Where AI thinks Ipswich Town rank in the UK's 60 biggest football clubs | OneFootball

AI has debated how big Ipswich Town are in the English footballing landscape

The topic of club sizes is one which often sparks lengthy debate among fans of any club in English football, or world football for that matter.

Besides the glaringly obvious world-renowned clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG, who see themselves as global brands rather than clubs who solely serve their local communities, it is so often hard to rank a plethora of clubs who are of a similar stature, even when taking several factors such as fanbases, history and current success into account.

Ipswich Town have become synonymous with the Championship in recent times, having spent just five seasons outside the second-tier in the past 23 years, and they now return to the division after a solitary season in the Premier League following the remarkable feat of back-to-back promotions from League One to the top-flight under Kieran McKenna.

For football supporters of a certain generation, Town were seen as a welcome addition to England's elite division once again given their historical status and achievements, whilst younger supporters of opposition clubs were perhaps unaware of such factors.

With that being said, Football League World asked ChatGPT to compile a list of English football's 60-largest clubs, and we see how the East Anglian outfit have fared in this particular ranking.

AI believes Ipswich Town are the 31st-biggest club in English football right now

Before compiling the final list, AI stated that criteria such as trophy cabinets, overall significance, financial backing and the sizes of the respective fanbases and stadiums would be taken into consideration above all else.

The final ranking saw Ipswich placed in 31st, just behind Charlton Athletic, who took up the halfway spot, and ahead of Hull City, both of whom will face off against Town once again next season after the Addicks' promotion and the Tigers' escape from relegation.

Although this would count for a lot more, and, subsequently, a much higher placing on the list, the main reason behind AI's decision was Town's UEFA Cup triumph under the legendary Sir Bobby Robson in the 1980/81 season, a campaign which also saw the Tractor Boys run Aston Villa close for the First Division championship.

The Blues have won a total of five major trophies in their 146 years of existence, with Sir Alf Ramsey, the man responsible for England's solitary FIFA World Cup success of 1966, overseeing a First Division triumph back in 1961/62, having seen the club promoted to the top-flight just 12 months previous, and just five years after he guided Town out of the third-tier in 1957.

The aforementioned Robson was also responsible for the Suffolk club's only FA Cup victory to date, and that came back in 1978, with Roger Osborne netting the winning goal against Arsenal at the old Wembley Stadium.

The collective strong history, coupled with the resurgence the club has enjoyed since McKenna was appointed back in December 2021 is what sees them in this particular position, although those at Portman Road would beg to differ.

AI list would please Ipswich Town supporters on one condition

Whilst the aforementioned placing would be debated at length by supporters, AI's list, surprisingly, didn't include Town's local rivals, Norwich City.

The Canaries have won the EFL Cup on two occasions, and until the past couple of seasons, had the Indian sign over Ipswich, both in the East Anglian derby - where they have remained undefeated since April 2009 - and in terms of league position, winning the second-tier on two occasions under Daniel Farke.