In 1961, Ipswich Town won their division and were promoted to the highest level of English football, "Division One". The club went on to win this division the next season. This let them play in European football competition, The European Cup the following season. Two years later,they were sent back to "Division Two" where they stayed for four years before being promoted to "Division One" again, in 1968. Soon after, Bobby Robson became the manager of the club and led them to success in both English and European football. In 1978 Ipswich won the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, beating Arsenal F.C. 1–0. Further success came in 1981 when Ipswich defeated Dutch team AZ Alkmaar.
Bobby Robson was asked to become manager of the England national football team in 1982 so he left the club. Ipswich did not do well in the following seasons and were relegated to "Division Two" in 1986. They remained here until 1993 when they won the division and promotion into the new English Premier League. Two poor seasons followed, including a 9–0 defeat by Manchester United, still the biggest defeat in Premier League history. In 1995 Ipswich were relegated once again and stayed in second division of English football until they were promoted in 2000 after they beat Barnsley in the play-offs at Wembley 4–2.
In their first season in the Premier League, Ipswich finished fifth; This meant they qualified to play in the UEFA Cup the next season. Although the club played well in the European competition, they were poor in the Premier League. They finished bottom and were relegated to Division One, now called Football League Championship. Ipswich were relegated to League 1 after the 18/19 season, finishing bottom of the championship.
One of Ipswich Town's nicknames is "The Blues". This is because the traditional kit the players wear is usually mostly blue. When Ipswich play against other teams who also wear blue, they change to an alternative kit, sometimes called an "away" kit. The "away" kit has been different colours including orange, white, red and black vertical stripes and, as of 2009, plain red.
The crest which is on the shirts and shorts of the kit shows a horse, with one hoof resting on a football. Underneath the horse is a river—this represents the River Orwell which flows through the town.
Ipswich Town play their home games at a stadium called Portman Road. The club started playing games here in 1884. The stadium can hold over 30,000 people. Outside the ground there are statues of both Bobby Robson and Sir Alf Ramsey.
In 2003, England played a game against Croatia at Portman Road. England won the game 3–1. The England youth team has also played at the stadium several times.
Other sports have been played at Portman Road, including athletics, hockey and American football. The stadium has also been used for events other than sports. It has been used for concerts by Elton John, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rod Stewart.
Local fans call the team "Town" because it is a shortened version of the team name. Some people also call Ipswich the "Tractor Boys". This nickname is used a lot by newspapers. Many Ipswich fans use this name as a joke rather than letting it be an insult.
The main rival of Ipswich Town is Norwich City who are based in Norfolk. When these two teams play, the game is called the "East Anglian derby". The derby is usually referred to as the 'Old Farm' derby, a take on the 'Old Firm' derby played in Scotland between Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers (now 'The Rangers').
Mick Mills holds the record for Ipswich league appearances. He played 591 matches between 1966 and 1982. The club's top league goalscorer is Ray Crawford, who scored 203 goals between 1958 and 1969. Ted Phillips holds the record for the most goals scored in a season, 41 in the 1956–57 season. Allan Hunter has played the most international games while at the club, making 47 appearances for Northern Ireland.
The club's widest victories in the league have been their 7–0 wins against Portsmouth in 1964, against Southampton in 1974 and against West Bromwich Albion in the First Division in 1976. Their biggest defeats in the league were 10–1 against Fulham in 1963 and 9–0 against Manchester United in 1995.
The highest number of people to watch Ipswich at Portman Road is 38,010 for a sixth round FA Cup match against Leeds United on 8 March 1975.
The largest amount of money received for an Ipswich player is £6.5 million, from Newcastle United for Kieron Dyer in July 1999. The most the club has spent on a player was £4.75 million for Matteo Sereni from Sampdoria in July 2001.
Paul Lambert is the current manager of Ipswich Town, replacing
Mick McCarthy. McCarthy was formerly the manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. who he left in 2012. McCarthy joined Ipswich in November 2012.
Two managers of Ipswich Town have gone on to become the manager of the England national football team. The first was Sir Alf Ramsey. He also won the World Cup for England in 1966. The second was Sir Bobby Robson who got England to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup finals. George Burley became manager of the Scotland national football team in January 2008, for 22 months.
Ipswich Town won the top division once (when it was called Division One) in 1962. The club has won the FA Cup once, in 1978, when they defeated Arsenal F.C. 1–0. The club has also won the UEFA Cup once in 1981.
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English football club. They are from the city of Sunderland.
The club played in the Premier League in the 2005/2006 season, they finished bottom. They played in the Football League Championship in 2006/2007, but were promoted back to the Premiership for 2007/08 under manager Roy Keane.
Sunderland AFC were created in 1879 and joined the Football League in 1891. They have won the league six times. The last time Sunderland won the league was in 1936. Sunderland have won the FA Cup two times, in 1937 and 1973.
For 99 years, Sunderland played their home games at Roker Park. In 1997 they moved, and now play their home games at the Stadium of Light. The stadium holds 49,000 people.
The team's most recent promotion to the English Premier League was in 2007, and they are now, in 2015/16, in their ninth season in a row in this division. They have had three different managers in 2013. Martin O'Neill was fired at the end of March and Paolo Di Canio became manager. He was fired in September after the team had bad results, and Gus Poyet replaced him on October 8th.
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (West Brom, WBA) is an English football club. The club plays in the Championship. Their home stadium is called the Hawthorns.
Albion were one of the founding members of The Football League in 1888 and have spent the majority of their existence in the top tier of English football. They have been champions of England once, in 1919–20, but have had more success in the FA Cup, with five wins. The first came in 1888, the year the league was founded, and the most recent in 1968, their last major trophy. They also won the Football League Cup at the first attempt in 1966. The club's longest consecutive period in the top division was between 1949 and 1973, and from 1986 to 2002 they spent their longest ever period out of the top division. The 2011–12 season will be their sixth season in the Premier League since 2002. The Hawthorns is a stadium on a hill.
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English football club.
The club plays in the Premier League. It was started in 1895 and its home stadium is the London stadium East London. The club is also called "the Hammers" and "the Irons" because it was started in a London Ironworks. Their main rivals are Millwall and other rivals are Tottenham Hotspur, chelsea and Arsenal
West ham currently are managed by David Moyes, their former care-taker manager for the 2017/18 season in Premier League.
Wigan Athletic F.C.