It could have been so different...

13-05-2025

With only a couple of Premier League games remaining before Ipswich Town drop back down to the Championship, I thought I'd scratch a 'whataboutery' itch for the season to date.So for what limited good it will do, here's my top five 'Sliding Doors' moments for Ipswich's 2024-25 campaign - the situations which could have taken a far more positive path than what actually happened.Palmer as goalkeeperWhile the criticism of goalkeeper Aro Muric has been overblown, it's clear that Alex Palmer is a calmer pair of hands. Starting the season with him in goal might have given our defensive unit more confidence from the off.Dropped points against FulhamThere was only one team that looked likely to score the winning goal in this game back in August, and sadly they had to settle for a point. Had Jack Clarke or Omari Hutchinson beaten the stoic Bernd Leno late on who knows what an early season victory would have done for confidence.Beaten at BrentfordThis incident-packed trip to west London ultimately led to a galling defeat, a season-ending injury and a suspension. If only the Blues had dug in at half-time and not gone on to lose in such a confidence-sapping manner.Failure to beat Leicester at homeA shocking VAR-induced minute of madness - where an ascendant Town were denied a stonewall penalty before seconds later Kalvin Phillips was harshly sent off - started an unwelcome trend of dropping points late on at home to relegation rivals.Clarke hits the post at FulhamOff the back of victory over Chelsea, Town headed to Fulham with confidence and managed the game expertly. That all changed in the 89th minute, when Jack Clarke fired in a fearsome shot to secure the points which instead agonisingly came back off the post. Within a minute, the Blues had conceded a penalty to the hosts and were denied back-to-back wins for the first time.Find more from Richard Woodward at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Ynysddu rugby team fundraising to play in Premiership

South Wales Argus

15 minutes ago

South Wales Argus

Ynysddu rugby team fundraising to play in Premiership

Theo Rushton-Marsh, who plays for Ynysddu BG Women, described her journey with the club as life-changing and is now fundraising to help cover the costs of competing at this level. She said: "I was so nervous about what our next chapter had in store for us. "But what I didn't know was that only down the road, at Ynysddu RFC, was the group of women who were going to completely change my life." The team secured an unbeaten Championship season to earn promotion to the Premiership for the 2025/26 season, and will now play in the top flight of Welsh women's rugby for the first time in the club's history. But Theo says the step up comes with major financial challenges. She said: "Competing in a women's National League means playing games with 10-hour return travel times, paying thousands per game for minibuses because we compete on Sundays, taking out private health insurance because it isn't covered by the club, increasing out-of-training fitness work because we all work full time, and purchasing league-appropriate kit, which for example would cost over £10,000 for just a 23-player team alone, and we have over 30 players registered." Theo has chosen to use her personal sponsorship appeal to raise awareness and funds for Platfform, a mental health charity working across South Wales. She said: "Platfform is a mental health charity that focuses on social change and community as driving factors for improving the wellbeing of those struggling by building authentic connection. "As a service provider, they work to keep people from homelessness, offer therapeutic alternatives to hospitals, and facilitate community projects and meetings." The fundraising has special meaning for Theo, who has spoken openly about her own mental health journey and the role rugby has played in her recovery. She said: "Throughout the years I have been playing rugby I have made multiple attempts on my life, been involuntarily committed to various in-patient stays, and was prescribed around ten medications to 'deal' with the symptoms of ill mental health that I was experiencing without truly addressing the causes. "I do not know where I would be today without rugby and my ever-changing and growing support system." Theo hopes the community will get behind her and the team as they step onto the Premiership stage. She said: "If you don't want to donate because my club is awesome and women's rugby is underfunded and expensive, and if you don't want to donate to support getting the amazing charity Platfform some free advertising, donate because I really love playing rugby with this team and I would really appreciate your support in getting myself to the Premiership through community fundraising. "I know money is tight right now and everything is just so expensive. But if you can spare anything to support me and Ynysddu BG Women – we will go and do our best to win the whole thing again." Donations are accepted through Theo's Go Fund Me page.

How Max Dowman dominated Arsenal's Asia tour at just 15 - and what Mikel Arteta has planned next for 'Kaka clone' who wowed Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard but hasn't even finished his GCSEs yet

Daily Mail

43 minutes ago

Daily Mail

How Max Dowman dominated Arsenal's Asia tour at just 15 - and what Mikel Arteta has planned next for 'Kaka clone' who wowed Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard but hasn't even finished his GCSEs yet

A humid evening in Singapore, and the Arsenal players are going through their final warm-ups before a pre-season clash with Newcastle. One of the first to take to the pitch is a lean, focused teenager, barely old enough to start his GCSEs who is already attracting curious glances from veterans and coaches alike. Max Dowman, just 15, is a name Arsenal fans had only heard whispers of, shared clips of, but one they will soon come to know well.

Fake sick notes, lying wives, tantrums, intimidation and massive paydays: Exposed - the murky world of footballers trying to force a move, why clubs are powerless and how to spot a 'transfer terrorist'

Daily Mail

43 minutes ago

Daily Mail

Fake sick notes, lying wives, tantrums, intimidation and massive paydays: Exposed - the murky world of footballers trying to force a move, why clubs are powerless and how to spot a 'transfer terrorist'

It's pre-season training at a big Premier League club a year ago. The sun is shining, players are laughing as they relive antics from the beach. Coaching staff are putting the final touches to their preparations. Optimism fills the air - with one exception. Within the ranks of suntanned and toned players is what, within football, is known as a 'transfer terrorist'.