What a team that was !

Clearing out a load of junk earlier today I found a programme for Town v Reading on 20th November 1965

'Town's best ever team' threads drive me mad as there are so many permutations and I'm not saying the team that day was the 'best ever' but what a team it was

Wainman, Thompson, Taylor, Ross, Jobling, Clifton, Collins, Tees, Green, Foster, Hill

Town were sitting second in Div 3. Four points adrift of Millwall a but with a game in hand. Hull were third.

After 15 league games, four League Cup games and one FA Cup game Matt Tees had scored 14 in the league, four in the League Cup and one in the FA Cup. 19 in 20 games, (if only we had someone who could do that now)

In the League Cup we had beaten Palace 1-0, Bolton 4-2 and Preston 4-0 (all in the division above us) plus that fantastic 2-2 draw with West Ham (two divisions above us)

Happy days indeed

Good times indeed Swin,

Hopefully Jolley will stay long enough to build a side that could compete with that one.

A (front) line up of Collins, Tees, Green, Foster, Hill doesn't come along very often Pete

Although I can see him building something (if allowed) teams like those we remember won't ever be formed again given today's short contracts and multiple on loan players.

'Home growns' are unlikely ever to make up more than 2 or 3 players and long stayers about the same unfortunately

I suppose it all matters the time when you first started regularly watching the team.

I saw my first game in 1972 but it wasn't until the late '70's, early '80's when I started going regularly.

The team of 1980/81 is my all-time favourite squad. We came within a whisker of being the first team to go from Division 4 to Division 1 in successive season, but ultimately fell short finishing 7th.

[img]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ZUkAAOxyXWdQ4t-k/s-l1600.jpg[/img]

Quoted from Ipswin

A (front) line up of Collins, Tees, Green, Foster, Hill doesn't come along very often Pete

Although I can see him building something (if allowed) teams like those we remember won't ever be formed again given today's short contracts and multiple on loan players.

'Home growns' are unlikely ever to make up more than 2 or 3 players and long stayers about the same unfortunately

Wow Swin. That’s almost sounds like a back handed comment towards our current manager.

You need to sit down old chap, not sure you are feeling well 😉

Shows how good Dougie Collins was, even then at the age of 20. He was in the first team at 18. He was a central midfielder but Ron Foster played there, he could play left wing but Brian Hill played there!  Jimmy McGuigan the manager had to play Collins somewhere because he was too good to leave out. Burnley got a bargain when they signed him.

Three days earlier Town had drawn 2-2 with West Ham in that epic League Cup quarter final and would lose the replay 1-0 at Upton Park a week or so later. I remember missing the Reading game and hitchhiking home for the West Ham match which amazingly was not all ticket, just paid on the gate, watched the game and hitchhiked back for a 9 o'clock lecture at uni next morning.

Happy days.

There we have it folks, there was a time when Ipswin was happy!

Quoted from Posh Harry

Wow Swin. That’s almost sounds like a back handed comment towards our current manager.

You need to sit down old chap, not sure you are feeling well 😉

Oops sorry, that wasn't my intention at all.

Whilst Jolley might put together a mid table Div 4 side with no danger of relegation his teams will never be good enough to lace the boots of those mid 1960s players

I also found the programme for the first home game of 1964 against Bristol Rovers, the team was different to the later Reading team in four positions Keeble was at LB instead of Taylor, Ron Cockerill at RH instead of Ross, Jimmy Pennington at outside right instead of Doug Collins and George MacLean at centre forward instead of Rod Green - another great team who had won the first game of the season a week earlier away at Oldham 5-1

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Shows how good Dougie Collins was, even then at the age of 20. He was in the first team at 18. He was a central midfielder but Ron Foster played there, he could play left wing but Brian Hill played there!  Jimmy McGuigan the manager had to play Collins somewhere because he was too good to leave out. Burnley got a bargain when they signed him.

Three days earlier Town had drawn 2-2 with West Ham in that epic League Cup quarter final and would lose the replay 1-0 at Upton Park a week or so later. I remember missing the Reading game and hitchhiking home for the West Ham match which amazingly was not all ticket, just paid on the gate, watched the game and hitchhiked back for a 9 o'clock lecture at uni next morning.

Happy days.

I seem to remember the crowd weren't particularly enamoured with Collins though were they? A bit of a fanny I think my dad said at the time.

I remember a cup tie at home to Burnley when he had a fantastic game, and on the strength of that Burnley signed him if I remember right.

Just after that decent team, we sold all the better players and quickly dropped to the bottom reaches of the football league. Some habits are hard to kick!

Quoted from Tommy

There we have it folks, there was a time when Ipswin was happy!

I was absolutely delighted with the teams in those days, (mind you I was 50 years younger and was happy with most things!)   The football was so much more open and entertaining, the ball tended to be played forwards instead of across and back and across then back again all the time, the play was flowing with far fewer fouls, stoppages and free kicks (they were quite rare other than for offside) players who were shoulder charged did not fly dramatically through the air, a penalty was awarded for a clear foul and not because a player put his hand on the shoulder of another (Akeem please note) and there was shock horror when a player had 'his name taken' and I don't remember anyone getting sent off.

Ducks to avoid swinging lamp and reaches for slippers