Blog written by bluelagos
Published: 25th March 2026 9:33
"Is that Chelsea?" "How did that happen?" "Massive own goal"
The initial response from some Liverpool fans I know upon seeing Nigel Farage's tweet of him holding up a club shirt and laughing whilst sat in the club changing rooms.
I could answer the first comment but was and remain at a loss to address the next two. "How did that happen?" does indeed remain unanswered and the "Massive own goal" is hard to challenge.
Let's be clear what has happened, Farage came to the club, used our facilities for publicity shots and the club facilitated this. It then spent a day and a half obfuscating and then released a statement that did nothing other than claim political impartiality whilst confirming the club's stance on inclusion.
Happy? I doubt it. Unless you think PR disasters are the way forward. When the club statement is endorsed by Rupert Lowe, for whom Reform are too woke, then you know you're on a different page from the majority of fans.
But does it matter? Club dropped a rollock, headline news (we weren't but it felt like it), Twitter storm and life carries on. "Yesterday's chip paper" as someone posted? To a point that's true, but trust between fan and club takes years to develop and undoubtedly for many this has been damaged.
Being duped by a political PR stunt is the minor charge, I don't think anyone genuinely thinks the club appreciated what Farage and Reform were planning on doing. It was naive, gullible and unprofessional. It has brought division and derision and I am sure plenty at the club are shaking their heads at how this was allowed to happen.
But the club response is far less minor. When you mess up, you own it. You take responsibility for what's gone wrong, you establish the facts, who did what, and you take appropriate actions. One of which is you apologise. Properly.
Most of that will have happened behind closed doors and it's not my place to guess the who did what. That may or may not come out in the coming days/weeks. But what is clear is the tone-deaf club response that failed to address the issue of the club allowing itself to be used by Farage for his PR stunt.
Simply reaffirming the club's political independence and commitment to inclusion whilst not accepting or apologising for allowing Farage to use the club's facilities doesn't cut it.
It leaves a foul taste in the mouth and the suspicion that the failure to properly apologise and take ownership of the mess is because those involved did what they did with the knowledge of those at the top of the club.
Which brings us to Mark Ashton, a man who has achieved an awful lot at Ipswich through the inspired recruitment of Kieran McKenna and the much-needed off-the-field developments in infrastructure, who bangs on about 'elite' levels and standards at every opportunity. Nothing wrong with aiming high.
But the same 'elite' standard of PR has been rather lacking. The buck stops with Ashton and if he endorsed the visit he has personally overseen a breakdown in trust between club and many fans (not all, obviously).
If he didn't himself endorse the visit then his communications have been woeful.
Losing the faith of the fans will make his position difficult, yet many will support him absolutely in view of the excellent progress the club have made.
What damage to his and the club's reputation will be for debate but no one can seriously argue the club's standing is enhanced. No sponsor will be happy being associated with a divisive figure like Farage. I doubt any foreign or ethnic minority player will be seeing the news and thinking, "Ipswich is the place for me and my family".
Supporting Reform is a choice and I am cool with that. Many Town fans will vote for them, as is their right. I make no comment on people's choice of party, nor should I. But platforming a divisive figure absolutely is a choice. It's a choice the club made and now they have to own it.
And by not apologising and accepting it shouldn't have happened, the club will be seen to be endorsing Farage and Reform.
Hardly 'elite' level PR from Ashton or the club. Do better.