So who do we want, who do we think will get it?

The more I reflect on what has happened the angrier I am at what the club has done, we've never been a club not to give managers time. The more I look at the options for our next manager the more underwhelmed I feel and the more I think we sacked Cook too early, literally the next appointment will be a downgrade.

For all the building of a club behind the scenes Ashton has done he doesn't have a track record of success on the pitch in terms of managerial appointments

 

I think the trend was going downward. For every sign of encouragement (the 4-1 win over Wycombe, the 4-0 thrashing over Portsmouth), we fail to build momentum. Under Cook, we only won two league games on the bounce on one occasion. That’s not good enough. Failure to beat teams at home, such as Newport, Oldham, Barrow, and the West Ham and Arsenal kids - albeit in the cups - also makes for painful reading. His win ratio was poor.

Cook made his bed when he decided to go into this season without an assistant and by trusting an inexperienced, wet-behind-the-ears coaching staff. Ultimately, I think that failure contributed to our tactical weakness and inability to make effective, game-changing substitutions and changes. Like Lambert, the absence of Cook’s trusted number two, Leam Richardson, meant we were not getting the full package that the likes of Wigan and Portsmouth had before. And just look at the job Richardson is doing at Wigan!

The sacking may be harsh and the replacement might be an underwhelming name, but the wider aspects of the club are all set up for success. The investment is there and waiting. The players are good enough from their success and reputation elsewhere. We just need a strong coaching team and a head coach that is tactically flexible, intelligent, and will work better in the current system. As much as I like Cook as a person and was a big fan of his appointment, he clearly hasn’t been that for us. I wish him luck. I think we need to get over bringing in a manager that has a name or has a glittering CV, because it hasn’t worked for decades. Get in the right person for the role and, crucially, ensure that person can pick their coaching team!

 

I was disappointed but at the end of the day last season was absolutely horrific and he was lucky to have the summer and half of this season.

You could argue he’s had a bit of bad luck where goals could have gone in but equally he could have done a lot more to work on our attacking play.

Despite a huge number of signings we are well short in attack, the signing of Hladky was a complete disaster and our centre backs can’t play football so we need another turnover of playing staff. The intent is better than Lambert’s but we are no further forward by any measure.

The thing that’s a bit dodgy about the decision to sack him now is that all of this was apparent in August.

 

If Cook was the new owners’ man, as you suggest Hampy, then they should have given him more time.If he wasn’t,then he should have gone straight away so we didn’t waste all that effort getting his,supposedly,first choice players.The timing just seems odd to me.

 

The greater question is whether the decision has been taken on the basis of a penalty shoot out in a tin pot trophy and an inch either way hitting the woodwork on Saturday. Would not be at all surprised if it was.

Or even worse, with an eye on the Americans coming over for the #packoutpr games and the shortage of goals lately.

 

The yanks coming over must be relevant to all this. They can’t do a load of chest bumps and white teeth grinning with their arms around cook only to watch another turgid draw from an array of attacking players then sack him after they go home. Looks really bad. Better to have a ground zero/clean sweep/fresh start feeling than a elephant in the room scenario.

results have been bad. From a bunch of players he chose and some key players who had success with him before it’s all just not happened. Seems they didn’t want another window to throw more money at his solutions.

At least we won’t have to hear for the millionth time how we have to go away, lick our wounds, work harder etc etc…

 

There's no questioning Paul Cook's reign hasn't been very good and I agree with alot of the criticisms but that's not the point. His record in this division speaks for itself, he's not had instant success at every club, despite the past month we're still in playoff form and all our losses have come against the top teams in this division recently.

I said at the start of the season I've not known a player who's gone on to have a consistently good season after a disrupted pre season and that's pretty much the majority of the squad. In my mind we were in line with realistic expectations for this season i.e indifferent form before Xmas before picking up in the new year for an attempt at the playoffs.

Cook did take a big risk by getting in a whole new squad and I said that at the time but if the board were willing to back him in doing that they needed to give him the time for this to bare fruit.

Something just stinks about this and I'm feeling its something to do with Ashton

 

Another manager with either a great or promising record who leaves Ipswich with his reputation in tatters

 

McGreal appointed interim manager and has brought in his own assistant. Again something fishy here, brought in to assist the under 23s...strange considering he was a manager of a league 2 club and held in relatively high esteem. Been at the club a week and made interim manager...strange but also brings in his own assistant...strange who hears a manager being appointed as an interim manager a week after joining and when appointed brings his own assistant...something just doesn't seem right here and again I'm looking at Ashton...

 

His assistant Gilmartin was also on the books at Bristol City as recently as this year...the plot thickens

 

I don’t quite buy into your cynical conspiracist take on things here, itfcptc. The owners were understandably considering future plans and options for what they’d do in the event of sacking Cook, which is absolutely their right considering their ambition and the poor form and results this season (and last, which they must have factored in). So, bringing in McGreal - in the event they needed an interim manager - is just good short-term planning. Not to mention that McGreal is an experienced, quality coach with first team management experience – so it makes sense to have him in the building.

The owners may have been looking for a managerial change for the ‘Pack Out Portman Road’ matches, when the Americans are at the stadium, but the fact is they apparently haven’t got a managerial replacement ready and lined up. It looks like the home defeat to the Arsenal kids and the 0-0 blank against Barrow must’ve twisted their hands. Did any of us have any faith that a Cook Ipswich side would get good results away to Charlton and Wigan after this run of form? Not me.

On another note, I’m glad and relieved that we’ve sacked the coaching numpties that Cook brought in. Not blaming Cook for bringing them in, if he genuinely thought they were going to be a positive influence, but I think history will judge his faith in them harshly. They just did not appear to contribute any meaningful tactical advice during matches.

Also, I’m not sure where the recent, intense hate for Ashton is coming from on social media? He backed Cook to the hilt in the summer by jettisoning most of the old squad and investing a lot of money by bringing in a lot of players Cook wanted, many of whom had previously played for him. I get Ashton is in a role which isn’t traditionally an Ipswich role – the manager here has typically always had final say on a lot of first team matters – but I think it’s harsh to judge him negatively for what he’s done since he has come in.

 

Not seen him mentioned on here yet, as he’s probably in danger of being viewed as a bit ‘flavour of the month’, but Ryan Lowe at Plymouth might be worth a shout? Upwards career trajectory after doing well at Bury, achieved promotion with Plymouth from League Two last season, and is now competing at the top of the League One table with them. He’s attack minded, influenced by the likes of Klopp and Guardiola, and is clearly a very good coach. At 43, he’s a manager who is looking to achieve things in the game rather than somebody coming here after a long, successful career (think Cook, Lambert, Jewell etc). He is another Scouser, but at least he isn't called Paul!

 

I think Bucky mentioned him earlier in this thread, referred to him as the Plymouth chap !

 

So he did, and I even liked the comment! Completely forgot haha!

 

With respect ITFC I hardly think PC & Town have hardly 'been in play-off form'! And we can all agree as Nuggets says, that his backroom coaching team haven't helped at all. I am relatively happy with the short term practical solution with McGreal to try steady the ship, and give them time to find the next fully fledged manager. No-one expects miracles in next 2 matches, but he might motivate the players to bring back the zest, appetite, desire and hello as an ex accomplished defender,he might knock some sense in there!

Lets now see how things unfold.

 

Think what you like Southcoast but if our season would've started after the Bolton defeat we would be in the playoffs. Real lack of patience here for me, we've potentially let one of the best manager we could get walk out the door without giving him a good amount of time to build something

 

As for McGreal it makes sense in some ways as he has the most managerial experience at the club, however for an interim appointment would you put someone in place who'd been at the club a week?

 

The key word there being 'if'.

In the form table, which is based over the last six games, we are 13th and five points off play offs. Even if we're generous and judge it over the last ten matches, we're still eighth and outside the play offs. It's sad, but we've been far too inconsistent to look like a credible top six side.

 

With regards to Ashton, he reminds me on Nsiala I really like 90% of what he says and does but 10% really really concerns me.

It's great to have a CEO in place as front and centre as he is after all those years of not but there's no doubting he has an ego. Obviously Bristol City fans don't think highly of him and how he speaks sometimes really winds me up...he uses 'I' alot and 'my team' and called the coaching staff 'Paul Cook's team' ...and pointed out in his most recent interview that the owners were happy with the Cook appointment but it was before his time and the board supported his decision unanimously to sack Cook. So the owners were happy with the Cook appointment but he wasn't Ashtons man and he recommended to the board to sack him.

Ashton clearly knows his stuff but I also think he needs to wind his neck in sometimes and respect the boundaries between the CEO and manager

 

That is true but in the last 6 games we have also played Sunderland away, Plymouth and Rotherham.

There's no way of dressing Cook's reign up it has been very disappointing but there has been some signs of improvement and to expect continuous improvement with a new team isn't going to happen. The club have been ruthless and I just hope it doesn't come back to bite us on the backside. I am really disappointed with the lack of patience shown