Boss Paul Jewell says owner Marcus Evans remained “totally supportive” during Town’s recent run of seven defeats on the trot. The Liverpudlian revealed that Evans is already looking ahead several seasons, something which he believes is unusual in football.

Jewell was pleased to be able to relay good news when he called Evans after the Barnsley game, the 5-3 victory ending the run of losses, but felt that the owner was behind him even during the poor results: “I spoke to him on the way home [after Barnsley]. It was nice to make a phone call where you start on a positive note.

“He’s been totally supportive. Everyone else has been saying it’s curtains or whatever but Marcus has told me to keep going, keep believing in myself and eventually we’ll get it right.”

He says Evans is amongst the better people to work for in football: “A lot of people come into this game for the ego and the notoriety, he certainly doesn’t do that. He’s put his money where his mouth is.

“He bought the club a while ago and he’s very, very good for the club and in the long-term he’s one of the owners that it’s great to work for.

“At the end of the day if he rings me up and says he’s decided against keeping me on, I’ll live with that, but he’s been supportive of me since I’ve been here.

“In football no one looks long-term but he keeps on talking to me saying where we want to be in five years’ time. Five years’ time? Most managers don’t get five minutes. So that gives me the confidence to go on and make decisions.”

Jewell recalls being given similar breathing space in which to work earlier in his career: “I remember Dave Whelan saying to me in the first year I was at Wigan and we were in what’s League One now.

“Everyone expected us to get promotion, but we were bottom of the table. In November we got beaten 5-2 at Wrexham in the Broken Windscreens Trophy.

“He’d sacked a lot of managers Dave, probably by his own admission too many. He asked to have a word with the players and said ‘why not, you’re the owner’.

“He sat the players down and went ‘the boss is staying, anyone who doesn’t want to play, leave your boots there and you can go’.

“I walked out and said ‘thanks for that chairman,’ and he went, ‘no problem, make sure we stay up this year and next year I want to be in the top six by Christmas, otherwise you won’t be here’. By Christmas the next year we were 10 points clear.

“What that did, it gave me that confidence to make decisions and to take a little bit of flack, take a little bit of punishment, if you like, and make long-term decisions. And I’m hoping that’s what happens here.”

Photo: Action Images

BotesdaleBlue added 12:14 - Dec 22 That's really good to hear. What we need now is a commitment to the top grade Academy and younger players being signed up on deals of two and three years plus, in order to lay down some roots in this football club. One year deals and loan players are not the answer and provide only a short term fix at best.
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Kropotkin123 added 12:18 - Dec 22 No doubt haters will hate. But for those who are not 'Jewell outers' and 'Jewell inners' and recognise no 'fence', this is what we want to hear from the club and it's manager. Lets see if we can pick up a young right back and a leader who can captain the team from the back 4 and I think we'll start meeting more of the fans expectations.
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daniel9624 added 12:24 - Dec 22 Really don't think we are a million miles away. Any team with the turnover of players we have had in the last couple of years would struggle to gain any momentum. While I completely agree about us needing to sign young hungry players, those players are wanted by everyone, with the best being picked off by Prem Clubs (i.e. Ibe, Wycombe to Liverpool yesterday 16 years old), and the rest, including us feeding off scraps. If we can sign Andrews peramantly, that would be real signel of intent and hopefully some of those young talents may choose ipswich, but it needs someone to break from the pack.

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tractorboy2434 added 12:34 - Dec 22 More club spin, nothing we have'nt heard before, cost nothing and gains us nothing, words are cheap, let's see how we do at Leicester and Reading without Collins and after the Forest game without Andrews, just where is the game plan, we have no recognised RB, no central defenders of any quality, a slow, uncreative midfield and strikers who score more in a clinic than on the pitch, show me the plan, policy, etc, WE HAVE NONE.

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Mark added 12:39 - Dec 22 I absolutely agree with the 5-year plan approach, and that is what we had before under Burley. To me it means two things: investment in the youth academy and investment in the signing of young players. I totally understand we had to bring in sold older heads this season to recover from the shambles of Roy Keane, and to keep to budget that mean free transfers and loans, but I do hope that from now on we see investment in youth. If we opt not to go for a Grade One academy and if we do not buy a young player or two in January then I will have reservations about what is being said.

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algarvefan added 12:54 - Dec 22 Well said Mark, I think PJ will do us proud in the end, I must admit I though it might be from Division 1 on more than a few occasions this season and of course it still could be, the next transfer window is a biggy for PJ and a mixture of youth and experience is required in the squad. But lets not throw the babies out with the bath water, there is talent in our young players and they should be given a chance to develop into first team squad players.

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MajorBlue added 12:56 - Dec 22 Well he is hardly going to say I made a mistake and I dont think Jewell is what I thought he would be. Its a business now and if Jewell does not deliver he will be gone, hopefully sooner rather than later.
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arc added 13:02 - Dec 22 For there to be progress, the youngsters have to be allowed in the first team once in a while, not sent off on loan. A team that is a mixture of youth and experience can grow; a team of loaners and short-term contracts will necessarily have to be rebuilt every six months, and that can hardly be called a long-term plan.
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PaulSlocombe added 13:09 - Dec 22 Its good to hear that ME has longer term plans, because what we have seen so far gives the opposite impression. Why can't he tell the fans what his plans are so that we can better understand his intentions? It can only be counter-productive to keep the paying customers in the dark.
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PaulSlocombe added 13:10 - Dec 22 Its good to hear that ME has longer term plans, because what we have seen so far gives the opposite impression. Why can't he tell the fans what his plans are so that we can better understand his intentions? It can only be counter-productive to keep the paying customers in the dark.
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jas0999 added 13:19 - Dec 22 How anyone can be happy and supportive with the worst run of results since 1994 and some other heavy thrashings is totally beyond me. Unlike a number on here I do think we are a million miles away from achieving anything other than a below average finish. Worse, PJ has not brought in the type of players to 'look ahead to several seasons' - i.e. he has signed aging has been players who probably won't be here next season - let alone future ones. PJ's agenda seems to totally contradict what ME is trying to do. A younger manager with some experience but who is hungry and looking to build a squad for the future would in my opinion be a much better option - I simply can't see what PJ is trying to do. However, I will continue to support the team - despite the high travel costs at the moment.

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yorksblue added 14:16 - Dec 22 This 5 year plan is about 15 years too late and reminds me of the crap that politicians come out with, following elections.
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DiamondGezzer added 15:08 - Dec 22 The 'has-beens' as they are being called by some on here, were brought in as a stop gap, to try and stop us sliding into division one. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and maybe the ' plan ' did backfire, but can you really blame Paul Jewell for these guys not having played to their best ? Do some of you really think his team talks are based on a hope that we'll lose. I agree, lets get some young blood in the team, but I'm sure what he did, he did with the best of intentions. Have a pop at the players - if you must !

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carlo77 added 16:58 - Dec 22 Three observations: PJ does seem to have a slight case of verbal diarrhoea but at least we get to find out what people are thinking in command at the club, no one else seems prepared to talk. Dave Whelan, wish he was our chairman. Everytime he opens his mouth it's common sense. Broken Windscreens Trophy - like it.
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TractorTrog added 17:18 - Dec 22 Well I know that PJ wants to succeed it would be totaly pointless for his career to come here and do a average job I agree with Diomand gezzer that the initail attempt to revive the patient was to stop the bleeding now I can see PJ has done that his on to the next phase signing Andrews will improve the chances of youngsters wanting to sign also youve got to think as a young talented footballer you want to learn and when your with seasoned International pros like Andrews...or Bullard etc..its good to be around and for us. All we need to do to start being noticed is to get to the playoff areas of the leauge and stay there throughout like QPR etc.. then you will see us having choice pickings as for the Academy a 5 year plan is realistic and I beleive that PJ given this support will achieve something there as well.

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Punchless added 21:46 - Dec 22 As a true town supporter for 35 years i felt compounded to register to TWTD so i could make my opinion known. I firmly believe ITFC treat there supporters / fans with utter contempt! I dont say this lightly. I read the local papers, i log on to TWTD at least 3 times a day and i never hear Mr Evans, Mr Clegg or Mr jewell come out and say it how it is. We have an excellent benifactor in Mr Evans, lets not forget that, but for goodness sake Mr Evans talk to the fans, tell them what your 5 year plan is, we'll accept the bad and the good but dont treat suppporters like they dont matter If one cares too you can google Marcus Evans and see a picture of our owner so i can see no point in remaining elusive, although i understand the reasons why you

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Punchless added 21:46 - Dec 22 As a true town supporter for 35 years i felt compounded to register to TWTD so i could make my opinion known. I firmly believe ITFC treat there supporters / fans with utter contempt! I dont say this lightly. I read the local papers, i log on to TWTD at least 3 times a day and i never hear Mr Evans, Mr Clegg or Mr jewell come out and say it how it is. We have an excellent benifactor in Mr Evans, lets not forget that, but for goodness sake Mr Evans talk to the fans, tell them what your 5 year plan is, we'll accept the bad and the good but dont treat suppporters like they dont matter If one cares too you can google Marcus Evans and see a picture of our owner so i can see no point in remaining elusive, although i understand the reasons why you

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Punchless added 22:15 - Dec 22 Sorry everyone, i cut myself in mid flow, new to this and all that! As i was saying, ITFC needs to brush up on its people skills because in my opinion they treat us supporters like rubbish. As supporters we are only told what we need to hear, i never ever hear Mr jewell, Mr Clegg or Mr Evans making coming out and saying okay fans this is how it is, its always we'll fed you snippets and that is as much as your getting, it comes across that we're not worthy and shouldn't even dare question how they run our football club! Please remember Mr Evans the fans are generally fed up paying an awful lot of money to watch a poor ITFC team, it will come to a point whereby even the most ardent fans will say enough is enough. My final comment / plea is for Mr Clegg and Mr Evans is to care about ITFC as much as i do because my team is a shambles at this moment.

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Dissboyitfc added 22:18 - Dec 22 well the last time we had any real success was under burley and sheepshanks 5 year plan, i am pleased to hear this. i would really like to know how many of the negative posters on here are supporters as opposed to followers, who never go to games, and only ever seem to complain. those guys and gals who travelled to those away games midweek to watch utter rubbish and humiliation, they are true supporters and entitled to have an opinion, those who sit at home and choose not to go are hardly supporters, ( there are exceptions of course, those who live and work away or cant afford to go or health restrictions) just tired of negative people, it helps nothing...... get behind the team and lets support the team we love, lots can be achieved with positive input, and we can play our part... coyb

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RegencyBlue added 10:48 - Dec 23 Words are cheap. Whether this club has any ambition or not depends on actions. The first of these should be to sign up to a Catagory A Acadamy!
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newboy added 13:36 - Dec 23 Agree with most of you talk is cheap and its all we get we have good young players in the club including as jewell has said himself a young academy rightback 'with alot of ability' quote what does he do to keep them NOTHING - he says what he thinks everyone wants to hear but does not back it up. A waste of time and space and i dont care if we have finally had 2 wins its not enough and the only way forward is with a manager who knows what they are doing. Ipswich fans are too nice, patient and sit back and take the crap its a sad ime for this club under current management.

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llewej_tuo added 14:51 - Dec 23 why are you all still backing a manager with a 50% loss rate ?? he's rubbish JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT
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