Ipswich Town have taken one point from their opening three Premier League games. Blues fan Karl Fuller gives his thoughts during the first international break.
I am usually one to despise the international break. I miss watching Ipswich too much.
I would ordinarily lament this current one that we are suffering so close to the start of the season. However, with the rapid increase of Town players on international duty, it does feel that the blow has been softened over the last few days.
I have no problem with watching England games. Saturday’s trip to Ireland was made more interesting with Ireland represented by three Town players. It gave us the opportunity to take more than a casual interest in the opposition. I will not be as watchful when England take on Finland tonight though.
I saw a question on social media on Saturday night asking when Town last had three players playing in the same game for their country. I knew instantly when this happened for England as Town players playing for England is the subject matter of my next book due out next month. It was September 1983 when Terry Butcher, Paul Mariner and Russell Osman featured in a 1-0 defeat at Wembley against Denmark. That was also the 13th occasion that three Ipswich players played in the same game for England. Most noticeably, this happened on four occasions in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
My next book will cover more about those Ipswich players that featured for England. But first I must give my review for the latest Ipswich book that has just been released. Jason Dozzell’s autobiography ‘Follow The Thunder’ is simply excellent. It was written by the EADT’s very own Stuart Watson, who worked with Jason on putting the book together.
They say never meet your heroes. I totally disagree with that. I have enjoyed meeting many in my time. I will never forget the invite I had to Paul Mariner’s surprise 65th birthday party. It was an intimate affair with a small group that also saw Butcher and John Wark present. Three of my favourite-ever players were awesome that night and it cemented my thoughts that meeting your heroes can only be a good thing.
Many of the books I have read are autobiographies of some of my favourite personalities. Often sportsmen I will add. These too are my heroes. But I appreciate that I am never going to meet them all. I will not find out what they are like at first-hand. The next best thing is to read their books. Find out more about their personalities. What their back stories are and have a small glimpse of the life they lead that we would never know about otherwise.
Until last season, the 1991/92 season was my favourite of watching Ipswich. At the time, there were two or three players that I loved watching. As time has gone by, I find myself thinking back to Jason Dozzell that season and how much pleasure he gave us. Scoring at Millwall in a 3-2 win and at 16/1 to be the first goalscorer had a rare bet come in for me. His goal at Anfield was another great moment in an FA Cup replay.
Apart from a photo with Jason on the Cornhill after the Huddersfield game at the end of last season, I have never met him. I knew that I just had to buy his book. Even with a birthday coming up this month and me not knowing what I want the family to buy me, there was no way I could wait for this. The football stories told evoke many memories. There really are some great tales recalled.
The darker side of the book, where Jason shares stories of mental health issues, drug use, and many other unwanted moments, gives the book a side that highlights that it is ok not to be ok. That men do suffer with certain issues and should reach out more. When I wrote that this book is simply excellent, let me put that into context. I love an enjoyable book. I like reading. But it takes me the best part of a year to read a book. I read this in six nights. I could not put it down. Buy it if you can. You will not be disappointed.
- You can buy a signed copy of 'Follow the Thunder' for £25 + P&P by emailing: jasondozzellbook@gmail.com
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