Dont know who that was aimed at JWM but if it was at me, then if you re-read my post I have actually said just that!
Personally, I don't think your current squad is a top 10 team at the moment. You do have a youth setup that most should envy but many have been let go, before they reached anywhere near their potential - the obvious being Trotter and Rhodes (letting Wickham go for the money you got was sensible). I like the look of Hyam and Carson, and these could be very effective in the not too distant future. In that sense, you have an advantage over the other clubs in that you appear to be able to produce talented youth players. As it stands, I see top 10 quality in: Chambers, Loach, Cresswell, Paul Taylor and, on his day, Michael Chopra. I cant see how you will make top 10 without investment in the squad. I also think the teams that have beaten you this season have genuinely better players, so it's probably a bit hard on PJ, in my opinion. Seems to me Clegg should be the one to go. I know my opinion probably means jack **** to you buy I am genuinely not mocking you, or trying to stir anything up - its just my take on it.
A very well thought and presented comment. I personally think we have more than just the handful of good players at the club (although not by much and I'm obviously a little more biased) Clegg does get a lot of stick and I certainly can't sit here and even try to defend him. But I think the route of the problem is no one really knows what he's there to do and what his targets are, if he has any?? It seems that there is some very wooly targets and expectations in senior management and although ME has pumped a lot of money into this club and stepped in to (save?) us during a difficult time, I think the buck should stop with him, by setting a clear remit in responsibilities and targets, then making it publicly known to the fans and holding those accountable if they don't live up to expectations (including himself) Personally this club is in a very weird situation as we stand and I'm not really sure where it goes from here, but I'm still (blindingly optimistic) hoping we can recover some of the old attributes of this club
Strikes me that you are going the same way we did a few years back. Releagted from the PL, not getting up with the parachute monies and then stuck with players taking big pay cheques and not showing a huge amount of interest in running their blood to water for the club. you look like you have reached our Roeder phase where funds are so low that only loan rangers are brought in who have zero loyalty to the club and in our case took us down. However smug a lot of City fans are now we were in a similar, if not worse, position not that long ago and it took a lot of luck, effort and good managment both on and off the pitch to get us where we are now. I hope that your lot can keep up as it could be terminal decline if you hit League 1 just as the fair play rules kick in. I still think that you will finish higher in your league than we manage to but as long as it's 15th versus 16th I think we'll all be happy!
I have to agree that Marcus needs to set some kind of plan and make it known. We are stumbling from one season to the next with no direction, a faceless owner, a PR useless CEO and a manager who doesn't seem to be able to get the best out of what he has. Not sure we can even say we have decent players, we like to think so but the proof is in the results on the pitch. Lack of goals scored and too many conceded is a recipe for disaster. Would maybe like to see Edwards in front of Ainsley on the right and Scotland and Taylor up front. We have already changed the starting eleven too many times for my liking. Jewell in some ways is no different to Keane, certain names always make the team regardless of performance. For Keane it was Leadknob and for Jewell it's Chopra. Other players have one bad game and they're on the bench again.
Dont think Edwards should play in Midfield personally and Im not sure if Jewell doesnt get the best out of his players. There may be question marks over a couple (Chopra/ JET for me) but in the main they have done a decent enough job. We probably lack 95 minute concentration and we still have such annoying gaps in the squad. The most obvious being the man mountain central defender. Other than that I agree with your post.
The thing that does really worry me after watching the Middlesborough highlights is the defence. I think Chambers and Smith are decent enough CB's, we do need a leader to come in and help them, that would definitely help but still the defence doesn't look like a unit. We play such attacking full backs that if we loose the ball it's just the CB's in the back line and we just look all over the place then. We do currently look a bit like how Arsenal played against us a couple of years ago, nice tippy tappy football but at the other end just to exposed especially to the simple ball over the top. I do think Edwards going forward from full back is a big strength of ours but I also think perhaps he's a little too gungho and gets caught out of position too often. I'm looking forward to seeing Hewitt as although I believe he is an attacking full back he may have better defensive qualities.
would basically agree with that PTC. I would compare us more to current Liverpool though. Nice to watch play in the middle of the pitch but cant turn that into regular goals and seem to concede goals due to our own mistakes. I agree with the idea that both Chambers and Smith can do a job but not together. I am praying that some we have cloned a 25 year old Jason De Vos character and he will be in the squad for the weekend.
OR how about NOT being so god damn limp wristed about everything and say it how it is, WE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH, WE DO NOT HAVE A BIG/GOOD ENOUGH SQUAD, OUR MANAGER HAS HAD TWO SEASONS TO ADDRESS THE DEFENSIVE PROBLEMS BUT STILL FAILS TO DO SO, OUR CEO IS A BAFFOON, OUR OWNER NEVER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ANYTHING AND TRIES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, OUR FANS STILL GO ON ABOUT THE IPSWICH WAY, HOW WE BACK OUR MANAGER AND FAIL TO ACCEPT THAT TIMES HAVE CHANGED AND OUR CLUB IS RAPIDLY LOSING ITS IDENTITY!! FFS, STOP COUNTERACTING ALL NEGATIVE COMMENTS, THIS HAS TO BE THE WORSE MANAGER WE HAVE HAD (RESULTS WISE) SO GROW SOME BALLS AND CALL FOR ACTION!! Sorry to have a go but plenty on here criticise the likes of JWM for saying how it is but you all have double standards, you are backing Jewell yet you were all quick to jump on the Keane out bandwaggon and Keanes results were NOT as bad as Jewells!! Oh and don't give me the 'yeah but we can see progress' bullshit because results prove there is no progress!!
While I cannot pretend to be happy with our start, we're 2, that's right, 2 points off 9th in the table. The centre back issue needs sorting out a s a p, that's clear. I tend to look at tables after 10 - 12 games though, as they usually provide a much clearer picture than the current table. I look at our next 3 fixtures as a CHANCE to get our season off and running. Wolves aren't the best on their travels, and the other 2 games are very winnable also. Brighton away looks very tough, and we have that weird knack of beating Cardiff. Obviously if results aren't so positive for the 2 home games come 17.00 Saturday, then yes, trouble looks more certain. 5 of our next 8 games are home fixtures. Lets get some points!!!! I think after the game with Sheffield Wednesday, if we're not within a few points or positions of play offs it would be a good time to act regarding changing manager. He would have had the games to sort things out, and if he proves incapable from now until then I think that would be the moment of time when I would sack him ( unless we're losing every game ) Weirdly, that would mean his last 2 home games would be v Derby and Sheffield Wednesday, his former 2 clubs. Spooky. I really do like to try to stick by managers where possible. I believe continuity has a much stronger chance than constantly chopping and changing managers. By the same token, I realise sometimes time won't achieve anything under certain people, and they will never be a right fit for the club. I think I like Jewell, in that whoever replaced Keane would in my eyes be my new best friend! So lets say Jewell goes ( I'm not sure how much faith I have in the team achieving the results he needs to keep his job ) what are the managerial vacancies? - Would Magilton round 2 be the worst idea ever? - Keane ( only joking !!! ) - Curbishley - would he fancy a return to football ? - I really do not have a clue !!!
The trouble is whenever I read posts by JWM it's either the world is falling down or that we'll winning the league no doubt (admittedly the world HAS been falling down recently) and I struggle to keep up with the rollercoaster, but in reaction to your earlier statements, I personally have never been a huge fan of Jewell or Keane, but I backed them while in charge and will back my team week in week out. The issue is we (as fans) are not party to all the information which is where a lot of the problems start and for us to whine and moan about X, Y and Z when we do not know the full extent is not particularly productive. The last thing I want is for this club to change managers on a season by season basis ala QPR and I am certainly not of the school of 'anyone else will do.' But if a good manager is available then I will agree that there is a valid justification for sacking and a feasable alternative available
KOPR - If Paul Jewell is competent in this job then how can you explain the fact that we splashed out £1.75 Million on a striker and yet we only have 2 recognised Centre Backs at the club? You need to open your eyes to the reality of the situation!
I really get the feeling now that we won't have that CB here, which is really down to someones incompetence!! PJ must have been pretty confident in getting a CB here if he would have let Delaney go, shame the Tate transfer didn't happen. How we are going to manage with just 2 CB's I'll never know!! We really need someone to take responsibility in the team a leader at the back!!
And what was the spin coming out from the club last season? Oh yes.. There will be no short term loans and we wont get ourselves in this position again! The fans are being treated like mugs!
Its nothing to do with being weak minded/ spirited but more to do with looking at what has happened rather than going all neanderthal. Im not turning this into whether Keane/ Jim/ Jewell should have stayed/ gone etc but it doesnt take a genius to work out that between the first two they spent probably £15m in 2 years yet Jewell has spent probably a max £5m in the same period and has missed out on many targets for the sake of what seems like a poxy £300k, whilst overs have walked out on us. Is it any wonder that our quality has decreased? Even with half your arguments you actually contradict yourselves. You moan that Clegg doesnt get deals completed but then say that its Jewells fault for not having a good enough squad. If you believe the first then surely it cant be the fault of the second. The amount of posts on these boards where the argument constantly swings between Clegg and Jewell as to the biggest problem but then again the biggest problem may be Evans as they are both working under his remit. Your right we havent got a good enough squad but if you had actually seen us play this season you would see the basis of a good team (note the word basis not a good team). As I stated yesterday Im not sure if Jewell can turn it around (so leave off the 'jewell lovers' **** because as we have said 10 billion times before but some appear to be too thick to actually read a full paragraph, it is simply not true) He has now got a team that I would say is 2 or 3 first team additions from being able to compete at this level yet it would still lack strenght in depth (the additions commanding Central Defender, true goalscorer, proper box to box midfielder) Im not sure whether the current coaching staff can instill the toughness that means we can move away from being both mentally and physically frail. I personally think an addition to the coaching staff which can concentrate on the defensive aspect may be enough to stop the horrific ease that teams can open the floodgates against us with but without new additions it wont turn us into a fighting force that some seem to think we deserve. Although I have not called for Jewells head it is mainly because I have seen a massive shift in the way the club operates yet many seem to think we can improve the club whilst cutting both wage bill and transfer fees. If Clegg or ulitmately Evans came out and told us what the hell they were playing at then we could all see in black and white whether Jewell has been a total failure or whether he is doing an average job under difficult circumstances, note the word average not good. If Jewell was to be sacked I would have no argument with it, but then it seems that a selection of our fans think Harry is a realistic replacement, which for me is as likely as Messi being our next signing. If anyone would like to put up a decent idea about where we go from here then fine but it appears that fans who think the Harry idea is realistic will just use others sceptacism as a way to shout 'Jewell lover' rather than see the stupidity of what they are saying. Even our friends from Norwich pitied rather than took the piss out of people who made that suggestion! The double standards thing works both ways though Spanish. I dont think I criticise JWM or yourself for being negative but I will say where I think you are wrong and that you are both capable of going over the top. If we get a good result you automatically congratulate the players or its luck, if we are humped its the managers fault. Just because you dont like the guy doesnt mean you cant admit when he does something right. On results this season we held Blackburn who are top of the league and benefitting from parachute payments and have beaten our hoodoo against Watford. We suffered from one individual error against Middlesboro, played well yet made one or 2 mistakes against Huddersfield, which were punished and got humiliated against both Blackpool and Carlisle. It is certainly not woeful but its also nowhere near what we were hoping for yet the most stupid thing is that we are two wins from the top or 1 win from 8th. Its playing catchup regardless but even 1 additional point could see us move up to 14th in the table.
I'll try saying how it is. 2 weeks ago after 2 fairly positive results I seem to remember you gave your backing to Jewell and liked what he had done over the summer etc, now after 2 losses away to Blackpool and Middlesborough you've reverted back to type and have called for everyone to be outed. PJ is definitely not as bad as Keane (the only manager in recent times you have backed!!). If another manager comes in he finds the squad in a far better state than PJ took it from under Keane. Results wise we have not progressed but i really do think we are in a better more promosing position now than we were 2 years ago. How you can compare the 2, Keane took a good squad ruined it after spunking millions and left us with a threadbare squad of overpaid average players and the entertainment was awful!!! The argument can be put forward that PJ hasn't taken us forward but from what he took over, we certainly haven't gone backwards!!!! I was very quick to jump on the Keane out bandwagon because it was so blindingly obvious he was awful and going to ruin this club. PJ may not be the right man but I don't believe he has the potential to ruin the club our reputation like Keane did. Keane was the worst thing ever to happen to this club in modern times end of and how you backed him to the hilt, yet wanted Jim out and never backed PJ!!! Look at the decisions he made, PJ or any other manager would never make such stupid decisions, selling Rhodes for a pittance, getting rid of Bryan Klug, not renewing McAuleys contract, getting rid of our only RB Wright, buying Delaney, buying Leadbitter, Priskin, Edwards and Martin for about £8 million, making so many players look like they are Donkeys who have now proven under better management they are not (Walters, Martin, Edwards)!! PJ's made mistakes but he had a very very difficult job on his hands that i said at the time it would take us years to recover from!! The problem as others have said about JWM is it's from one extreme to the other. And I like debate but often both you and JWM just say it's sh*t, that's not debate, it's easy to say things are crap when things aren't going the way we want, it's easy to jump on the bandwagon. It's like say for example having a debate about politics and saying the government are sh*t because it's the said thing, everyones just crap or a knobhead!!! It appears you both say what comes into your head without ever thinking through a reasoned argument!!! You contradict yourselves all the time and are full of cliches, that can be read on every club forum the whole "or clubs becoming a laughing stock" etc!!! I understand these forums are used for different reasons, I like to come on her for debate and I geuss its good for you and JWM sometimes to come on here a release a bit of steam because you are pissed off with the club!!
