Right, I’m not going to beat about the bush, I’m just going to come out with it: over the past five seasons, Ipswich Town have signed 67 players. 67.

From Ivan Campo to David Healy, Giovani Dos Santos to Ryan Stephenson, whether on a short-term loan or four-year contract, we’ve signed sixty-blooming-seven footballers.

Also over the past five years, we have gone through three managers, not come all that close to troubling the play-offs and slowly lost our identity.

It’s not a coincidence. Neither is it coincidental that, on the whole, we’ve finished the last five seasons well, especially the last three. The squad undergoes fairly traumatic surgery in the summer, takes a few months to settle and then gets its act together to head up the table a little. And repeat.

In 2008/09 out went Jim after a flat season where ‘Operation Premiership’ flopped badly. In strutted Keano and we cruised through our last two games, apparently paving the way for automatic promotion the following season.

Obviously it wasn’t to be, but again, we recovered that season after the horrendous start (it still amazes me that we didn’t win for 14 games) to finish well enough to believe that the following year would be different.

However, in 2009/10, after a terrible mid-season blip, Keane was shown the door, Jewell arrived, and off we went again, our Jimmy Bullard-inspired team playing like play-off contenders instilling confidence for the following season.

But no - a relatively good start to this campaign, but then another terrible dip around Christmas and then a revival made sure we were safe from the drop around Easter. So why should next season be any different?

Really, why should it be any different? Once again, at this stage of the season, the debate has already turned to what players we need to/are going to sign over the summer. Once again we’ve lost key men for nothing (whatever you say about Grant Leadbitter, he was still a first team player and he needs replacing whilst Jason Scotland shows no signs of signing). Once again we’ve got half a defence.

This vast player turnover isn’t a phenomenon linked solely to us of course. It’s increasingly prevalent across football, but crucially, the successful Championship sides of the past few years have been consistent and built steadily with a core group of key players - Swansea, Blackpool, Cardiff... Norwich.

Much worse and much more worrying than the poor performance of Town though is the loss of identity and the lack of stalwarts these days - if I was 10 again, I’d have no idea who to get on the back of my shirt a) for fear of the player leaving and b) because nobody really stands out.

The days of the Matt Holland, of the James Scowcroft or even of the youngsters coming through and being played regularly, the Bowditch, the Garvan and the Clarke, they’re seemingly gone. Until we get back to that, we ain’t going nowhere.

And with the transfer merry-go-round whirling into action every summer, plus the amount of loanees we routinely have on board, the players themselves seem to be more care free about the club they’re playing for, particularly the more expensive, marquee signings who, broadly speaking, have failed.

Honestly, when was the last time we spent upwards of a million quid on a player who lived up to expectations? Michael Chopra, Jason Scotland, Gareth McAuley, David Norris, Lee Martin, even JET - none of them became/have become the main man, or if they did, they took a long time to settle.

Furthermore, Jim Magilton, Roy Keane and Paul Jewell have all played their respective big names even when out of form, just because of the price tag hanging round their neck, at the expense of the few local lads and hard-working, cheaper pros that do put in a shift and appreciate the club (Lee Bowyer over Luke Hyam and Andy Drury, countless loaned keepers over Arran Lee-Barrett.

The Ivar Ingimarsson signing showed a lack of faith in Tommy Smith, Jaime Peters has been discarded and forgotten, Moritz Volz, Danny Simpson and Liam Rosenior all preferred to David Wright.

The goalkeeper fiasco actually does quite a neat job of characterising my whole argument, especially this season - David Stockdale, Alex McCarthy, Arran Lee-Barrett, Richard Wright etc. Just sign one permanently! Look at Southampton with Kelvin Davis, Reading with Adam Federici, West Ham with Rob Green - again, it’s not a coincidence to see where they are in the table.

It’ll also surely help out our defence to know that there’s a solid, dependable bloke behind them, rather than having to ask a team mate: “What’s this guy’s name again?” I still grimace when I hear the words ‘two-year plan.’ What a load of rubbish that was.

But is there hope? We’ve no option this summer but to go out and spend some money and sign some players. But I hope it’s the last time we buy more than five players in one go for a long, long time.

The team needs to be based around Aaron Cresswell, Smith, Drury, JET and Martin for a few years now, and be allowed time to develop, not expecting instant success. Let them find the right formula, let them find their feet and let them find their own identity whilst restoring the club’s.

When Marcus Evans first took over, signing big name players was such a novelty and so exciting that it seemed like the best thing to be doing, and surely it was going to bring success? But 67 players are testament to the fact that it hasn’t. Time to put your chequebook away Marcus.

bluemonday added 22:52 - Apr 28 totally agree Solly.... headless chickens in charge !
0

Sindre94 added 22:54 - Apr 28 Wow
0

davekl12 added 23:08 - Apr 28 In some ways almost a perfect blog in my opinion... I agree with absolutely everything said here. Sounds like this summer will be another active window for us. We can't keep tinkering at every opportunity, we need to to stop looking for the perfect formula, rather, let the perfect formula find us.
0

Len_Brennan added 23:20 - Apr 28 Great Blog Solly. Point very well made. I hope most people on here recognise the reality of what you are saying.
0

Kiwomyas_embrocation added 23:22 - Apr 28 Agree almost 100%! Slightly romanticising with Bowditch and Clarke but pretty spot on in my opinion. Sort the spine of the team out and build from there. Roll on next season.........I hope.
0

Chicago_Blue added 23:47 - Apr 28 We should have kept Rhodes and Trotter!
0

Notts_tractor added 00:09 - Apr 29 Great blog. The ludicrous turnover in playing staff reflects the loss of soul of the whole club. Clubs and their fans thrive on heroes. Who have these been in recent years? And who has stayed long enough to become one? Where is the Kevin Beattie, Mick Mills, Johnny Wark, Micky Stockwell, Mauricio Taricco or Matty Holland in the current crop?
0

ketton_itfc added 00:29 - Apr 29 Nice read mate and pretty much sums up my thoughts. Whilst there is no doubt we do need a few players in the summer, in my opinion PJ's most important work this summer won't be in his office on his phone but out on the training pitch.
0

bluethroughnthrough added 00:44 - Apr 29 Good blog. Roy Keane was the worst thing to happen to this club since relegation and set us back 10 years - pretty much selling off the youth cup winning side. Now we have run out of money/Financial Fairplay is coming in, we have no money, no youth, no hope? One thing we have to remember is that PJ definitely didn't start any of this mess. He landed right in it, and we have to get behind him. Lets try to be positive - it could be worse...we could be in Portsmouth's, or Coventry's position...and hopefully we won't this time next season.

0

Tractorog added 00:53 - Apr 29 Good blog, but we can do too few signings as well as too many. We have got the balance wrong, but we do need to bring in some new players as well as bring on the ones we have got. The most frustrating thing about PJ is that he does not stick to the plan. In his signings there are too many opportunistic signings ... hes like a kid collecting Figurinni Pannini cards only to find that his book is for the last world cup and the cards he has bought wont quite fit. We seem obsessed with midfielders when the right back, central defenders and goalie position most needs sorting. The stats say that we have one of the most chances per game and the lowest conversion rates in the league and that we let in one of the highest numbers of goals. In oither words we attack like headless chickens. That feels like a coaching issue. Having said that I still think PJ can do it, but he needs to spend more wisely. If you look at the players who are in your list of ones you want to see play they are all (except Smith) recent signings with points to prove. Not all of them are PJ signings, but they all owe something to him bringing them on.

0

shoopdelang added 01:02 - Apr 29 Perfect mate... Also agree we need to keep Martin Jet and co. And build the team around them. Get them all on 4 year deals where possible I say
0

algarvefan added 01:22 - Apr 29 This blog makes perfect sense to me.....lets see what the summer brings, but first lets keep the players like Martin, JET, Drury, Smith, Creswell etc on decent longer term contracts.
0

TheDalaiFarmer added 02:31 - Apr 29 Bobby Robson signed 14 players in 13 years. The year before he left ITFC, we were the best team in Europe. The way we bring in 10 players per year (as our "fans" demand) is tragic.
0

ozzydog added 05:49 - Apr 29 Nail,hit,head The point about novelty signings is well made. Hopefully ITFC have learnt a painful lesson. The only thing I perceive ITFC fans want is a return to our core values
0

dannysigma added 09:28 - Apr 29 Superb blog: could not agree more.
0

tractored added 10:04 - Apr 29 It isn't all about numbers. Charlton signed 20 players last season and they gelled instantly and were promoted easily.
0

BillBlue added 10:21 - Apr 29 Nice blog and I agree with most of what is said. However, I agree totally with what bluethroughandthrough has said. I stopped whinging the very day PJ played Hyam and Drury because I instinctively knew we had turned the corner and PJ had recognised his mistakes. I also believe that ME recognised his mistakes when he resisted the call from the majority of the so called 'supporters' for him to sack PJ. If he had listened we would now be down in the third division without a hope in hell of getting up again. He, sensibly, resisted that call and locked his money box but now, as a business man, he needs to temporarily unlock it and let PJ bring in a quality keeper, people to bolster the defence and a goal snatcher. If that happens then I strongly believe that PJ is going to develop into one of our better Managers and lead us to the promised land. That is what I think and believe. As little as I trust Mr. Clegg's knowledge of how to run a football club I think we have to stick with him to bring in the Fair Play system which I think he will do well, on this topic Portsmouth & Rangers have forced me to rethink. COYB

0

Len_Brennan added 11:00 - Apr 29 The posts from bluethroughand true and Billblue make absolute sense to me & should be read in conjunction with Solly's excellent blog to get an even fuller picture of where we are now & why. Magic made a decent effort & spent a fair bit of ME's money, but ultimately wasn't good enough to get us up. RK came in promising the earth, moon & stars in a matter of weeks, was given a huge transfer budget & allowed offer Premiership wages to do it, but he wasted it on the wrong players or by playing decent players out of position or by just turning against players & ignoring them while paying them large amounts of ME's money, in a fit of pique. PJ has spent around €2.5m on transfer fees (Chopra, JET, Drury & Stevenson) for players that are likely to play regularly. He has also gotten most of the high earners of the books. Apart from Bullard - who really needs to get his act together & repay the club next season - there aren't too many on unrealistic wages now. He's had a harder job in a lot of ways than his predecessors & he has done well in some of it. ME has, rightly, put a much tighter lock on his cheque book, which has seriously affected the manager's ability to bring in most of the quality players that he has targeted. To be fair, he han't really moaned about this or criticised the owners/club's lack of ambition the way a previous manager might have done.

0

Len_Brennan added 16:46 - Apr 29 I should have included Cresswell to the small list of players he paid money for of course. Great value there too & pretty much an ever present.
0

megamoth added 23:59 - Apr 29 Who could possibly disagree? A great, lucid and well reasoned blog. More of a comment on me than you - I hate loan signings as much as the next supporter but would still like us to make an audacious bid to sign Owen on loan for a season
0

Garv added 02:22 - Apr 30 Good blog. I'd be happy to see just 4/5 players come in this summer, as long as they are the right players in the right positions. Keeper, centre half, Murphy/replacement, striker. Good Leadbitter replacement would be good, but not essential. As a few have said, this team needs to built around Cresswell, Smith, JET, Drury, Martin and Chopra if he can get his act together, possibly Edwards to be added to that as well. That's not a typical 'spine' as its missing a keeper and a defender or two, but its a good group of players that most fans enjoy watching and want to be involved in the team for the next couple of years at least. I don't remember having that for a good few years do you?

0

RegencyBlue added 14:10 - Apr 30 The player numbers have been large because so many of our signings have been so poor. I would like a stable side as much as anyone but its hard not to think we must sign 5/6 players again this summer to have any chance of improvement. Magilton, Keane and now Jewell all failed spectacularly to sort out our defensive frailties which still need to be addressed. Including a goalkeeper we need 4 players to sort that out alone. Overall the club seem to have operated a quantity ahead of quality approach and until quality signings are brought in, and you wont get too many of those on a free!, this merry go round will continue!

0

michaeldownunder added 22:05 - Apr 30 I always look at the players on the club calendar and see, as the months go by, who of them are still at the club. May be next year pic's of the ground/fans would be a better idea !!!!!!!!!
0

Surco72 added 08:08 - May 1 Excellent blog Solly .. I feel with the youth especially as fans we have not given them a fair crack Bowditch,Trotter,Garvan,Clarke,Eastman all slated because "they didnt live up to expectations " and become the next Gerrard etc instantly .Smith at the start of the year was criticised constantly ,now he is the future again ! We do need to build a steady team around our young players ,but also we need to give them time and not criticise the club for not achieving instant success of promotion which leads to the constant spending and turn around of players . We all need a little patience

0

Lightningboy added 11:16 - May 1 Spot on Solly...sadly it's been quantity over quality since Marcus opened his chequebook..Jewell doesn't have enough faith in our kids,that's fairly obvious or he would have given them all a decent run in the team over the last few weeks instead of burying his head in the sand and sticking with the abysmal Leadbitters & Bowyers of this world. I'm afraid Jewell seems to be thinking of his own reputation rather than what's actually best for our club..ie,bringing through the youngsters ala George Burley's way.

0

Blogs 295 bloggers