The Tractor Boys have three stars on their shirt and it’s related to success and pride.

The use of stars on football jerseys has become a universally recognized emblem in football, symbolizing a team’s accomplishments and milestones. This tradition carries a rich history and holds significant meaning within the sport.

The concept of the star system originated in Italy, with Juventus FC pioneering it in 1958. To celebrate their tenth Serie A championship, the club placed a small golden star above their crest. This innovative gesture set a precedent, inspiring other Italian teams to adopt the practice, typically adding a star for every ten domestic league titles secured.

Elsewhere, various football associations embraced the star system to honour teams’ successes, particularly on the global stage. World Cup victors prominently showcase their triumphs through stars—Brazil, for instance, proudly displays five, while England has one, representing their 1966 triumph.

But what about Ipswich Town? Why do they sport three stars on the back of their shirt? As GOAL finds out…

What do Ipswich Town’s stars on their shirt mean?

Ipswich Town proudly displays three stars on the back of their shirts, a design element that was relocated from the top of their badge in 2022. These stars aren’t just decorative—they tell the story of the club’s historic triumphs.

Each star symbolizes a major trophy in Ipswich’s cabinet. The first commemorates the 1962 league title secured under the legendary Sir Alf Ramsey. The second and third honour the incredible successes achieved during Sir Bobby Robson’s tenure: the FA Cup victory in 1978 and the UEFA Cup triumph in 1981.

The Umbro Ipswich Town 2024-25 home kit officially hit the shelves on July 6, 2024, giving fans plenty to celebrate as they gear up for the new season.

It brings back a classic touch, featuring sleek white pinstripes—a design element fans haven’t seen in nearly ten years—complemented by a sharp navy trim.

Adding to its charm, the jersey showcases a modern twist on the club crest, now encased in a shield surround for extra emphasis. To mark Umbro’s 100th anniversary, the kit includes the iconic diamond design with a striking red centre, a nod to the brand’s storied history in football fashion. The full ensemble pairs the bold blue shirt with crisp white shorts and matching blue socks, creating a cohesive and stylish look that’s sure to stand out.

The price for Ipswich’s 2024-25 home kit varies slightly across different retailers:

• Adult Version: Available for approximately £59 ($72) on the Umbro official website.

Ipswich Town have received a permanent January transfer offer to sell a player who Kieran McKenna has previously called “powerful”.

The Tractor Boys have been active in the winter market, making Ben Godfrey the club’s first signing of 2025. The former Norwich City defender joined on loan for the second half of the season from Serie A side Atalanta and made his debut for the club against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup.

Next to arrive at Portman Road will be winger Jaden Philogene. Ipswich agreed on a permanent transfer to sign Philogene from Aston Villa, who have since bolstered their attacking ranks with the arrival of Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund.

After Philogene, attention at Ipswich could be on outgoings, with Mckenna admitting defender Harry Clarke could leave on loan before the deadline.

“

“He’s had some minutes now in the Premier League, some exposure. But of course, for his age, as a young defender, it’s important to be getting minutes regularly for his progression and his role at the club. If everything is in a good place in the squad over the next week or two from an availability point of view, then there’s a chance that Harry will go out on loan to get some regular playing time, to keep pushing with his development.

“That’s the only one, really. Other than that, the squad is pretty tight at the moment. Everyone’s got a really clear role in the team and I wouldn’t expect too many changes to that in the next couple of weeks.”

One player already out on loan is centre-back George Edmundson, who is at Middlesbrough. There have been reports that Michael Carrick’s side were plotting a permanent January move for the Ipswich man, and it looks as if that offer has been made.

According to Football Insider, Ipswich have received and rejected a permanent offer from Middlesbrough for Edmundson. The 27-year-old has been a regular for Boro under Carrick, and reporter Stuart Watson has provided further details on the bid that was made, claiming it was worth £350,000.

Edmundson is out of contract at Portman Road at the end of the season, and it looks as if Ipswich are open to selling for the right price, so it will be interesting if Boro return with an improved offer before the deadline.

McKenna has previously hailed the defender, who he chose to play against Liam Delap last season against Hull City, saying: “I just wanted to put George in tonight. We thought he’s been training really well, has played really well in the cup competitions and I thought his qualities tonight against Liam Delap would be really important.

“There are not many more powerful runners than George so we thought we’d put him up against one of the more powerful runners in the league.”

Ipswich Town are close to finalising a major January transfer as they prepare to welcome Brighton to Portman Road of Thursday night.

Ipswich, who are third from bottom in the Premier League, have been pushing to complete on Jaden Philogene’s £20m arrival from Aston Villa and are now expected to do so in the next 24 hours.

Advertisement

The attacking winger will be too late to feature in Ipswich’s clash against the Seagulls but Philogene could be in place for Kieran Mckenna’s team by the weekend as they welcome Manchester City on Sunday.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano posted: “Ipswich Town are confident to resolve final details of Jaden Philogene deal in the next 24 hours and then sign all documents. Almost there.”

The 22-year-old underwent his medical at Portman Road, last week and will end his brief six-month return to Villa Park.

The Tractor Boys tried to sign Philogene last summer and agreed a fee of around £18m with Hull but Villa swiftly activated their buy-back option, having previously sold the England under-21 international to Hull in 2023.

 

He made four starts for Unai Emery’s side this term, including against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and 11 substitute appearances.

Meanwhile, Brighton have transfer issues of their own as boss Fabian Hurzeler has not ruled out January loan moves for Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso.

The two forwards have struggled for minutes this season having worked their way back from long-term injuries last term.

“We will negotiate what is important for him, what is important for his development, where he can improve the best and then we will make the decision together,” Hurzeler said on Ferguson’s future ahead of Brighton’s Premier League trip to Ipswich on Thursday.

Advertisement

“This decision should be what is best for the player and for the club. We sent (Facundo) Buonanotte, for example, to Leicester.

“In the end, they want to play for Brighton and we want them to play for Brighton. So, that’s why I am not thinking about making the other teams better, it’s more about what is best for the player.”

Paraguay international Enciso scored his first goal since May 2023 in Brighton’s 4-0 FA Cup win at Norwich on Saturday.

Hurzeler said: “Julio has value, special potential and a profile that helps us in different situations.

 

“He’s giving everything for the club because he says he really likes to play for Brighton and he has shown it on the pitch this season.

“We are really happy to have him here, but we always have to negotiate what is the best individual development for the player.”

Brighton have slipped to 10th in the Premier League after eight games without a win in the competition, drawing six of those.

Ipswich Town beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 at Portman Road to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup. Alex Jones reflects on the action.

Kalvin Phillips opened the scoring with his first goal in an Ipswich shirt (Image: PA)

Confidence boosters

If you had to pick three players in the starting lineup to get a confidence-boosting goal, you’d probably choose Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Ali Al-Hamadi. The first two got themselves on the scoresheet early on.

Neither man had found the back of the net in an Ipswich shirt until Bristol Rovers came to Portman Road. Phillips was first, picking up the ball on the edge of the area before carrying it to the right and firing a low shot into the back of the net.

It was a lovely, well-struck shot into the bottom corner. A goal that oozed Premier League class.

Jack Clarke, who set Phillips up with some quick footwork, doubled the lead just six minutes later. Jack Taylor was able to pick out Al-Hamadi in acres of space, and while he couldn’t make proper contact with his shot in the box, the former Sunderland winger was on hand to fire the ball into a the net.

Those goals should hopefully do wonders for the two summer signings. It’s fair to say that neither of them have had a perfect start to life in Suffolk, but this could really help them going forward.

Jack Taylor scored from an offside position towards the end of the first half (Image: Steve Waller)

A baffling decision

Taylor knew that his goal – Ipswich’s third of the game – shouldn’t have stood.

The ball was carried forward through the middle of the park and played up to Al-Hamadi, who flicked it on for Taylor in an offside position.

This wasn’t a marginal call – it was pretty blatant. He was comfortably offside, and Bristol Rovers’ defenders were left stunned as the flag stayed down.

Taylor himself was visibly shocked. He hesitated on the ball, clearly waiting for a whistle, but when it didn’t come, he fired into the back of the net.

With no VAR in operation, the goal stood. Replays showed just how bad the decision was. Did the linesman fail to notice that Al-Hamadi got a touch on the ball, or did he just believe that Taylor was onside? Given the replays, the latter seems hard to believe.

McKenna was quick to laugh about the lack of a lengthy VAR check, although he claimed that he hadn’t seen the incident during his post-match press conference.

Bristol Rovers boss Inigo Calderon wasn’t quite as amused, however, saying that Ipswich didn’t need a helping hand to win the game, although he admitted that it wouldn’t have changed the result. The Gas were already out of the game by the time the third goal went in.

 

Ali’s situation

Ipswich will have to make a decision about Al-Hamadi.

The striker boasts visible strengths and clearly has a long-term future at Ipswich. However, it’s harder to argue that he’s Premier League quality at this stage in his career. That’s what Ipswich need at this point.

This was a game where he needed to make the most of a start, especially against League One opposition. He wasn’t presented with loads of chances, but struggled to do much himself during his time on the ball.

McKenna was keen to highlight what he did well, saying: “I thought he did a lot of good work, to be fair. His work off the ball was outstanding, some of his back-to-goal play, his link-up was really, really good.”

Unfortunately, he did still look rusty. His mobility was limited at times and he lost the most duels of any player in the match. On top of that, he then hooked a penalty well wide of the target after Massimo Luongo’s shot cannoned off the arm of former Town man Grant Ward.

There are enough extenuating circumstances. He’s clearly not totally fit, lacking regular minutes and still adjusting to the highest level of football in this country. It’s become crystal clear that he needs to go out on loan, however, but Ipswich will need to sign a striker to allow that to happen.

Conor Townsend impressed against the Gas (Image: Steve Waller)

Townsend shines

There was a surprise stand-out at Portman Road – Conor Townsend.

The 31-year-old has had limited minutes since joining Ipswich last summer, with just one minute off the bench in the Premier League, which came in the latter stages of the defeat at Brentford. He started in Town’s Carabao Cup exit at AFC Wimbledon back in August, however, where he looked sharp.

Yet despite a lack of regular game time, he looks like he’s been playing week in, week out. He did exactly what Leif Davis does, which can only be seen as a positive.

Townsend didn’t have much defending to do, although he did what was required. Ipswich’s possession allowed him to bomb forward down the left, making slick runs and linking play.

He was surprisingly threatening, popping up in all the right areas. His deliveries were good, both from open play and from corners.

In the Premier League, Davis is going to play whenever he’s fit, but it’s reassuring to know that Ipswich have good cover for him if required.

In terms of other stand-outs, Phillips looked a class above the other players on the pitch while Ben Godfrey settled in quickly into the hybrid right-sided defender role. It was also great to see George Hirst return to action off the bench, while Luke Woolfenden deserves recognition for captaining his boyhood club for the first time in his career.

The Blues will travel to Coventry City in the next round of the competition (Image: PA)

On we go!

Town are through in the FA Cup, reaching the fourth round for the third consecutive year. They haven’t reached the fifth round since 2006/07.

This isn’t a competition that the Blues will want to crash out of. Unlike last season, there are no real benefits. There are blank weekends in the Premier League for every FA Cup round until the semi-finals. More games will benefit those on the fringes of the squad, maintaining fresh legs and providing opportunities to those who need it.

After all, who doesn’t love a cup run? Although top-six sides dominate this competition, we’ve seen loads of great underdog stories in recent years. Last season, we saw Championship side Coventry City reach the semi-finals, coming inches away from knocking out Manchester United at Wembley.

Speaking of the Sky Blues, they will be Ipswich’s next opponents in the FA Cup.

Although tough, it’s certainly a winnable tie. Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is in charge of Coventry City and may be focused on their league campaign, which has been disappointing so far. Their aforementioned FA Cup run from last year arguably derailed their play-off push and they won’t want that to happen again.

For now, focus turns back to the Premier League. Brighton visit Portman Road on Thursday before Manchester City make the trip to Suffolk next Sunday. Town will hope that their convincing cup win could help them kick on in the top flight.

Unbeaten in their last three games in all competitions, with a 2-0 win against Chelsea obviously sticking out during this positive patch of results, the spirits are currently high at Ipswich Town.

With two home games up next versus Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City, Kieran McKenna will pray more points are added next to their Premier League total, as the Suffolk underdogs attempt everything in their power to not sink down to the Championship straight away.

The top-flight is a cruel beast unfortunately, but McKenna will remain optimistic, especially if he can get a tune out of Kalvin Phillips between now and the end of the season after he stood out against Bristol Rovers in FA Cup action.

Kalvin Phillips’ loan spell at Ipswich so far

It’s been a topsy-turvy loan stint so far for Phillips with various different highs and lows being thrown his way.

His unfortunate red card against Leicester City back in November will go down as a glaring negative – with the Foxes going on to pick up a share of the points with the ex-Leeds United man off the pitch – but his showings away from this bleak moment in isolation have been somewhat encouraging.

He even scored a belter against the Gas last time out to get his Ipswich account up and running, whilst his other performances in the Premier League have seen his past Leeds confidence back on display in spurts, with 3.4 ball recoveries and 3.6 duels successfully won per match.

Therefore, there is plenty for the much-maligned 29-year-old to cling onto for positives, with Phillips now wanting to nail down a permanent spot in the middle of the park, even as the Tractor Boys line up an audacious swoop for a former Premier League title winner.

Ipswich keen on signing amazing midfield partner for Phillips

As per Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg over the weekend, Ipswich are exploring a potential deal for former Chelsea brute Nemanja Matic this January, with McKenna wanting more proven Premier League battlers in his team.

After all, figures such as Sam Morsy in central areas have notably struggled to adjust to the huge step-up in quality from the EFL to the Premier League, with the 33-year-old giving away a penalty recklessly in his side’s last outing in the division versus Fulham.

Whilst Matic isn’t exactly a spring chicken himself at 36 years of age, his experience in the top-flight goes without saying, with 251 appearances in the tricky league under his belt for both Chelsea and Manchester United.

At Stamford Bridge, he would even hold the title aloft twice as a key cog in the middle, with his known combative play style not lessening the deeper he gets into his career, as seen in his glowing recent numbers on the books of Olympique Lyonnais.

Described as an “unbelievable” player in his prime by journalist Bolarinwa Olajide, one of his best campaigns in English football saw him win a stunning 5.6 duels per game during 2017/18. He is undoubtedly still a tough tackler unafraid to break up play in his twilight years, with an impressive 5.7 ball recoveries managed in Ligue 1 this term.

For context, Jens Cajuste has only managed 3.1 on the contrary, with Matic’s presence allowing the Tractor Boys to feel more secure at the back with an anchor protecting the defence, whilst also gifting Phillips more license to roam and attack away from completing his dirty work.

With 24 assists in the Premier League also to his name, this could be an inspired signing by McKenna if he can get the Serbian to play out of his skin between now and the end of the season, with the veteran and Phillips combining to form a menacing duo.