Take a gamble, trust Jewell, back ITFC

On Thursday, Part 1 of Mark's blog looked at off-the field factors that influenced Town's 10th year in the second tier of English Football League.

Today, Mark looks in detail at the man in charge of the on-field action, the man who currently holds the key to the future of Ipswich Town, the man I've been trying so hard to have faith in this season: Paul Jewell.

To the management, coaching, player selection, tactics, and player performances; I am biased.  There I have declared. I wanted PJ above all the rest of the available options.

I wanted that change and contrast from the outgoing Roy Keane. He is a footballing legend, but it did not work out at ITFC (in a big way).

I saw the post-Keano ITFC as a long-term turnaround and therefore managed my own expectations to such an extent that, despite the deep low at the turn of the year, I was still optimistic that Jewell was the right man to get us out of the hole and scale the mountain.

'There is now the prospect of a group of players that will have a sense of togetherness and will know what the manager expects.' 

There are a few small things that give me more hope than I've had in recent times: mainly the stability (some will laugh) that comes from retaining a talented and committed manager. There is now a prospect of some team selections next season comprising a group of players that have been through some very deep lows together and whom will come back in July for pre-season with things to prove. They will know each other, they will have that sense of togetherness and they will know what the manager expects. Above all, a contingent would appear to actually be on the side of the manager (given some post-Jan performances) and I'm not sure this has always been the case in recent times.

There is also the prospect of a few key additions for the team. Surely this will be for the good of ITFC this time around? The manager has made and admitted past mistakes, but he has had plenty of time and has experimented; now he knows what he has got and what is needed to take us forwards.

Continuity has been maintained by retaining Jewell and whatever you thought of the last season and a half, he brought us Cressa, JET and Chops, and got rid of baggage, this gives me hope!

'I have a concern that Jewell's contract it up in a year, he should be offered a one year extension to attract players that know he'll be there, not only this year, but the one after too'

This summer assumes more significance and becomes quite critical for Jewell as he has to fill core gaps that have been apparent for some time. Next season, whatever it brings, needs to be solid progression.

I have a concern that Jewell's contract is up in one year and our fans, many not overly positive towards him, will be calling for his head in November / December as we enter the usual RfS (Request for Sacking) season, possibly sooner. This situation is sure to be unsettling and should be resolved by putting in place a one year extension (at least) so that he is able to attract players that know he will be here to work with them, not only this year, but the one after next too.

ITFC needs a firm footing top to bottom. If results don't work in Jewell's favour, the club and he will probably part company anyway, hence establishing some additional continuity at the top.

Next season November/ December is not the key time, the end of next season is; we all know what is possible from a fairly low league position at the turn of the year.

To the tactical side of the game, I am not going to spend too much time in analysis mode, not because it's unimportant or not interesting to do so, but this is ultimately at the manager's discretion based on players available and their capability. It is a simple game with 11 v 11, and often it is over complicated!

That said, I like the 4-2-3-1 formation, it is essentially a tweaked 4-5-1, though it really does require some particular players to play it well and to be offensively successful. If recent results are to go by, the depth is not something ITFC have been blessed with.

One thing is for sure, ITFC have been challenged in recent seasons by their inability to switch and change a game. Without doing the maths, it seems Jewell has a reasonably even record in recent times of winning and losing having made changes with the chosen personnel. If he can secure some new players this summer we will have the resources to play Solid (4-2-3-1) or more Fluid (in a traditional 4-4-2 or less traditional 4-4-1-1).

'ITFC are guilty of chasing victories when points accumulation would have been more beneficial'

My last point on the tactics is that playing well takes time and understanding irrespective of the tactics. Having observed the Championship for some time, too long, ITFC have been guilty of chasing games and victories at various stages of the season when points' accumulation would have been more beneficial.

Is this tactics, or pure naivety? I imagine it is part of a team low on morale and built on a high level of expectation that is being exploited by opposition. No one player has been able to build a back catalogue of good performances (until recently) as their team mates have not been playing well and hence they have not played well together or understood each other's games due to the constant changes forced on the various managers. I see this slowly changing and some of the positive results this season are signs of small step progress.

I would add that there seems to be a pattern in the Championship. Cutting the season in 2, the first stage has typically seen ITFC go out all guns blazing trying to win every game up until they realise that they are losing more than they win, and only to find that we have been undone on too many occasions and not had the points in the bag. Our main prerogative has then been to secure enough points to ensure we are not relegated! Happily, ITFC has seen upturns in results in the "vital" second stage of the season.

Next season I'd like ITFC to be a bit more intelligent in games: solid early in the season (first 10-15 games), then in the next 15 games take more calculated risks against teams, and in the final push, exploit those teams with everything to play for by countering their desire for maximum points.

Ok, not that simple, but you can set out with the right intent in terms of style of play, but work to achieve a slower point accumulation and most importantly, know when 1 point is enough especially away from home, and even at home against better teams.

'If we want Porman Road to be a fortress we have to be more positive'

My last point is on the ITFC fans. Like in life, some you love and some you don't like so much! All views/ opinions are always welcome BUT MY BIG ASK is that when you cross that line (Portman Road in this case) please, please remain positive! ITFC needs you and irrespective of your opinions on Ownership and club strategy; Management, coaching, player selection and tactics; or Player performances, if we want Portman Road to be the Fortress we have to be a little more positive and forgiving of small errors of judgement as football is a game of imperfections.

It is our beautiful game, it costs you enough so enjoy next season.

Many thanks to Mark for such a well thought out piece.

Please do get in touch if you have any thoughts on this matter @tractorgirlamy8

Evans, Clegg and Jewell: Stick or twist Ipswich?

With the Championship season now finally behind us, discussion among Ipswich fans inevitably moves from our thoughts on Town's results to the reasons behind them.

It all seems to come down to Portman Road's Holy Trinity: Marcus Evans, Simon Clegg and Paul Jewell.

But the last name seems to cause the most soul searching for the Blues faithful. This year I have literally seen the fan base split down the middle by this debate.

Though you may have sympathies for certain arguments from the other camp, it seems that, when it comes down to it, you're either 'Jewell In' or 'Jewell Out'.

This week I want to look at the debate in a little more detail and will be offering my own opinion on the matter (which is less Pro-Jewell than you might think!).

But first I have received this excellent two part blog from Mark (AKA @markypolo1). It investigates his own feelings on the matter and puts forward, what I feel, is a very sensible view of the situation.

As I mentioned before, though, in the case of Ipswich Town's top management - you can't have one without the other. And so Mark begins by discussing the factors that have influenced his opinions on Jewell's reign.

Our 2011\12 season is now officially over at ITFC! Our collective attention can now turn to a summer of promise; there is the Queen's Jubilee, with accompanying street celebrations, Summer Festivals, Wimbledon, Euro2012, and London's Olympics.

In typical ITFC fan style, my mind will start to wander, the pain of the outgoing season will diminish (yes it's been painful), and the hope and expectation will build for a new season. I will look to next season, but beforehand, I would like to address the rollercoaster that was the last 9 months.

Our 2011/12 season has been a season of significant ups and downs to state the obvious. It has been a season in which many inadequacies have been in full view, an embarrassment at times, and one in which social media really took off.

ITFC's season has been, and I know will be, analysed on many levels: Ownership and club strategy; management; coaching; player selection and tactics; player performances and the fans support.

I'm not going to look at all of these in detail, nor create a statistical argument; as when I started this a few weeks back the aim was to voice my opinion and add a little fuel to the on-going debate!

ITFC has long been a club with difficulties in the last years before Marcus Evans took over these were all too prevalent to see, however we are in the here and now. Evans, as majority shareholder, all but owns the club outright and, in my opinion, he has backed the club and recent managers. The view as to the relative good of ME's backing is open to some debate and it depends on which side of the fence you are sitting.

ME is not a traditional football man, but he has been on record expressing commitment to the future of Project ITFC and his more recent communications have demonstrated an increasing awareness that "you can buy players, but you cannot buy a team" (to steal a phrase).

'I like the fact Evans has provided ITFC with a stable financial footing'

No-one can predict the future and I am not enamoured by the fact that ITFC has an increasing debt pile owed to Evans. However, I like the fact that he has provided ITFC with a stable financial footing (albeit subject to a friendly creditor) and he offers the day-to-day running of the club to those that are close to the action.

He has also decided to back this current manager through the worst sequence of results anyone thought possible and probably the worst that anyone reading this will remember.

In such a situation where Evans is not going to micro manage day-to-day events, an even greater emphasis is placed on having the right off-field team to build and run the club. Basically this is what has been required, not tweaks but a total rebuild and some continuity to add to the mix.

I've really very few things to add on Simon Clegg (love or loath him). Our club has been looking for stability top-to-bottom, from an executive management team to team management, and also through the core of the playing team.

If Simon Clegg is considered to be the right man for the job at this moment in time by Evans, then that's his prerogative.

'Clegg took the helm at the moment ITFC was offered a golden ticket via Evan's millions'

In my opinion, Simon Clegg has probably made more wrong decisions than right so far and, arguably, he took the helm at the moment ITFC was offered a golden ticket via Evan's millions. That said, I am all for the forgiving and learning culture at ITFC since this is how our history has been written all the way back to "Mr John".

In Simon Clegg's defence he has probably made the right call on the EPPL: possibly the only call for a club in our position given the financial constraints under which we operate in the Championship.

The fact that ITFC will have to talk-up our commitment to youth to attract good young players has not changed and this should play into the hands of the fans that are rightly calling for youth to be given its chance.

In the years ahead we will probably have to blood more and more youngsters, or attract those that have not made the grade with other clubs; quality could be in question when the best are being sucked-up by Premiership clubs that apparently run "The Peoples Game".

You can probably tell that I fear the repercussions of what the Premiership has done to football past and future, even though teams outside the elite will do what they have always done: develop and sell. Young players will still have to make a big decision as to whether they go to a Premiership (Cat1) for their schooling, or someone like ITFC (Cat2). We will always have the advantage of being positioned to fast-track the best we have into the first team (subject to them actually being good enough), watch this space!

'Fans feel there is no on-going dialogue between them and the club, despite the various forums Cleggs is said to attend'

Back to Simon Clegg, obviously, in some fans opinion he could do more (much, much more) to demonstrate a willingness to listen and act in the interests of our fans. Some feel like there is no on-going dialogue between the club and fans, despite the various forums Clegg is said to attend.
This is all great if you attend or are invited, but many would say he needs to be seen to be talking and listening to more fans in order to build the relationship for the future.

The rise and rise of social media is worth comment at this stage as it has enabled #itfc fans to express often diverse and sometimes un-reconcilable opinions, especially on matters of club strategy at a time when getting things off your chest has not only been helpful it has been essential!

Season 2011/12 has at times divided and at others brought fans closer: including closer to some #itfc players. In social media, I am of course referring to twitter in the main. It offers so much to tweeps able to access the likes of ALB, Cressa, Tommy Smith, JET, and Chops.

Twitter has also provided fans in the outer circle, those that have a passion for ITFC but whom cannot attend matches as regularly as they would like (me included at times), with an opportunity to interact with fans pre and post-match. It's a whole new world and Simon Clegg could learn a thing or two about connecting with the fans from the players that are investing their time in those fans.

What are your thoughts? Do you have anything to say on anything Mark has mentioned? Leave a comment, get in touch with us both on Twitter (@tractorgirlamy8) or write your own piece about ITFC and I'll happily use it on here!

Mark and I have very similar views on this debate, so I'm especially keen to hear from anyone who is less sympathetic of Jewell, Clegg or even Evans.

Part Two of Mark's blog concentrates on his feelings towards Jewell himself: 'despite the deep low at the turn of the year, I was still optimistic that PJ was the right man to get us out of the hole and scale the mountain'.

It's another excellent piece that takes a very sensible approach to a very heated debate. Come back on Friday to see what he has to say!

Saying Goodbye to 2011/2012

With West Ham's promotion to the Premier League yesterday, the 2011/2012 Championship season finally came to an end. Despite having had three weeks to mull over Ipswich Town's year, I still haven't come to a conclusion on how I feel about it.

It's been disappointing, that much is clear. But even the most pessimistic of fans would be hard pressed to deny that we have learnt a few lessons and the side HAS progressed form this time 12 months ago. There are so many different factors to consider in terms of what has influenced our perception of Town's limited success this year.

Who was our best player? Who was our worst player? Who was our best signing? How were our signings overall? Were the loan signings a success? Did Jewell's Dad's Army have anything to teach us? What do we think of Jewell himself? And Simon Clegg? And Marcus Evans? The list goes on!

In the coming weeks I'll be blogging on many of these in a little more detail; including a special two-part guest blog on Paul Jewell's reign so far. But first I wanted to draw a line under the season and Nick Chenery, who has blogged for me in the past Link has managed to do that far more succinctly than I'm managing at the moment.

What I find fascinating is that, as Nick's blog shows, most fans seem to have the same general view of this season. Where we differ is on our reaction to the games immediately after they've happened. So, what I've decided to do is present to you Nick's excellent season summary juxtaposed with quotes from my own blogs over the past 12 months. So Nick and I will take you on a journey of the rollercoaster ride that was this year.

The 2011/12 season was one of promise at Ipswich. After the new signings of Michael Chopra, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Lee Bowyer and Keith Andrews (among others) the Portman Road faithful were hoping this side could really push on from the past three or four disappointing League campaigns.

'His age doesn't worry as much as please me; he claims to be as fit as his younger former teammates at Birmingham and, as PJ says, I think that is a result of a pure determination to play football and win. Definitely something we were missing last year' On new signing Lee Bowyer in 'Could there be trouble ahead with Town's new signing?' Link

The first game, at least, went according to plan. Town had a decent 3:0 away win at Bristol City: Michael Chopra scored twice to put Town joint top of the league!

'What we saw this weekend was an excellent display of football, especially when you consider what we were watching last year. No, it wasn't perfect and, yes, we have things to learn. But it wasn't a bad starting point was it?!' My match review from Ashton Gate: 'Dare to Dream: Is this a sign of things to come?' Link

But then came a nightmare three weeks. An early exit from the Carling Cup against Northampton, one of the sides that Town beat on the way to the Semi Final against Arsenal the season before, was followed by two crushing defeats against Southampton at home and Peterborough away. We can all remember what happened there, so the less said about it the better!

It's so upsetting to see the side that filled us with so much hope just a fortnight ago descending into absolute chaos. Every time Peterborough got the ball they scored, and there was seemingly nothing our shaken defence or non-existent midfield could do about it. My match review from London Road: 'Where to Town go from here?' Link

In September, as a payback to fans who had a ticket to the Peterborough debacle, the club gave the fans free coach travel to the Blackpool away game. 13 coaches were packed off to the seaside (I've been told it was anticipated there would be 3! - Amy) And, despite a 2:0 defeat, the mood seemed lifted among some sections of the crowd.

In the first half we looked impressive, we moved the ball well, looked fairly solid when Blackpool were pushing forward and seemed to be trying to get on the attack ourselves as often as possible. It didn't look like either team were going to score, to be honest and nil nil at the break was a fair result. My match review from Bloomfield Road: 'Good things come to those who wait' Link

September ended on a much higher note: with a home victory against Coventry City, an away draw at Middlesbrough and, one of the best nights of the season, a 1-0 win against one of the pre-season favourites West Ham: former Spammer Lee Bowyer scored the winner a couple of minutes from the end. October continued brightly, with home wins against Brighton and Portsmouth, and a controversial game at Cardiff where Town were unlucky to see a dubious handball decision give Cardiff the equaliser. After Portsmouth at home on October 18, Town were unbeaten in six games and sixth place in the league.

The defence looks solid: Sonko and Collins finally provide fans with a bit of reliability, while Stockdale is proving a great acquisition both in and outside of Portman Road following another call up to the England squad. And the Chopra/Scotland partnership continues to work its magic, with seven goals in four games and Chopra finally reopening his account for the Blues. My article published on The 72 Football website: 'Ipswich Town: the best team in the Championship?' Link

Then came the biggest game in October, Crystal Palace at home. Palace were pushing for the playoffs and a win would have maintained Town's good run. But a very ordinary performance gave Palace the three points and the form after that wasn't really what the Portman Road faithful had in mind. In fact, there probably wasn't a single Town fan who would have expected seven straight defeats to be on the cards at that point.

Few highlights were to come in those following games, but when Doncaster Rovers came to Town they brought with them Billy Sharp. The striker, who had been linked with several moves to Portman Road, had lost his son to Gastroschisis (The birth defect that causes a rupture of the abdominal wall, which exposes the intestines) a couple of days before the game. Naturally there was enormous support towards him, but not even Sharp himself could have imagined the reception he got when he scored. Most people who were in the ground that day applauded Sharp both when he scored and when he got substituted later on in the game. Humbling to say the least and it was, in some ways, a very proud moment for Town fans.

After that very special moment though came four nightmare games: Town couldn't hold on to any sort of lead. Two of the lowest points for Town fans of any age came in the Reading home game and at Burnley away. Anyone who was at either of those games would have seen that Town were dreadful at the back. 2-1 up going into 3 minutes of injury time to lose 3-2 at home against Reading? Travelling up to Burnley on a relatively cold night at the end of November, seeing Town have 1 shot in the entire game and being branded as a 'pub team' by Paul Jewell.

When Burnley's first goal went in the players' shoulders visibly dropped. After a good starting ten minutes or so they were completely deflated... and you just sensed the ball would be plucked from our own net a few more times that night. My match review after my visit to Turf Moor: 'The last light of hope at Portman Road' Link

An unlucky defeat by Watford the Saturday after left most Town fans scratching their heads as to where another point, let alone another win, was going to come from.

So, when Town travelled to Barnsley on December 10, a game which was being covered by Sky, Town fans were trying to keep a brave face. When half time came in that game, Town were 2-0 down and totally out. Most neutrals, and some Town fans, were thinking this must be the last chance for Paul Jewell, but they never saw that second half coming!

Two goals from Keith Andrews and a goal each from Michael Chopra, Jason Scotland and Danny Collins had Town fans jubilant. Town followed this incredible second half performance with a 1-0 win at home to Derby, a draw at Leicester where Michael Chopra missed a first half penalty, and a 1-0 defeat away at eventual champions Reading.

2012 started off in much the same way that most of 2011 had preceded it.

Town lost three of the first four games with defeats against Forest at home, Hull away in the cup, and the trip to Leeds which saw Town press the self destruct button with 20 minutes left.

'If Paul Jewell were to be sacked today, I really don't think I'd feel any sorrow... I am rapidly losing patience with him. It's performances like that at Elland Road on Saturday that cause the uncertainties for me: a first half good enough to show a decent side developing, but a second half so poor you feel relegation is all we deserve.' My match review from Elland Road, one of the hardest blogs I've ever had to write: 'No excuses for The Blues self destruction at Portman Road' Link

Ten days after that performance, West Ham arrived at Portman Road wanting to gain revenge from the 1-0 defeat by Town at Upton Park in September. Neither fans of the team in blue, nor fans of the opposition team in claret and blue could have seen this result coming: Ipswich 5 West Ham 1? Where on earth did that come from? Town were jubilant.

'I am so pleased to see the boys finally overcome their nerves and have a little faith in themselves. It's about time they started fighting for the win and showing the rest of the league what they're made of.' My review of a turbulent January: 'Keep calm but get a little bit excited' Link

The result seemed to have got Town playing again, with Town winning four of the next five and the only defeat coming at Brighton who beat us comfortably 3:0. When the Blues went to top-of-the-league Southampton in early March, most Town fans were confident their side could get something from the game.

On reflection, they maybe should have done Michael Chopra missed a glorious chance with a header at the near post and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas clipped the outside of the post with a free kick, most in the ground expected that to ripple the back of the net.

'Going on our recent form against the top sides in the Championship (i.e. West Ham), I must admit I was hoping for a point or three against Southampton. You can't win them all, what you have to be able to do is grind out a result even in the games where we aren't necessarily the best side. That's something we achieved at St Mary's' Reviewing this next section of good results in: 'Bristol and Southampton see signs of progress at ITFC' Link

Town's form towards the end of March was, like most of the season, very inconsistent. Wins against Peterborough and Burnley at home, were followed a few days after by a 2-1 defeat at Watford. Like the first game against the Hornets, Watford came from behind to get the three points. The month was topped off by a very low-key draw against Middlesbrough, in a game that had been re-arranged from February, and a 1-0 win against Barnsley at home where Town maybe should have managed more than the single goal against a poor side who had just escaped relegation.

'In my opinion, the recent dip in performances is clearly down to tiredness and, once the fixture list has settled down again for the final month of the season I'm sure they'll be keen to return to their best form.' My comments in 'Fatigue or apathy for the Town boys' take on more significance this week with news that Chopra is off to California to work on his fitness. Link

April saw much of the same in terms of form: A goalless draw at Derby, a disappointing second half performance against Leicester at home which resulted in a 2-1 defeat, successive draws at Palace away and Birmingham at home. Though Town were unlucky not to get wins in both of those games, particularly against Birmingham where Town were by far the better side for 85 minutes.

The final game at Portman Road capped off a very below par home campaign. Most Town fans would tell you the performance against Millwall was arguably the worst home performance of the season. Only a few hundred stayed afterwards for the very half-hearted 'lap of honour', this tells you everything you need to know about Ipswich this season.

However, the season was rounded off nicely by a 3-2 win against already relegated Doncaster. Town were always ahead in this game and did just what was needed to get the three points.

2012/13 Season I'm looking forward to next season, but it is painfully clear Town need to strengthen in most areas of the park.

A new goalkeeper is a must, maybe two centre backs, a right back, a new frontman to play alongside Chopra and any sort of creativity. Paul Jewell has already started the customary summer clear-out, so hopefully he can bring in some decent players and Town can push up the league next season.

Keep believing Town fans.

I didn't even have to tell him to put that last bit in....!

If you have anything that you want to say about anything mentioned in this blog, and you need more than 140 characters to do it, please get in touch with me on @tractorgirlamy8

I'd love to feature even more guest blogs on my site to show a wide range of ITFC opinions.

Fatigue or apathy for the Town boys vs Watford and Middlesbrough?

With eight matches in March - most recently three games in just seven days - the season has begun it's tiring close for Ipswich Town. And boy is it beginning to show.

"To play eight games in a month is a punishing schedule... I know people don't want to hear about highly-paid footballers being tired, but both teams have put a lot of effort in and I think the first half was just a flat game." Paul Jewell on TWTD.co.uk

After a sluggish defeat at Watford on Saturday, I was worried how two defeats in a row might affect the squad at this fragile time. With the players so tired and another mediocre midtable finish looming, it was hard to see where we'd find the energy to return to the recent form we've enjoyed. Luckily, Town dug deep to achieve a draw against promotion chasing Middlesbrough.

When we trudged through the snow to Portman Road last month to see the original fixture for this tie, I was feeling that a draw would be a good result. Thanks to the exciting way we played for 37 minutes that day my hopes for last night had risen to the possibility of a win. So, overall, I'm happy with a draw.

But back to the topic in hand: the lethargy appears to be affecting the Town players now and, with the squad this year looking rather depleted, it's hard to know what Jewell can do about it.

Chops has looked tired out since Hull away and, though I fully expect him to be back scoring goals aplenty next season he has worked hard enough to have earnt a rest. But what can Jewell do? Not play him? Who would he replace him with?

He's been honest enough to explain he cannot opt for Scotland unless the striker accepts a new deal. Currently, just two more starts would tie him down to another year of wages we cannot afford. No, Scotland will have to remain a super sub for now: a real shame as the two of them seemed to be performing together well as a partnership.

Next, there's Lee Martin, who seemed to benefit from his first half rest against Hull and has come back to fine form once again. He turned things around that day, and without him against Watford on Saturday we were decidedly less creative with few opportunities on goal. So Jewell cmust continue to play him. I'd prefer to stick with him in the starting line up and allow some fresh legs to replace him once he's run the opposition ragged. Carson preferably, who came on and looked passionate on Saturday. Now's the time for Jewell to allow him to compete for a place in the team next season.

Now to my current top player: Jay Emmanuel Thomas. He's been quiet since Bristol at home and possibly even Brighton away the week before that. Including that game, JET has started eight games in only just over 4 weeks and it is clearly beginning to affect him.

Cast your mind back to the beginning of the season (feels so long ago doesn't it?!): Despite consistently poor performances, Jewell kept explaining JET was simply low on fitness and there was so much more to see from this young lad. Recently, that level of fitness has dropped as a result of the jam packed schedule and so his performances have been directly affected.

Of course, that's not prevented some flashes of brilliance from him: I don't think I'll ever forget when he ran the length of the pitch with the ball dancing at his feet cutting around the Watford defence. Their players and ours alike appeared to step back, not knowing which way he was going next and alowing him to get on with it. If I remember right this little move lead to a very very near miss from Chops. That spark cannot leave the Ipswich Town side, JET is another player Jewell should continue to start and perhaps replace later on in the game for some fresh legs.

I would like a quick word about Tommy Smith (WORLD CUP PLAYER) and Damien Delaney: two players who, by contrast as they appear to still be playing with the same energy they were in our great run of one defeat in ten games. They are, quite clearly, still vulnerable to silly mistakes. But there are less of those now, the game is more controlled on our back line and they are pressing forward quickly at every chance they get. After Chops and Martin were subbed on Saturday, I spotted our two defenders at the top end of the pitch in their place. And not just for the corners!

That doesn't seem like a pair who've stopped trying, that doesn't seem like a team who didn't care they were losing. These boys aren't haven;t packed their bags for the summer holiday yet. They all want to end the season on a high, that's what being a footballer's all about. I was writing an article about a Doncaster Rovers defender who's just returned from a long injury recently and he said to me 'if you don't go out on that pitch wanting to win, then there's something wrong with you and you may as well have stayed home'.

My point is, it's not in a footballer's nature to just give up and stop caring. The recent dip in performances is clearly down to tiredness in my opinion and, once the fixture list has settled down again for the final month of the season I'm sure they'll be keen to return to their best form.

I asked Twitterland what they thought and was pleased to see that, in general, #ITFC fans are happy to have some patience with our tired squad:

@Katie_Lewis11 'Been playing lots of games this month #needabreak'

@Ant_ITFC 'I think the current glut of games has tired them, but after Tuesday night I wonder if they feel there's nothing to play for now.'

@Stevehitfc 'They look jaded due to heavy schedule, but the team will always go out to win every game, top 6 or not'.

@Felstedboy 'You could see Lee Martin looked really exhausted towards the end of the game.'

Hopefully next season Jewell will have more options to be able to rotate the squad, as he's already said he would like to. But, for now, this is our lot and we will make do.

For me it's a simple case of wanting to end the season on a high. I'm not saying I think we'll make it to the play offs - which, byt he way, IS still possible. I'm just saying why not aim for it?

Reach for the stars and you may just land on the moon as our teachers told us when we were young.

In Jewell We Trust, for next year may just be our year. In the meantime, let's enjoy what's left of the season.

Transfer window? More like supermarket sweep for Town fans!

Interesting theory on Twitter this week: davegoods reckons there's seven places to fill in the Ipswich Town first team this summer. Quite a task for our PJ.

I think you've got to consider even more than that. Our starting 11 could literally be anything next year: and trying to figure out who it will be is proving to be quite exciting!

Firstly, there's the ongoing saga with Jimmy Bullard. This story has more twists and obstacles than the A14 and it seems unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Word has it he wants to stay, Paul Jewell has said he wants him to stay, and we know already how much the fans want him to stay... yet there's still now word on an actual contract.

For me, it's all a bit too 'been there done that': remember Frannie Jeffers? The man was a legend at Portman Road for a few months and my god we wanted to sign him permanently. But when it came to the crunch he chose Sheffield Wednesday and the bigger wage packet. At the moment I don't see Jimmy playing in Blue and White next year. Sadly.

But what else does the boss say? Jewell's told reporters he's after a proven scorer - Hallelujah! He says the type of player he's after is Watford striker Danny Graham: the Championship's top scorer this year with 27 goal in all competitions. I fear we'd be shooting out of our league with this particular line of enquiry because there's reportedly Premiership interest too. But I like the way Jewell's thinking:

'I want a striker who will do anything to get a goal. We haven't got that devilment, that type of player who will kick his granny to score a goal'.

Isn't that exactly what the Town fans have been wanting all along?! My confidence in Jewell grows a little bit more every day, thanks to comments like this. It does make me wonder how different things might have been had Keane left at the end of last year and given Jewell some time with 2010's summer transfer list.

Speaking of strikers, there is, of course, the rejected bid for Billy Sharp. Here's a striker with a good reputation in the Championship, who has shown signs of that 'anything for a goal' attitude. There's plenty of time for Town to come up with another bid, but again the rumours of Premiership interest may get in the way. Isn't it annoying?!

Then, there's also talk on fan site Those Were The Days that we're targetting belgian midfielder Germinal Beerschott. He's a very tall midfielder who's been capped for his country. Even if it's not true it serves as a reminder that Paul will have his fingers in pies we've not even thought of. So trust the big man I reckon.

With all these rumours flying around I was feeling a bit dizzy, so I turned to twitter and the ITFC Tweeps! 'If you were PJ who would you spend your pocket money on?' The response was a full blown shopping list from dave_harrison, though as he said it was 'more fantasy football than realistic football'.

Bullard, Goodwillie, Sharp, Coppinger, St Ledger, Montgomery, Westwood, George, Boyd .

Now, defender St Ledger's a very interesting idea that I've not seen anywhere else yet. We were linked with him in January but it was decided that the requested £2.5 million was too high. A strong defender with experience in this league and a good reputation could be just what we need with our McAuley heading to pastures new. Perhaps that asking price will have gone down now his club Preston have been relegated?

Join the Town Tweeps and follow me on Twitter @tractorgirlamy

Elsewhere, I've just discovered http://www.lewis-mitchell.com/ which kicked up some more 'realistic' ideas. Blogger Lewis suggests Shaun Derry; a midfielder who came close to a deal with us last summer but financial issues put a stop to it. Lewis also ponders the possibility that, now QPR have been promoted, Derry's 33 year old legs and stamina would be better suited to the Championship than the Premier League. Lewis also comes up with Sheffield United defender Nick Montgomery. Another player with a good reputation... previous to this year anyway! However, I am reliably informed by my boyfriend (a life long Blade), Montgomery's a true United-ike, most likely, would want to see them back up to the league they've just been relegated from.

Of course all of this speculation will come to nothing if Clegg and Evans don't back Jewell with the necessary finances. I do get the impression they understand that is what's needed to get out of this league. But, will they deliver on that? Was the lack of support from the board the reason Keane left? Did he just feel he wasn't given the money? Were McAuley and Norris not simply looking for a move to the Premiership? Could there have been more to it, more going on behind the scenes than we know?

We'll find out soon enough; but I am reminded of what one fan said on Twitter in response to shouts for 'Clegg out'. What is everyone worrying about? The football season still hasn't finished; there's plenty of time.

So, bearing all that in mind, who would I pick? Any of the above and more besides.

For me though, the important thing is not who the players are but how well they gel together next year. Town have to enter August with a confidence and total desire to win every game. In the pit of my tummy I'm getting the same feeling I was getting in the mid nineties - that we were at the start of something good. It may take us a few years to get there. It may take us four attempts to win the Play Offs. But one day we will, once again, be Premier League.

Was 2010/2011 just the season we'll soon forget?

If this was a school report it would probably read: 'Town have tried hard through this difficult year, but they must do better next year'.

Roy Keane this week told reporters, 'my only regret is that I signed the contract before I met the Chief Executive. I won't be doing that again' (www.bbc.co.uk/sport). My opinion: if he found it that difficult to work with the board at Ipswich he should have left. But c'est la vie and we seem to be happily drawing a rather thick black line under that particular chapter of Ipswich Town history. Time to move on.

The introduction of Paul Jewell as the new boss could not have been more different to the media hype of Roy Keanes entrance. Keane was practically brought to the club with a fanfare and fireworks; followed by a promise that he would get the club promoted within two years. A promise that was inevitably left broken.

Whereas the conference with Paul Jewell seemed much more calm: here was a familiar face with a reasonable reputation in the Championship, who's outlook on the coming season was somewhat more realistic: 'We all want to be in the Premier League but if you go in and you're not quite ready you can be eaten alive...Promotion is definetly the long term goal' (www.dailymail.co.uk/sport).

Town fans breathed a sigh of a relief... that's what we've all been saying!

Having come to a team who had lost ten of their last 14 games (including a 7-0 FA Cup defeat at Chelsea), Jewell's magic seemed to work immediately when we won the next three games on the trot. Something Keane had never managed.

But Town fans remained cautious, wary of getting too excited too soon, and press reports of us making the Play Offs were mostly laughed off. The inconsistency of the following results served as justification for the scepticism.

Whilst one minute the team were experiencing the highs of a wonderful Carling Cup run and an unexpected win over Leicester in extremely heavy snow. The next minute they suffered some seriously awful lows: the game at Carrow Road being the best example. They never seemed to be able to settle down and find some form.

Such is the nature of the Championship, to be fair. From game to game you never know what the result is going to be because any club can win on any day. It's what makes it exciting and it's why I love it. But, sometimes you do think you'd give up that excitement for a bit of consistency.

And that's what I wish for next year; some consistency and good form. To know that we put our all into every game and did the best we could. I'm not sure that can be said for many of the games this year.

Game of the Season:

For most people there's no question: it has to be beating Arsenal 1-0 at Portman Road. What a special night for everyone involved with the club.

Another game worth noting is the 3-0 win over Sheffield United: the day the world discovered Connor Wickham thanks to that goal!

But for me the Game of the Season was Doncaster away. I've been wanting to go to the Keepmoat stadium for years as it's less than half an hour away from where I live. I arrived on a really miserable night huddled in my car before kick off eating a packed lunch tea. But the atmosphere among the Tractor Boys was electric; still reeling from the recent win over Arsenal. That mood seemed to transfer to the pitch as the boys ruled Yorkshire for the night. 6-0 was a thoroughly deserved scoreline thanks to the organised football and pure passion from a team that actually looked hungry for a win for once. Of course Connor was on fire too, which helped a bit!

Player of the Season:

Part of me wants to say Connor for that hat trick alone.

And a personal favourite of mine is Jamie Peters; who earned standing ovations when he was brought on as a sub for the last four or five games.

But my final decision goes the same way as the vast majority of Town fans who voted overwhelmingly for loanee Jimmy Bullard. It's been a long time since we've had a player who can single-handedly change the attitude of the whole team. From the moment he joined us in January we were transformed into a team that looked like we could win any game, and more importantly like one that wanted to.

So, Mr Paul Jewell: Please do whatever it takes to bring Jimmy to Portman Road permanently. I'm sure he's tempted by the lure of the Premiership and its larger wage packets; but if he came to Town he would instantly become a living legend, a name to go down in history, quite simply - a god.

Chant of the season:

Once again so many that deserve a mention:

My personal favourite was 'Barnsley's a s****hole, I wanna go home'. To which my response was, it's alright for you mate, I AM home!

Then there's the befuddling 'shoes off for the town' which I still don't totally get, but enjoy how much it confuses the opposition fans!

But the number one spot goes undoubtedly to a chant that we apparently 'borrowed' from Newcastle. It rates up there with 'Finidi, ohhhhh, Finidi ohhhhh, he comes from Africa, he drives a big tractor' and 'Matteo Sereni he comes from Italy, Matteo Sereni, better than Wrighty'. Hopefully it's one we'll be singing for many years to come...

'Oh Jimmy Bullard,
You are the love of my life,
Oh Jimmy Bullard,
I'll let you sleep with my wife,
Oh Jimmy Bullard,
I want curly hair too'.



Quick thank you to my Dad for sorting me out with Naaaarwich tickets this year, buying me the new away shirt when I couldn't afford it and remebering to call me on that emotional night against Arsenal.

And also to my sister who joins me on many games in the North as she is a fellow long distance fan. But she mainly deserves a mention for singing the above song at the top of her voice in Leicester train station!