Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Failing to Defeat Derby Won't See Jewell's Exit
Tuesday, 23rd Oct 2012 06:00

Boss Paul Jewell is confident that failing to beat his former club Derby County at Portman Road this evening won’t see owner Marcus Evans end of his time with Town. However, the Blues manager is well aware that he needs to pick up some victories soon if he is to save his Town career.

Jewell, whose time as boss at Pride Park coincidentally ended after a 1-0 home loss to Town, said: “Having spoken with Marcus on Sunday, no. But I desperately want to win, of course I do. I desperately want to win every game, I desperately want to win every training session.

“I don’t think [I need to win to keep my job], but it doesn’t strengthen my position if we don’t win, that’s for sure. So, we’ve got to try and make sure we win the game.

“The most important thing tomorrow is that the players go out with a positive attitude and a willingness to run around and get a result for the fans.”

But he admits he’s well aware of the reality of the situation for any manager: “If AVB doesn’t win for the next 12 games, he might be under pressure, so we’re all so many games from the sack, it’s just that some of us have got more time than others.

“If it happens to be me tomorrow, or Saturday or on Wednesday I would accept it because it’s not as if I’ve had two minutes at the job, I’ve been here 20 months or so now.

“I’m disappointed with the progress that we haven’t made, but that’s just me being honest. I’m not going to hide behind anything. I’ve been here a long time, but we just haven’t been able to get a run of game or some momentum going throughout this season and last season.

“But it’s been happening for five or six seasons at Ipswich, it isn’t just something which has happened since I’ve been here.”


He admits he weighed up quitting at the weekend but feels that he can still be a success at Portman Road: “I considered it and decided not to.

“I spoke with Marcus and my staff, some players came and spoke to me and people in the game and I just reflected on what I’ve achieved in the past as a manager - I’ve had success and I’ve had failures.

“But I want to do my best and I don’t want to just walk away and then regret it. I’m going to give it a bit longer and hopefully we can turn it around.”

He says he now regrets making those post-match comments at Hull: “We say things in the heat of the battle that afterwards we wish we hadn’t. I wish I didn’t have to do an interview after the game. I wish I didn’t have to do a press conference even now, but I’ve got to do it.

“You’ve known me for long enough now to know that I’ll always be honest and I don’t hide adversity, I don’t hide behind referee’s decisions or injuries. I say it as I see it and that was exactly how I felt. I might have been wrong to say it but that’s me.”

Asked whether he was doubting himself, Jewell says everyone does at some time or another: “Have you ever had any self-doubts? If so, then you’re a human being. I know you’re a press guy, but you’re still a human being!

“If you don’t have self-doubts or question yourself you’re living in cloud cuckoo land. Anyone who doesn’t admit to having self-doubt or a loss of confidence is telling lies.

“Of course I’ve got self-doubts, but I look back at my record and think, ‘Well, I got Bradford promoted and kept them in the Premier League. I was part of the Wigan set-up that went from League One’.

“I’ve done a lot of good things in my career and the last couple of seasons with Derby and Ipswich have been tough, I accept that. But in a way that makes you more determined.

“I have self-doubts because I care. I care about my job greatly, I’ve got huge pride and it’s really, really tough at the moment. But they say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

He says he believes he has a squad capable of being much higher up the Championship: “You want players in the group who are prepared to stand up and fight, and I think we’ve got that.

“We didn’t play well on Saturday. If you ask me if were we lucky or unlucky, I thought we were very fortunate to go in 1-0 up at half-time on Saturday.

“But in six or seven games that we’ve played this season we’ve been really unfortunate. We haven’t been played off the park, we’ve always been in games.

“I’m not saying we’re in a false position because we’ve had 11 games now, but I believe we’ve got more than enough in our group to climb the table.”

The Liverpudlian refused to blame owner Marcus Evans or chief executive Simon Clegg for the club failing to land several of his targets during his time at Portman Road: “I don’t think any manager at every club can always get every player he wants. I’ll take responsibility, I’m the manager, I picked the players, I picked the team.

“We would have liked some other players to come in, but you don’t get everything you want in life, never mind football. I’m here to take responsibility.

“We could have had Charlie Austin, we could have had one or two others. We had him here and we couldn’t agree a deal [he subsequently joined Burnley] and there are plenty of other players that have slipped through the net.

“But we’ve also brought in what we think are some good players as well, so I’m not going to sit here and say it’s because I couldn’t have this player or that player. We’re in a situation, I’ll front it up.”

If his time at Town is to come to an end after the Derby match or the visit of another of his previous clubs Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, he says it won’t be for the want of trying: “I don’t think anyone could ever accuse me of not working hard enough.

“I love my job, I love coming into training, I love coming into work and whatever happens it won’t be through lack of effort. If I fail it won’t be through a lack of effort or caring.”


Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



mattwin added 06:10 - Oct 23
This club at the moment is the laughing stock of English football. How after the comments he made after Saturdays game is he still manager?? Rather than using it to his advantage and saying Paul even you can see its not working out and get rid off him to save this football club, Marcus Evans has done the opposite and talked him out of it. The club is a shambles.
0

newtownfan13 added 06:28 - Oct 23
one of the reasons the Club is in a shambles is due to Jewells choice of the starting 11 each game. He himself said he was not playing his younger hungry players until the Club climbed up the table and that he was sticking with 'experience', well, look where that has got us, loanee players brought in and played over the heads of the youth who are in contracts and experienced players who are over the hill, play the youth and give them a chance you clown cause at least they have the desire to wear the shirts, loanees do not have this desire. Come on lads lets get 3 points on Tuesday and Saturday and get this club out of the relegation zone
0

townietilidie added 06:47 - Oct 23
Cant help but thinking where we may be now if PJ was backed during pre season with his transfer targets . There were some good names linked but we failed to tie up so many targets . I guess its like a chippy being given a blunt chisel to work with , he's just had to make the best of a bad job and for that i blame the owner and co . Anyway i wont be hating tonight i'l be there to cheer the boys on .... COYB !!!!!
0

SilentMajority added 06:52 - Oct 23
What is going on?
0

minesapint added 07:10 - Oct 23
Way back in 1985-86 the club invested heavily in improving the stadium and, as a consequence, couldn't pay the salaries required to keep players like Mariner and Wark . Bobby Ferguson had no choice but to put his faith in youngsters. Mark Brennan, Ian Cranson and Mich D'Avray were England Under-21 internationalists, all looked as if they were going to be great players, but in reality all had reached their peak by the age of twenty and did not improve after that. Town were relegated and stayed in the second tier until John Lyall took them up again after signing experienced players like Paul Goddard and Steve Whitton. Enough said, I think.
0

Suffolk_n_Good added 07:14 - Oct 23
Yawn........ more drivel, same old, same old....... move on please, nothing to see ere'.......
0

NickITFC added 07:15 - Oct 23
Oh dear yet again. How many times this has been said this season I will never know. Just walk Paul please! You are a decent man we can all tell that but just not a very good manager. I will remain away from Portman Road until he is gone (this isnt one of these people who have decided this in the last 2 games), I havent been since early last season!
0

Dowson added 07:20 - Oct 23
You are kidding me ....
0

PYBlue added 07:20 - Oct 23
The only way is to protest tonight.
0

PYBlue added 07:20 - Oct 23
The only way is to protest tonight.
0

oscarwhiting added 07:21 - Oct 23
Like you say jewell you need wins maybe scoring more than one goal in a game m8.
0

ip5w1ch added 07:22 - Oct 23
Can we leave the 'we're a laughing stock' comments out. Wake up no one gives two sh.ts about us. Yes sure anyone you know who supports another team will take the rise but I suppose you wouldnt do the same? What you're actually admitting is that you feel embarrassed to support the team. Well I dont.

The more I hear comments from players, like Edwards, about Jewell being too nice the more you have to question the commitment of the players. Yes Jewell has to get them prepared but it strikes me we have a number of young men (they are all younger than me) with too much cash, too much time and little of what poirot called grey cells. The are cossetted in their little world and think they have made it. Marcus needs to rip out all the fancy fittings and fixtures that Keane had installed and make them suffer for their art.
0

Dissboyitfc added 07:23 - Oct 23
Love him or loath him, Jewell has to be admired for his honesty! but he has to take his honesty one step further and walk, he is taking us nowhere good . the thought of third tier football beckons! Please go, dust yourself down and we will see you appear in a lower league in the future. Do this and you will keep the respect of most town fans, we know how hard you work and of your pride..... we just no longer believe you can do it.
0

cornishnick added 07:28 - Oct 23
All getting a bit cringeworthy now. Rather like a teenage girl desperately begging her boyfriend for reassurance that he's not about to dump her.
0

PeekFreans added 07:35 - Oct 23
Exactly Cornishnick....just stop talking like you're in therapy Jewell and get on with it!
0

BlackandBlue added 07:36 - Oct 23
Why would he even seek reassurance on this point? The match is clearly already lost in his head.
0

Surco72 added 07:39 - Oct 23
Try getting full backs that can defend ,that has been your biggest downfall since you have taken over and has cost you nearly every game this season .
Also play Chops with Campbell up front Martin never scores ,and Chops owes the fans again
0

Blueboy added 07:46 - Oct 23
Do us all a favour Jewell and kindly shut your mouth and walkaway you loser!! I'm baffled as to why Marcus Evans hasn't fired you yet and you are making all ITFC supporters suicidal by your very existence!! LOSER!!
0

irishtim added 07:58 - Oct 23
Two up front tonight and give us some chance. I would play Henderson Edwards Chambers Moshni Higginbottom Hyam Reo coker JET Creswell Campell Chopra.
0

howsey51 added 07:59 - Oct 23
Everyone can think up examples of when a failing manager has been given time and ended up a legend. I admire Marcus for bucking the modern trend of sacking managers after a few months of bad results. The problem is I've seen nothing in Jewels tenure to suggest he CAN turn things round and his 50% success rate with other clubs doesn't inspire huge confidence, especially as his success was a long time ago now in football terms.
Having said that I am not convinced by a lot of the names banded about at the moment for a replacement and ME doesn't have a great record in finding the right man for the job! Anyone we get now will struggle as our reputation is in tatters and coupled with our sticking to the wage structure and geographical location means I don't envy anyone's chances.
0

Stato added 08:01 - Oct 23
playing 2 up front might give us half a chance of winning a game especially at home. chopra is a decent enough player but isn't good enough to play the lone striker role.
0

paristractor added 08:03 - Oct 23
I hope he turns it around....come on PJ
0

bluearmy89 added 08:06 - Oct 23
The only thing I can say to the whole situation atm which is embarrassing is 'lol'
0

mwp added 08:12 - Oct 23
He needs help. We need a manager.
0

Bob7881 added 08:32 - Oct 23
I find it laughable that the Jewell lovers on here seem to think its the fans fault for not getting behind the team at Portman Road call people moaner for wanting him out. The best one they come out with is the players we missed out on. This decent man business how he's has acted since Saturday does not depict the actions of a decent man. In Paul Jewells world its everyones fault apart from him and sadly theres a section of Town fans who believe him.
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024