Off the back of 4 consecutive defeats and the team badly low on confidence, I would like to know why we haven't heard from our Captain Marvel or maybe I missed it! Collins has come out and publically stated how "gutted" he was after losing yesterday so why isn't our esteemed leader on the pitch coming out and saying the same things? Perhaps he is too busy counting his fat pay packet and speaking to his agent about his next big move! He has got to be the worst Ipswich Town Captain in our entire history and just why Jewell picks him every week let alone as captain just defies belief! Leadboots just epitomises all that is wrong with our club at the moment. He goes missing in games when the heat is on, he is not vocal at all, he doesn't lead the players around him and he certainly isn't performing on the pitch. We need Jewell to be ruthless and I say drop Leadboots and ship him out in January. Give Luke Hyam a chance in the side and give him the job of shielding the back four allowing Bullard to get forward behind the front two. Its all very well Jewell coming up with the same old excuses week after week but nothing ever changes! Leadboots needs a rocket up his arse or we get rid. I just hope he doesn't sign this next contract because he has been a complete disaster and why Jewell can't see that is beyond me! At the same stage of the season last year we had 24 points compared to just 20 points this year. Well thats progress I suppose!
agreed, get him out. he hasnt been any good since about 2 months of him arriving(and that was over 2 years ago)
i have absolutely no idea he's a terrible player. Passes sideways backwards too slow tempo slow awful useless player.
Whilst I agree with the majority of your post on this occasion JWM I really don't think PJ had any other option with the captaincy. With all the new faces at training it was never going to be a newbie and as Leadbitter donned the armband when needed the season before he was the logical choice (then) and even now not one players smacks of being a born leader (I'd maybe say collins has it in him) so we haven't got a great deal of choice. His silence has only brought more attention to his poor performances and lack of leadership although the anti Leadbitter brigade should maybe remember he is not the only player underperforming... It strikes me as strange as well that at the other end of the scale Bullard seems immune to criticism, even when he plays like a turkey the fans talk about his positives, an example is the Brighton match, I though Leadbitter had a good game. He covered Bullards poor positioning and Andrews on his forward runs and kept the ball well. But as usual after the game he was slated and all the talk was about Jimmy who showed no ability to tackle with his limp legged attempts and lost his runner every single time. *Yes Bullard should play higher but I don't think that is we need to remember the sun does not shine from his bottom. *Also this not an anti Bullard post, just an observation that has frustrated me for a while
Bullard is playing out of position, I don't think he has the legs to play DM. Leadbitter is just crap wherever you play him. I can only think he keeps his place because Jewell wants rid and is hoping he will catch some managers eye who is as blind as Keane was when he bought him.
Completely agree with your post. With regards to Leadbitter and the captaincy. I'm not too happy that he is our captain and he's not really captain material but at the same time he was the only player who's been here more than the past couple of years who was likely to be in the team really and I don't think that someone should be given the captaincy straightaway when they come to the club!! I don't really see he had any other option than to give Leadbitter the captaincy. I would perhaps see, Andrews or Collins as future captains of the team but they're not even our players atm. I think there is potentially a decent player in there somewhere although as it stands I think we can do much better. I think one of the problems has been that he's never played in a bog standard CM position where he is at his best, he's not go the attributes to play as the defensive midfielder, which he played when Norris was here at the same time he does not have the attributes to play in the more attacking CM role he's played recently. We need to start playing with a bog standard either 2 across the CM or 3 across CM all of them not being to defensive or offensive, as tbh none of Bowyer, Bullard, Leadbitter or Andrews are really specilist DM's or AM, they're all probably best played as a standard CM. If we're going to play formations where we need a DM and one at the tip of the diamond(which possible Bullard can play) then we're going to need to change the personnel.
Isn't it depressing when you say that we couldn't have given the Captaincy to anybody else! I mean aren't we supposed to have some quality experienced players who are all meant to be leaders on the pitch? The truth is that we don't currently have any captaincy material and the players that spring to mind like Andrews and Collins aren't even our players! What an absolute bloody shambles this has become when we have no real candidates and so make do with someone who shouldn't even be in the first XI. If this is progress under Jewell than you can forget it!
On the subject of Captain, If we are going to continue with our current personal then I would give it to Bowyer. Not my favourite player, nor has he been spectacular so far but if you want a bit of a verbal assault then he has to be the man.
This hasn't just become a shables, it's been a shambles for a long time and Jewell is in the very early stages of sorting it.
JWM it is depressing that he was only really the player who could be given the captaincy, but how your saying this is that it's Jewells fault, when its clearly not!! There are other things you can blame him for, i.e some poor tactics but the captaincy is clutching at straws!! Yes the situation is not ideal but I don't think Jewell had much choice in the matter tbh and I'm pretty sure most other managers would have done the same thing if they were in that situation. I'm not going to even bother arguing my point again because its a wasted breath. But I agree with your point svendust.
ptc - I just can't believe how blinkered you are about Jewell. Leadbitter based on his "performances" shouldn't even be in the first team! We have a young, hungry talent in Luke Hyam who is not even getting a look in! In case you hadn't realised this team is now Jewell's team in the main with the exception of Edwards and Leadbitter. It just defies belief that after a summer of bringing in 13/14 players not one of them would be considered as better captain material. The truth of the matter is that the majority of OAP's that he has brought into the club wont be able to play in the majority of games due to injuries. Maybe Jewell should make our physio captain as he seems to be seeing more of our players than us fans do each week!
It is in the main Jewell's team and yes he did bring in 13/14 players but the fact that even that many additions is not enough tells its own story about the state of our team. We're not arguing that Leadbitter should be captain, just stating the obvious that there were no other candidates. If you think differently try and name someone who you think would have made a better captain other than the physio!
If Andrews signs permently than he should be captain without question! As for Leadtwat, don't even get me started on that useless ****ing tool!
The obvious captain is Bowyer at least he gets stuck in and is vocal on the pitch. The problem with having too many loanees is that you are limited but then again that isn't Jewelll's fault is it!
JWM once again your getting the wrong end of the stick with what I'm arguing about!!Everythings all to black and white with you, someones either amazing or s**t with you there's no reading between the lines, which is what I find so frustrating having debates with you. I'm not arguing as svendust points out that Leadbitter should be in the team or not but what I am saying is that I probably agree with Jewell giving him the captaincy over the summer because basically there was noone else you could give it too. There is clearly far better captain material in our team atm, the likes of Andrews and Collins stick out but they aren't our players and Bowyer for me is not one that may be playing for long at the club and at the same time has not been at the club very long. For me Leadbitter was the right person to appoint at the time, because he had been at the club the longest and out of those left was probably the one who was most likely to get into the team. But one of the main things that I am arguing for with regard to Jewell is that he has come in and changed things so quick(they needed to be) that things are constantly evolving, there were always going to be some hard times until Jewell can bring a settled team in and really put his mark on the team. Yes the team is basically now his team but it was needed to be put together so quickly that I'm sure if he had more time he would have done slightly differently, because yes some of his signings are short term fixes but I can't see how he could've built for the long term in such a short period of time.
