Ipswich Town

Founder members of the Premier League Ipswich, in their first campaign, reached as high as 
fourth and, were it not for seven draws in that opening spell, Ipswich might have made more 
of an impact. Though it must be said draws at Old Trafford and at home to Liverpool and 
Spurs were commendable.

With 35-year-old John Wark, in his third spell at Portman Road, and Mick Stockwell in midfield 
Ipswich didn’t lose until their ninth game, at Oldham, but recovered to draw with Sheffield 
United and beat Leeds to move into eighth place. That was their highest until January when 
Manchester United were beaten and suddenly people were beginning to notice the team from 
Suffolk, though the term ‘Tractor Boys’ was considered by some to be derogatory.

Unfortunately that was to be the zenith for Ipswich and they fell away badly, going 13 
games without a win, dropping to 17th before arresting the slide with victory over Norwich. 
They then lost to Palace before ending the first Premiership campaign with a win over Forest 
that secured 16th place in the final table.

The second season suffered badly from a dreadful scoring record, just 35 from the 42 games, 
which when the start to the campaign is considered is amazing. Three successive victories 
put Town second but eight games without a win followed before Wimbledon were beaten. 
Unfortunately only two points were gathered from the next four fixtures before an Eddie 
Youds goal beat Blackburn. Two wins and three draws lifted Ipswich to 11th but defeat at 
Anfield saw them slump to 14th. Another five games produced just three draws and alarm 
bells started to ring. Sheffield United were beaten but then Arsenal crushed Ipswich at home 
and although the team won the next match, against Villa, it turned out to be the last victory 
of the campaign, and there were still 11 games to go. Relegation was a distinct probability. 
Indeed, only a last day ‘injury-time’ winner by Mark Stein put Sheffield United down, 3–2 
losers to Chelsea, and saved Ipswich, who stayed up by one point.

Ipswich finally went down at the end of 1994–95 and it proved a record-breaking season for 
all the wrong reasons. The club was relegated with the most defeats in Premier League 
history, 22, the lowest ever points total, 27 and suffered the heaviest Premiership defeat, 
9–0 against Manchester United. The side only won two games in a row, once, the rest of 
the campaign was a catalogue of winless runs and consecutive defeats. Ipswich were in the 
bottom two from the end of November and bottom from 15 April. Goals were the main 
problem, too many at the wrong end, 93 and only one more, 36, than the previous campaign 
at the right end.

Ipswich returned to the top flight in 2000 and surprised everyone with a superb season 
finishing fifth. It would have been even higher had they not dropped five points in their last 
three matches. Two more wins and they would have been runners-up because a six-game 
unbeaten run put Ipswich third by 21 April. Nevertheless a best-ever Premiership finish won 
George Burley Manager of the Year.

The following season again brought relegation. Yet after just a single win in the first 17 
games, leaving them bottom Ipswich rallied with seven wins from eight to earn relative 
security in 12th, by February, but then 13 games and only one win meant relegation, again.

Managers

John Lyall               1990–1994

George Burley          December 1994–2002

Joe Royle               October 2002–