The trouble is we need to make some exciting signings before long, as the current squad has proved not good enough to mount a playoff push,then clegg will have even less people renewing season tkts nxt yr,he has already mentioned that gates are down,so why not try and renew interest in fans weve lost,people are entitled to moan as they are venting frustration of watching very poor footy last couple of seasons,although i agree o connor and brown look like they could save us a dip into some areas of the transfer mkt. as sheepshanks said in burleys reign KEEP THE FAITH!!

rosseden - all about the definition of sense - just accept that your definition may be different to others.

Another problem is, as I have stated before, some ITFC supporters will always be satisfied whatever - and will keep coughing up whatever.
Others have AMBITION in life on all fronts.

How does one negotiate themselves out of a paper bag?

blueherts - NEWS FOR YOU - some of us DO run companies successfully - even in today's climate. And expect to continue doing so.

You can't miss which you have never had.

In all of this the deciding factor was Eddie Howe. Its clear that CA wants to work with him again having trained with him at Bournemouth when at Poole. For all we know we were used as a middle man to drive his value and wages up. Was it ever in his heart and mind to join ITFC.

First it was reported that Southampton was his first choice and now it was Burnley.

I would prefer to sign a player who actually wants to play for ITFC. Unfortunately we are at mercy of football agents and they only think of number one.

Alot of people appear to know so much about ITFC and running a club and the finances and....... PJ must have known the financial constraints he would work under when he took the job.

Everyone should draw breath and don't panic. I am sure PJ has seen this before and has the experience to deal with it and would have other names in his mind.

Peterborough are at Col Utd tonight and wouldn't be surprised if PJ is there to watch mackail-smith.

One player and CA does not make a team. We have a manager who will build a team and get players in who want to play for us.

COYB

Ask PJ to go and find a striker at Ipswich Wander's then, Clegg may??? be able to meet his wage's he better be quick because their will be more attend there then at Portman Road at this rate.

Blackbird blue- spot on! We'll be paying Bullard very well to start fights and cause unrest (in and out of the dressing room) for the rest of the season- and that's IF he stays fit. Yet we couldn't close the deal on probably the best striker to come through the door since Paul Mariner....

I have a very bad feeling that we have dropped a big one here, the best propect of many a long year and we let it slip away, gates are down, fact, quality of football is crap fact, we cannot score goals fact, we needed this and its gone, the plain fact is we will end up with more loan players, I bet Jewell is gobsmacked, Clegg and Co said they would back him and what happens, sorry Paul for the prize idiots you have to work with.

If Austin had really wanted to come to Ipswich he would have, sounds like the club put a good deal on the table.

south aussie blue - really !! - another 'really want to come to Ipswich' person.
Fact is players, like most people in life will go for the best deal on offer - and who can blame them. 'Wanting to be somewhere' - won't pay the mortgage.

How many players do you REALLY think 'REALLY want to come to Ipswich' - with the reputation we are rapidly acquiring.
And there will be less 'wanting to come to Ipswich' the way we are going.

I think we should put a offer of that amount for sharpe from doncaster at least he is proven at this level. who is to say austin will be any good at this level. You cant blame clegg for everything he used ipswich to get a higher wage at burnley he never wanted to join ipswich in the first place.
Jewell will have other players in mind and the last player we bought from swindon he never made it at this level.

We can't break the wage structure of the club to accomodate one players demands as this creates more problems. Burnley have players on Premiership pay, and cash in the bank. They are able to pay there players more than us, this isn't Cleggs fault.

Big shame but not surprised anymore. Only time will tell if we missed the boat. I know bullard is a proven good player but on big wages. But we have a great prospect who we could buy not loan and we offer small wages. I would have rather missed out on bullards loan and bought a player with the money we are spending on bullard. With a reported 6k a week over. which jewell could use somewhere else, norris gmc or delany? I suppose my jason roberts i keep talking about is a no now we cannot offer the wages. Think big and get better is they way other teams progress

Although i have no confidence in Clegg & Co like most, and i'm equally as gutted like most the truth is we simply don't know what happened, what was offered or what was asked for.

It would've been great to see Charlie Austin in a Town shirt but let's move on. I remember when we were going to sign Kevin Phillips from Watford, same kind of deal, he was at the club and very nearly signed only for Sunderland to come in at the last minute to scupper the deal. If memory serves me right, and i may be wrong, i think we then signed Marcus Stewart in the next window.

Point is, yes we are gutted and quite alot of fans are clearly annoyed but hang in there people, i would be more worried if RK was still here with no other options, we may find another Marcus Stewart maybe not in this window but maybe the next. We just have to hope Charlie Austin isn't as successful as Kevin Phillips!

We got gazumped - simple as that. We can only buy what we can afford. If we cant meet players demands, it is tough to take but we have to move on.

Lets not forget we were on the brink of collapse a few years ago, we cant expect to be paying silly wages when we are a loss making club.

On a positive note, PJ seems to be targetting decent players that could improbe the team.

Walk the Wark, abit of an exaduration don't you think!? I don't really beleive Charlie Austin would have been that much of a revelation at town but could have fitted in quite nicely and still could possibly go on to bigger clubs in the future. Will Jimmy Bullard really cause this big uproar people have been drowning on about? Any town player who has a problem with his apparent wage should clear off as none of them have ever produced the class he has in the past few years, a real signing although it is just a loan deal. If anything we already have a divide of personalities between the the players Roy Keane treated well and the players he didn't treat well.

Nathan Tyson from forest, go get him.

Le Fondre is ok at Rotherham level, but he's another Scotland. Pint-sized and not good enough for us.

Unless PJ and Clegg have got a Plan B in mind i can't see us speaking to another club, agreeing a fee, speaking to the player and agreeing terms, all by monday. Not at the speed we move.

Feel really disappointed about this. Looking around he seemed to be the most exciting talent avaliable who would come here. Feel deflated he has gone to Burnley because this transfer was potentially the most exciting in a few years. Didn't work out so we move on and try to fond a young hungry goalscorer who wants to join and fits our wage structure. I do fear as I posted yesterday that this could turn out to be another kevin Phillips moment !!

Well I think that this is a message for the owner and CEO... It's not a mega-bucks signing, we've missed out to a rival team - who do have Prem cash still sloshing around and Howe knows the player, having almost bought him for the Cherries... To compete in this league, we need to rethink our buying & paying players policies. If ME is interested in going up, he will need to put his hand in his pocket. Why is Norris looking elsewhere? Apart from the contract situation being badly managed (if we assume the club wants to keep him) we obviously haven'y offered him enough - seeing as we paid a big fee for him, he will have expectations and there will be a market value wages wise for a playing costing that much, albeit wage structures differ from club to club...

The Andy Drury deal seems to have been handled poorly too. Not good.

We might as well seal the Fallon deal, but we need to bring in new faces - one loan signing does not cut it for me I'm afraid. Let's see what happens and keep our fingers crossed.

Damn, oh well live on.
Plenty more strikers out there!

Fail. Looked ideal. Outbid by Burnley ! Where will it all end ?

fukcs sake