He replaced the popular Bryn Law who had established a strong rapport with former Leeds legend Norman Hunter.
However, the new partnership of Ian and Norman has proved equally big a hit with listeners.
Norman is quite simply a Leeds United legend, but Ian feels the match summariser is far more than just a famous name to encourage listeners to tune in.
"Norman has taught me so much. He can spot things on the pitch that I might not otherwise see. We talk endlessly about football. Both he and Peter Lorimer (another ex Leeds United star and Radio Leeds summariser) are tremendous fun - particularly on away trips," he said.
As a child Ian used to commentate on the table football matches he used to play.
He believes strongly that it is not a question of having qualifications to be a football commentator.
Ian feels the listener wants the commentator to be as genuine as possible. "I try to be as natural as possible. I try and avoid cliches and if a game is exciting I will try and get that across. However, if the game is dreadful, I won't try and hide the fact," he said.
He believes the commentator is not the `star' of the show. "I always say people are listening to Norman Hunter and myself on BBC Radio Leeds. Norman is the `name' if you like, not me," said Ian.
His biggest dread is arriving late for a game (he usually gets to the ground at least two hours before the scheduled kick off) or equipment failure.
"I was really panicking on one occasion last season. I got stuck in traffic and only arrived at Villa Park with 15 minutes to spare," he said.