
Ipswich Town mural removed at end of Premier League season
A mural that was painted to honour Ipswich Town Football Club's first season back in the Premier League after 22 years has been removed.The mural appeared last August at the bottom of Barrack Lane in the town ahead of the club's return to the top flight.Town played their final game of the season at home against West Ham on Sunday with their relegation to the Championship confirmed several weeks ago.TNT Sports was behind the mural and the broadcaster originally said it was only going to be in place for a month, but it stayed for nine months before being covered it up.
The mural depicted Town manager Kieran McKenna and captain Sam Morsy.Other players were also included, as well as fans such as global superstar Ed Sheeran, who has a minority share in the club.It was painted as part of TNT Sports' Only Sport Can Do This nationwide campaign that launched in July last year. Becky Diver-Phillips, vice president for marketing at TNT Sports, previously said the mural captured "the passion and emotion that only sport can provoke".
The Tractor Boys were promoted to the Premier League last year for the first time since 2002.It came a year after the club were promoted to the Championship, but the step up to the top flight proved tough this season and their relegation was confirmed in April.McKenna said he was now looking ahead to next season, while local businesses shared their thoughts on the impact being in the Premier League had on the town.
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘People don't know this' – Michael Owen breaks silence on ‘well done he's 13' meme 26 years on from humiliating teenager
IT IS probably the cringiest moment from Michael Owen's long list. But now he has broken his silence on the infamous "well done, he's 13" gag from Neville Southall. 6 6 Owen featured in a Michael Owen Soccer Skills video in 1999 where he faced a young goalkeeper at an empty Stoke City stadium. The former England striker did his best to humiliate the 13-year-old Jamie Hutchinson, who was given goalkeeping tips from Southall. To his credit, Hutchinson did make some saves. But the video is remembered for Owen chipping, rounding and firing past the helpless child between the sticks - before shamelessly celebrating each finish. The laughing ex-Liverpool man clenched his fists, ran away with his arms aloft, mocked the goalkeeper for nutmegging him and pointed to his name on the back of his shirt. But it was his embarrassing shout of "get in there - game, set and match, Owen" that triggered Southall's brilliant quip. Southall said: "Well done, he's 13," a comment which remains a viral sensation and etched into British football heritage. But now, 26 years on, Owen has opened up on the clip - and revealed not all was quite as it seemed because he was told to play up for the cameras. He told talkSPORT: "I was only a couple of years older than him myself!. It's probably funny now. 'I got back from the World Cup in 98 and there were loads of commercial opportunities, things like that. Virgil van Dijk 'destroys' Michael Owen with brutal 13-word put-down on live TV after Liverpool beat Everton 'I was asked to do a soccer skills video and a soccer skills book. So I had to explain, talk through finishing, volleying, heading, whatever the skill was. Inevitably, you need a goalkeeper there. 'I never picked them and so I turned up to do the show and to talk through how I see scoring a goal and what I think in certain scenarios and whatever. 'There was a kid in goal that I had to score past and when I scored they're like, 'Come on, no, you need to show a bit more animation. Like celebrate when you score, this is going on a video.'" talkSPORT host Andy Goldstein clarified: "So people don't know this, right?" And Owen continued: "People just laugh at you no matter what. Then they take a little extract of anything. 'There's loads of things like that on the internet on me.' 'NOT EXACTLY IDEAL' Hutchinson spoke about the viral video in 2016 and admitted he knew it would not come out too well for him. He said: 'Being the goalkeeper on a programme headlined by a striker wasn't exactly ideal for me. 'It was made clear that it wouldn't make good filming if the goalkeeper was saving all the shots taken by the other kids after they had been coached by Michael.' And even Southall himself did defend Owen's actions earlier this year. The 92-cap Wales goalkeeper - who reunited with Hutchinson a few years ago - added: "I think he was being ironic to be fair, but I think he was enjoying himself and being ironic. 'But the poor kid, he scored a squillion goals past him and I was thinking 'give him a break'. 'On the day, Michael was okay and he's always okay. 'People judge him on that and that's not him." 6 6 6


The Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tottenham clear decks for Thomas Frank as Spurs sack THREE of Ange Postecoglou's coaching team hours after boss axed
TOTTENHAM have sacked three members of Ange Postecoglou's coaching staff following the Aussie manager's dismissal yesterday. Postecoglou was relieved of his duties in North London yesterday despite leading Spurs to a first trophy in over 17 years this season. 5 5 5 The 59-year-old said his "overriding emotion is one of pride" following his dismissal, while Spurs claimed the decision to sack the former Celtic boss was one the "toughest" the board has had to make. Now the search for a new manager is underway and Spurs are already clearing the decks for their number one target - Brentford gaffer Thomas Frank. The Telegraph have revealed that Postecoglou's assistants Nick Montgomery, Sergio Raimundo and Mile Jedinak have all been axed too. However, senior assistant coach Matt Wells and goalkeeper coach Rob Burch have remained in their roles. Sporting director Johan Lange is leading the search for Spurs' new boss with Bees gaffer Frank, 51, thought to be the front-runner for the position. It's claimed that Frank is keen on taking the job at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and would want to bring members of his coaching staff along with him. Although the Dane is Spurs' preferred candidate, the club are reportedly "carefully assessing" their options with Fulham 's Marco Silva and Bournemouth 's Andoni Iraola also in the frame. It's widely understood that Spurs would have to fork out around £10m to release Frank from his current deal with Brentford, which runs until 2027. 5 5 Spurs have already had to splash the cash to get rid of Postecoglou, with the Aussie pocketing a rumoured £4m compensation fee on top of his £2m bonus for leading the club to Europa League glory. Sporting director Lange and Frank have history, with the pair coaching together at Danish club Lyngby and maintaining a good relationship since those days. Tottenham told fans in a statement that "news on the appointment of a new Head Coach will be announced in due course". Fans have hit back at Spurs for their decision to dismiss Postecoglou after winning the Europa League. While club is also facing a dressing room revolt with players more likely to leave after Postecoglou's exit, according to reports. But the Spurs hierarchy reiterated that they cannot base their decisions off their performance in just one competition. Their statement read: "Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph. "It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. "This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude. "We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision." Ange Breaks Silence On Tottenham Sacking ANGE Postecoglou issued a statement just moments after being axed. It read: "When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, my overriding emotion is one of pride. "The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. "Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget. "That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. "There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible. "We have also laid the foundations that means this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. "I have enormous faith in this group of players and know there is much more potential and growth in them. I sincerely want to thank those who are the lifeblood of the club, the supporters. "I know there were some difficult times, but I always felt that they wanted me to succeed and that gave me all the motivation I needed to push on. "It's important to acknowledge the hard working people at Spurs who gave me encouragement on a daily basis. "And finally, I want to thank those who were with me every day for the last two years. "A fantastic group of young men who are now legends of this football club and the brilliant coaches who never once doubted we could do something special. 'We are forever connected. Audere est Facere.'


Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
There's no better way of spending a family evening than Gifford's Circus
Celebrating its 25th anniversary yet seeming to have been a fixture in the circus landscape for aeons, the old-world charm of the Cotswolds-based Giffords Circus offers an antidote to everything that's miserable about the UK at the moment. The sight of Giffords' big-top, with attendant gypsy caravans – as if spirited from the pages of Dickens but serving lots of good grub and drink too – is itself enchanting. And the bucolic vision of its late founder Nell Gifford of like-minded artists pitching up on village greens is honoured by the picturesque stop-offs. But the visual delight is maximised by the 1950s America-themed show itself, which, with Cal McCrystal directing, has the aura of a fully-fledged theatre production. Projected imagery of rippling water bathes the ring-floor to help conjure a dreamlike resort inspired by Atlantic City. There's neon signage for Sal's Motel, a soda bar booth, palm trees, and a bandstand. The retro music, performed live, emits a sunshine blast of nostalgia. An opening bout of beach-ball, for instance, is conducted to the happy-clappy sound of doo-wop hit Lollipop, a grinning acrobatic troupe from Ethiopia casually juggling clubs and stepping in time to the tunes. This isn't one for those craving a lot of spectacular death-defying daring – no one is flying from a trapeze, being shot from a cannon or whizzing at speed on motorbikes. Much entertainment is provided by irrepressible resident buffoon Tweedy. Cast as the motel bellboy, he kicks things off with inspired ineptitude involving a deck-chair, and continually tries to sabotage the cheesy variety magician (Maxi), his yearning for ice-cream climaxing in a drenching melée. The animal contribution is also lo-fi and reassuringly genteel: a brazenly bribed Shetland pony and an eager Patterjack are the cutest mascots. It's all very English, with a put-on American accent. Yet while homespun, it still reaches for the stars – and takes risks. The young Garcia brothers (Antonio and Connor) elicit awe with their lithe, gravity-defying handstands, spinning headstands and Charles Atlas physiques. Their parents, Pablo and Vikki provide tongue-in-cheek jeopardy, dangling from a renegade vintage air-plane. Spanish beefcake Randy Forgione Vega whirls high in the air, wielding hand-straps and old-school machismo. But for elegance, grace and a sensuousness that defines the show's judicious mix of flamboyance, flesh and family-friendly fare, there's no beating Daniela Muñoz Landestoy from Cuba and Noémi Novakovics who hails from Hungary. The pair ascend to the sound of Gershwin's Summertime (blissfully sung by Nell O'Hara) and hang suspended and twirling using just their hair for support (ouch!). It's all over in a flash, yet you intuit the long dedication and sense of personal destiny behind it. We must treasure these folk – and their art-form. An art-form perpetuated with toil, sweat and thrilling bravura by Giffords. Tours to Sept 28; tickets: giffordscircus