev as well as talented youngsters such as Jason Dozzell and Chris Kiwomya.

After enjoying the longest unbeaten start of any Premier League side, Ipswich were fourth in the Premier League come January 1993, with a UEFA Cup place looking possible - there was even talk of a league title triumph. But a dip in form during the final weeks of the season saw Ipswich finish a disappointing 16th in the first ever Premier League.

Lyall added several more players to the Ipswich squad, including Oldham striker Ian Marshall and the Danish attacking midfielder Claus Thomsen. These acquisitions looked to have had a positive effect on Ipswich's playing fortunes, as they made a good start to the 1993-1994 Premier League campaign. But the final weeks of the season saw a slump and Ipswich only avoided relegation when Sheffield United suffered a last-gasp 3-2 defeat at Chelsea on the final day of the season.

Lyall was sacked as Ipswich manager in December 1994 with the club rooted to the bottom of the Premiership. His successor George Burley was unable to turn things around and the writing was on the wall following a humiliating 9-0 defeat at Manchester United in early March, it is the heaviest ever defeat experienced by any team in a Premiership match. Relegation was confirmed soon afterwards and Ipswich ended the season having conceded 92 goals in 42 league games - the second worst-ever defensive record of any Premiership club.

Europe and adminstration: 1995–present

The next four seasons brought near-misses as the club flirted with promotion; in 1995–96, Ipswich fell one place short of the Division playoff zone, and the ensuing three seasons brought successive semi-final playoff defeats. In 2000, Ipswich qualified for the Division One playoff final, the last such match at Wembley Stadium before the old stadium was to be redeveloped. They beat Barnsley 4-2, which secured the club's return to the Premiership after an absence of five years.

Most observers expected Ipswich to suffer relegation from the Premiership in their first season back at this level, but Burley's "hardworking" side defied the commentators and finished in an fifth place—being pipped by Liverpool on the last day of the season for a place in the Champions League - gaining themselves a UEFA Cup place instead, and earning George Burley the Manager of the Year Award.

Statue of Sir Alf Ramsey at Portman Road

In the following season's UEFA Cup, Ipswich beat Inter Milan 1-0 at home in round 3 with a headed goal from Alun Armstrong, but lost the tie over two legs after a 4-1 defeat in Italy. However, their League form was the real cause for concern; 18 games into the 2001-02 Premiership campaign, Ipswich were bottom of the table with just one league victory and their top division days were looking numbered. Then George Burley's side climbed to 12th place with seven wins from eight fixtures which appeared to have saved them from relegation. But another decline set in and this time Ipswich were unable to halt it. Their fate was confirmed on the final day of the season with a 5-0 defeat away to Liverpool.

The loss of income due to relegation led to the club going into financial administration. They had the minor consolation of again qualifying for the UEFA Cup, this time via UEFA's Fair Play route, and became the first lower-level team to survive two ties in the same UEFA Cup (losing in the second round proper). A poor start to the season, culminating in a 2-0 defeat at Grimsby Town meant that George Burley was sacked in October 2002 after nearly eight years as manager of Ipswich Town. First team coach Tony Mowbray was given four games as caretaker mananger, winning once, but he was ultimately replaced as manager by the former Oldham Athletic, Everton and Manchester City manager Joe Royle, whose managerial career had so far yielded four promotions and one FA Cup victory. During this period, the stands at each of Portman Road end were rebuilt, increasing capacity to over 30,000.

When Joe Royle became Ipswich manager, the club was struggling near the Division One relegation zone and following a revival after a change in management just missed the playoffs. The 2003–04 season saw the club come out of administration and continue to challenge for promotion back to the Premier League. They finished that season in fifth, but were knocked out of the playoff semi finals by West Ham United 2–1 on aggregate. Despite missing automatic promotion in 2004–05 finishing third with 85 points, only two short of second-placed Wigan Athletic, Royle tried to achieve his fifth promotion success as a manager through the play offs—he won promotion to the Second Division in 1983 and First Division in 1991 with Oldham Athletic, as well as getting Manchester City to the Premiership in 2000 after two straight promotions. However, Ipswich lost to West Ham United again in the play-off semi-finals. Despite fighting back from 2-0 down in the first leg to draw 2-2 at Upton Park, they lost 2-0 in the return leg at Portman Road.

2005–06 saw the team plagued by injuries and pre-season promotion favourites Ipswich finished a disappointing 15th - the club's lowest finish since 1966 —having never looked serious contenders for the play-offs. Joe Royle resigned by mutual consent on 11 May, 2006. Premiership wage bill was slashed from around £20m to under £5m and the higher earners were the first to leave, such as Pablo Couñago, Matteo Sereni, Marcus Bent, Martijn Reuser, Matt Holland, Jamie Clapham, Chris Makin and Hermann Hreiðarsson. Darren Ambrose also departed in this era during desperate attempts to replace lost income. Other major players, largely developed during their time with Ipswich, left at the end of the 2004/05 season when automatic promotion was missed by two points. This was partly to balance the books, as was the case with the sale of Darren Bent to Charlton and Kelvin Davis to Sunderland, but others wished to realise their Premiership ambitions, such as Shefki Kuqi and Tommy Miller, whose contracts had ended.

Jim Magilton, current Ipswich Town manager

On 5 June, 2006 at a press conference, Jim Magilton was officially named as the new manager and former Academy Director Bryan Klug was appointed to assist as first team coach. Magilton started his management career poorly, with three straight league defeats, followed by a first round defeat in the League Cup at the hands of Peterborough, before results stabilised and the club finished the season in 14th place in the table. It is also during the Jim Magilton era when Sir Bobby Robson agreed to become the club's president.