The 2011-12 campaign was a turbulent, Jekyll-and-Hyde season for Ipswich Town as The Tractor Boys ultimately secured a mid-table 15th-place finish in the Championship under manager Paul Jewell. The year began with soaring false hope as new signing Michael Chopra scored a debut brace to fire the team to the top of the table. Chopra finished as the club's top goalscorer with 14 league goals, anchoring an exciting attack that also featured Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, in a season defined by flashes of brilliance, such as a memorable 5-1 demolition of West Ham United, but plagued by a porous defense that conceded 77 goals. Despite the inconsistency, the season provided a platform for emerging talent, notably seeing left-back Aaron Cresswell win Player of the Season, and ensured The Tractor Boys retained their hard-fought status in the second tier.