New loanee Richie Wellens says Town are too big a club to be in a “false position” near the bottom of the Championship. The 32-year-old midfielder joined the Blues on a month’s loan last week and made his debut in the 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City.

Wellens, who had been out of action since suffering cruciate ligament damage at the end of last season, says he was offered the chance to drop a division as he continued his recovery but preferred a switch to a Championship side. However, his parent club put limitations on where he could go.

“Two or three weeks ago, Sheffield United wanted to take me on loan. I wasn’t quite ready to go and play football at that time,” he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

“Leicester preferred me to go to a League One club and I’d said I’d only go to Sheffield United. But by the time I’d said that their midfielder had come back from suspension, so that was off.

“And then Leicester said I could go to the bottom four clubs in the Championship, they obviously didn’t want to send me to a rival in the Championship.

“So, I looked at the bottom four clubs and Ipswich is a club in a false position, too big a club to be at the bottom of this league, so I’m looking forward to climbing the table in the next few weeks.”

He says he needed to be fitter to compete for a place in Nigel Pearson’s side: “It was difficult for him and difficult for me because I knew I wasn’t ready to go in their first team.

“They’re winning every week and the players in midfield were playing well and he obviously doesn’t want to change that.

“Under-21 games aren’t really competitive enough to get your fitness. I played one of them and it was really a non-event. He wants me to come here and play games, then I go back and we’ll assess the situation then.”

With the move very much about getting back to fitness rather than a long-term switch, Wellens says he wants to leave the Blues better off when his loan is up on November 10th: “I’m a winner, when I go out on the football pitch I want to start winning games and this club needs wins at this moment in time to climb the table, and I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Photo: Action Images

Gilesy added 14:23 - Oct 12 Is this the same false position that Sheffield Utd, Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich, Leicester, Leeds Utd, Norwich, Charlton, QPR, Southampton and Nottingham Forest found themselves in before getting relegated to League 1?
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elmswellblue added 14:35 - Oct 12 Spot on Gilesy, do not suppose our friend Mr Clegg has noticed that.
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cornishnick added 14:50 - Oct 12 "I'm a winner". This club is full of "winners" Roy Keane was "a winner", PJ is "a winner". I'm sure Cleggy feels the same about himself as well. I'm just overcome with gratitude at Leicester's generosity in letting little old Ipswich help getting one of their players fit.
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kozmik added 14:53 - Oct 12 To be fair though all clubs mentioned returned after a season or three, and it seemed to do some of them a favour in the long run. None of us wants to see Town go down, but as it looks increasingly likely maybe we could take heart from that fact and see it as a chance to consolidate and come back with a vengeance!
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Suzanna_Gekkaloys added 14:57 - Oct 12 We are in a false position. We should strictly be bottom of the league. Sure we'll make it there soon.
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1972Blue added 15:02 - Oct 12 Lets face it.. There is no false position, too many players keep stating this fact, but as fans we know this is not the case. We are in this position in the league because we have not performed on the pitch. The table does not lie, too many at the club hark on about if, buts and maybes... We were unlucky...if we had of scored first it would have changed the game... it wasn't his game... he didn't play well etc etc... bottom line is we are where we are on merit. Agree will Gilsey about the big club situation, we've seen a lot of big clubs fall into league one. What about Man City..

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Garv added 15:20 - Oct 12 We're not 'too good' to go down, but we will not go down.
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ericclacton added 15:24 - Oct 12 Thankyou ever so much Mr Wellens i dont know what on earth we would have done without you.
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 15:42 - Oct 12 Blue Spot on 1972Blue. The only legitimate comment should be "We should be doing better." Not all the inane comments people make like you said. I don't criticise Ritchie Wellens for the comment about being loaned out to a bottom four club. He didn't have to choose us and if he can help us all wellen good. Frankly Leicester are in a position to patronise us at the moment. I would also say I don't think relegation would be good for us. The club is so demoralised and uninspired at the moment I wouldn't be confident of bouncing back quickly.

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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 15:47 - Oct 12 Going down is definitely not the preferred option. We must do everything we can to stay up, which is why, I assume, PJ has brought his "unplanned" loans in. And after all, it is still early days, so all is not yet lost. Hope Wellens can help us move up the table. Probably best if players stop making any more comments until we're out of the drop zone, however. We, the long-suffering public, still need to be convinced. COYB!

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muhrensleftfoot added 15:48 - Oct 12 Strange how things change. When Jim signed MacAuley from Leicester, it was shortly after the Evans takeover. We were the big club, and Leicester were relegated. Now Leicester are sending their players to us, so they can get match fit, and they only allowed him to join Ipswich because we are absolutely no competition to them for a promotion/playoff spot. Sad state of affairs for our once great club.

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Jimmyonthewing added 16:07 - Oct 12 14 points adrift of Leicester with 18 points available from the six games between now and playing them on 17th November. OK they may win all theirs and we lose all ours but my money is on the gap being less, not more. COYB lets shove their arrogance up where the sun doesn't shine.
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Bergholtblue added 16:19 - Oct 12 Sweden Steve I absolutely agree, dropping down must not be an option. Many of the teams mentioned that have and come back stronger managed to keep their fan base together. Take Norwich for instance, League one and still sold more season tickets than Town. If we drop down we will be getting the 9000 - 12000 gates that we used to have under J Duncan and even less money to buy players.

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howdonblue added 16:21 - Oct 12 bloody hell we are getting a player on loan from that massive club leicester city . just to get him fit for them.. i"d rather see Luke hyam being given the chance.. he is our future not a 32 year old never has been ... this is one of many reasons why jewell should walk... and the sooner the better .....
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Garv added 16:34 - Oct 12 howdonblue - Hyam has been injured since Barnsley away.
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itfc1981 added 17:01 - Oct 12 Yeah, 24th would be more apt.
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howdonblue added 17:03 - Oct 12 ok yes but why get other clubs players fit. A feeder club for another championship team. you must agree we have not come far under jewell?
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rgp1 added 17:03 - Oct 12 Could I just correct you there Mr wellens, itfc are not in a false position(23rd in league) the table doesnt lie. Mr Jewell and his coaching staff are in the false position. Jewell out!
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footers added 17:27 - Oct 12 Sweet view of a player we're rehabilitating... Like Chops. What a compassionate club we are! Flattery in return. Nice. False position, true. But not going to improve with lack of team cohesion, especially as when the team does gel half of it will be returned to parent clubs! This has been torture enough. Not many Town fans where I'm currently living (between bloody Arsenal and Tottenham) so am increasingly desperate in my responses as to what's happening at our club... Even the telly commentator last week- we're a 'safe' club apparently... boring games etc. Jesus! What's happened? I'm only old enough to have been present at our last glory days but what a terrible decade since. Took so much abuse off gooners after beating them in the cup and now they just laugh, quite rightly. Jewell, Clegg out. Enough time's been given, no change- poor decisions. We deserve more. No Div 1, we're an out-and-out champsionship side- don't really deserve it at the moment but talk of relegation is not welcome. We've got (some) time.

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hendog added 17:30 - Oct 12 What a joke , Leicester have sent a player to Ipswich to get match fit and Ho has brought him in . This is the worse position as a club I have knownIpswich to be in . What has happened to are youth players coming through . I would sooner see 7 under 21 players playing in the 1st team how have come through the youth teams then haven 7 players on loan because they can not get in there own teams

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Cakeman added 17:57 - Oct 12 Sorry Richie but we are not in a false position. The league table does not lie. We are where we are on merit!
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GibbsITFC added 18:00 - Oct 12 Ahhh you lot make me laugh, you reckon leeds are bitter they have michael tonge on loan from stoke city as they are champions league rated!? Shutup with your moaning will you im getting sick and tired of reading your whiny boring comments, TIMES CHANGE AND SO DOES FOOTBALL! BUILD A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT OR JUST SHUT YOUR BORING MISERABLE MOUTHS! IF ONLY YOU MADE THIS MUCH NOISE AT THE GAMES YOU MIGHT JUST HELP THE LADS TO WIN!! PJS BARMY ARMY!!

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NB72 added 18:24 - Oct 12 Blah-blah-blah.
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ericclacton added 19:19 - Oct 12 Bringing three loanees desperately to our club and two of them haven't played for months is madness. Any manager worth his salt would not pull a stunt like that, two of them started and they had only just arrived. We had fit players on the bench and a few in the stands, its all down to poor management, and some people can't work out why we are at the bottom.
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Talbs77 added 19:38 - Oct 12 Can someone please tell me what the point of bringing in this lad as he admits himself its not a view to a permanent move and just to get him fit! So were effectively allowing him to get fit?! I actually thought he played reasonably well last saturday, but better than N'Daw/Hyam etc? No. A complete waste of time in my opinion.
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