Ipswich Town FC – The ‘Tractor Boys’ – are finally living up to their name as the SkyBet Championship promotion-race hots up, amid the January big freeze!
Following a chastening 3-1 defeat away at Leicester City on December 13th, Ipswich Town have now gone four matches unbeaten – picking up 10 points – and conceding just once.
This ‘mini-run’ over the festive period (20th December to 1st January) saw them briefly move into the top two of the Championship table with 44 points from their 25 matches so far.
Plummeting temperatures in parts of the UK meant that their final match of the ‘festive period’ on Sunday, 4th January, away to Portsmouth was postponed due to a frozen pitch, leaving them in third place. The gap to second-placed Middlesbrough is two points, and the gap to leaders Coventry City is eight points. Ipswich have a ‘game in hand’ on both now.
They are not scheduled to be back in league action until Saturday, 17th January now, so a good time to assess their first half of the season…
The comparisons with the ‘tractor’ (as they are often fondly referred to with the surrounding farmland in Suffolk) are there for all to see and debate. Here are four:
1. Doing all the ‘heavy lifting’ at a crucial time of the year
Without becoming too politically nuanced, we all know that farmers (and their tractors) are essential for providing our food – especially at this time of year when it forms an integral part of festive celebrations for many.
Ipswich Town have started to make a move on the ‘Top 2’ during a time when clubs are at their busiest. With four games in ten days, it’s only the deep squads that can cope effectively. With Premier League parachute payments and a squad that many have called the ‘best in the league’, this is what they really should be producing. But it isn’t always that simple.
Back in May, Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie said that Ipswich will be “definitely, definitely among the top two” at the end of the season.
The Championship is a league that is ‘full-on’ from start to finish, and anyone who can win a series of games in a row skyrockets up the table. This run of form could be Ipswich making their move right now – but Coventry City are still top and eight points clear of 3rd. Whilst this seems a lot, it was only two matches ago that the gap was as large as THIRTEEN points. Things change quickly in what is arguably the most entertaining league in the land!
2. Slow-moving but still getting the job done
Keeping with the ‘tractor comparisons’, we know that they don’t go anywhere too quickly – especially if you’re stuck behind one on the Motorway or even worse, a busy A-road with limited overtaking opportunities. Once they get in front, they tend to stay there for a while – or at least until they reach their intended destination. The only caveat here would be the polite tractor drivers who choose to move over and let all the traffic pass. I don’t think this is on Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna’s mind right now.
The statistics say that Ipswich are now 3rd – and have lost just twice in their last 15 matches. This cannot be argued with, but it certainly hasn’t been captivating from the pre-season ‘title favourites’ just yet.
They are definitely a ‘slow-burner’ – but it only really matters where they are at the end of the season.
‘Getting the job done’ would be a perfect way of describing their latest victory over Oxford United on New Year’s Day. A 2-1 win, where possession and chances were dominated but the winning margin was narrow, and it wasn’t as stylish – or comfortable – as many fans would like.
3. Some flashes of brilliance and style, but not yet their day-to-day routine
Tractors are built to be reliable, resilient and durable – and ‘how they look’ is not really that important – as long as the end product is a success. Jeremy Clarkson showed us all that you can get a ‘Lamborghini’ tractor full of extra gadgets and buttons – which looks lovely but does mean that there’s also more that can go wrong!
They are the second top scorers in the Championship with 42 goals in 25 matches. The Home supporters have been wowed on a couple of memorable occasions with the 5-0 thumping of Sheffield United and the 3-1 derby-day victory against rivals Norwich City (for the first time in 14 games). Added to this, they have recently ‘doubled’ the runaway league leaders Coventry in December, following 3-0 and 2-0 victories. And on the road, they produced back-to-back 4-1 victories at QPR and Swansea City earlier in the season.
But there have been just as many underwhelming performances and results as they adapt to life back in the Championship after relegation last season. They needed injury-time penalties to rescue a point away at Birmingham and at home against Derby in August. There was the worrying defeat (0-3) to Charlton Athletic, followed by a 1-1 draw with Watford in successive home matches. And finally, the 2-1 defeat at Oxford United was unexpected – as was the manner of the 3-1 humbling at Leicester City before their current good run began.
Personally, I don’t think Ipswich have played that well, that often so far this season.
But they do have the ‘trump card’ of players they can call upon who can deliver moments of individual brilliance. Jaden Philogene has scored 9 Championship goals – many of these wonder strikes (all at Portman Road), and Jack Clarke has notched 8 times, even though most of these came from off the bench. A further indicator of their strength in depth.
In addition, a solid defence (the second best in the league) and a proven manager at this level are both major assets.
Winning – however that happens – is ultimately the most important factor in their quest for promotion. This is now happening more consistently than before.
4. ‘Mechanical’ issues that may need addressing with new parts
A tractor has so many features and mechanisms that could potentially go wrong, and if they do, it is often very expensive to repair – unless you know what you’re doing.
One problem they’ve had this season is breaking down the ‘low block’, or, in simple terms, teams that defend solidly. Ipswich have suddenly become the team expected to dominate possession and dictate the tempo of matches, which they haven’t yet fully mastered. In addition, with a huge turnover in playing staff over the last season and a half, they are also struggling to create the same team spirit and camaraderie that was such a weapon for them in their back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League between 2022 and 2024.
In terms of ‘new parts’, Ipswich Town do have healthy funds to spend in the January transfer window. With the parachute payments they are receiving, along with the huge sums gained from the notable sales of Liam Delap (£30million) and Omari Hutchinson (£37.5million) in the Summer, further player recruitment should be expected.
Despite being the division’s second-top scorer, the main striker, George Hirst, is injured again and has a poor fitness record. His return of five goals in 21 matches is modest, but is better than the other ‘back-up’ attacking options – Ivan Azon (2) and Chuba Akpom (2). This would be the most obvious gap to fill.
The last time they were in the Championship (during the 23-24 season), they recruited Kieffer Moore on loan in January. He went on to score 7 goals in 18 matches to get them over the line when they were promoted as runners-up. They will be hoping for a similar impact for whoever is on their radar this time.
Dutch midfielder Azor Matusiwa has been a revelation in holding midfield for Ipswich, too – but his tendency for a yellow card and the fact that they have no ‘like for like’ replacement for him is another area where they may seek reinforcements.
In Summary
Poised in third place in the Championship in early January is a place that most sides would dream of. For Ipswich, expectations have risen dramatically so that some outlets would view a third-place finish as a complete failure. The struggling duo of Southampton and Leicester City, along with Ipswich, is a sign that the relegated clubs aren’t having it all their own way.
However, Ipswich’s recent upturn in form, the loss of form of Coventry and also the inconsistencies of the other promotion candidates so far (Middlesbrough, Preston, Millwall, Watford) would suggest that ‘The Tractor Boys’ are well-placed for another serious tilt at promotion. Their strength in depth – which is likely to be further added to in January should have even the leaders of Coventry City looking nervously over their shoulder as we enter the second half of another relentless Championship campaign.