Is Ipswich playing in Europe? How?

[superdave]

I caught on SkySports that they just thrashed someone 8-1, and I got the sense it was no friendly.

So who were they playing, and why?

[sydtheeagle]

Yes, Ipswich were playing in Europe, in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. They beat Avennir Beggen (of Luxembourg) 8-1 at Portman Road, having won the first leg 1-0, to go through to the tournament proper 9-1 on aggregate. They qualified through the Fair Play league, which essentially throws the name of the "cleanest team" from each European country into a hat, with three drawn out to enter the following season's UEFA Cup as a reward. In spite of finishing bottom of the Premiership, Ipswich finished top of the Fair Play table in England and were then one of the lucky three.

[forest.clough]

sorry ,minor point , ipswich did not finish top of the f.p.l. but the teams above them were already in europe.