While the club’s undeniably abysmal start to the season has been largely attributed to Roy Keane’s managerial prowess, or lack thereof, are the problems much deeper seated than that?

It’s often said that you cannot choose your parents, and the same is generally true of football club owners.

Under the previous regime, Ipswich Town Football Club descended into a financial nightmare.

I won’t recount the events of those traumatic and difficult recent years. Suffice it to say that, in spite of it all and especially under Joe Royle’s stewardship and apart from conceding way too many goals, the club generally punched above its weight. We did some great things on the field of play, considering our then extremely limited resources. To cap it all, we came reasonably close to a return to the promised land of the Premiership.

Critically, the long-standing Ipswich Town core football values, though severely tested by circumstance, remained firmly intact throughout this very uneasy period.

Bereft of promotion, the club was forced into a constant process of looking for an elusive benefactor, which seemed the only plausible end game to get it out of the very large hole of debt it was in.

David Sheepshanks and Derek Bowden had more than their fair share of critics and the club had its share of creditors, of course. But it is surely undeniable that both men very publicly faced up to their responsibilities and worked tirelessly until the club’s financial future was secured, in the form of the enigmatic Mr Evans and his millions.

When the club takeover announcement was made, it seemed as if a decade of Christmas mornings had arrived simultaneously. Even today, it would be harsh indeed not to be eternally grateful to Mr Evans for lifting us out of the fiscal gloom.

But, with the benefit of hindsight, has it all been for the better?

Even disregarding our frightening current league position for a moment, have we actually lost more than we have gained in the bank, in terms of being a club loved by its fans and envied throughout the football world?

Ipswich Town is a special club. Yes, I know that Lincoln and Scunthorpe fans probably say the same thing every day. But in our case there is a fantastic legacy that fully justifies that claim and which few 'bigger' clubs can match: - -Managed by the two most successful England team managers (to date…). -A trophy cabinet that includes League, FA Cup and major European championship winning honours. -Under Bobby Robson, we had one of the most fondly remembered sides of yesteryear, not least for the innovation of importing Dutch stars Muhren and Thijssen and a wonderful precision passing-oriented playing style, sustained over many years of continuous European competition. -One of the world’s top playing surfaces that has had a huge influence on our hitherto signature brand of attractive passing game. -A long-established and model youth policy with many admirers in the game and beyond.

I could go on, but you get my drift.

That tremendous legacy has long been the backbone of our club, through thick and thin.

Until now, it seems.

The recent game against Newcastle was, for me and I think others too, something of a watershed moment.

On the positive side, club executives meticulously organised a moving and fitting tribute to Mr Robson in front of millions of live TV viewers. So full marks there, but then would you expect anything less from an organisation whose owner specialises in event management?

Less positive, however, was the lacklustre match performance that amply demonstrated how far we have fallen from our previously held ideals, on an occasion that should have seen us going all out for a win.

Newcastle is a formidable side in the context of the Championship. But surely the whole idea of the Evans Revolution has been that we can compete with teams of that calibre on equal terms? Right now that heady prospect seems light years away.

If the players couldn’t be better motivated for such a special game, what does that say about our club’s culture these days?

It would, of course, be easy to blame Roy Keane for this entire situation and, in mitigation, we have perhaps been a little unlucky not to get more from games since the Newcastle debacle. But the more I have thought about this during the international break, the more I have felt that the real problem lies with the club’s owner who, when all’s said and done, appoints the manager.

For a man who runs a highly successful worldwide marketing company, the reclusive style of Marcus Evans certainly breaks the mould. So who’s to say that he can’t perform the same trick at Ipswich Town?

Many will argue that if the club was top of the league, no-one would give a second thought to not being able to spot Mr Evans in the crowd, if he does indeed ever attend matches (?).

But, given that we are at the opposite end of the table, we are inclined to look for reasons for the demise and it can all too easily be asserted that, under Evans’s control, the club has somehow lost its soul and clear, approachable and accountable points of reference at the very top, that David Sheepshanks and Derek Bowden were never shy in providing, even at the most challenging times for their own personal popularity.

The headline-grabbing recruitment of the relatively inexperienced but nonetheless successful ex-Sunderland manager Roy Keane, while undeniably brave, carried a number of risks, some of which, it can be argued, already appear to have been realised.

It seems clear that Evans must regard Ipswich Town, at least in part, as an investment in sports franchising and the appointment of possibly the most controversial figure of the modern era guaranteed, and has already delivered, an ocean of publicity that it would otherwise be impossible to generate

The point being that it is hard to see the Keane appointment being one made merely on the grounds of managerial skill. Is it also serving a wider corporate publicity agenda?

Some will still point to the disappointing, though not totally ineffective, form that characterised Jim Magilton’s last season at the helm. But what we don’t know is how much, if any, interference he endured from Evans, keen for a return on his investment and, as recent events have subsequently reinforced, more concerned with the quick fix than the slow burn of a flourishing youth academy, which was very much the Jim ticket going into the job. Jim already seems to be doing quite well working for Messrs Ecclestone and Briatore, hardly two of the world’s easier taskmasters.

The sum of the parts is that we appear to have moved so very far away from what we were even a couple of seasons ago.

In consequence, there is no apparent clear future vision for us all to share, save for the immediate and somewhat crude goal of promotion (and even more urgent aim of avoiding relegation). Remember the Sheepshanks multi-year plans?

It seems to me that we have lost the 'steady hand on the tiller' continuity that was the hallmark of previous ITFC chairmen, yes right up to and including Mr Sheepshanks!

These were high-profile local businessmen who chiefly regarded themselves as being privileged custodians of arguably the Ipswich community’s most prized asset.

There were very good times and, especially following Premiership relegation, some pretty awful ones too. But one could always identify with and buy into certain key on-pitch principles that had stood the test of time, not least an attractive playing style and an enviable academy system, which has always provided an excellent return on investment - Jordan Rhodes being an unhappy recent exception of having left the club before being allowed to really prove himself in the Ipswich first team. At least we got a few good years out of Darren Bent, to name but one.

We now appear to be a club that is struggling to find its current identity, both on the pitch and off it and, to me at least, it seems the two are somehow inextricably linked.

There are too numerous examples in football to mention that amply demonstrate that money, of itself, does not guarantee success. It appears we are in grave danger of providing further evidence of this.

We currently have a manager who may, or may not, be out of his depth and an essentially and purposely invisible chairman who allows the eloquent, impressive, yet inexperienced (in football terms) Simon Clegg to front up the whole operation for him.

Is it all a case of the blind leading the blind?

The next two home games should tell us all a great deal about that. I sincerely hope that Mr Evans and his management team can totally disprove my current lack of faith my club’s overall direction, in the very widest sense.

dirtydingusmagee added 08:10 - Oct 16 EXCELLANT BLOG, i have thought along same lines but could not have put it down so well, I totally agree with you Nevadablue.
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VILJOEN67 added 08:18 - Oct 16 We had no choice, we would be in administration now if it were not for Evans, the financial situation was very dire. It was inevitable that there would be a change of culture more in keeping with the rest of football, i believe that a lot of last years terrace emotion was partly a grief reaction by supporters struggling to come to terms with a new reality, on the one hand its great to have money, to survive even, but on the other hand we sell Jordon Rhodes and other youth products dont get games. We have an identity crisis. What are we ? The old truths are blown away but what replaces it remains to be seen. I suppose if we start competing at the right end of the table nobody will care much.

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tommyblue added 08:40 - Oct 16 brilliant blog
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stickymockwell added 08:50 - Oct 16 Good blog BUT all you've done is given us a quick run down of our recent history! We all know,think and feel the same. It would be good to read a blog with and argument of where the club should go next re should Keane be sacked? or a blog with some postive suggestions about ITFC's next steps to get us out of our present conundrum? I would write one but I don't have a scooobie doo and I'm a great frence sitter!

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stickymockwell added 08:52 - Oct 16 I meant "fence", I'm not Chinese!
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Nevadablue added 09:05 - Oct 16 stickymockwell my aim was to try and shift the focus away from Roy Keane as the cause of all our woes. There is a wider identity crisis at the club which I feel is actually a bigger issue than the current league position. You can change managers with the frequency of a light bulb, but owners and chairmen are less easy to remove and Mr Evans, whilst deserving our full respect and gratitude, has a lot of PR work ahead of him to win fans over to this new regime. As he is so invisible, that's an even bigger challenge!

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DrJeckyll added 09:18 - Oct 16 Alf Ramsey used to say Ipswich fans were either up in the clouds or in the pits of despair. Glad to see we havent forsaken that particular quality.....
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DrJeckyll added 09:22 - Oct 16 P.S. you do of course remember that we were relegated under Alf. We should hav sacked the useless **** then. Oh and the 2 or 3 seasons that we were involved in relegation battles when Robson first took over, not to mention his violent streak, coming to blows wiv at least 1 senior player, should have sacked that useless idiot after 12 gamews as well.
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La_Paz added 09:35 - Oct 16 One of the more successful products of that ITFC academy is still in goal 300-odd games later, we have a younger one playing regularly in central midfield, another playing central defence and an even younger one coming off the bench up front, so it's not all bad on that front. However considering the stick RW has been attracting recently it seems that being an academy product no longer gives you any more leeway with the fans than any other player enjoys, if indeed it ever did. This is where I see the club changing, and it disappoints me-Paul Cooper wasn't brilliant every week and certainly dropped his share of crosses, but we loved him because he was ours, we didn't bitch about him being the only non-international or only 4ft6 and demand a new goalie. Or maybe some did and I just didn't notice. It does take some getting used to, but if ME wishes to keep his privacy for whatever reason you have to accept it as his right to do so, in a way it could be seen as an advantage over some of the meddling celebrity chairmen in football these days. I was impressed by the fact that he gave JM every opportunity last season and didn't sack him in haste when that would have been the easy option under pressure. As for Clegg he has made the effort with supporters clubs etc. and seems a decent bloke so you have to give him a chance. As you say it's a new regime so none of us know how it is going to pan out. And as for that 'steady hand on the tiller' DS, he turned out to be exactly the opposite and put the club into administration! No doubting his heart was in the right place, but he made an almighty mess. At least we currently appear to have modest funds and manageable debt, which is better than many I reckon. Whatever happens in the boardroom the fans remain constant. Nice one bloggers.

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ITFC_DOM added 09:53 - Oct 16 this is a great article. It has made me think about what Evans is trying to do with the club. He has invested alot of money and in return he had got loads of puplicity, one big P R stunt maybe? On the other hand, atleast his money has kept us out of the financial woes we were in for so long. Ultimatley Evans is the owner, he should stop hiding in the background and sort it out. If we get a few wins i think everyone will back off. p.s. Dr Jeckyll - are you actually an ipswich fan? some of the stuff you come out with.............

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MVBlue added 10:09 - Oct 16 Interesting stuff. Someone brave enought to stick their nexk out and ask questions about the charimans methods. Makes me realise, that actually, in football, chairman have often been football men who compromise their business interests to keep a club running in football ways. Alan Sugar recently said you can't run it the same way as a business. Countless charimen have not succeeded. But the Glazer's and Abramovich have shown a way, but a costly way to do so.

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SomershamBlue added 10:16 - Oct 16 Re the Newcastle game, I spotted an interesting piece on one of the NUFC sites saying how impressed the writer was that most Town fans stayed on until the end of the game. He reckoned that if it had been Toon down 4-0 at home, playing like we were then they would have left immediately after the fourth goal. Not sure quite what this says about us though - loyal or daft!

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hype313 added 10:31 - Oct 16 Great Blog, and I have to agree with majority of points on there. I do feel once you sell your club to someone outside the local community then you do run the risk of losing your identity, although Aston Villa dont seem to be any different under an american owner, maybe better off as deadly doug isnt all over the back pages. Which goes to prove that you can still go on with foreign investment. I didnt agree with the Keane appointment but like 99% of fans i supported the decision, and given the sluggish/alarming start we have had, i still wouldnt want to be a club that hire's and fire's. That saying, I am concerned about the lack of communication from the club with the local media, to the fans, RK rarely speaks to the EA/ES and as much as ME wants to remain annoymous, he must understand that we as a club want to know whats happening behind the scenes, is he angry? does he want change? does he want a youth academy? I like the fact that we dont wash our dirty laundry in public, but we need changes or maybe go back to old ITFC ethos (nuture local talent, Dozzell/Dyer/Wright/Bramble)so to appease the fans and bring more along in this current climate.

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suffolk_punch added 10:34 - Oct 16 Always said the appointment of Roy Keane was down to P/ R, But also more worrying , we are listed as an asset of the Marcus Evans group were not even a football club . An asset used for puplicity only , we would get as much if not more ( air time ) by being relegated as by being a middle of the road league team , promotion this season is now unreachable , even the most die hard optimist must realise this , and although Mr David Sheepshanks may not have been everybodys favourite , at least he was VISABLE . And yes Mr Marcus Evans has kept us from administration , im sure of that , the figures that were coming from the club before the take over didnt add up really , But At what cost , Have we sold out to the devil . A great blog by the way , hope it opens up a good debate .

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dirtydingusmagee added 11:05 - Oct 16 DrJeckyll ..... interesting name,transform from blue to yellow ?
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:27 - Oct 16 Suffolk punch you are worryingly close to my thoughts with the comment selling out to the devil, i,and im sure many believed at the time,that although M E was getting us out of the financial mire,the Club was losing its soul,i for one dont feel so ''connected'' to ITFC since he came in,bringing in all the changes.No argument that he saved the Club,but the heart that was pumping the blood has been replaced by a machine.I suppose we have to concede that , ,money rules, The Prem is being bought out by Sheiks ect, suffocating the lower divisions.The knock on effect is that they too have to try and follow suit,The end result is things are not what they used to be and will never be the same,the big fish will always swallow the small fish, eat or be eaten , its about survival ,not the wonderful game anymore. Hope this makes sense to someone !

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budgieplucker added 11:54 - Oct 16 thanks Nevadablue for your thoughts on this. On a quick count 20 of the 24 clubs in the championship currently have spent some time in the top flight of English Football (albeit the likes of Blackpool & Plymouth in the old First Division). More than a handful of these have been in the premiership since Town were last there. So many will claim to have a Premiership pedigree. Many clubs now also have good academies. So we no longer lead the field in this respect. Young players still need to be given good opportunities in competitive matches to develop and learn from their "mistakes". Reserve team football is a shambles restricting opportunities to develop youngsters. £2 million today still doesn't buy you much or guarantee that you can pick up match winning types of players (compared to what some clubs have been able to invest in their sides whilst in the premiership). Having said that when Norris is back I think he & Leadbitter will provide a formidable duo (2 players we have spent over £2m on). Although you can never be too good to go down in this League!!! Where I am leading with all this - well we no longer have a divine right to think we are priemership pedigree. Yes our facilities and support provide a theatre worthy of higher football. Marcus Evans probably saved this club from obscurity. The game is different today. We still can't buy our way into the premiership, so we have to get the right blend of senior mature players and good youngsters. We have suffered through senior players being so inconsistent and not being able to provide young players with real support on the pitch. The Evans plan is way off track at the moment. But he has brought in a high profile name as manager and raised the bar. He is prepared to make sensible investments in terms of money for this level of football. A blank cheque book doesnt guarantee you success - Chelsea fans may argue with that. Is Roy Keane still the man to deliver this? I wouldn't be as arrogant to say NO or indeed YES. What I do know is that Jim Magilton took this side as far as it could go in this very competitive league. The style of football whilst at times very pleasing could easily be neutralised. Marcus Evans was very fair with Jim Magilton and quite rightly wouldnt renew contracts last January for many players as I think it was recognised there had to be a clear out in the summer and the message was there for Jim to get it right. Getting the chemistry right is very difficult, we should expect a few fireworks with RK and perhaps thats what we have been lacking. It does take time to change culture and perhaps this is what is being felt. I think we all need to be brave and endure more, hopefully though the points will start to accumulate. If they don't then back to Marcus Evans. I am very grateful that we have the backing of this man even though we dont see him. I am confident he will give RK enough time so should we.

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sonian_blue added 12:51 - Oct 16 Budgieplucker you make some very good points, particularly the latter points. I agree wholeheartedly and say lets get behind the WHOLE operation, starting tomorrow. I can see 12 points from the next 4 games no problem....Onwards and Upwards Come on you Blue Boys
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suffolk_punch added 21:02 - Oct 17 sonian_blue hope you had better luck predicting the lottery numbers
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