Former Blue James Scowcroft says he doesn’t expect too many moves to take place this early in the summer with agents telling their players to take their time before deciding on their futures.

Scowcroft says players who or out of contract or just looking to move on will be being told not to be in any rush: “Agents will be telling players to sit tight because there’s no point grabbing an offer now. All the way through football, from the Premiership down, very few people get signed in May.

“I expect that it’ll all heat up at the end of June, early July and hopefully Ipswich will get their business done early on and everyone can bed in for pre-season.

“I think that’s the key as a manager and a player — if you are going to move have a good six or seven weeks with your club before you start the season. That’s a time when you get bedded in, get to know everybody and play a few games as well.”

With June still a few days away, Town have already been linked with plenty of players. While some of those will be tabloid stabs in the dark or agents trying to stir up interest in their clients, Scowcroft says it’s little surprise that lots of names are mentioned with manager Paul Jewell likely to be working through a long list of potential targets: “This time of the season it all gets a bit silly with all the rumours, especially with how the world works now with the Internet, Twitter and this, that and the other.

“I’m sure Ipswich will have a list of about 30 players, but they won’t sign those 30 players, it’ll probably only be four or five.”

The 36-year-old spent 2011/12 establishing himself in the media locally and further afield, both in print and on radio, something he says he enjoys: “I love it. I try and get to watch Ipswich as much as I can but I go to other clubs as well. I see games in the Premiership, in League Two, I’m up and down the country. I see a good spread, which I enjoy.”

The Bury St Edmunds-born striker or midfielder was one of the managers at Tuesday’s Portman Cup — beating a Fabian Wilnis-led side 6-2 - and isn’t ruling out a move from the press box into the dugouts at some stage: “When I finished playing it was something I wanted to do, coaching and getting the chance to manage.

“I think every player, and probably every supporter, thinks they can do it, but in the last year I’ve just done media stuff. In the next three or four years it will be something I’ll look at a bit more closely.”

Plenty of Scowcroft’s former Town team-mates are already working as coaches, several of them at Colchester’s Academy where Wilnis runs the U13 squad, and he expects more to do so: “Fabian’s gone down the road of coaching and hopefully a few more from my era will go into it as well, a lot of them have got a lot to offer.

“John McGreal’s into it now [at Colchester], Wayne Brown’s going to go full-time at Colchester next year, Mark Venus [is assistant manager to Tony Mowbray at Middlesbrough], then there’s Jim Magilton. Richard Wright will probably eventually be a goalkeeper-coach, Marcus Stewart is coaching [at Exeter], Jamie Clapham’s coaching [Lincoln’s Centre of Excellence].

“I always thought Matt Holland [also currently working in the media] would be a good coach but whether he’ll go down that road I don’t know.”

Meanwhile, exiting Blues midfielder Grant Leadbitter is reported to have been offered £12,000-a-week by Middlesbrough. The out-of-contract 26-year-old turned down a new deal with the Blues with Boro long understood to be his likely destination.

Photo: Action Images

Karlosfandangal added 09:27 - May 26 How many comments are going to be on here about Clegg never offered enough money to Leadbeitter. Wonder if the fact the fans were always on his back help to make his mind up. Never quite made it here, plenty of players out there who are just as good
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Seasonticketsteve added 09:27 - May 26 Wilnis for manager!!!
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suffolkpoker added 09:32 - May 26 £12k for leadbitter doesnt sounds to silly tbh
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jas0999 added 09:40 - May 26 I would have thought we could have competed for Leadbitter - PJ clearly wanted to keep him - but that's now history and we move on. Scowcrofts comments are not really backed up with facts. There have actually been 26 signings since the end of the season - which doesn't include some recent ones. As Leeds have proved, best to get in early to secure the signing of a decent player. Ditto Palace if they do end up landing Ward.

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Guthrum added 09:42 - May 26 Ah good, confirmation from an industry insider of what sensible posters have been saying for weeks - most players take their time deciding and the majority of transfers won't start happening until June. Patience people!
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ArnieM added 10:12 - May 26 Scowie unfortunately is just making a living out of so called insider info drip feeds to the media. He knows sod all of what really happens in the game today (and is not better placed than all us "expert" fans I fear)..... and often his comments are unhelpful to Town's efforts. He'd best to "button it" for every ones sake.
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groovyASH added 10:12 - May 26 If we'd offered Leadbitter £12k a week and he'd stayed, people (sorry, moaners) would've been outraged that we'd offered one of last season's favourite criticisms and moan-targets such a deal. As it happens, we didn't, so ironically they turn their moans into the fact that we didn't and criticise Clegg for not signing him up. Jas- I wouldn't use Leeds as an example to back up your case. That club are, from a financial running perspective, notoriously bad. The fact they couldn't stump up a £400k fee for Ward indicates not much has changed. Scowcroft's comments are backed up by facts- compare the amount of transfers completed in May to the amount completed in June/ July, over the last x amount of seasons, and you will find the facts.

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Michael11 added 10:22 - May 26 We could do with a player of Scowy's mould, big and strong in the air to help Chopra! Bored of seeing about Leadbitter i'm glad he's gone anyway!
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Mark added 10:25 - May 26 £12K a week is far too much for Leadbitter in my opinion. Put it into perspective, over a 3 year contract that is 3 x 52 x £12K = £1.9M. If the average season ticket is say £350, that is 5,350 sales which is almost half our income for one season!
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tractorgirls added 10:50 - May 26 Shur up ArnieM - you know nothing!
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RIPbobby added 10:55 - May 26 I think scowy is right. This season finished very early and there is still ages until the next one starts. Panic buy time will be 2 to 3 weeks of the season starting when managers have holes in their squads. In that time player power really kicks in. At the moment only prudent deals are being done, except ward who has managed to gain clubs bidding agains't him. Exactly what you want if you want to maximise your wage.

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RIPbobby added 10:56 - May 26 I think scowy is right. This season finished very early and there is still ages until the next one starts. Panic buy time will be 2 to 3 weeks of the season starting when managers have holes in their squads. In that time player power really kicks in. At the moment only prudent deals are being done, except ward who has managed to gain clubs bidding agains't him. Exactly what you want if you want to maximise your wage.

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WoodfordTim added 10:59 - May 26 We are all getting jittery & impatient, because we don't want to make some wrong signings like last summer. 2 or 3 of those were last minute ones that appeared to be almost in desperation. Seeing Pearce go to Leeds & now Ward off to the Palace, is certainly depressing. Must have patience though, how ever hard that is. Leadbitter on £12K p.w.? Tony Mowbray's comments when Middlesbrough were down here made us think that those sort of wages were gone for good.

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bluey420 added 11:17 - May 26 I'm afraid Leadbitter never performed too any great level n only when his contract was running out he thought I better start playing too either get a new contract or a move away. I still say Butterfield Barnsley can easily replace leadboots, young goal scoring midfielder n has real quality from set pieces: I'm pretty sure Jewell has 20-30 players on a wishlist not going too get them all n it's still may not August I'm not bothered by Ward rather see Lowton

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DikkieCOYB added 11:54 - May 26 Anyone for Frank Nouble he just got released from West Ham, so why not, young hungry, just what we need
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algarvefan added 12:12 - May 26 Arnie M shut the feck up Scowie obviously knows more than you!!
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Garv added 12:16 - May 26 If Clegg had made these comments we'd all have our pitchforks out about now!
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buryblue77 added 12:17 - May 26 If Leadbitters erported wages are correct then I'm really not bothered about losing him, I really don't think he's worth £12,000 a week. However, again a player is lost who we paid big money for and the question has to be asked why? If he was more vital to the team would more of an effort be made to keep him? Experience from losing NOrris and McAuley last summer indicates that we probably would be in a similar situation. We seem to be very rigid in our approach to players contracts and whilst I fully understand that we have financial limits to work within, I hope this inflexible appraoch doesn't hurt our ability to sign players or compete with other clubs. Agents are very good at negotiation, after all that's their job but it's their greed which has inflated wages to stupid levels and increased costs substantially. I am becoming very worried about our club and the direction we're heading in. Whilst on the pitch I still back PJ (I will pass judgement on him in the Autumn if our position hasn't changed, or worsens) I am worried about our top management, remember how Shaun Derry said he sat in Keanes office and wanted to join the club after talking to roy, but when meeting Clegg the deal couldn't be done. keane himself said that if he'd met the CEO he probably wouldn't take the job. I certainly don't think Clegg is Mr. Evans yes man, more like a no man!!!

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h32 added 12:26 - May 26 Much respect for Scowie - but not at all sure he is correct - many clubs have made signings already, and don't forget Jewell, as part of his spin, has several times mentioned the need to 'get in early' because good players are in short supply - and every club is after 'the same players' - HIS WORDS. More 'cloud cuckooland' excuse / spin - which has become the norm unfortunately - in the demise of our club credibility.

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Wickets added 12:43 - May 26 Yes makes sense, just feel a bit sorry 4 M Evans! He is totaly inexperanced in football and has been let down badly by Keane, Clegg,Jewel, he must now not know which way to turn.
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h32 added 12:46 - May 26 buryblue77 - blatantly obvious to many now that the Club is (perhaps) being seriously mismanaged in terms of the future, and ambition. Incredibly important, and interesting 6 months ahead for this Club - possibly the most important to date. Sensible posters will understand why.
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beerhelps added 13:13 - May 26 £12k pw for Leadbitter? Steady Mogga - £12k per month would be pushing it, over the first two and a half years here he was probably worth around £12K a year! Think back over the last two seasons, the players paid the best wages have hardly given value for money, don't waste any more on prima donnas.
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baldman added 13:38 - May 26 Hearing we have had a bid accepted by Macclesfield for there centre back 17 years old I think anybody else herd anything
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Michael11 added 13:50 - May 26 GOOD NEWS!! http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11707/7779597/Ipswich-move-for-Hewitt
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 14:20 - May 26 ArnieM - u honestly saying Scowie doesn't know more than us ?? - I think he probably does !! h32 - not sure how this is spin, Scowie as far as I know has no particular allegiance to PJ, and it is still early, the season is still going on til today. Do agree with u tho that next six months are key, more so to PJ than the club.
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