With respect, and even taking into account your 'heart on the sleeve, inpulsive nature' I would say that is the biggest crap ever printed on these pages. Jewells 'experienced' deals last summer failed but as they have all left other than Ellington, I would say we are probably in the same position as last summer so we have probably lost 12 months at best. Our squad of 5 years ago was arguably equal to our current 1 but it would be hard so blame either Clegg or especially Jewell for not kicking on since then. Not many clubs have invested as much as ME/ Clegg did at the start of the current regime and its hardly their fault when expensive acquisistions constantly let the club down.
Agree with this. Although I do think a Left winger is more important than a CM. I'd go for CB is most important followed by striker, then LM!! But before we got Luongo I was saying we needed an experienced CM but we got an inexperienced CM, whilst we are not short here an experienced CM wouldn't go a miss tbh. When you look at our CM's noone has played more than 30 games at this level or higher!! Tbh though I think there aren't many positions I'd would say we don't need to strengthen apart from maybe central attacking midfield, where I feel we are pretty well covered. Ideally I think we could do with another 2 CB's to get rid of Delaney, a CM, a LM and 2 strikers, one target man and one to give Chopra competition (maybe that could be Murray but not so sure). Add to that we could do with perhaps another LB if Whight doesn't step up and proper RW or another RB if Hewitt comes in (Edwards can cover 2 positions) and maybe another GK if Loach doesn't step up to the plate. I'm happy with how the squad is shaping up but I would say though we need a minimum of a CB and a ST in this transfer window or the squad will really struggle!!
Sorry Smugness but you are the one talking bollocks! I know how much you worship Jewell and the current regime but the league positions speak for themselves. Football is a results based business and under Jewell we have suffered more hammerings and losing streaks than at any time since the 1994/95 relegation season! Jewell is yesterday's man using tactics that are 10 years out of date. He has taken this club back at least 5 years and while many of our rivals in this league have been busy strengthening their squads we have been fiddling around!
If you read what I said I said those which he had paid money for. Tbh i think he's done very well when he's spent money: Drury = 150k Chopra = Just over £1 million JET = £1.5 million Cresswell = 250k Loach = 150k Hewitt = 150k Stevenson = 50k And alot of those free transfers were to plug holes, they didn't plug them very well but were fairly low risk. IMO I think we would have struggled to really build long term last summer due to the situation we found ourself in. If I recall also JWM with the benefit of hindsight you may have made alot of the same decisions. I remember having arguments with you about Delaney as you thought he was a much better defender than McAuley. You said Bowyer would bring much needed bite to the town midfield and he should have the captaincy. And you said Sonko was also a far better defender than McAuley. Infact I seem to remember you saying the Sonko, Collins CB partnership was the best we've had in years. I geuss hindsight is a wonderful thing hey. And also tbh how many people were complaining when we signed Bullard?? As I've said last summer was not how I want to see my club being built but considering the circumstances I can see why we went down that route, we were in a shambles, yet expectations were high!! Jewell has not set this club back 5 years, last year at times we may have gone slightly backwards but I think we were always going to struggle last season after what had gone before it, the change was never going to happen overnight. Now we appear to be building for the future and coming out of it, it's good to see some progression finally being made and it feels like the Ipswich of old are finally coming back.
My god I forgot how much Bollocks you actually talk!! Really you need to have some perspective from time to time. I think you'll find that noone thinks Jewell is the best thing since sliced bread. Football is a results based business but you've got to look a little deeper than that. Royle had a terrible last season here, does that mean you thought he was an awful manager because he didn't get the results? And you keep saying Jewells tactics are 10 years out of date, if I'm right he led Wigan to the PL in 2005 and kept them there and also led them to a Cup final in 2006!!
Yeah and since then just ask any Sheff Wednesday or Derby supporters about Jewell It was Sheepshanks to blame for sacking Royle. Over the last 10 years Royle has proven to be by far the best manager we have had and if he had been given a little financial backing we would have undoubtedly been in the Premiership by now! As it is we face yet another year of struggle under this present clown.
If anybody set us back it was Royston Keane and Clegg, now i'm not saying PJ is the saviour of our club but the mess we were in was undescribably bad. We had a team with no confidence, most of our best players were in their final months of their contract and had already decided to leave! he had a huge mess to sort, one which the best managers would struggle. he has made mistakes but he has also started to get us nearer in stabilising a sinking ship.
Yes but on the other hand you could speak to Bradford and Wigan supporters. But it is a results based business JWM and Royle didn't deliver in his last season, so he had to go!!
again mate you are letting your heart rule your head with comments about 'Jewell loving' . I dont love Jewell as we have been through many many times before and cant be bothered going through it all again. In relation to bad results etc they hurt but it only has an effect on that season. Last seasons loses dont mean we start on -20 points or anything do they? We are in the same position as every other club in the league. A bad set of signings last summer ****ed up last season only. It meant we didnt move on as a club. No more, no less. In many ways I would say that setting us back 5 years, as per your original statement, would be a good thing as 2008 was probably the last time we had a fairly decent squad but I cant see how it can work other than on a season by season basis.
Just out of curiosty JWM, realistically where would you have wanted PJ to have got us by now? and what would have done differently? Like i say, i not a huge supporter of him, but i'm realistic on the major job he had when he took over.
I agree totally about Royle but I think Robson would have wiped the floor with the whole bastard combined lot of them but thats nothing we can change is it?. I have no idea why these comments keeping coming up. NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IS CLAIMING THAT JEWELL IS A GENIUS, OUR BEST EVER MANAGER or any other crap that keeps coming up. You can back a manager and still think others are better at their jobs then he is. I couldnt give a ****e about past acheivements, what managers have done with OTHER players, at OTHER clubs, with OTHER financial backing, OTHER time periods and OTHER inherited squad. There are so many changables in the whole stupid argument that it is pointless and that doesnt include the state of the opposition. Christ, the SBR squad of the late 70's early 80's only used about 14 players in a whole season but nobody is saying the best way for us to win promotion and challenge for Europe this season is with the same idea are they. No because circumstances have changed. Jewells record has been hit and miss but Royles was hardly outstanding and Town would have been ****ing idiots to employ SBR on his previous managerial exploits but its not about history and if it was the likes of Kenny would still be at Liverpool, Souness would have only ever managed 1 club and so on.
Guru there isn't enough space on here to catalogue all the mistakes he has made! You may be surprised to learn that I never wanted this muppet here in the first place. A mate of mine is a big Derby supporter and he pissed himself laughing when he heard the news! Where to start! Not signing a permanent GK last season, using 4 different keepers in one season with 2 keepers on loan. Not signing a ready made replacement for McCauley. Signing Ellington as a favour to one of his old boys. Not selling Leadbitter before his contract run out. Not having any adequate back up tactical plan in place. The list is endless and tbh I expected us to be relegated last season but for the fact that Jewell stumbled on a plan to save us. It was quite telling that as soon as we were safe our form just nosedived. He is not the manager we need who can take us forward.
The thing about him signing players last season, he still had a lot of the crap on huge wages left by royston. it would be a struggle to shift them because other clubs wouldn't pay the wages we were. and that had a knock on to who he could sign because the wage budget was all used up on ****! yes the GK situation was laughable i will give you that, but was it his fault that scwarzer got injured so stockdale went back, it was a gamble to have him on the release clause that didn't pay off. I would say tactical he did use options, the diamond worked for a bit, then was found out, then the 4-2-3-1 formation worked which is a pretty upto date formation. I believe ME has held money back this summer because PJ is coming to the end of his contract so if things aren't any better then a new man will have funds for his own signings.
You said Jewell managed Bradford 10 years ago because i used it as an example and you used Sheff Weds which is also over 10 years ago!!
Now things are looking at comprehendable stuff rather than if buts and maybes... Signing a keeper - Agree one was needed. Do you know we didnt try? Do you have an obvious choice in mind that we could of signed for a realistic price? My only criticism would be that the loan we did get had a recall clause. If it wasnt for that then we wouldnt have gone through the other disasters BUT if Fulham wouldnt have let him out on loan without the clause then it may have meant having an inferior keeper. It was a gamble which failed. 50/50 on the stupidity of this action Replacing McAuley - we did actually sign 2. Both of which were greeted by fans with optimism. Sonko came with a decent reputation whilst Inga was obviously more of a gamble due to his injury record but we did replace. Both would need replacing with 18 months - 2 years but we were all happy enough with them. It failed but I wouldnt call what Jewell done stupid. Signing Ellington. Has have been said with Torres, Owen, Fowler and probably a lot more besides a proven goalscorer never losses his instinct. Im still baffled by Ellington. You dont score goals like he has and have no talent but he has been off the boil for a good few years for no obvious reason. If hes on basic wages then it make sense to have a gamble but probably only on a one year deal not 2. I also think the 'old friends' argument is ****. You are employed to take a club to promotion on a set budget. I dont think anybody, in football or an outside busiess, would jeopardise there own career by employing someone they knew couldnt contribute. Length of contract was stupid but the signing probably not sure. Probably agree I wouldnt have done it if it was me. Not selling Leadbitter - Cant blame Jewell at all for this. You need a buyer firstly (you cant just drop him off at another ground and pick up cash!!) and one that is prepared to pay decent money now rather than wait and sign him for nothing in 6-9 months time. Its the steven Davies argument in reverse. So not stupid. Not having a back up tactic - funny that because we used 2,3,4 or possibly 5 (442, 442 diamond, 4411, 4231, 433 (the last 3 all kind of have the same emphasis which is why I havent commited to figures)) last season and one you have already admitted to keeping us up. You could probably argue that he tried too many and as a result we lacked cohesion until we came across the successful one. So plenty of tactics really.
