Town boss Paul Jewell says he wishes the season was starting today at Hull having used the loan market to put together what believes is the strongest squad he has had to work with since he has been at Portman Road. Short-term signing Nigel Reo-Coker and eighth loanee Stephen Henderson became the latest additions to the ranks earlier in the week.

Jewell said: “I wish the first game of the season was Saturday. That’s not to decry the lads who have been here so far, but I think everybody knows that the squad hasn’t been as strong as it is now for a while.

“We’re always looking to improve the squad and we’ve found it difficult for the reasons I’m explaining - clubs didn’t want to sell, clubs wanted too much money, wanted to loan players rather than to sell them, so we are where we are.

“I think after 10 games we’re obviously in the situation we’re in and the squad needs to be improved, and that’s what we’ve done.”

He says it’s the best group of players he’s had since he took over as manager after Roy Keane’s departure in January 2011: “I think we’ve got the strongest squad I’ve had since I came to the club, without a shadow of a doubt.

“That doesn’t mean that everything’s going to come right overnight, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t think everything’s rosy in the garden, but we’ve got a lot of quality.

“If I look at the bench now, I can make changes from the bench whereas sometimes since I’ve been here, without being disrespectful to people, we haven’t had too much to change it with.”

Jewell says integrating the new recruits has gone well during the international break: “Training’s been really good, it’s been really lively.

“They worked hard last week and, with the arrival of new, quality players, you look around the squad and you’ve got options, certainly going forward, we are a little bit light at the back, in the full-back areas, but certainly in terms of midfield and forward options we’ve got choice now.

“All of a sudden we’ve got different options,” he added. “We can play different systems and it gives me choice.”

He feels the squad is now more capable of taking on the division’s big spenders and says that in any case there had been progress in the games prior to the break: “I certainly think it’s competitive.

“We find ourselves in a really tricky, tough situation and I think we’ve got some men, some experienced players, in Danny Higginbotham, Nigel, Richie and DJ, who are going to help the dressing room get out of the sticky spell that we’re in.

“Not everything’s going to come right overnight, I’m aware of that. But if you look at the last three games, we got a fighting point at Barnsley, had a decent performance against Brighton and for long spells against Cardiff we were the better of the teams.

“We’ve played Brighton, who were top of the league and we played Cardiff, who were top of the league at the time, and you couldn’t really tell the difference between the three sides.”

Photo: Action Images

DurhamTownFan added 07:02 - Oct 20 A coincide that he should say.this right when his position looks the weakest it's been since his arrival? Hmm... I really do hope we win today, and I think we might! But how far is that just going to paper over long term cracks..?
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WarkyWonderLand added 07:32 - Oct 20 But these are not your own players Mr Jewell and how many will be here in 3 months? If you have so much confidence in your own ability then you will have no problem in getting results however, I am sure if you don't you will have the same lame excuses to gloss over your lack of skills. We need to win today cos after watching Sheffield Wednesday last night that will be no easy game.

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bigolconnor added 07:51 - Oct 20 Agree. But are we supposed to soley judge you from now? If so?! You have three games.
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bigolconnor added 07:57 - Oct 20 It is a pretty good squad though I agree.
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Edmunds5 added 08:06 - Oct 20 The comments do a disservice to the squad he assembled at the start of the season, and when these players leave he will be back with much of the previous who he doesn't seem to believe in. Hope amongst all this negativity we can grab a win today and go on a bit of a run, sick of seeing us in that bottom three.
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rexron added 08:48 - Oct 20 OMG. Jewell out
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leamington_tractor added 08:51 - Oct 20 "Jewell wishes the season was just starting"... Yeah me too, only next season! By then the man will be gone and this bad memory, probably not erased but hopefully faded. We all need a boost something positive to look forward to; our club finally heading in the right direction. Nobody expects automatic promotion or even a guaranteed play off spot. What we should expect is some home grown talent mixed with a few seasoned Pros with the common desire of a sucessful ITFC. A settled team and manageable squad would be a good start. The hotchpotch of journeymen starting today (in my humble opinion) is well short of what we need for the long haul therefore further rebuilding will be necessary. M.E. are you serious, is this your business or your hobby or perhaps something else. Your undoubted business talent fails to show at ITFC.

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singtown added 09:09 - Oct 20 Incomplete yet, need to loan the manager out and get rid via permanent deal before the team is considered strong PJ given too much time and failed miserably. Pls walk away, at least I'll save some respect for u
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Skip73 added 09:10 - Oct 20 What total drivel. If he'd done his job properly in the summer we wouldn't be in this mess We've got most of this squad for 3 months tops then we're back to square one.
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RaymondovicBlue added 09:12 - Oct 20 I'm being generous. ... and agreeing with bigolconnor PJ said something like "judge after 10 games" and the jury is ready to issue its damping verdict On the way to the court room there is a plea for mitigating circumstances and mercy. .... 3 games Oh. And the judgement is that you need 9 points AND no excuses AND a clear sign that you know how to get 9 more from the next 4 or 5. .. And 9 more from the next 4 or 5. ..... That's how you win in football. That is your job That is our minimum demand (well, mine at least)

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alliedaz added 09:15 - Oct 20 you talk out ur ass jewell and had enough time to sort this mess out and now you think you ready for the season,its to l8
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Bergholtblue added 09:15 - Oct 20 Why oh why wasn't this "strongest squad he has had to work with since he has been at Portman Road" put in place over the summer?
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Dev_O_Tee added 09:18 - Oct 20 "You don't need me to warn you all about the dangers of tripping up against the flotsam of the Championship. City are notorious for spectacularly screwing up against mediocre sides…" http://www.hullcityindependent.net We are just another team. Nothing special. We are where we deserve to be under the current regime. It hurts. Each time I see Paul Jewell utter his next piece of wisdom, I despair. It seems he likes to talk "a plan" but we see little evidence of any cohesive strategy. I want my team to win every game BUT I'm at the stage when I just hope the next defeat will mean a change. To whom it may concern at ITFC - bring back a little respect, please.

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JustSpivvyChops added 09:21 - Oct 20 Well done for not pushing any blame towards ME and SC, but we know that they have been far from helpful in assisting you assemble a good squad. I fully agree that we have a really exciting squad on paper*, but alas many of them are on short term stays and if everything clicks and we fly up the table, it will only encourage the parent clubs of our loanees to recall them and then we'll be back to bare bones again. * we still need an attacking midfielder, it's been very clear that our midfield provide no support to the forwards at all and this has been a big problem for us. We need another Norris...................or Norris.

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Dissboyitfc added 09:24 - Oct 20 Leamington_tractor... very accurate post, spot on. Jewell says its not going to happen over night and although i would totally agree with that statement, the fact remains, he has been here 2 years. How many times is that excuse going to be used? We could go on a fantastic run with a team of other teams players, then they move or go they back. This ( if it happens) would please some, but the reality is we will then be in a position of relying on players to keep this momentum going, who he publicly declares are not good enough. Now football, as most on here agree is a results business and the margins between success and failure are very small. The singular most important factor within these margins is Belief, belief which is born out of confidence. How can the players ( our own that is) have belief when they are stripped of there confidence on an almost daily basis in public, whatever is he doing to the confidence behind the scenes? I dont think the performances have been too bad at times, at times we have played well but never it seems in a 90 min period. I believe the losses are coming because the players are lacking that belief, the belief that comes from those above and around you believing in you. This is Jewells job, wouldn't you agree? "A love warmed over, soon grows cold". Any success that may be achieved with this squad will be temporary and then we back to square one in january....coyb

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levington added 09:49 - Oct 20 Don't worry Paul, you won't be able to do anything with these has beens or another 8 loan players. Your a busted flush, ask Chops.
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alfromcol added 09:58 - Oct 20 Still no cover at RB or LB and this is the strongest squad???? If it doesn't work out from here there is no way for PJ to go except out of the door.
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SouperJim added 10:05 - Oct 20 Jesus wept, when will the ineptitude end? What a sorry sorry state we're in. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but Jewell is begining to make Keane look not all that bad really.
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kuyski added 10:21 - Oct 20 I never seen you can make changes from the bench and actually no meaning for used the loan players to be the strongest squad ，do you have 100% confident the loans players will still stay here after the days end？you know I know！！
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davidsc1971 added 10:34 - Oct 20 SouperJim - I'm beginning to think that myself. So seeing Keane on ITV still makes me want to throw something at the telly but at least there was some energy and passion behind it. And although the net result wasn't great I don't remember it being anywhere near *this* bad
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oldegold added 10:49 - Oct 20 Over-age Loan players rejected at their clubs at a small town club that has always prided itself on a fine youth system is not the answer. Back to basics...young players coming through the system. Where is the 2005 FA Youth cup winning team now ? Bad, bad management.
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NoelTheDub added 11:00 - Oct 20 This is only papering over the cracks.Were going to have loan journeymen for the rest of the season any maybe avoid the drop.Mr evens is backing this man with money that is not well spent.Teams wouldnt sell or loan to us at the start but other teams were doing buisness hand over fist.There is something wrong at the core of this club and this gamble with jewell and keane is sending us down and we are finding it very hard to attract players who have an interest in our club as long as your foundation is wrong you cant build on it the cracks are there for all to see.

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Mark added 11:02 - Oct 20 I am glad Jewell is sounding positive, but I am not feeling confident given our league position and the chances of another defeat today. A win would give us all a big lift, if not out of the relegation zone then at least psychologically. Of course, any run we could put together would be short lived with around a third of the squad set to leave in January unless new deals are done!

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TimmyH added 11:09 - Oct 20 Yeah! only loan players because our delightful board can't cough up the cash for wages or even pay the transfer fee, Jewell is doing the worst thing possible and looking now at the team sheet and thinking "well that doesn't look alf bad" - a few months down the line the majority will be gone and we'll back back to square one with the discarded players being bought back in but the club hopefully a few places higher in the league. Coming to think of it a whole new batch of loans will be bought back in again around January time, so Smith, Hyam, Loungo, Loach, Crason etc can forget about it!

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billlm added 11:10 - Oct 20 i think we may get 7 points maybe even 9 points in the next week then evans will not take any action your all stuck with jewell if this happens and i think it will till xmas and far beyond then evans will have to decide in may so a good chance u lot will have to man up and accept
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