Big Joe up for manager of the month award

Last updated : 28 February 2006 By Russell Claydon
Will Royle be top boss in Feb?
Joe will compete for the accolade, decided by Chris Kamara, with Kevin Balckwell (Leeds), Iain Dowie (Crystal Palace) and Adrian Boothroyd (Watford).

Ipswich became one of the most in form teams in the Championship over the course of February, only dropping 3 points from a possibly 15, losing to Wolves in a game that the Blues had 60% of possesion in.

Royle started off the month by guiding the tractor boys to victory over bitter rivals Norwich before a home win over Burnley, which was followed up by all 3 points at Gresty Road. A mometary blip then occurred at Molineux, where a lack of available strikers cost Town all the points and the last game in February saw Royle's side beat in form Leicester 2-0 at Portman Road.

The success of Royle's team in February was arguably down to some very shrewd moves in the January transfer window, most notably, the £100k signing of Cardiff's reserve striker, Alan Lee.