Town owner Marcus Evans won’t walk away from Portman Road and will continue to invest in the club, insists chief executive Simon Clegg. The fifth anniversary of Evans’s takeover of the club is only three months away with the Blues as far from promotion to the Premier League than ever.

“He’s a man who has enjoyed considerable success in his career and he doesn’t walk away from things easily,” Clegg told Ipswich Player.

“He doesn’t enjoy failure and he will continue to invest in the club to ensure that we do achieve success.

“We’re all incredibly disappointed [with the start to the season] but that just means that we have to work even harder to make sure that we turn things around.”

Clegg says the Blues owner will be in it for the long haul: “Will Marcus be around for a while? Absolutely.”

The former British Olympic Association chief says manager Paul Jewell still has the backing of the owner and that further funds will be made available for signings as and when required: “I struggle with the concept of people saying that there is no money available. We only brought Paul Taylor in from Peterborough a fortnight ago.

“I think he’s a fantastic signing, I’m very exciting about what he can do for us up front as an attacking forward. I’m bitterly disappointed that he is injured and is going to be out of the team for a number of weeks.

“That and Danny Higginbotham coming in on loan demonstrates that there continues to be the financial support of the owner.”

Photo: Action Images

Fen69 added 06:04 - Sep 26 Crikey I'm alot happier now i know this!
0

ericgates added 06:10 - Sep 26 Thats fine, but if we have an owner that does not really want to be in the public spotlight, surely it is Cleggs job to convey the owners thoughts, feelings, stance, plans etc on a far more regular basis. We, as fans, are left guessing from comments that PJ makes, about what 2 people(Evans and Clegg) might be feeling about certain situations, and it is only when in real crisis, that Clegg comes out to say either 1. Evans will continue to back the club or 2. We back Paul Jewell. The communication between the club and the fans is quite appalling really, and this needs to be addressed urgently.

0

Bluearmy71 added 06:12 - Sep 26 "Hello my name is Simon and I have just made the target on my back even bigger!............please have a seat while I load the gun for you!"
0

warkyismyhero added 06:13 - Sep 26 I, like many others are not happy with the current situation, but I think we all need to be careful wishing for changes in ownership. If ME leaves Ipswich, I believe we will struggle to find a new owner, though comments that Mr Clegg makes are difficult to equate into good PR. our fans are not stupid and this feels like he is talking to 5 year olds! ME & SC, need to listen to the fans and understand what we want from our club, if they do this the rewards will come. Lets get a 5 year plan, play and foster the youth and be known as a club that plays exciting football with good, well taught teams that play the Ipswich way.

0

bedsitfc added 06:19 - Sep 26 Mr clegg has turned into Borat "i am very exciting about what he can do for us up front"
0

Sospiri added 06:23 - Sep 26 Without Evans, things could be a LOT worse.
0

RevAdrian added 06:25 - Sep 26 The earlier posters who talk about both a plan and about people knowing the plan are absolutely right. I don't want to go all Biblical on this at this time of the morning (as I know it annoys some people - morning!) but as it says in the 3,000 or so years old book of Proverbs 'without a vision the people perish'. We the fans are not actually entitled to be let in on what the club's ownership is thinking but ultimately if we wither away there will be no club. Mr Evans is 'a man who has enjoyed considerable succes' says SC'. Clearly from a business sense at least this is true but surely he has not achieved that without both having a vision of where his company might go AND communicating that vision so that everyone, to a greater or lesser extent depending on their inclinations, can buy in to that vision, be part of it, and help to carry it forward by their own attitudes and actions. We, the fans, Mr Evans if you ever receive these kind of comments in any way, feel excluded from this whole process. Please, please find a way to take some of the things you have learned and done in your particular business sector and use them in the world of ITFC. It could of course be, that you really do have the vision (whether that really is premiership status or whether that is nicely placed small town football club not even thinking above its station at the moment) but, whatever it is, let us know! With us on board it might be a whole lot more succesful.

0

kevlowestoft added 06:33 - Sep 26 Mr Clegg, i will not spend another penny at my beloved club until you are gone. Your "laughable" comment was quite correct, it is laughable harry wanting to come here perhaps but thats because the like YOU are inept at your job and YOU on your £200k a year salary have played a very big part in ruining our club and my weekends in the process. YOU have no idea, charisma or right to come out with that the "laughable" comment to the fans, that has put the nail in the coffin of many fans who did have a little bit of respect for you as you again have shown no respect for us fans. Do the decent thing and walk. Even if PJ is still here but YOU gone i can see another few thousand on the home gates.

0

howdonblue added 06:45 - Sep 26 Well said revadrian ... Nice to see some sensible comments on this forum ! Wrightyblue I fear you are the knob old son.
0

Keaneish added 06:52 - Sep 26 Bang on bluearmy71! All of the noises coming out of PR at the moment are the complete opposite to what we want. How far gone and how far removed is this regime from the public voice!? It's a disgrace to all that great people have built up over the years and its time we started taking action. For me boycotting games is the sure fire way to decisive action. I know some if you are opposed to this but else is there?

0

BlueBoots added 07:11 - Sep 26 ^^^ What kevlowestoft said ^^^ re: the "laughable" comment... Interesting to hear Clueless Clegg raving about the Paul Taylor signing - I don't think any chief executive with a grasp of how football works would have sanctioned paying £1.5m (rising to £2.5m?) for a player with one half-decent season at Championship level under his belt who was out of contract in the summer... Would love to see him replaced by Joe Royle in a Director of Football role - PJ is clearly struggling at the moment, and if BFJ can't help him to turn that around, at least I'd have more confidence in who he'd recruit to replace him.

0

wibbletown added 07:24 - Sep 26 Has anyone else been feeling a sense of deja vu? Wasn't it last year that PJ needed a result at Barnsley to save his job?
0

itfc1981 added 07:26 - Sep 26 Will you walk away form Town Mr Clegg? Fans know thats what the club needs to move forward.
0

Stato added 07:45 - Sep 26 @ericgates I agree completely and ME needs to send one of his public relations people to portman road once a week to help the club build a bridge with the fans. some on here think we are lucky to have ME and others like me need to be convinced. similarly even fewer seem convinced by clegg who appears to be the one to blame for so many of our players leaving and so many targets being missed. maybe if the club had a more open communication policy then us fans would be more understanding about our off pitch fortunes

0

bluefeast added 07:45 - Sep 26 Out of touch. Fact is the club needs fans in the stadium in order to generate cash. The club and the individuals in control do not care about the fans ,we are cash cows. Fact is The club is a business for those that work there. For us its our passion , there is no empathy between the two. Sadly !
0

warkyismyhero added 07:46 - Sep 26 Can we all please stop talking about Harry, he has recently (last 3 teams) worked with clubs that have money and does not develop youth. We want good attractive football with our team not a bunch of hired helps, we have tried this and failed. Do we want to be another Portsmouth. NO NO NO Build, build and build some more. In any good business you need to listen to your clients (that's us) please just listen. I hate to see the negative comments about our club!

0

floridaboy added 07:46 - Sep 26 There are some real idiots floating round this site. Where is the reasoning that if SC leaves the club fans will come back to games. What a stupid statement! He is in place to oversee the running of the club on behalf of the owner. Just as David Gill does at Man U and Karen Brady does at West Ham - to name two CEOs Neither of the above are 'football' people. Yet they are OK at what they do. ME sets the budgets I am sure so all SC does is carry out his wishes. The club has to get its house in order financially or face possible problems with the League/UEFA. Why should the club sign players for over inflated salaries just to keep the fans happy and with no guarantee that those players will be any better than we already have got and I still think we have a good squad to get us up the table. This anti Clegg issue for me just proves there are many out there who dont know anything about football - Chopra actually may be right!!!!

0

Pessimistic added 07:47 - Sep 26 I personally applaud this statement. Now the supporters know where the club stands and I believe they are absolutely right to stand by THEIR man!
0

oscarwhiting added 07:49 - Sep 26 We don't care if your not leaving it jewell who needs to go
0

TimmyH added 08:00 - Sep 26 There certainly won't be anything to celebrate on his 5th Anniversary! - how to take a club backwards.
0

RegencyBlue added 08:08 - Sep 26 Clegg - didnt know your user name was Floridaboy!
0

Tufty added 08:30 - Sep 26 Company executives and business owners are not in the job to be popular they are interested in rewards financial or personal prestige. They do tend to care deeply about their business and often those invokved in it. Football is a business and i am sure Mr Clegg and Mr Evans are no different. The problem at this club at the moment is simple the customers are not happy with the product. How many of you are happy with the price of fuel i suspect none but i dont think anyone is standing in the petrol station demanding the resignation of the ceo of bp. and if he left it wouldnt change the pump price. As supporters we are customers of the club if you dont like the product shop elsewhere. Otherwise stop whining on about things you cant change, get behind the team and have a little faith. I dont beleive paul jewell is the right man i believe we need a managrr with blue blood who needs time to build and who we should support thro thick and thin. In the mean time remember in any league there are many more also rans than promoted teams we were lucky to have sir alf and then sir bob but in between we were average. we will get lucky again.

0

Legend added 08:39 - Sep 26 Ok so he won't walk away............ So how about coming out in the open and meeting a selection of us fans and the media to have a chat and inform everyone just what his vision and plans are for ITFC. Because as of this moment it looks to me as if Evans and Clegg are just winging it and treading water going nowhere! Start showing an interest in us fans and start showing some passion with regards to the club. Do either of you support ITFC and care about it or are you just as it seems going through the motions? In a 2009 ITFC programme Clegg stated that in the future they would look into rebuilding the Cobbold stand making the ground capacity 44,000 and that we would be fighting for a champions league place!!! That is laughable!!! Either both come out in the open with you're guards down and meet us to make us fans feel wanted or get the hell out of our club, both of you!! If i took over a company and after five years not made a single ounce of progress i would be ashamed of myself!! They are both a couple of arrogant people who know jack $hit about football or running a club!

0

righty added 09:03 - Sep 26 More bad news Evans Clegg and Jewell should leave the club now before its too late all 3 made terrible decisions from the onset how people think any of them have done any good live on a different planet all Evans has done is put us in debt of over 75m all Clegg has done is stop decent players come here and all Jewell has done is take us to 23 rd in the league with the worst defensive record for years

0

wkj added 09:04 - Sep 26 I don't have an issue with Evans, and never have - what I do have an issue is with Numpty Dumpty CEO Simon Clegg- for the love of peat, please get a clue on the true meaning of what football and ITFC's proud history is all about- or jog on. As for Paul Jewell- I like him, and do feel a degree of sympathy towards him, but we need a fresh start with a thinker and a do'er - not a tinker and a talker

0

Blogs 296 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls