Could You Be The Town Mastermind?

Watching the final of the long-running BBC Master Mind quiz, I had a brilliant idea! Town aficionados of football amongst us could actually win the damn thing!  Now, I would love to be the person in the final who decided that his specialist subject would be the history of Ipswich Town football club, but I suspect that under the microscope and those dimmed lights, my general knowledge would find me wanting. But how about you? How would you do in representing the Blues?!

So, let’s just imagine for one moment that you have two minutes on your chosen subject starting from now!

1.  What was the name of the Italian goalkeeper who signed for Ipswich Town from Sampdoria for a club-record £4.5 million in the season of 2001/2002?
2. What year was David Sheepshanks appointed club Chairman?
3. Who was the defender who through a series of misfortunes both on and off the football field was capped only nine times by England and yet he was regarded by many as one of the most accomplished central defenders since Busby Babe Duncan Edwards?
4. What season did Ipswich Town win the First Division Championship for the first and only time?
5. Who scored the only goal in the FA Cup final between Ipswich and Arsenal that the Suffolk club won in 1978?
6. Who said on the appointment of Alf Ramsey as the new Ipswich Town manager, “In appointing Alf to become their manager, Ipswich Town paid a tremendous tribute to intelligent football – and footballers who think!”
7. Bill McGarry left Ipswich in 1969 to join which club?
8. What was the name of the Ipswich Town director who Bobby Robson met in a chance meeting at Portman Road, prior to his appointment as Ipswich manager when he was at the ground scouting for Chelsea boss Dave Sexton?
9. What was the name of the Irish international footballer who was appointed as the clubs first professional manager?
10. In the history of Ipswich Town, they have been managed on two occasions by managers’ who share the same surname. What is it?
11. Arnold Muhren was the first Dutch player to be signed by Ipswich in 1978 shortly followed by another Dutch footballer, who was he?
12. Who was Ipswich Town leading scorer in years 1977–78 to 1979–80?
13. Ipswich Town F.C. were elected to the Football League on the 30th May 1938 by a margin of just two votes but at which clubs expense?
14.  Ipswich Town recorded their biggest ever victory as an amateur club in the season 1880/81 with a 15–0 defeat of East Stamford, with one player scoring a treble hat-trick who was he?
15. After suffering from cancer and becoming less able to carry out his formal duties as chairman, John Cobbold swapped roles with director Patrick Cobbold in which year?
16. What year was Ipswich Town football club formed?
17. Who replaced Sir Bobby Robson as the new Town Manager in July 1982
18. Who was reported to have said in the Spanish press that “El Real no es invincible” (“Real are not invincible”) before a 0–0 draw at the Bernabeu Stadium secured Ipswich’s shock passage into the second round of the Uefa Cup of 1973-74?

And before you check the answers and see how you did, it is worth remembering that most of the winners of this competition did so by accumulating so many points on their own specialist subject that they need only answer around seven or eight general knowledge questions correctly to actually win. Normally, however, most competitors face a maximum of 15 questions on their chosen subject but I have broken the rules a bit here, just to see how knowledgable you all are!

I would love nothing more to see a Town supporter enter the competition and if you feel you are up to it why not fill in a short application form by sending an email to mastermind.hth@hattrick.com for an application form!

And now onto the answers.

1. Matteo Sereni   2.1995  3. Kevin Beattie  4.1962  5. Roger Osborne  6. Billy Wright  7. Wolves  8. Murray Sangster  9.Mick O’Brien 10. Duncan – Scott (1936-1955 and John (1987-1990) 11. Frans Thijssen  12. Paul Mariner  13. Gillingham  14. John Knights  15. 1976  16. On the 16th October 1878 as an amateur side known as Ipswich A.F.C and one hundred years exactly, they lifted the FA Cup for the first time. 17. Bobby Ferguson 18. Mick Mills.

So then, I know there a lot of clever clogs out there, and I am confident many of you would have got most of the Ipswich Town questions right, so then, how good is your general knowledge? If it is better than mine, then I strongly suggest you try your luck and put the Blues back in the public eye!