in mick we trust

Without significant investment I think it will be a miracle if MM guides us to a top 6 finish next season considering the strength of other clubs. He has done an incredible job - just such a shame he hasn't been given the same funds as Jewell and Keane were. I don't see any other option than to sell Cresswell and reinvest to give us a chance.

Top six? If anyone thinks that squad with our transfer budget is going to make top 6 they must be in one hell of a bubble! Mid-table is as best we can do, the pressure would be on if we were doing worse then that.

We need players we haven't signed anyone and by sounds of things we wont be for a while i agree mick needs the funds but has M.E learnt his lesson by giving out cash for no visible reward on the pitch.. We had our best season for a while on limited budget if any so M.E would think why put in cash after last season. If he is a true town fan and want success then he will push on and give M.M the funds if he doesn't then he clearly has no high ambition for the club apart from Just making us a stable middle of league club.

I just hope Mick shows a bit more ambition next season.

John Lyall got the club promoted with a much poorer side than Town currently have!

Mickswich!!

Kick the ball feetballers.

Popeye, completely disagree with you on that. In this Lyall's team we had legends like John Wark, Paul Goddard, Jason Dozell, Mike Stockwell, Chris Kiwomya, Simon Milton, David Linighan even David Lowe, and we had a great goalkeeper like Craig Forrest.

So if you mean Lyall spent no money on his team that is one think but none of the current players are better than any of these I listed from the Lyall's team... Lyall's Ipswich was a really great team and the only reason they were relegated that quickly from the Premier League was they promoted Lyall to a foot ball director or whatever and left the work on that Mick McGiven who was clueless...

Where did Mick go for his summer holidays this year?

I'll be happy as long as we don't have another 2007/08 to 2008/09 situation. Everyone agreed 2007/08 was a big step forward for the club after the previous campaign, but then we never made any kind of stride forward in 2008/09 despite spending a fair bit of money.

“It has been said that after making a lot of progress last season, we will be expected to be right in there challenging for a top six place next year,”

True it has been said! Unfortunately as many have also tried to point out to the blue tinted spectacle brigade, last seasons points average was lower than the average under MM the season before so there was no improvement on what he had done the previous season .
It's also constantly mentioned that he needs funds which would help but isn't entirely necessary if he would get off his backside & wise up on the better players from the lower divisions who would be more than happy with the money we pay & for a move up to our club.........many of whom are just as good if not better than what we already have.
Unfortunately this takes time & effort, driving round watching games before the season ends to assess players. Obviously not something he's keen to do, as according to previous posts he intends to wait for other clubs to offer him Loans.......again......like last close season.
So please don't get to disappointed when after a couple of last minute unwanted left over loans are all we have signed, we end up in mid table again................school report for MM would read "could try harder" !!

Completely agree with your post ballbag there is not enough ambition at this club i am afraid unless something changes soon we have no hope of top six.

we were top six for one week, so no pressure

in mid table mick we trust

I fully understand & totally apprecaite that pre-season can be very frustating.

But please, all of us, just calm down & be patient...........it's very early days.

There will, I am sure, be some welcome surprises and new quality players arriving before end of July to push us onward & upward!

Let's wait and see what we have in terms of a squad at the end of July .....before we start to write-off our chances.

In Mick We Trust!

Beattie's ball bag - Who are these worldbeaters plying their trade in the lower leagues? I want names! I think Mings was from well down the leagues so he's obviously doing some scouting?

Like the comparison between Lyalls and mm s teams and agree with comments about McGovern. However David Linighan. ... That's pushing it a bit too far

Hi, Blue Tinted specs brigade here.

1, Last years points total (68) was enough for the play offs the year before suggesting the league was somewhat more difficult.

2. Did the non tinted specs brigade forecast similar doom and gloom this term last year (why are we signing relegated players, they were relegated for a reason!)

That is all

Agree that we should be pushing for top 6. However, we need to add quality to the team to do it. These players will cost money. Not millions, but money ... Whether it be a little extra on wages or a moderate transfer fee. Sadly, I doubt ME will spend. Other clubs will. Disappointing there are no new signings to date. With fixtures out tomorrow, would have expected some activity. The likes of Rotherham and Millwall have signed two of our players already. We carried out most of our business early last year. It paid off to a certain extent. The exception was Berra ... Who was great, but wasn't fit at the start of the season and took time to settle. Who knows what would have happened if he was fully fit right from the start.

dont mind if we dont make the play offs but we should be aiming for it and by that i mean actively attempting to win games.
the style of play and satisfaction with draws annoyed me last year.i think you only forgive that sort of hoofball if it gets you promoted and it did not get us up.
evans seems to be being given the chance to subject us to some more long ball football this year and if he sticks with that style the play offs are a must as compensation for having to watch such negative out of date stuff.

McCarthy could choose to spice up his football encourage us to pass the ball on the deck and play a more modern fluid system-if he did that i could forgive him alot more if we fell short

I just cannot for the life of me see us being anything but a slightly above mid table club, ME is as of yet not reaching for his back pocket, he was burnt by the other two clowns!
But then again he may just do it? Maybe?
The reality of the situation is we do not have the quantity nor the quality at present, the clock is ticking, It has been said that Mick is holding back so as not to be paying wages, but surely we need the new players in early as possible, they need to be upping their fitness early, playing together and working as a team, or so i would think that is sensible?I guess i,m hoping and expecting too much again, i really hope i,m wrong but none of the news from Portman rd makes any sense at all?
We have a certain club up the road that has plenty of prem quality players and with parachute payments, will be a real threat this year, not looking forward to those two games as we are not equiped as above.
We still have time but not much!

Well said Georgi, Lyalls team didn't finish top for nothing! Goals all the way from Dozzell and Milts in midfield, real pace up front from Kiwomya, bags of experience from Warky, Goddard and big Steve Whitton, huge energy and goals from micky stockwell, a much better keeper in big Craig Forest. A great season. Andre Dozzell is developing fast, lets hope in four or five years he will be ready to boost our midfield.
In Mick we trust.

As has been explained and discussed on other threads, ME is prevented from ploughing money into the club if it infringes the FFP rules which require clubs to operate largely within their means. ITFC are currently struggling to do this and cannot afford to increase the annual trading loss by spending money which it does not have. Some posters have suggested that the risk of sanctions imposed if ME makes real cash available to MM and the FFP rules are infringed, is a risk worth taking particularly if promotion follows as a result. It may be chicken and egg but if a club is successful on the pitch, crowds increase and the losses sustained reduce creating the wriggle room in the FFP rules to enable ME to invest more cash. We all know that relegated teams start with a distinct advantage given that their revenues are boosted by EPL parachute payments but their operating income is likely to be reduced through a drop in gate income and loss of sponsorship and TV cash that comes with being an EPL club. These clubs may actually struggle to operate within their means but like QPR last season may be prepared to gamble on instant promotion through spending money even at the risk of FFP sanctions. If we are 6 points clear at Christmas, particularly if the gates were regularly above the 20k level, ME might himself be persuaded to risk any such sanctions and provide MM with money to spend in the January transfer window if it was considered necessary to reinforce the promotion push. Until then I'm afraid we will have to accept that MM will be required to operate within his allowed budget.

so Blue041273, because of FFP we can't sign any player with a fee or competitive wage demands? everyone without parachute payments can only sign loans and frees?

no money, no wage money, no ambition, no chance for promotion.
done great with what we have got tho i will say.
need those 2-3 top championship players to create a spark and have that class to change games.
until we get a couple in we are mid table for a long time yet.