Reviewing 2025/26

The Tractor Boys kicked off the season as favourites to win the Championship but it was mid September before they won their first game. They did however go on to produce some really good football throughout the campaign and lost just three games from the middle of December onwards, putting them 2nd with one game to go. A win at home to QPR would guarantee automatic promotion. When George Hirst scored after just 160 seconds it released any tension that may have been floating around Portman Road and they went on to win 3-0.

An immediate return to the Premier League for Kieran McKenna's men.

Looking ahead to 2026/27

Gary O'Neil has a huge job on his hands, not just in an attemot to keep Town in the Premier League but also trying to fill the shoes of his predecessor, Kieran McKenna. Bookies have them as second favourites to go down and they could well be right. I just look at their summer transfer activity and developements at Portman Road and see a club that are desperate to stay up.

They've brought in striker Emerson for £25m from Toulouse, Abdul Fatawu from Leicetser in a deal worth £20m, Issa Diop for £9m from Fulham, Kjell Scherpen, a goalkeeper from Belgian Champions Union SG, Daizen Maeda from Celtic, Chuba Akpom from Ajax and a few others! They've released some dead wood and cleared some room on the wage budget as a result.

Court Offside Tip

This is purely based on transfer activity and a bit of a punt in the dark. The Prem will be very tightly congested at the bottom this season in my view and there could easily be five or six teams dragged into a three team drop zone. 11/10 on the Tractor Boys not to be relegated seems like reasonable value as a result. Though I wouldn't be putting anything substantial on it.