Norwich City's Grant Holt scores his hatrick goal during the npower Championship match at Carrow Road, Norwich.
David Freezer
Thursday, October 25, 2012
10:28 AM
For people who do not like football, fierce rivalries between supporters of different teams can often seem bizarre.
Norwich City's Leon McKenzie celebrates his first goal for the club during the match at Ipswich
Pic Simon Finlay
copyright EDP 2003But for football fans, it would seem, showing sympathy to your rivals is just not the done thing.
We have been running a poll on www.eveningnews24.co.uk to find out whether Norwich City fans are feeling sorry for supporters of their Suffolk rivals, Ipswich Town.
That is because Town have slumped to the bottom of the table in English football’s second tier, the Championship, and subsequently parted company with manager Paul Jewell.
A 2-1 home defeat to Derby County at Portman Road on Tuesday night was Town’s third successive loss and extended their winless streak to 10 matches.
Ipswich - Thursday April 21st, 2011: Simeon Jackson of Norwich celebrates scoring his sides 3rd goal during the Npower Championship match at Portman Road, Ipswich. (Pic by Paul Chesterton/Focus Images)It was the last straw for the club’s board and yesterday afternoon the Suffolk club confirmed it had parted company with Jewell by mutual consent.
It is easy for Norwich City supporters to laugh at their Suffolk neighbours from their position of 15th in the Premier League, a full 29 places further up the ladder of English football.
But we wanted to know if supporters would actually like to see their arch rivals sink to the third tier, League One, or if they would prefer the two teams to be in the same division.
More than 2,000 people voted in our poll and the results were overwhelming.
Ipswich - Thursday April 21st, 2011: The Norwich fans celebrate victory at the end of the Npower Championship match at Portman Road, Ipswich. (Pic by Paul Chesterton/Focus Images)There were 1,341 people, 65pc, who said they would be happy to see Town relegated, while 370 people, 18pc, who said they didn’t care what happened to Town and 354 people, 17pc, who said they would prefer it if City and Town were in the same division.
If Town were to be relegated at the end of this season it would guarantee a third successive season without an East Anglian derby league match for fans of both sides to savour, even if Norwich were also relegated.
Norwich City supporter Malcolm Francis was in little doubt about what he wants to see happen though, saying: “I would like to see Ipswich Town go down to League One, simply on the grounds of “what goes around comes around”.
He said: “I can remember their fans mockingly waving wads of cash at us when Marcus Evans took over, and who can forget the Norwich City relegation party posted on Facebook when we went down to League One.
Ipswich - Thursday April 21st, 2011: The scoreboard says it all at the end of the Npower Championship match at Portman Road, Ipswich. (Pic by Paul Chesterton/Focus Images)“I was ribbed mercilessly at this time by a Town fan I worked with, so this could be payback. Having said this, I wouldn’t want them to fold completely, and perhaps one day they could drag themselves back up so we can enjoy local derbies once more in the Premier League.” Scott Macleod was more sympathetic, using Twitter to respond: “The one fixture I really miss is the derby with #ITFC. Derby day is very special and I miss it a lot.”
While Tim Allman, a member of the Capital Canaries supporters group, tweeted: “I’d much prefer to see Ipswich struggle each season in the lower reaches of whatever division they are in.”
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14 comments
They're no threat to us. Wanting them relegated is a silly, spiteful sentiment.
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Adam Penny
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Some of my best friends hate Ipswich too.
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DocOhNo
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Probably 1p5wich council would make more money with the land as a car park more so than a rented out football ground.
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yarco
Thursday, October 25, 2012
I naturally feel huge sympathy for their fans and to spare them further grief their club should go into liquidation and the ground turned into a car park.
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irongloves
Thursday, October 25, 2012
It's this sort of rubbish journalism that incites aggro both on the pitch and off the pitch. all I can say is there must be little soundbite news in the canary camp today. ( yes i am a committed canary fan and not a blues fan). I was there when Bruce headed the winner in the league cup semi in 85 and also there when o'niell curled the free kick into the top corner at portman road. Rivalry is good but this journalistic effort crass.
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barnsleycanary
Thursday, October 25, 2012
It's all been said, what a stupid poll and hardly representative of most people's opinion (who cares?). It's amazing that ITFC have followed the same route as NCFC with the same outcome, lesson's not learnt. As for the outcome of this season, it's not looking great for either club both with a single win.
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KeithS
Thursday, October 25, 2012
1p5wich lead 40 - 36 with 17 draws, F G HOB.
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Mad Brewer
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A great, fun poll with the results in line with "Do bears defacate in the woods?". Thank you for something to smile about! Which team has won the majority of the ITFCNCFC derby matches to date?
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F G HOB
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Perhaps those 354 were just bigger people??
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Mad Brewer
Thursday, October 25, 2012
How come 370 people is 17% while 354 people is 18%?
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Mad Brewer
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Kent Anglian speaks with wisdom. Schadenfreude is not a good thing. Premature gloating is not a good idea. Many a slip `twixt cup & lip..... I think poor old Jewell has been trying to talk himself out of that nightmare job for a while now. I thought "Mystery Man" Evans was going to be their sugar daddy. What a mess they`ve gotten into, Olly.
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Mad Brewer
Thursday, October 25, 2012
yes i would love to see Ipswich get relegated over the years we have been second best to them like them to see what its like beinging league one
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DOBBY1970
Thursday, October 25, 2012
There's a surprise!! What a ridiculous poll. We are not even a quarter into the season yet. Much too early to gloat. Just be careful though, as it is not beyond the realms of possibility that we could both be in the Championship next year. I was reading that they have 8 loan players at the moment. Reminds us of Roeder's disastrous time and looks like a similar outcome.
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Kent Anglian
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Actually, I'd like to see both Norwich and Ipswich in the Premier League again. Friendly rivalry was better then! Obviously we always want Norwich end up higher up the league and to win the local derby, but it's good for the East to have more than one top flight team.
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thebioguru
Thursday, October 25, 2012