Evans Won't Walk Away From Town
Wednesday, 26th Sep 2012 06:00

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

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irishtim added 09:07 - Sep 26

I agree evans & clegg should communicate better with fans on a weekly basis. Explain in more details why certain deals fall through etc. If some of the players we are trying to sign are being too greedy expose them let us fans know what exactly they were looking for. Then maybe we can have a better understanding of what exactly is going on. Secondly alot of the players would want to look at themselves instead of pointing fingers at the fans. I can honstely say that scotland chambers hyam have given everything. The rest would want to start earning the good wages they get.

irishtim added 09:07 - Sep 26

brian_a_mul added 09:14 - Sep 26

I like everyone else am hugely disappointed by the start the team have made.

But Marcus Evans saved this club when it was on its knees 5 years ago, we almost diddnt have a club to support if not for him. I for one genuinely hope he doesnt leave us. I would really fear the worse if he did. He is a business man like every other club owner and he is also an Ipswich town supporter.

Maybe a change of mgr is on the cards but the club have moved towards a youthful set up going forward and that takes patience (from supporters & coaching staff). Consistancy will inevitably continue to be an problem for the team as they develop as a group. There is still great potential in the team and as supporters we can help give the young team the confidence boost they need at the moment.

sotd78 added 09:21 - Sep 26 Let's have a five year plan. Let's say we won't buy any players in positions where we have passable playaers of our own. That means no N'daw when we have Hyam. It does however mean a centre half since Tommy Smith still needs to be coached. It means another striker. And above all it means a coach who can see tactics during a game as well as before or after.
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DurhamTownFan added 09:24 - Sep 26

For all those asking for Evans to 'come out' and speak to us. I seem to remember he did this last year via some terribly pre-orchestrated corporate-speak programme notes. These included evry few direct statements, and more of a sort of set of airy values and unspecific promises.

I think thats all we're gonna get it he wants to do it again!

I actually respect Evans' wish for privacy. He probably knows only too well that there are thousands of disgruntled fans waiting to tell him what they really think, so he's sensibly covering his back there. But hiding behind Clegg as his CEO doesn't really work, because Clegg is seen to be quite unpopular among the fans (though perhaps more because of PJ and ME's mistakes?) If we were a bigger club with more exposure, Clegg would have been replaced easily. Look at how quick things change at Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea.

Looks like we're stuck with all three of them until something drastic happens!

upthewallpaul added 09:36 - Sep 26 'He doesn't enjoy failure' - well guess what? This is failure on a massive scale. How does he expect things to improve if nothing is changed either in management personel, strategy or leadership style.
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greenkingtone added 09:52 - Sep 26 Floridaboy you are absolutely correct.
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yorksblue added 09:59 - Sep 26 Cloud cuckoo land
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BlueySwede added 10:11 - Sep 26

“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."
True. But we have also given away players like Delaney, Bullard, Leadbitter and Peters for free.
“That and Danny Higginbotham coming in on loan demonstrates that there continues to be the financial support of the owner.” Yes, a one month loan. If that is all we can hope for then there are very tough times ahead.

ScottCandage added 10:14 - Sep 26

I think this a horrible statement with regard to the future of ITFC. If Simon Clegg has to say that Marcus Evans won't walk away from ITFC, it makes sense that there is speculation that Marcus Evans might walk away from ITFC, and Clegg had to shut it down.

With the purchase structure being what is was (i.e., every pence spent at Portman Road is a debt to Marcus Evans), this is very worrying.

Legend added 10:15 - Sep 26

All this rubbish about Mr Evans being the messiah is a load of rubbish!!
yes our club was in trouble, yes we owed millions (And still do), yes we were close to going under, and yes we had no money to spend blah blah blah.
But we had a great youth set up, great support and great atmosphere!!!
Do you honestly think that a club like ITFc would have gone under?? Seriously?
If Evans didnt buy us out somebody would have! This club would not have gone under!
Stop talking like he is our saviour! He bought this club to make money and get his company logo plastered everywhere! He didnt buy us as he loves football. He was looking into buying any club and almost chose Southampton over us!How do you know we would be finished if it wasnt for him?
In five years this club has done nothing! Not a single ounce of progress so stop sucking up to this man like he is the be all and end all!

yorksblue added 10:28 - Sep 26 Legend.... Well said. At last, a non-blinkered viewpoint.
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rayman_10 added 10:29 - Sep 26

I, unlike many, am pleased that Evans is the owner of this club. People seem to forget that we were in administration not so long ago. Christ knows where we could have ended up without Evans. We would never have been able to sign players like Chopra or Taylor for the amount of money we did without him. It's not like he gets involved with anything he shouldn't do football-wise here unlike owners at other clubs eg. Bates and Ashley. He provides us with money and financial stability. If he threw money at players like what happened at Portsmouth, we could have been in serious debt by now. Regardless of what other people think, I think that Evans and Clegg aren't stupid and won't work beyond their means which would get us into trouble. I think we will move forward as a club because of him. Whether Paul Jewell is the manager to be able to take us forward is another thing, but without Evans, we could have done a Portsmouth.

Ipswich24 added 10:41 - Sep 26

message to Simon Clegg, Why dont you come and sit in stand at next home game? You will really see just how much discontent there is amongst the fans, the lack of atmosphere is shocking. We are losing fans all the time, there is no family feel to the club anymore. The fans dont know what the owner really thinks and there seems no real plan. All Paul Jewell does is contridict himself, saying we are planning for long term then taking a 33 year old on months loan. We really should be purchasing all our players from lower leagues

eaii added 11:23 - Sep 26

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

Sorry to sound like a broken record but how is he investing in the club IF the club owes him (as some people think) or owe the Evans Group (have their own shareholders) 70 million pounds? the debt is getting bigger (whether we have to pay it back now or later a debt is a debt) but I am at a loss that Evans is spending all these millions but yet the club has got to pay it back? I really am missing a point along the line here? surely the correct statement should read "Marcus will continue lending money to Ipswich" because the "investing" statement makes me think he is making money out of Ipswich?

Blue041273 added 11:49 - Sep 26

Legend

Of course you are right in that the club was not in imminent danger of going under at the time of the Evans takeover. But we were stumbling along crippled by the Norwich Union debt and its incumbent interest payments and frankly going nowhere. ME's takeover allowed the club to buy up the debt and free up the cash going out in interest payments. In many people's eyes this alone would have been seen as a godsend. But, in addition, he has provided continuous investment to successive managers in order to try and improve the quality of the squad. The level of that investment is relatively unprecedented in Ipswich history. Certainly Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson were never given the equivalent level of transfer funds given to each of MEs managers.

ME is unlikely to re-coup all the money he has spent on project Ipswich and although things have not worked out in the way that anyone planned or expected it is somewhat churlish to lay the current situation at MEs door.

Thetfordtractor added 12:09 - Sep 26

Yet again the "management" tell us how disapointed they all are at the way things are going! No S&&&t sherlock! Thanks for sharing that with us Simon, and there is me thinking it was just me that's a bit unhappy at the moment. The question is what is the strategy that the club are using going foward? never mind a five year plan this is more like a five day "back of a fag packet plan" Tell us how you are going to put it right? What is going to be put in place? When is it going to happen? What is the desired effect of these changes? If any of us went to our managers at work and said "sorry i am doing badly for the last 4 years but I am going to work hard to put it right" surely these are the questions that would be asked?

tractorblue added 12:29 - Sep 26 Floridaboy,at times you really are,,,,,,,,,,,,
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Marcus added 12:33 - Sep 26 This makes me very uneasy. When a manager is on his last chance we're told he has Evans full support (same was said about Keane). Now Evans is saying he's here for the long term - it could be a smokescreen. It's somewhat a no-win scenario with every comment over analysed.
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yorksblue added 12:48 - Sep 26 Seem to remember Clegg sat with us at Barnsley two seasons ago. Bet he doesn't do it again on Sat.
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Ravenblue52 added 13:02 - Sep 26 Floridaboy has said it all, its nice to see not all of us have lost our heads.
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brockleyblueboy added 14:06 - Sep 26 Can the players play better on match day please. It's there job to play well and win, surely they and let's be honest it is down to them to put a shift in, are the ones that need to look at themselves. Please beat Barnsley
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mrmorisato added 14:36 - Sep 26

I like the fact that we've slashed the wage bill, although PJ is in last chance saloon , defeats against barnsley brighton and cardiff and that'll be it for me. His ultimate downfall will be the fact that he didnt bring in those defenders he needed. I think the club should swipe the best players from league 1&2 and then develop the younger players to sell at a profit this way ME will be generating profit for the club to give even more funds to the manager whoever that will be come the new year. One thing you can guarantee with town is entertainment and plenty of tabloid columns covered!

blues1 added 15:03 - Sep 26

legend, give me 1 reason why itfc couldnt have gone under? for all intensive purposes we were in danger of going into administration for a 2nd time when m.e. took over, which could very well have signalled the end of this club. and what you have to remember, is that while we have a large debt it is to m.e. not the banks/inland revenue, etc. so we're not in danger of this debt being called in unless m .e. was to simply walk away request his money back. so yes, m.e. has very much saved this club & continues to do so.