sounds like a little bit of an over reaction from a few fans to me. i saw you at reading and although the home side played ****e they had a little bit more nous and flair than you and that won them the day but it was close. you looked like an organised team who would struggle to create and score goals, likely to end up somewhere near the middle of the table. would that be progress on the last few years? i'd say probably yes as you've been in a few scrapes of late - you were pretty fortunate to stay up last season - i think mccarthy was the only man who would have saved you last season. i think some of you got carried away pre-season and thought you'd be better than you are and now you've realised it's going to be 'more of the same' this season, so are turning against the owner. it's such a difficult division as you know and if you only spend what, £50k, in the transfer window you are not going to be able to invigorate your squad properly. i think your manager is doing pretty well with the non-funds he's had and i imagine if he left you'd get relegated with your current side. you all know my thoughts on your owner so i'm not surprised to see a few starting to get itchy feet with regards him but i think you're stuck with him now – you owe him too much. at least he is getting your academy in shape. but what do i know...?
That's the whole point some are missing though Supers. This transfer window was more about trimming the wage bill and investing for the future than building a team for reaching the top six. The nucleus of the side has been put together to at least be competitive in the league. The big name players will follow in future windows when we will only need to be adding one or two players each window.
yes, its not been an easy summer for you. your wage bill at the end of 2012 was 107% of turnover (someone will correct me if i'm wrong, i'm sure). that is farcical! had that not been addressed sooner rather than later then you'd be in all kinds of trouble and although i understand a few people see the ffp regulations as a 'convenient excuse' to cut the wage bill, it was in fact essential to your club surviving. as far as i can tell, there's four key things you need to do this season: • get the academy sorted to cat 1 status • keep the wage bill at its lowest feesible level • stay up and try to make progress, however minimal, in the league • keep mick mccarthy happy (he's your biggest asset right now) you might not be able to spend big money on players again - you are currently getting close to where it should be operating in order to stay within the regulations. the plan appears to be a long term one rather than a short term one - bring through young players, sign cast-offs who are craving a second chance, and try and build a team rather than a collection of individuals under a decent championship manager. you'll have to remain patient for the time being - you're going down the crystal palace route, but their promotion last season didn't just happen last season - it took them years of struggle, bedding in young players, playing other teams cast offs (yours, mainly) and then it all clicked and they got a bit of luck, which is necessary if you want to be promoted. until you get promoted you won't buy players on big money again. that's how i see it, anyway
I was reasonably pleased with the additions that Mick made to the squad over the summer because in the back of my mind I was expecting there to be at least 1 marque signing once Chopra left. It seems that the FFP doesn't include £1 Million bonus payments to the manager for keeping us up but a few quid spent on a decent Striker/Midfielder would end up with our financial ruin! I am just really ****ed off with the lack of ambition and investment. Only my opinion but I suppose that the sheep on here will accept another season of getting nowhere!
Have to say Supers you sum it up alot better than most of our fans. Alot of people on here were waxing lyrical about the transfer business we'd done over the summer but we have a very average team, with only 1 real star player (Cresswell), we have great potential in defence but other than that its a hardworking competitive outfit. As I've said before Mick never really signs quality players, he generally gets in limited players but gets the best out of them, as Supers said if Mick was to leave with the squad we had I think we'd get relegated but we're best to wait and see how we'll do over the next few games. I'm still not writing us off getting in the playoffs because after how tight last season was we could creep in there if we turn the losses into 1-0 wins and draws, we may well be up there if we get some consistency. We're finally doing what we should've done when ME first came to the club, getting ourselves in order and investing in the academy. Yes it would be great if there was a bit more money available for Mick, who knows there might have been perhaps he just thought the players he got were good enough. Under Mick we're never really going to dominate games and be recognisable as the best team in the division, he's the kind of manager where every game is similar despite the quality of the opposition, it's always a bit of a slog with fine margins as it has been so far. Whilst I haven't been overly impressed so far this season (mainly because I'm not a big fan of Micks style) we've been pretty unlucky in the goals we've conceded but we haven't been unlucky in that we haven't scored more than the opposition because we haven't been purposeful enough
I can definitely see what you're saying.. particularly the £1 Million bonus to MM which although you could argue that he's earnt it. It would go a long way to improving an already decent squad I think those that "accept another season of going nowhere" are simply judging the complete mismanagement we've had for 5+ years now and that this is a pain in the arse but is a necessity for us to draw a line in the sand and move on from here. Although I am as frustrated as everyone else (as it's painfully obvious only two players of reasonable quality will greatly improve us) my frustration lies more with the past 5 years and just how poorly we were managed (throughout the club) which has left us in the ****ty situation we find ourselves in today. Hindsight has shown us just what a cock up it's been throughout the club for a number of years and we are now suffering from our own mistakes.
Supers I believe (before the loan signings) last season our wages had decreased significantly on the past few seasons and now I think we've got all the high wages off the wage bill, so we've sort of now got a blank canvas we're almost back to square 1 before ME came in, although I think we had a better team back then. We had such a wasted opportunity when Keane was here that now we've just got to forget that and get on with it. As you say with our current squad Mick is the biggest asset we have, even if he's not my cup of tea (he's a very good manager for this level).
no way of knowing but i imagine the only reason mccarthy took the job last season was because of the prospect of that bonus. you were rock bottom at the time and if i'm being honest, i didn't think even he would be able to turn you around to the degree he did - i thought you'd stay up, maybe on the final day but i guessed it would be nail biting. he really put his reputation on the line taking over you guys - you were pretty shocking when he got the gig! he definitely deserved a big bonus. is warky right? would that money have been better invested in the team? but had you not offered him that bonus, would you have mccarthy? would you even be in the championship? doubtful.
You make some good points Supers but I have to disagree with you over your opinion on future spending. God knows how much we've spent this year (not this window) on settling contracts but it could well be close to the million mark. Add that 'lost' money to a transfer kitty and we would be able to afford a decent player. We have a nucleus to our team now so that it only needs one good addition per transfer window to take us forward. People ask "where's all the transfer money gone?" but the answer is that it's gone into the academy and reducing our wage bill. I have been vocal about Marcus' interests in the club before but I feel now, probably after some in depth discussions with Mick on how a good CLUB (not team) is run, that he has learnt his lesson and is investing in the infrastructure of the club and not only interested in the first team.
you could be right. my reasoning, your club is still making a loss, you need to get more people through the gates (although your gates aren't too shabby and are now pretty steady), unfortunately you will have to rely on player sales to keep you on an even keel, even after all the wage stripping you've done - maybe one player a season would give you a bit extra to play with, obviously depending on how much you get. the move to upgrade the academy, although very sensible, is going to take up more money - roughly double what you currently pay - so you'll be stretched on that front too. as i say, you could be right and the number of players you've paid off in the past two years is ****ing embarrassing, it really is - stopping that should save funds, but i still think the days of splashing more than a million on a player are gone until you get promoted. you'll probably have more than the £50k or whatever it is you've spent this year but it won't be much more. you won't be alone in that respect and the parachute payments have completely ****ed the championship finances up
The academy is where it's at. We've made **** all in sales recently and only spent money on players who haven't taken us forward. Our business model lately has not worked so a change of tack was needed to ensure the survival of our club. One good addition per window (not season) will see us headed in the right direction.
That's a bit condescending and insulting to the 17000 fans that do go . If it wasn't for us there would be no club to argue about on here . Maybe you should get yourself a Coventry season ticket then Mr high and mighty
The new Cat status and emphasis on youth development is a big step in the right direction BUT what about the now? A lot of teams in this league have far bigger and better squads than we do and while we fail to properly strengthen our first team other teams are overtaking us. We have already waited TEN years for a decent team and now you are saying that we may have to wait for at least another TEN! The Evans years have been a disaster for our club both on and off the field. His poor judgement in appointing Clegg, Keane and Jewell have amongst other things knocked this once great club of ours back at least a decade. The effects of five years of piss poor management decisions are still being felt and I agree with SD in that it will take years for us to recover. It's all very well saying that we must be patient but there are a large number of supporters who feel the same as I do. For those who say that Evans has been our saviour I would argue that he really isn't doing us any favours only lining his own pockets. If he truly loved this club he would have written off the interest on our debts instead if adding to them year on year. We were doing pretty nicely before Evans arrived when we had no money but we were producing the talented kids and Royle was making astute purchases culminating in two consecutive play off appearances. Since Evans and all his money we have never threatened the top ten let alone the play offs and this season we will once again find ourselves in a relegation scrap. Mick is in no way to blame for any of this but I do sometimes wonder how long he will be here if we struggle again this season. Anyhoo I have now had my say and you can pull it apart if you want! One last example of just how badly we are being run. Evans pays MM a Cool £1 million as a bonus for keeping us up and yet refuses to spend anything in the transfer window!
you mention it yourself warky, you're paying the penalty now for five years bad management both on the field and in the boardroom. either you deal with those errors now, even if it means going backwards a bit or stagnating as you have been, or you carry on down the original route and run the risk of facing large financial penalties or even worse, going bust. it's unfortunate for you fans because you didn't make the poor decisions but that's just how it is. as soon as you sold out as a club to an unknown benefactor, there was always a chance it could go tits up - i think more clubs have struggled under these circumstances than have had success but because one or two have had unbridled success, fans long for that and assume that if they are bought it could be them 'living the dream'. evans doesn't love your club, absolutely no way - ok, i don't know him but its pretty obvious! he's a businessman from a, shall we say, interesting background. had you had a little luck or at least got managerial appointments correct early on, you may very well be in a different position but you are where you are and just have to roll with the times. you're a passionate fan, everyone knows that, but the main thing, above all else is having a club to support, regardless of success, surely?
I must confess Supers that I have fallen a little out of love with my club for a while now. I gave up my Season ticket after nearly thirty years and I find that going to Portman Road is now more of a chore than a delight. Yes every year as a fan you want to feel good and optimistic about your teams prospects but we have all been let down so many times over recent years that even this this excitement only lasts a few short week before reality again sets in. I am amazed that we still have 17,000 hardy souls turn up every other week and I applaud them but I have to be honest and say that I would rather stick pins in my eyes than watch Town at the moment. Things could have should have been so much better but I fear that we have a little further to fall yet before things start getting better. I just want my old Ipswich Town back but sadly the whole ethos of the club has changed and we won't be seeing those halcyon days back whilst the faceless one is in charge.
JWM, Unfortunately I think we have been so badly managed since ME came in that the 'now' has to be 'just enough' to ensure the future can be more successful. Hampy, after the last 5 years i find it hard to accept that we are now an embarressment. Invisible to the football world is probably a more accurate description of where we are. Nobody wants Mid-Table again, although a lot of see that aslong as its coupled with good behind the scenes decisions e.g. cutting the wage bill, reviving the academy it will be the step in the right direction we've all been waiting for.
Mike what I struggle with is the fact that Evans paid MM a huge bonus for keeping us up and yet has failed to spend even a modest amount of money on a couple of quality players. We desperately need a striker and an attacking player out wide so who in the present team is going to score the goals that will see us survive? hardly any goals from midfield and not many from our strikers so you have to bring in a couple of players and that generally involves spending a bit of cash! Oh sorry I forgot we have signed Alan Lee....! Problem solved!
I can see where you're coming from, Warky, but as Supers pointed out the bonus was probably part of the deal to get Mick here, a necessary one-off. We don't have players that will tear up the Championship. But McGoldrick has shown (granted for Coventry) that he knows where the goal is, in seasons gone by I wouldn't have been surprised if we lost him to a Leeds or a Bolton. Tunnicliffe has shown his Manchester United credentials. Hyam and Skuse, question marks exist over whether they are an effective parntership but individually they are good championship midfielders. Cresswell will end up in the Premier League Hewitt, given time could emulate Cressy My point isn't that we have a squad that strikes fear into opposing teams, what we do have is a squad that is good enough for the championship and under the stewardship of McCarthy can have a comparatively successful season.
KoPR bit of a misunderstanding there. Cov fans are fiercely proud and they're not going to home games as a protest, but turning up in great numbers to support their team on away days. Their team are playing breathtaking footie at the moment and contrasting that with our pitiful excuse of a football club on and off the pitch, you have to say we've become the John Major of football.
