I read an interesting blog by Edmunds5 regarding motivation on TWTD on Monday.

Motivation, now there’s a word that conjures up all kinds of theories. What motivates professional footballers, some say money, but money does not make you a better footballer.

What then? Affinity with the club? The manager? The supporters? Or getting yourself the best contract possible? The latter probably.

I have no doubt that Paul Jewell is a hard-working, honest and loyal man. Can we say that about our players? You can be the best motivator on this planet but if they are not receptive to it, then you're wasting your breath.

And at the moment our players are not motivated that’s for sure, for whatever reason, the manager, money, club or other factors. I doubt if we’ll ever know.

What’s the answer? You can ask the 1,000 Town supporters and you’ll get 1,000 different answers. But one word springs to mind (as few blogs have mentioned), cohesion, and we don’t seem to have any.

Some have said a five-year plan, I think maybe longer if I’m honest, that’s if luck is on our side and no major disasters occurs along the way, but most importantly we must keep this club afloat. Remember the Pioneer Stand, George Burley's spending (sorry George, intentions were always good) these nearly killed the club.

Whatever your opinions on Marcus Evans I truly believe he loves the club (personal opinion granted) otherwise why does he throw money at the club, why has he stuck around for, what is it five years? Would you? He has been motivated to stay. How? Why? So it must be he’s love for the club. I may be way off the mark here but I’m taking this on face value.

When he first took over the club, everybody was singing his praises and welcoming him with open arms, saying he was going to take us to the ‘promised land’. Now five years later some people are blaming him for our failure!

For what? Putting money in to club? No, does not work for me he must be as frustrated as anyone, if not more. They say fans are entitled to their views as they pays the money through the turnstiles, so is not Marcus Evans entitled to his opinion? Yes he is, given the amount money he has invested in this club.

They also say perhaps Paul Jewell is having his ‘strings’ pulled from above. Maybe he is but that is a private matter, everything cannot be open to public debate, the world doesn’t work that way. Ipswich Town do not belong to anyone but everyone (in an ideal world that is).

So why has it been such a struggle over the last five years? Mistakes, wrong managers, wrong players, we can talk until the cows come home but it won't alter the situation we are in.

What do I know? I was screaming at the top of my voice (and sure many of you were also) to sign Jimmy Bullard when he was on loan. What utter and complete disaster it turned out. How much did it cost us to get rid? Who knows? All I know is every time we lose, it hurts, it really hurts. Not only that we lost but the way we lost. OK sometimes we don’t deserve to lose but most times we do and that’s what hurts the most.

We need people at the club who sleep, eat and drink Ipswich Town, like the supporters do, like the Cobbold family did, like Bobby Robson did, he called Ipswich his baby. Why? Because he believed in the club, he believed in the players and he believed in us too, the supporters. And all the above needs nurturing just like a baby. We need cohesion, for with out it we’ll fall apart no matter how good we are.

So, if you looking for motivation, look to future, see what the likes of Fulham, Norwich (yes Norwich) Southampton, Reading etc have achieved, they are not going to win major honours, but they are playing with the best.

It’s nice to look back at the glory days, but to be brutally honest, they're gone, forever.

Let's be what we are, a Championship side (or Third Division South in old money), family club, a side that tries to play good football. A club run for the people by the people. And who knows miracles might happen.

So, what’s the point in writing this blog, don’t know, the club just seems to going in the wrong direction at the moment. But as you know, win the next three to four games and people will start talking play-offs and will forget very quickly. Until we lose again.

Am I a season ticket holder, no, but what I can tell you is my grandfather supported Town when they were amateurs (pre-1936, God rest his soul) my father supports Town, my three children support Town (two boys and agirl) and putting two of them through uni perhaps you will forgive me (as all parents know, its costs big time) and my youngest (14) will probably follow suit and no money left.

So you are right, I have no say and I have no voice but I still care about this club. And one day, they might buy a season ticket or their children might, as I have done and as my father before me and his father before him.

Ahhh, to watch Ken Hancock ‘huff it’ up the pitch or watch Charlie Woods on the right wing. Happy days, life was so simple then.

bluefeast added 22:09 - Sep 26 Excellent Blog ,brilliant.
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bedsitfc added 06:22 - Sep 27 Well said matey. We need to be at one support the club through this lean spell rather than playing the blame game no town fan likes to see us lose but boo's and slating players or managers dont help.
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RevAdrian added 07:24 - Sep 27 This is excellent - bit like I was trying to say in commenting a couple of days ago, that we need to know where we are - if as you say the ownership plan is to just to rub along as a decent championship side well at least we might all be able to sign up to that if we played good football, played with commitment, developed youngsters or whatever particular mix of things goes or is to be part of ITFC culture - but we do need a vision, a sense of purpose, that we can join in with. Mr Evans needs to articulate that vision. I respect his desire for privacy for self and family but may be that is difficult for a football chairman and maybe he needs to ask himself if is actually viable, but a vision, a purpose, a plan is never going to be brought into by the whole club (us supporters included) if we cannot see the person at the top being part of it himself. At the end of the day I fear the worse case scenario - that it is actually ME who is the problem. Let us hope that is not so. In the meantime it's Barnsley on Saturday!

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ITFCOYB added 11:52 - Sep 27 Yet another good read. Clear to see that the balance to all the reactionary stuff in the news comments lies here in the blog centre... I suppose it makes sense that opinions here are more considered. Anyway- i enjoyed that, i wonder if your grandfather saw them playing in the SAL league that i play in? Now there's a thought... Maybe given a few generations people will be nostalgic for Alexandra Park FC Seventh xi before they got pretensions of Premier League Football... Or maybe it will be European League (North) by then. Thanks though-

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SouperJim added 13:37 - Sep 27 A good blog, a good read and some nice sentiment in there. The only bit I didn't really agree with is the stuff about player motivation; I don't think motivation is a black and white issue and I find it difficult to believe that the majority of players who put so many years into becoming a professional are only in it for the money. I would think that most players want to be succesful too, which means being motivated and winning football matches. The problems with our team at the moment, for me, is mainly a question of coaching.

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IamSpartacus added 21:15 - Sep 27 A good read, and lots of points I agree with. I do kow that few players have a great afinity with the club or fans they play for- that takes time and time is not often seen these days. I have wondered redently whether even Terry Butcher might be an idea as next manager (as, lets be serious, Jewell was always wrong for us). One point I disagree with is the 'ME has the club at heart' view. He paid for £30mil of debt with £6mil. He is charging interest on the full amount... the debt rises and we become more reliant by the day. I can't decide on ME for certain because of his seclusion but it just feels like a business venture rather than a lust for winning things. Time will tell, I guess.

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