The Badger

Real Madrid critics told: You're ignorant

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:46:00 GMT

APPARENTLY, anyone who is a tad concerned over the ethics of Real Madrid spending £136m on two players during a global recession is “ignorant and misguided”. So says outspoken Bernebau president Florentino Perez, who has engineered the unlikely capture of Kaka and, probably, Cristiano Ronaldo. Personally, I beg to differ. Aside from the plethora of moral issues involved, there are also the sporting implications to consider. Firstly, there is something distinctly unimaginative about...(read more)

Good luck in your new job, Jim

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:46:00 GMT

I HOPE Jim Magilton gets the QPR job. It was right Marcus Evans axed him when he did, make no mistake. But I think Jim could yet become a decent manager - as long as he learns from the lessons of the last 12 months. His downfall at Portman Road was entirely his own making…bad signings, strange tactics and rumoured fall-outs with his squad. But, despite that, his first two seasons in charge showed genuine promise - which is why Evans was so reluctant to sack Magilton. There were many highlights during...(read more)

It's Keane's way...or he'll feed you to his dogs

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:07:00 GMT

MEMO to Ipswich players - don't be late for training and make sure you try your hardest. If you don't, there's every chance Roy Keane will feed you to his dogs. Looking lean - and, of course, very mean - Keane swept into the Portman Road press conference with the confidence of a man who isn't interested in fanfare welcomes and would rather be barking orders on the training ground. The Irishman, boasting a freshly clean-shaven complexion, was polite but concise. When the BBC's Garth Crooks...(read more)

Buckle up, Blues fans - Keano's in town

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:53:00 GMT

WOW - what a week...Portman Road has been more eventful than Coronation Street and Albert Square combined. Town beat Norwich, Derek Bowden is axed, Simon Clegg is appointed, Jim Magilton and John Gorman get the boot, Roy Keane sweeps into Suffolk...if I was an employee at Ipswich Town I would be feeling a little nervous right now. The perennially patient Marcus Evans went into hiring and firing overdrive after Sunday's derby win. Heaven only knows what sort of massacre he would have...(read more)

Goodbye, Jim - and thanks for the memories

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:28:00 GMT

IT was the right decision - but I can't help feeling sad at the sudden axing of Jim Magilton. Make no mistake, this season has been miserable for the most part. The football has been drab and uninspiring, and the club seems to have moved backwards. When Doncaster scored their third at Portman Road earlier this month, the Premier League never felt so far away. Too many of Magilton's signings have failed to deliver consistently and too much cash has been wasted in the process. Meanwhile, baffling...(read more)

Big decisions await Town's new arrival

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:03:00 GMT

I DON’T know much about the man, but new Ipswich Town chief executive Simon Clegg’s CV makes for impressive reading. In particular, his successes as British Olympic chief – he oversaw our record medal haul in Beijing – should instil optimism among the Portman Road faithful. Strong and purposeful leadership is required right now and Clegg appears at first sight to be a man capable of refocusing Town’s bid for a place in the Premier League. His predecessor Derek Bowden – highly regarded by the supporters’...(read more)

Hope, expectation, disappointment and derby glory - that was the 2008/09 season

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:09:00 GMT

SO that was the 2008/09 season. While there are still two games to play, to all intents and purposes the derby victory over Norwich may as well have been the season’s final fixture. Will Sunday’s 3-2 triumph persuade Marcus Evans that Jim Magilton is the man for the job? That remains as much of a mystery as Evans himself. East Anglian bragging rights are a welcome boost but, in many fans’ eyes, they are not enough to paper over the dross which has been served up in abundance this season. ...(read more)

Why I won't boo Alan Lee

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:53:00 GMT

REMEMBER when Alan Lee scored against Norwich City at Carrow Road last season? His expression of pure, unfettered joy as he galloped towards the travelling fans was priceless. What about his reaction after his second goal against Sunderland at home a couple of years ago? And his wild celebration after netting the winner at home to Hull City on the final day of last season? It is because of those memories, and many more, that I will not be joining the North Stand majority in hurling abuse at...(read more)

Come on, Marcus - it's time for a change

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:22:00 GMT

WHEN the fans and the players stop caring about their club, you know it must be time for a change. Such is the case at Ipswich Town. Apathy has reined down by the bucket load at Portman Road this season. Supporters, who have been nurtured on nail-biting season climaxes, are bored - bored with the dismal football, bored with the rhetoric which tumbles from the boardroom and bored with investing significant sums of money in a club which has failed to deliver. And the players, judging...(read more)

Gianfranco Zola is a breath of fresh air

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:37:00 GMT

I’VE never been much of a fan of West Ham, especially after the Clarets twice dumped Town out of the play-offs a few years back. But I have to admit that I have this season kept a glancing eye on the goings on at Upton Park. The reason for my new found admiration can be summed up in two words - Gianfranco Zola. The little Italian was a class act on the pitch - and it turns out he is exactly the same off it. Intelligent and charming, Zola is a breath of fresh air in a sport which has become...(read more)

Life would be dull without Norwich in our lives

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:01:00 GMT

CAST aside your contempt, ignore county boundaries and discard rivalries of days gone by. That is my clarion call to the proud folk of Suffolk today as I urge those with an allegiance to all things blue and white to back poor Bryan Gunn’s struggling Canaries. Make no mistake, I want nothing more for ailing Norwich City than their current plight – hovering ominously above the dreaded drop zone. But to lose them from our fixture list entirely would be a disaster - like Superman without Lex Luther,...(read more)

Robin Friday - a true footballing hero

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:14:00 GMT

I HAPPENED to stumble across the playing career of former footballer Robin Friday the other day. I’d heard of the ex-Reading and Cardiff City striker but knew nothing of his life story or sporting triumphs. My interest in him took hold after discovering that Welsh rockers The Super Furry Animals had previously written a song in his honour, entitled The Man Don’t Give a ****. The cover of the single features its subject flicking the Vs at Luton Town goalkeeper Milija Aleksic, whom he had just...(read more)

David Beckham - in it for the money?

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:08:00 GMT

DAVID Beckham is currently weighing up whether or not to remain at AC Milan once his loan contract concludes on March 9. His temporary switch from LA Galaxy has been a success to date. The midfielder scored his first goal for the Italian giants in a recent match with Bologna and has become a popular figure among supporters of the Rossoneri. Now he admits he has to decide whether he wants to remain in Italy or head 'home' to the west coast of America. While the sunshine, glitz and...(read more)

Fabian Wilnis - a football gentleman

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:58:00 GMT

I HAD the pleasure of interviewing Fabian Wilnis earlier today in preparation for a feature on the Dutchman’s years at Portman Road. The long-serving defender spoke at length of his time at Ipswich Town, recalling with a smile the many highs and occasional lows of a career in Blue. He also remembered standing on the Feyenoord Rotterdam terraces as a boy, his passion for the game fuelled by the dazzling skills of Johann Cruyff and Ruud Gullit. For those who have never met him, Fabian is a genuinely...(read more)

Home-grown quota system is a waste of time

josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:28:00 GMT

I READ with interest the Football League’s decision to overwhelmingly vote in favour of implementing new quotas on home-grown players from the start of next season. At least four players in every 16-man match-day squad will have to have been registered domestically for at least three years before their 21st birthday. Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney heralded the change. “This is a very significant day,” he remarked. “Players coming through will have a greater chance to show their talent."...(read more)