Ipswich Town transfer went "under the radar" - "He'd tackle his Nan for 3 points" | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich Town fan pundit reflects on the four years the Scotsman spent at Portman Road

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Just three years before Ipswich Town would succumb to relegation to League One, the Tractor Boys were a consistent play-off challenger in the Championship.

Under Mick McCarthy, Ipswich may have only managed one top-six finish in the 2014/15 campaign, but that was sandwiched in between a ninth and seventh-placed campaign, which saw the Tractor Boys finish four and five points adrift of the play-offs, respectively.

At the heart of the defence in those teams was Scottish international Christophe Berra, who spent four years at Portman Road between 2013 and 2017 after signing on a free following his departure from Wolves.

Berra had played Premier League football at Wolves previously under McCarthy, and Ipswich fans were hopeful that he could lead the side back to the Premier League for the first time since the 2001/02 campaign.

Unfortunately, he was unable to, but he still was one of the first names on the teamsheet, missing a combined 10 Championship games across the four seasons he was there.

Ipswich fans understandably hold their recent double promotion-winning squad in high regard, but FLW's Tractor Boys fan pundit, Adam Wilkin, still has fond memories of the 40-year-old at his club.

Ipswich Town fan pundit praises Christophe Berra's time at Portman Road

Berra had begun his career in the Hearts academy before joining Wolves midway through the 2008/09 campaign and contributing to a promotion to the Premier League at Molineux.

He arrived with big expectations, having performed well under Mick McCarthy in the past, and Wilkin felt he exceeded those easily.

"There aren't many players from that era who I would say had a better impact than Berra," he told Football League World.

"He came in, provided leadership, strength and excellent defensive ability — he'd tackle his nan for three points if he could!

"I'd say that he and Tommy Smith were probably one of the most stable and effective partnerships we've had in the Championship, especially in recent seasons."

Berra ultimately returned to Scotland after four solid seasons at Portman Road, reuniting with Hearts for another few years as he entered his early thirties.

"I think there was a lot of disappointment when he left, as I felt he could have done another two or three years, but he wanted to go to Scotland and be closer to his family," Wilkin added.

"I think his time at the club probably went under the radar a bit, but he was definitely one of the better defenders in that era, and an excellent bit of transfer business."

Christophe Berra was a great bit of business for Ipswich Town and an underrated star

For a free signing, someone who played as much as Berra did was always going to go down as a great bit of business, but the impact the former Scottish international had at Portman Road almost transcends that.

It was only two seasons after Berra had departed that Ipswich found themselves relegated bottom of the Championship, having conceded 77 goals across the campaign.

Whilst that relegation ultimately ended in the club heading back to the Premier League six years later, something the club couldn't achieve with Berra in the side, it's arguable that if the Berra who was available for Mick McCarthy had been for Kieran McKenna, their promotion would have been made simple.

The Tractor Boys conceded fewer goals in three of the four seasons Berra was at the club than they did in their recent 2023/24 promotion campaign, and whilst many current Ipswich fans rightly praise the heroics of that season, it unfortunately swept aside some of the solid defensive work Berra was at the heart of during his time at Portman Road.