Football Season Guide

The summer of 2018 saw Ipswich attempt a dangerous experiment following the departure of Mick McCarthy, as they appointed Paul Hurst and allowed him to undergo a squad clear-out that saw their side remain littered with League One players. The signings failed to make the step up and Hurst's reign was a short one, with the Tractor Boys suffering their first relegation to the third tier in more than sixty years. As is usually the case with sides relegated from the Championship after a lengthy stay there, the Tractor Boys have lost a lot of players over the summer, with the experienced manager Paul Lambert, who took over during the previous campaign, being trusted to restructure the squad and equip Ipswich to battle for promotion. Despite losing so many players during the summer, Ipswich still have a rather large squad and several players signed under Hurst remain at the club and will have a chance to again shine in the division where they made their names. Two more proven League One players were signed in Tomas Holy and Luke Garbutt, while James Norwood signs from Tranmere after enjoying a sensational campaign with the Rovers last time around. All in all, the Tractor Boys have done some decent damage reduction following their relegation. They have kept a lot of players who can prove useful at this level and will be expected to deliver promotion at the first time of asking. Apart from being expected to get out of the league, Lambert will know that he has to deal with the added pressure of Ipswich being rightly perceived as being too big a club to be in this division.