Town will not be entering a reserves side in the Totesport.com Football Combination East Division next season, manager Paul Jewell instead preferring to play friendlies.

Jewell, like previous bosses, has been critical of the standard of football in the Combination, which http://full-time.thefa.com/ProcessPublicSelect.do?psSelectedSeason=4807168&psSel Blues won this season. Matches were also rare with only seven teams taking part this year, Norwich City having previously made a similar decision to play games on a more ad hoc basis.

The Town boss said he was considering the move back in March: “It’s something I’m looking at because in the reserve league the games come when you don’t need them and then when you want players to have a game there are no reserve games for a month so you end up organising [a friendly].

“We only played friendlies at Derby and a lot of teams do that now. At Derby there are so many teams on their doorstep, but it’s a bit different here.”

Reserves coach Chris Kiwomya is amongst the members of the backroom staff moving on this summer.

Photo: Action Images

MaySixth added 09:28 - May 10 Let's just play Norwich City reserves 8 times a season.
0

Bluebaz added 09:29 - May 10 Let's send them over the water to Holland!
0

blaggers added 09:56 - May 10 Bluebaz, that's not a bad idea at all. Probably not much longer travel time than to the north west, a decent football education and a more technical style of football.
0

Bluetone added 10:12 - May 10 Bluebaz good call.
0

dirtyboy added 10:25 - May 10 I'll reiterate that, good call Bluebaz.
0

Vexorg added 10:35 - May 10 Bluebaz for reserve manager
0

BlockJJ added 10:49 - May 10 Get Phil to pass on the message at a press conference! :)
0

bontcho added 10:50 - May 10 I'd like a cricket style "series" against Norwich Reserves, possibly five games o. Play them on international weekends and you'd probably get a decent crowd too. A chance for the ressies to sample proper action. May be a similar series against Colchester Reserves too? Add to that the idea of playing Dutch sides and the inevitable friendlies against London sides and you've got a decent fixture list when we want them.

0

Frankley_Blue added 10:57 - May 10 Another +1 for the Holland idea! Good call Bluebaz :-)
0

Alan_Handsome added 11:13 - May 10 Are we all forgetting what happened the last time a few of our players decided to take a trip to Holland......ha ha ha!!!
0

MVBlue added 11:24 - May 10 We need some dutch players, let alone getting out lads over there, which would be good admitedly.
0

algarvefan added 11:58 - May 10 Going Dutch sounds good to me, our reserve team football is a joke & if PJ thinks he can do it better with friendlies then so be it. Looking forward to next season already :-)
0

timmy2guns added 12:13 - May 10 Glad to see we have taken a leaf from Tottenham's book and just send our youth out on loan. That way when it comes to the crunch if they're good enough to step up they will, if they wont, they go. That way the preference is on bringing more youth through, instead of has-beens taking up places. I think this is a positive for the club and will help clear out our rubbish, so they can't just sit there and rake in the cash. Means you can keep squad sizes down and ultimately wage bill.

0

PhilTWTD added 12:20 - May 10 Phil actually proposed the Dutch reserves idea in the Star a few months back!
0

adamisablue added 14:18 - May 10 im actually moving to holland next month, so yes please?
0

Blue041273 added 15:58 - May 10 Friendlies are not the answer. The reserve league this last season was a joke but we need to have the competitive element to keep the back up players up to speed. What on earth is the problem with the reserves joining the Rymans league. It's a good quality of football and there are plenty of games which is what players trying to bridge the gap between youth and first team football need. The Dutch football is not a bad idea but the logistics probably make it unworkable.

0

Ipswich24 added 15:58 - May 10 Why dont we enter our reserve team into ridgeons league give them competitive matches every week? can this be done phil?
0

Che added 17:30 - May 10 Bluebaz Ik ook
0

Che added 17:34 - May 10 Bluebaz Ik ook
0

ITFC4daprem added 19:22 - May 10 If they can go anywere better than here then go no point playin equivelent 2 non leauge sides would like to do it like in spain
0

henleyboy added 21:03 - May 10 All reserve friendley matches last season were played behind closed doors so does this mean that in future we shall not be able to watch any reserve games
0

h32 added 21:19 - May 10 .... yet another backward step. How can no games / friendlies be an improvement on what the Reserves did last season ? And where are these 'teams' coming from that will be available to play 'friendlies' during a busy season. ? More evidence of bul#sh#t and lack of ambition by the Club. Turn the lights off, and let's all go home if this is what the Club has deteriorated into.

0

h32 added 21:27 - May 10 henleyboy - sounds like it, that is if there are any ......................
0

tellitasiseeit added 10:13 - May 11 About time Paul, should have been done long ago. Does not prove much on players .some are recovering from injury's,others maybe first time run out with reserves,Then no game's for a number of weeks? How can you evaluate players with this system?.Friendly game's would be much better,and be more forthcoming. I kind of like the idea of going Dutch if it was practical?

0

kerryblue added 13:15 - May 12 The way things are crystal palace are our reserves with all the dead wood they have from town and are looking to keep that tradition going by signing norris
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls