First of all let me say that these are my thoughts and not necessarily those of the Branch. Secondly, I have been an Ipswich  supporter for over 70 years, and I think I am entitled to air my views. I have been there through good times and bad, and we have had our share of both.
Sadly, at the moment we are in the bad times. It all started when those in charge decided to get rid of Jim Magilton, and replace him with Roy Keane – what a mistaker to maker!! I think that over 90% of our older fan base knew from the start that he was not the man to take us forward as a family club – and so it has proved over the past seasons since Jim left us.
What we had served up to us this season was not only very sad, but also a disgrace. We did not seem to make any progress with the team and despite big money coming in from  big transfers, money spent on getting new players in was near enough nil. Money did not seem to be available. We got several players VERY cheap and some good loan signings, but it never a basis on which to build.
Team selection seemed to be very difficult to understand. I think it proved the point when the list of players being released at the end of the season included Brett Pitman, who the manager kept using right up to the end. Should he have been?? We are being told we have some good young lads coming through – why did they not get a chance?  A lot of those out there playing with the shirt on did not seem to understand how much the supporters wanted to be behind them, but they in turn did not seem to be interested.
We, as a Branch struggle, to keep going, yet the help and support that we get from Ipswich other than Liz Edwards, is nil. The gift the Town sent us to fund raise with was a disgrace. When we ask to have players visit us, we are told it is too far for them to travel, yet we travel to every home game and do not say it is too far, although the way our numbers are falling on the coach, perhaps it is becoming too far for the rubbish presented to us. Our vice-chairman, Milne, has twice said that he would come and visit us when a date was free. My goodness, what a busy man. In all the time  he has been here, he obviously never had a free date or he would have kept his promise.
I have already said that at my age and with my medical problems, I felt that I could not carry on as I had in the past. I needed someone to help with coach bookings and Copy for What’s On, both jobs needing me to type dates. Spellchecker  picks out spelling mistakes, but not errors with times or dates. I have been assured by my hospital that this is a medical problem shared by many people, but it is a problem. Any offers to take on this side of my job would be well received, particularly if The Branch is going to continue to function.
This year we held several events to bring in money: The Big Bash brought in over £400, and an away coach to Bristol brought a small profit. Late night shopping brought in a little – about £160 – but was it worth it? Lastly, the Easter Egg Hunt raised over £1000 for the Branch. The sad thing about these events is that it is normally the same people who help.
The Committee at the moment are looking at what we would do if we closed down the Branch, if no help is forthcoming. We are optimistically asking ourselves how we could improve the Branch, how we could get more help, and even increase the activities at The Easter Egg Hunt. I  have been in favour of is running coaches to away games, but several people are against it. They are worried that they might upset other coaches that they travel on.  The fares on the home coaches are set for the season, and have not been increased for over four years. However, with an away coach, you can divide the total cost of the coach by the number of people going.. Yes, it is not quite as easy as that, but if we do not come out of our comfort zone, we will never know what we can do.
One way to make more money on home coaches is for the team to play more attractive football, a team that enjoys playing for the club and is proud to wear the shirt. We also need to bring out some of those at the top and try to get some in on the board who know about and love football at the club.

Right. Having got that off my chest, I can go and enjoy my dinner and have a sleep. I really do love Ipswich Town.

Iain Ross