Boss Paul Jewell says the Blues are “in there fighting” to bring former loanee Jimmy Bullard back to Portman Road having spoken to his agent on Friday. The Town manager continues his search for new players with centre-halves remaining top of his list.

Jewell, who talked to Bullard himself on Thursday, said: “I spoke to Jimmy’s agent [on Friday] and he told me that there are two Premier League teams in for him and another Championship team. He’s officially free on Monday and we are in there fighting.

“We do need a couple of centre-halves like you can’t believe. Not just a couple of centre-halves as well.

“I was sitting there in pre-season thinking we were a couple of centre-halves away from being all right. But now I think we’re a couple of centre-halves and a couple of other positions away from just being all right. I’ve said before there’s a lot of work to do and that view has only been enhanced by [Saturday].”

Bullard, whose contract is set to be terminated by Hull City, has been mentioned in connection with QPR, although that potential switch appears to have broken down, Wigan, West Ham, Bolton and now Wolves in addition to the Blues.

The Blues’ boss says his failure to land central defenders this summer is not down to a lack of effort: “I wish I could bring some of you in and get you to sit in my office and drive in my car and see the amount of time that I’m on the phone trying to bring in players. Even [Saturday] morning I was speaking to a club about a player.

“It’s the most frustrating time of my managerial career as far as trying to get players in goes. We need to do it and we need to do it quickly.”

Jewell says his remaining players were on a hiding to nothing in the second half: “No disrespect, everyone can play when they’re 6-1 up and against nine men. I’m looking at when it was 1-1 or when we were 1-0 down or even when we were 1-0 up. You’ve got to get together.

“The second half was nine against 11, that was tough. It was the 12 minutes before that which cost us the game. We were winning 1-0, we were doing OK and then 1-1 and you think 'let’s just try and [keep it tight]'.”

The Town manager was again left shaking his head at his side’s defending: “The goals we give away, you can’t legislate for them, can you? But how many times have I said that, and I guess Roy said that and Jim said it too.

"When we go over the white line, everyone’s got instructions, but when they cross the white line some people decide to make decisions we haven’t been talking about all week and it costs us. Whenever we come under pressure we collapse.

“Every time there was a 50/50 we got brushed off of it. The seventh goal just summed us up — he went through three tackles. There’s an awful lot of work to do, not just defensively but all over the pitch.”

Jewell is determined to turn things around: “Ultimately it comes down to me and I’ve got to make sure I can get the right players in here who can take this great club where we want to be.

“We’re a long way from there. I think people realise that. But there won’t be any lack of fighting and trying by me.”

Jewell was at Upton Park yesterday to watch Saturday's opponents Leeds draw 2-2 with West Ham.

Photo: Action Images

Jambo added 09:13 - Aug 22 Beyond caring now. Why are we continuing to delude ourselves that this injury prone mercenary will come here? Surely we should be spending more time on getting in players that we all knew we needed , like a decent CB and RB. Come on PJ, sort it out.
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Burwell_Blue added 09:17 - Aug 22 When did he say this? The report doesnt make it clear. Was it this morning?
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BROTHERBLUE1974 added 09:21 - Aug 22 I Agree with u jambo. Still gutted.
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bluelady added 09:22 - Aug 22 im sure Jimmy has driven down here today to sign after seeing saturdays promotion performance?! why has it been so frustrating is what i want to know, is it the terms we offer, have we even got that far? is it location as Keane (and i think even Jim) claimed? very very frustrating and pretty lost for words for once
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blueoff added 09:22 - Aug 22 That's it PJ keep us in suspenders
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oldelsworthyfan added 09:22 - Aug 22 The Manager needs key players to build his team round and Bullard is such a player. Important players in the current side (eg the captain who doesn't want to play for us) are not fighting for their places......they are thinking about moving on, whilst others (centre backs) know that their replacements are being sought so their days are numbered. How does this situation engender a team spirit where players play for each other? I reckon things will not settle down until the transfer window closes....in the meantime, we will suffer!

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tractorboybig added 09:23 - Aug 22 bullard is an unimportatnt player now. There is far more urgency in other areas which if not rectified this week will send us down. To be honest we have all known since the last day of last season where our main problems were, and there still there.
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SouperJim added 09:24 - Aug 22 Jewell suggests our poor defending is a historical problem - "I guess Roy said that and Jim said it too", but if it's not the fault of the manager, what exactly is the issue? The players are different, the coaching staff are different, the manager is different. I'm tired of excuses and I don't even think we've been as bad over the last two games as the scorelines suggest, we've just utterly crumbled when things haven't gone our way (3 offside goals and a ridiculous sending off all in the first half).

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footyblue added 09:27 - Aug 22 Yes Jimmy would be good but he can't play CB or RB and we are desperate for them positions need it sorted by saturday
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cornishnick added 09:28 - Aug 22 Agree with many of the comments. Not really bothered about Bullard anymore. Wouldn't have made an ounce of difference against Peterborough. Maybe would have lost 7-2 instead. And if he does join, must be within our wage structure
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fourth added 09:37 - Aug 22 Mr Jewel. It's not a question of bringing in Jimmy Bullard . It's a matter of getting behind the players you have and managing them. They can do it. Can you have faith in them?
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GTRKing added 09:44 - Aug 22 common get JB he will liven the team up & boost moral & help us play better. PJ Is trying so give faith he needs time & we will be good soon
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Monkaz added 09:46 - Aug 22 Go on PJ sign him up make us proud! But tut tut you shouldn't be on your phone whilst driving the car ... I was thinking of Steve Finnan, he is a good RB had international experience and played in the Premier League, he also can play at RCB too.
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rosseden added 09:47 - Aug 22 Fourth - the reality is half our team CANT do it..... so we need to address this..... bringing in a pivotal leader / character to build on would be a start. We all know we need two good CB's a RB and someone else who is a genuine leader as a holding midfielder, but we have to start with any of them, no point waiting for the perfect CB before we get the rest in........ Look at Mills, £5m+ to leicester, thats probs £1m or £2m over his real value and is on the bench half the time. LOADS of people after CB's, Westham want some, we do, as do half the other teams about..... im afraid we just have to hold out til end of the month.......

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Karlosfandangal added 09:47 - Aug 22 dont care anymore stopped going to watch them when we lost 4-0 to Newcastle and still see no reason to go back. Saved myself around 4k in tickets, petrol, programmes,parking and food. So if i dont go for another couple of season I will have saved myself one week of Leadbitters wages After the Peterborough fans had finished taking the p@@@ out of me (it was the same last week after Southampton) they said the midfield was just not there, they just walked through us and the marking at the back was not there either. Jewell goes on about the right people coming in and yet he has brought in 8 players and we are worst than last season. How many steps backwards do we have to take before we get better. Went to watch local non league football instead of Ipswich and I live in Peterborough and to be fair i thought we lost 4-2 to Southampton it was only people at work taking the p that i found out it was 5. I wonder if any of the Ipswich players managers etc read the comments on this site or even care. It has to be bad when you stop going to watch your team and you dont even look for the final result. Ipswich are not my team anymore enough is enough. Have a feeling this will be the my last message on here as enough is enough

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brogansnose added 09:47 - Aug 22 If PJ is going to persist with the tactics that he has used so far, then he needs to sign someone who can make defence splitting passes for Chopra and JET because from what I have seen, Delaney of all people, has been doing the distribution. Either Bullard or someone similiar plus CB's.
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algarvefan added 09:50 - Aug 22 I can't remember who said "All good teams are built on the foundations of a solid defense" but they were right. Whilst I, like many other fans, think Jimmy would be good for the team, we seriously need two good centre backs and now. We have needed them for some time and I still believe in PJ even after last weeks 12 goal horror show. Come on PJ get 'em in!!
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BrightBlue added 09:50 - Aug 22 Get 2 quality CB, a proper RB, a creative MF (Bullard will do) and a GK. Move Edwards back to RM and never let Leadbitter or Smith pull the shirt on for ITFC again. add a few more young but hungry squad members and we'll be on the road to recovery! I still have plenty of faith in PJ dispute the debacle of the last few weeks!
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cromwellblue added 09:54 - Aug 22 PJ says when players cross the line they make decision they have not been talking about. Those guys need to be dropped and sold. If they don't have the intelligence to follow basic instructions then we do not need them.
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steed added 09:59 - Aug 22 If bullard signs leadbitter will be sold then have midfield of martin andrews bullard and edwards. Then sign le fondre to play up front with chopra. Last two new centre halfs and a right back dont need much lol.
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Leoipswich added 10:01 - Aug 22 Lets be honest yes we need 2 cbs but we also need a midfielder as they were walking through our midfield like they wernt even there. and JB fits this the best, when you look at a few of the goals against peterbourough the midfield either didnt track there man or gave the midfield too much space, We need JB, we also need 2 CBs jewell knows this. He will defeniteley get 2 cbs and possibly Bullard then we'd have a pretty decent team.

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lowtit added 10:04 - Aug 22 this would be a sticky plaster over a gaping wound - not the answer!!!!
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WickedBlue added 10:04 - Aug 22 @Karlosfandangal see ya don't let the door hit you in the ar$e on the way....
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HarryfromBath added 10:07 - Aug 22 This is a truly worrying comment to release. Bullard worked last season as a quick fix, but is in no sense a strategic option. If we need a midfielder, we need a purely holding one to balance the team and protect the defence. I hope that I am wrong, but I have a dark feeling that we have a one trick pony managing us now. The disintegration of the defence has been quite terrifying to witness.

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HolbrookBlue added 10:24 - Aug 22 Two centre backs required for the weekend against Leeds or keogh and McCormick will slaughter us. Two full backs who cover and defend properly also required (too early to say if cresswell can do this). We cannot go beyond transfer window without these otherwise future is bleak. As for Bullard where will he play if signed. Will it mean Bowyer will be another Campo (i.e. good contract but not played); was Bowyer injured Saturday?

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