Will Town Ever Strike It Rich?

I am genuinely concerned. We have just sold Brett Pitman to Portsmouth on a free transfer and after the Jon Dadi Bodvarsson interest curtailed, there has been no news of possible replacements. This is worrying.

Once again, Town were found wanting. Owner Marcus Evans still seems reluctant to loosen those purse strings and that is why Reading stepped in with a promise of a permanent deal when we were angling for an extended loan, with a view to a long term contract.

Whether Bodvarsson would have been a worthy investment is open to debate because a lot of fans were not impressed with a striker who rarely scores goals! That said, he scored some crucial ones for Iceland and that was the catalyst for their success in the European Championships against all the odds we must not forget.

After the exploits of Daryl Murphy a few seasons since, we have seriously struggled to get goals and manager Mick McCarthy’s obsession with defence, probably means that if we do bring in a striker before the new season begins, then it won’t necessarily be because he is a prolific striker but someone who tracks back.

The signing of 22 year old Wolverhampton Wanderers right back Dominic Iorfa is encouraging but the under 21 England international is only on a season long loan and nothing more and does little to address those attacking short falls.

I am curious too about what the Town coaches are up to? They are supposedly scouting all over Europe for potential buys and yet the Netherlands does not seem to be on their radar?

As we know from the past, the Dutch usually adapt well to the English game and the physical elements of the Championship would not frighten them.

I therefore cannot understand why we don’t investigate this market more seriously because Arnold Muhren, Frans Thijssen, Martijn Reuser and indeed Romeo Zondervan, should serve as very persuasive reminders of their fantastic potential in the English game.

Failing this, then we should be taking a punt on strikers who have proved their worth further down the league pyramid like Doncaster striker John Marquis.

The 25-year-old hit man scored 26 goals to help Doncaster Rovers to League Two promotion last season and has turned down a new deal at the Keepmoat Stadium – although Darren Ferguson, who is the current boss of the Yorkshiremen, is still hopeful they can persuade him to stay?

And finally, some good news to report! Andre Dozzell played from the start for the England under 19 side who defeated Portugal last night in Georgia, to win a medal for the victorious young lions as they lifted the under 19 European Championships!

His father former Town star Jason said that it was a very memorable occasion. ‘I`m a very proud dad and it’s one of the proudest days of my life, seeing him out there for England winning an U19 tournament. It`s massive, I never got close!,’ he said.


Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich