Ipswich Town pull underlined in wake of £2m Plymouth Argyle transfer

Ipswich Town pull underlined in wake of £2m Plymouth Argyle transfer

As a football team, Plymouth Argyle has never been able to retain its best players.

Because their biggest talents have been hand-picked over the years by those who are wealthier and less disciplined

than they

do, the recent incidents surrounding Morgan Whittaker and Michael Cooper are nothing new to members of the

Green Army.

To witness that exact situation occur once more, with several players leaving the team as they appeared to be poised

to establish themselves in the Championship, all you need to do is look at the last time the Pilgrims were in the

second division.

David Norris was one of the main players to depart during that period, as the lure of Ipswich Town proved to be too

much for the

David Norris underpinned Plymouth Argyle promotion success

It only took Argyle two months to decide to sign the dynamic midfield player, who had first joined the Devon team

on loan from Bolton Wanderers in October 2002, in a £25,000 deal that would forever alter the club’s history.

As he harassed third-tier defenders for a hobby, the former Trotter immediately established himself in his new

environment, his professionalism and passion setting the bar for his colleagues everywhere on the pitch.

Norris was joining a squad that was accustomed to winning after they had just achieved promotion from the fourth

division with an incredible 102 points.

Norris was at the heart of everything Argyle did right during those days, with his infatigable performances causing all sorts of mayhem down the flanks, as well as being deployed in the middle of the park when needed.

HIn fact, it was he who set up the game-ending moment against promotion rivals Queens Park Rangers late in the season.

‘2-0. That’s it, Argyle are up!,’ cried Gordon Sparks on the radio, while Home Park was sent into wild abandon as the second tier beckoned.

David Norris excels in the Championship before acrimonious Ipswich Town ending

For the next three years, Norris continued establish himself as a handy operator in the top rung of the EFL, as Argyle slowly gained a foothold among the best in the Football League.

An unexpected move to Ipswich threw the team into chaos, and Pilgrims Chairman Paul Stapleton was not pleased

with the midfielder’s actions, despite the fact that it seemed Norris would stick with the team.

“The problem began when Ian Holloway told Norris last summer that he could leave the team in January,” the Argyle

manager told the Ipswich Star at the time.

“I suppose David became a little confused and thought the board had approved his leave back in January.

Few had foreseen the financial issues that would blight Argyle in the years to come, but the pre-cursor to that was all

and sundry leaving the club midway through the season, with likes of Akos Buzsaky, Dan Gosling and Sylvan

Ebanks-Blake all departing for pastures new.

While it looked as if Norris would be staying loyal to the club, an eleventh-hour move to Ipswich left the club in the

lurch, with Pilgrims Chairman Paul Stapleton less than pleased about the way in which the midfielder conducted

himself.

The Argyle chief said at the time, via the Ipswich Star: “The problem began because last summer when he (Norris)

was told by Ian Holloway that he could leave the club in January.

“I suppose David became a little confused and thought the board had approved his leave in January.

“He came to see me on January 2nd and expressed his desire to leave. In January, he saw me numerous times and

expressed his want to leave each time.

“I saw Norris more times in January than I saw my family because he harassed us so much.”

We told him repeatedly that we didn’t want to lose him, therefore it wasn’t until January 31 that he left. He informed

me that he would never want to play for Argyle again two days prior to the transfer deadline. I thought that phone

call was definitive.

That was that then, after helping Argyle rise through the ranks, Norris was gone in the blink of an eye, before going

on to feature over 100 times for the Tractor Boys, in a side that were perennial mid-tablers at the time.

Spells at Portsmouth and Leeds United followed, as the midfielder excelled in the second tier, while Argyle were left

to spiral back down the divisions, as administration took hold.

The Green Army had nearly become accustomed to seeing players leaving throughout that winter, but it never got

any easier as one of the best sides to ever visit Home Park was gradually destroyed right in front of their eyes.

David Norris’ departure demonstrated how swiftly football can change, leaving the fan base to lament the heroes of

the past. At the time, it seemed like he would play in green and white forever.

The Green Army continues to praise the midfielder, and with good reason, but his departure would have left Argyle

with a bitter aftertaste at the time, as they were deprived of their resources in front of the roaring supporters.

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