I’ve just had a look at the current ITFC squad (courtesy of www.prideofanglia.com), new signings in, all last season's loanees gone, all the ‘out of contracts’ gone. In short, should the season begin tomorrow then that is the list from which Paul Jewell would have to select a team.

I’ve sat playing around with formations, possibilities and likelihoods and you can piece together a team that may stand a chance of winning the odd game in six. There is no doubt some talent and potential lies amongst the list, however the bottom line is that this list represents the current legacy of the Clegg/Evans years and when examined more closely it makes my heart sink.

It represents a malaise that is a product of modern football culture, a tribute to the greed, short-termism, a lack of patience and the abandonment of traditional football values. Sadly, it is also a malaise for which the fans have to take some of the blame for their unrealistic expectations. The squad consists of 26 players, a reasonable size, after all, the squad of 1981 probably only consisted of around 16. But let’s look a little closer. Of this 26, nine players have a total of eight starts between them. The most experienced player, Grant Leadbitter, is a veteran with 86 starts, then comes Delaney with 75 and Peters and Edwards with 69 starts each.

Indeed, when added together the whole squad cumulatively have only started 621 games for Town (Mick Mills almost did that by himself), scoring a total of 66 goals. It represents a legacy of a squad built on loanees, a team that was regularly chopped and changed around, players isolated for a bad word or a bad game and youngsters who failed to make the grade.

It is a phenomenon of the modern game that players do move around more and will go for the best contract on offer. However senior players have left Town, seemingly with no remorse; in fact they would probably argue that they have been harshly treated and justified in leaving. This seems very alien to me as a long time Ipswich fan, I’m used to people speaking highly of the club, its fans and its family environment. So many players have come and gone over the past few seasons, it is quite unbelievable to think that the current squad is what’s left. It’s a pretty meagre showing. I feel the heart has been ripped out of the club. When was the last time Town held a testimonial? It was probably for Fabian Wilnis (and Richard Naylor before that).

Players used to belong to the club, and to the fans, every season used to be a testimonial for somebody. How long will it be before Town hosts another testimonial? At this rate it will be for Luciano Civelli, who will have spent most of his time on his back.

In short, no matter who we sign over the remainder of the summer, the current level of experience of playing together will not improve. If the likes of Márton Fülöp and Connor Wickham go then that combined experience will fall further. Paul Jewell will really be starting from scratch again next season.

Under those circumstances it is unrealistic to expect promotion or even a play-off spot next season. Fans must learn to expect that money alone won’t get us promoted; in a money game we will never have enough to compete with our fellow promotion aspirants. What will get us promotion is respect, loyalty, a healthy team spirit, a system of play in which everyone knows what is expected of them, and a team that learns from their mistakes rather than be fearful of the consequences of making them.

In short, some good old fashioned football (and Ipswich) values. This won’t happen overnight and will require the continued support and patience of fans, players, management and the owner alike. If this doesn’t happen then expect us to be in the same position in a couple of years' time, with a different manager and a whole new squad of Town novices.

Illinoisblue added 03:42 - Jun 23 The loan system as is, is ridiculous. Clubs should be allowed no more than 3 players on loan in a season, for two months each maximum. You like the player then buy him. Similarly, season long loans between prem clubs should not be allowed.
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PimsOclock added 09:18 - Jun 23 Well aren't you a ray of sunshine!! Also I think you have answered your own argument by stating that players are after the better deal elsewhere in modern football. Therein lies the problem and it is a problem shared with every club in the land, the more talented you are the more you want to get paid the more likely you are to trample over everyone in your way to get that. I think we have cause to be more optimistic than you claim, in Jewell we have a manager not afraid to keep the team the same if it's working. Most of your points appear to refer to the Keane years, which thankfully are now well behind us. In summary, cheer up!!!

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naa added 10:17 - Jun 23 PimsOclock: I think you're right. This blog demonstrates the platform that Jewell has been given to work from and highlights even further the mistakes of the Keane era. But we are moving forward now, Jewell has said he won't make the same mistakes with contracts as happened last year and he works with Clegg to get the transfer targets he highlights. This all means that he should be building a more meaningful squad and hopefully one with a bit more longevity in it. As for testimonials. We all know that the only players likely to stay at our club that long can be polielty described as journeymen. Don't get me wrong, I loved Wilnis and Naylor but, at the same time, if a better club had come in for them, they'd have gone. Simple as that. Mind you, they also wouldn't just leave to get a longer contract like a certain Mr Norris did (not that I begrudge him mind you, just saying that Naylor wouldn't have done the same).

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sonian_blue added 11:21 - Jun 23 Agree with much of this blog and particularly the impatience of the fans. You watch this board fill up next season after a few (inevitable) losses and when we finish mid table the calls for the manager out, abuse of the players etc. call me a pessimist but as someone who has followed Town for in excess of forty years I cringe at the fickleness of our 'supporters'. Sign of the times I suppose but we have to accept that our best option is to build for the long term. Should we manage promotion it will give us a better chance of remaining. With the parachute payments now we will never be able to buy our way out of this league. For me watching my team has always been about the excitement of travelling to the game and enjoying (sometimes enduring) the 90 minutes. Win lose or draw I come away, hopefully having been entertained, but at least having been part of it and supported the cause. So we may not be able to claim to be the best anymore but we get back to that feeling of belonging that the author refers to.

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FrankfurtBlue added 11:37 - Jun 23 =>PimsOclock - You are correct about players today. Their greed is only amplified by parasitical agents. However, I believe that you are being a tad unfair on singingtheblues. Yes, there is a clear dig here at Keane's tendency to swap and change his team, and at his man-management skills, but I believe the blogger has (rightly) picked up on something deeper. We as fans (our society in general, especially in the UK, being far more US- and media-influenced) are more short termist than previously, and at ITFC, certainly since the involvement of Evans, but possibly even before under Sheepy, have joined the hire and fire brigade. Putting your manager under time pressure leads to short termism, and the cycles that are referred to in the blog. The foundations of the club are easily forgotten, and quick fixes are sought, fixes which invariably fail, hence your reaction of the blog being somewhat pessimistic. I used to laugh at the likes of Man City and Wolves for failing to see the error of their own judgements again and again during the 70s and 80s, swapping managers, who in turn bought heavily and generally failed because they hadn't considered that a successful team needs time to grow together, to develop a system of play and an understanding between individuals. It isn't just about money, although that obviously plays a more prominent role then previously. That said, PJ has a hell of a job on his hands building a new team. We need to be extremely patient and supportive, and hope that ME can do likewise. The first signs of success are already there for me. Not on the field, but off it. PJ seems to realise that a good scouting network is necessary, but he also seems to realise the benefit of viewing as many potential signings as possible himself. On the field, he has already shown some positives, e.g. consistency in team selections, but success will not happen overnight for PJ. I expect that it will take him at least 2 seasons, to get "his" team together, playing his system, and to a standard good enough to challenge. He clearly knows that he is expected to do it quicker, and has already tried to dampen expectations. We would all love it to heppen in the coming season, but realistically it won't. Next Summer, PJ will hopefully be in a position that he only needs the odd addition or two to his team/squad, and we can start to get a challenge going for 2012/13. Paradoxically, his downfall could well be that he is forced into thinking too short term at ITFC, when the opposite is what brought us success under the regimes of Sir Bobby and George Burley. That is the crux of the matter, will PJ being given sufficient time by the fans and ME? Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now!

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Marshalls_Mullet added 16:55 - Jun 23 Magic wasnt Evans' appointment and the team had become stale under him, so I can kind of see why ME got rid. I really wanted Jim to succeed, but I think being an ex player made it difficult. Keano was an appointment made for the wrong reasons, but I think ME gave him as much time as he could and showed more patience that most owners. Which other manager have survived a run of 15 games without a win? Also his last 2 months or so without a win. Leicester does not count as winning a football match, may a snowball fight. I think we can take pride in the patience and support ME gives the managers.

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Hungry_Badger added 17:10 - Jun 23 What i find weird is that the player who has scored the most goals for us-in the current squad- is Connor Wickham with 15, which is mad when you think that we have spent millions on all these players+all the loan players and none have been able to put a good number of games together and put the ball in the back of the net.
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Lightningboy added 23:02 - Jun 24 Totally agree with the blog. Seems a hell of a long time since we had a real "team" here..probably the Burley years..won't happen again until we give a decent manager (Jewell could be that guy) a nice long 5 year contract with the target of playing good football,bringing through the kids (and hanging on to them for once) & challenging for promotion on a regular basis (ala the Burley/Royle years). Sadly football has changed easily for the worse since the Bosman ruling...imho.

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