Town boss Paul Jewell has confirmed that striker Michael Chopra has suffered a relapse in his battle against his well-publicised gambling problem. The Blues striker, who was left on the bench for Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace, has spent the last three weeks in the Sporting Chance Clinic in Hampshire.
Jewell said: "Michael Chopra’s got a problem, it’s more than a problem, it’s an illness — gambling. There are people in this room, me included, who are no angels and luckily we’ve come through them.
"He has a big problem, an illness, and we knew that when we signed him. We didn’t quite realise the extent of it but credit to Michael for doing something about it.
"After the Brighton game he was admitted into the Sporting Chance clinic where he’s been for three weeks, only allowed out to play matches with no training.
"He played at Cardiff and scored, against Portsmouth where the team didn’t do so well and I thought Crystal Palace was a step too far to play him considering what he’d been going through.”
The Blues boss asked fans to back the 27-year-old in his fight: "I’d ask people to respect his honesty. He’s met it head on, he’s trying his best, he’s been as low as he can be.
"Now he’s feeling great about himself because he knows he’s got the support of the club, the team and I would ask our great supporters, and I’m sure they will, to help Michael through this tough, tough time, and the more support he gets, the quicker he will get better.”
Jewell knows it’s going to be a long process but says he can already see signs of progress: "We know it isn’t going to happen overnight, but already I can see in his eyes a huge relief. He’s opened up his heart, he’s opened up on all his problems. We know how we need to make him better.
"It’s a very sad case but at the same time heart-warming. It’s not easy when you’re in a male environment to stand up in front of people and admit you’ve got serious problems and that you’re ill and trying to do something about it.
"I know from other people’s experiences, you need people around you to help you. We’re there for him and we want the supporters to be there for him.
"But at the same time he’s has to come to the party and help himself. Hopefully, he’s on the road to recovery and to having a great career at Ipswich.”
The striker is now back at the club and was one of a number of players running round the Playford Road training ground with fitness coach Andy Liddell this morning. Jewell says the former Cardiff and Sunderland man will be in the side for Saturday's game at Millwall.
Photo: Action Images