A couple of responses from Oxford fans ahead of Sunderland’s opening game hardly counts as a storming start to the labour-saving device of inviting opposing fans to send their thoughts on forthcoming matches between our clubs.
But let’s persevere, says Monsieur Salut. We’ve had good Ipswich Town Q+A interviews in the past and must hope a few Tractor Boys (or girls) feel inclined to answer one or more, or indeed all, of the questions below.
If this lazy version of our superb Who are You? series works, there’ll be the usual prizes at the end of the season for the best interviews. We’ll see …
Salut! Sunderland: 1: we had a dodgy penalty, you had a deflected shot. But you won away and we drew at home. Looking good for a quick return to the Championship?
2: Paul Lambert has a good record in another part of East Anglia. What do you make of him now that he’s yours?
3: maybe too early to be sure but who may be crucial among your squad to your hopes this season?
4: your own best and worst experiences of following Ipswich?
5: your thoughts on Sunderland – the club, the fans, the area etc?
6: hand on heart: where will our two clubs finish this season?
7: will you be at the match? What will be the score?
On behalf of the Salut! Sunderland team massive thanks to the Ipswich fans who have responded to our questions and for providing such detailed and considered responses.
In both historical terms and with the size of the support both clubs are punching below their weight this season but we are where we are for a reason.
Nothing is a given in this Division as last season and last weekend (in our case) proved. I’ve a feeling our boys might be a little more relaxed in away games but they need a couple of good results in the next two or three weeks, otherwise the mutterings from the terraces and on social media will escalate and make it even more difficult for our players to perform well. Saturday might provide us with a few clues.
Totally agree, thanks for the time, the effort, the candour. Clearly top notch fans.
Ipswich are one of the clubs on our watch list and we’ll be reporting how well they are doing at intervals
1) Early doors results eh? I remember watching Ipswich dismantle Derby opening game of the 2001/02 prem season. With Europe on the horizon as well, I thought Town had it made…how wrong could I be, relegated that year never ever to return. Too early to have any bearing on real form. I actually fancy Sunderland to finish higher as they know what this league is about. I’m worried we’d either fall away in a long tough season or not even really get started and do a ‘Burton’ and finish about 10th
2)Love PL’s style of football (not saying that much really after 5 years of Mick McC ‘every point’s a prisoner’) We are at last on the front foot – this worked particularly well last year as we played nice passing footy to the final third and then remembered we’d sold all our strikers (probably all to Derby – they seem to buy so many each season) and moves simply melted away like snow in summer.
3)As stated before (above) Judge is a class act and one to watch is Flynn Downs our young midfielder (if he can stop head butting people and stay on the sodding pitch)
4)Best Ipswich moment was in that fateful 2001 season – The scoreboard said it all in November Ipswich Town 1 Inter Milan 0 (naturally we were taken apart 4-1 in the return leg!) Worst moment for me was relegation from the old first div in 1986. that’s when I realized the golden era was well and truly over.
5)Its really crazy to have Sunderland in Div 1. In no way should they be there. I watch in horror at how the club was handled by Ellis Short and the damage that he did is why you are where you are. The fans are top drawer, loads of them and always in full voice. After all that’s happened you still come in your droves and I really admire that!
6)I still fancy you to come good so I’m going to stick my neck out and say 2nd, we’ll finish where Burton did last season (please let me be wrong about that!!!!!)
7)I have been following Town since 1983 (bloody well missed all the good years…) and I’ll be there again this season. I’m going 1-1 to much at stake this early on…cagey game.
Many thanks
1: Each game as it comes, lets not get carried away
2: I have the benefit of knowing Paul on a personal level thanks to his off the pitch ethos of being involved with the fans, he loves this club and would do anything to see it do well, therefore he’s without a doubt the man for the job.
3: Many would say Norwood, but Flynnadine Zidownes (Flynn Downes) is the player that makes Ipswich tick, be on your guard, this guy is going places.
4: Speaking to the fans every week, I’m 27 and haven’t seen a shred of history, i’d argue given how we get on from now that the relegation we have just had is the best and worst thing to happen to this club in a long time, we needed to start again
5: Massive Club, with huge potential, how the club have handled going down, is questionable – good signings at times and at others questionable tactics, but still a promotion contender nonetheless
6: 1 and 2, I’ll let you guess which way round that is haha
7: Sunderland will have a very tough time at Portman Road, I’m suggesting a 3-2 Victory to the blues!
Thanks – great set of answers.
1. It was a critically important first win of the season, whether it was through a deflected shot or not the importance of the win cannot be understated after a terrible season that left the players shot with confidence, the break hopefully has re-energised the squad and manager. For anyone to be counting early chickens for a return to the Championship is dangerous for any club right now, it’s a long long long season and most Town fans are aware of this.
2. He did very well north of the border, he took the reins there in a very similar state to where we are right now, if he can replicate what he did there he will be long time hero on Suffolk shores. He’s a very knowledgeable football man, played at the highest level, won the highest honours, has had a rough time of things prior to Ipswich. Wasn’t given a pre season at any of the last 3 clubs, hopefully he gets good time and multiple windows to build his squad. Looks like it could be a very good long term partnership for himself and for us.
3. A few names pop to mind: Alan Judge, Emyr Huws are quite possibly the best technically gifted footballers in the league. But summer signing James Norwood is one who Town are looking to convert last seasons chances into goals. Flynn Downes put in one of the best central midfield displays I have seen in a Town shirt away at Burton, more performances of that level would put in the top 2/3 players in the league. We can talk about notable players but for most Town fans it is the ‘collective unit’ of the back 4 which will be the most important cog to our wheel this season, we look thin but some encouraging performances from reserve players Wilson and Woolfenden, a composed performance from giant (6ft 9inch) goalkeeper has planted for hope in the backline this year early on.
4.
worst: Norwich defeat 5-1 at home.
best: the play-off season.
5. The passion that the North East has for football is arguably unmatched by no other area in the country, I know you won’t like it but both clubs are incredibly supported clubs. I tilt my hat to you both. I may slightly tilt my hat more to the Sunderland fans who have stuck by your club in what has been a difficult period in your clubs history, the numbers that follow the club is outstanding (Blackpool Away last year). A truly great football club, an even better fan base, you need to be back in the top 2 leagues of English football.
6.
Ipswich 2nd
Sunderland 4th
7. I will be indeed at the match, a devoted season ticket holder, wish you all best, hope your fans make a weekend of it, have a great time in Suffolk, it is a lovely place, and have a chat with the Ipswich fans, we’re a friendly bunch, we love our club and will be some atmosphere down Portman Road this weekend, our North Stand will certainly be rocking.
Enjoy guys, and good luck for the season.
Cheers. Good luck for 44 of the 46 games this season.
1: The game on Saturday showed glimpses of good football played quick and tidy football along the floor, something we have not seen for a while and hopefully my neck can rest from looking into the sky for a bit. You will have to definitely keep Norwood and Judge quiet, their linked up play this year is going to be deadly. My main concern is our injury list, we have 4/5 starters that are not in the squad and one more to a key player would be disastrous. Another issue is RB so hopefully, McGeady won’t be playing LW! We are putting a lot of trust in youth this season that could go one of two ways, however, the 20-year-old Flynn Downes ran the show at Burton. but it’s difficult to make a judgment after one game. But we need to go up at the first time of asking, but you guys showed last year it is not as easy as that!
2: He has brought the connection between the fans and club back, you only have to see the videos of our fans right behind the players after relegation and we support the effort and passion the players showed even if we were losing. But now Lambert has had a pre-season and cleared out the rubbish he needs to start picking up results.
3: Norwood and Judge, two players that are too good for league one and surprised we managed to beat Swansea to Norwood and defend off Judge to QPR!
4: You would think relegation would be my worst experience but its probably the fall over the club as whole throughout the Roy Keane and Paul Jewell mess. The best experience is getting promoted to the Premiership and finishing 5th in our first season, 3 points off champions league place. Only we would get relegated a season before the Prem MONEY!
5: The club is too big for league one without a doubt and probably going through the same torture as us Ipswich fans seeing our rivals doing so much better! I see you’re sold out for Ipswich away, probably nice to see a decent ground again. I can’t really comment on the fans, what I’ve seen from that Netflix series probably didn’t show a good light on the club and fans, but I know whats its like when others are saying “Be careful what you wish for” when we got rid of Mick McCarthy, but his football was so dull and sucked the life out of football for me.
6: Top 6 both clubs, if we win on Saturday then we have a good chance on top 2.
7: Will be at the match as always, I’m saying a 1-1 draw (I know you wont like that scoreline after the number of draws last year)
Cheers Sam.
All I know about Sunderland, is that it has a beach. Like Barcelona.
We play a bit like them, too. At least, we always start with 11.