ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

IF OWEN Garvan and Connor Wickham follow Jordan Rhodes down Ipswich Town's Exit Alley, I shall want manager Roy Keane's "guts for garters."

The departure of fledgling striker Rhodes has been one of the great tragedies of this despairing Ipswich Town season - if Garvan and Wickham follow it will be simply horrific for our club.

Lets start with Rhodes - what a loss to our club, as many of us stated at the time.

True, Huddersfield nagged Keane to distraction to get their man - but our fiery Irishman should have simply said "No" in whatever form of the English language he thought appropriate to warn off the sniffers from the barren outpost that is Terrierland.

Rhodes was a jewel of a prospect - and how we could have done with him in the dark days of recent Ipswich Town history. I'll never understand Keane's logic on this one (if he had one) and will always ask what advice he was getting from the club's administrative hierarchy.

Rhodes has, of course, gone on to "bang in goals for fun" in a Huddersfield shirt. Told you so, comes to mind.

On to Owen Garvan, who must be despairing about his future - why can't Keano get boy motivated again, just as he did with David Wright? Just recall how he was Town's best player, against Chelsea in the FA Cup, to see what a motivated Garvan could do for the Blues.

Then there's young Wickham - just 16, yet attracting the attention of Premiership clubs because of his size and skills. Our manager should make it his duty to persuade Wickham to sign professional forms as soon as he is 17. If anyone can do, Keano can - and that would, at least stop the current threat of a youngster-drain from Portman Road.

After all, our venerated more senior players have hardly been turning on the style this season, have they?

Your views, bitter and twisted or cleverly constructive, are welcome as ever - but please do try to name yourselves and avoid hiding under the cloak of anonymity.

 

 

 

posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 11:32 AM by Nigel Pickover
Monday, November 16, 2009 1:04 PM by Robert Steroo

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

Tragedy is a bit of an overclaim for rank mismanagement. You could also add Billy Clarke, Danny Haynes, Shane Supple, Uncle Tom Cobbley & all to the list of talent that sinks without trace at Portman Road. It seems blindingly obvious that any exceptional talent will be picked off by 'big' clubs. The tragedy, if it is a tragedy is that Town are now incapable of developing any latter day Mickey Stockwells
Monday, November 16, 2009 1:07 PM by Stefan, Ipswich

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

I wholeheartingly agree with Nigel on wanting to keep Wickham as he only 16 and has already shown a great deal of promise when he has appeared in the first team. On Garvan though i have to beg to differ as the player hasnt shown any sort of consistency in the last two seasons. He seems to have the talent in terms of his passing ability and vision but i seriously question his workrate and general fitness. His lack of pace also means he will never be the consistent box to box midfielder town have so lacked since matty holland, So keep Wickham but see you later Garvan
Monday, November 16, 2009 2:24 PM by Terrier Richard

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

As I keep saying to my Ipswich supporting mate, thank you for Rhodes and also Roberts - man of the match in both of our last 6 goal (to us) thrillers. Cheers. PS First match I ever went to Huddersfield Town vs. Ipswich Div 1 1972, second match Leeds Utd vs. Ipswich Div 1 1972. Maybe I support the wrong team! ;-)
Monday, November 16, 2009 2:37 PM by Tony Barker, London

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

Who cares?

We need players performing for now not 'prospects'.
Monday, November 16, 2009 2:52 PM by Liz Combes

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

It breaks my heart to see what Roy Keane has done to the Town team. I have followed the Town since the early sixties and seen all the highs and lows. The Roy Keane era is surely "one of the lows". Your paper led the campaign to get rid of Jim Magilton. I hope that you're satisfied with the result. A lot of Town supporters are definetly not. I pray that he will prove me wrong by the end of the season, but sadly cannot see how he will achieve any measure of success with his current tactics and of course, less than inspiring signings such as Delaney and Priskin.
Monday, November 16, 2009 3:06 PM by john burls

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

Looking back, I can see a long line of ITFC discards who were gradually dragged down to the Ipswich level of mediocrity over the past few years. Conclusion? It's not the players, it's the way they are poorly coached and encouraged by manager and coaching staff to play both individually and as a team. For example, remember how brilliant Walters was when he played widish on the right? The only successful thing they seem to have done recently is to find where Delaney can play at his best and that was more by necessity than design. What's the betting he'll be moved out of that position?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 11:27 AM by John Honest

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

Is George Burley an option?
Monday, November 23, 2009 2:09 PM by Martyn Elmy

# re: ITFC: Another Ipswich Town double tragedy in the offing?

I appreciate the sentiment, but as a journalist in this area, you MUST know that the Wickham situation is totally outside the clubs hands. Messers Goddard and Barnett are likely to be the villans of this particular Easter uprising.

He is effectively a 'free agent', and the more a big club offers him, the less they will offer us in compensation (remember Ken Bates and Kevin Wilson?)

As for Garvan, not a bad lad, but after weeks of cries of 'bring back our only class player' he hardly pulled up any trees on Saturday. The market doesn't lie, if sold he will at best fetch £1m.

Then again there is Roades, funny isn't it that the big guns didn't come in for him, he was sold on the open market for 150 - 850k depending on who you believe to a 3rd division team where his goals almost mirror those of Lisbie and Forster, and he freely signed the contract (remember Pablo didn't at Swansea).

I would have preferred to have kept him and sent him out on loan, but who knows perhaps letting him go might just have persuaded Conner to stay and learn his trade rather than 2 more years in the u18's at a big club and perhaps 3 years of warming the bench after that, as he wouldn't want to be behind Jordan in the pecking order - would he?

What do you think?

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