With the state of modern football, managers are often given very little time to complete often a very tough job. With people calling for the manager’s head, are the fans right in what they ask?

This week Phil Brown was sacked as the manager of Preston. After only 11 months in charge, the new chairman, Mr Ridsdale, decided that one win in their last 11 was unacceptable and it was time for a change. They are currently 10th in the table, only five points off the play-off places. Rash? Harsh? Maybe a little. But this got me thinking about our current position and the view that some of our fans currently hold.

Paul Jewell has been in charge of Ipswich Town for just over 11 months. After directing us away from the relegation places last season to within touching distance of the play-offs (admittedly we did lose our way in the last two months or so) most Ipswich fans were hopeful for the coming season.

After 20 matches, we are currently in 20th position, 13 points off the play-off places. If our chairman was Mr Ridsdale (and I am thankful he is not) with one win in our last eight, I’d guess Jewell would be out of the club by now and we would be searching for our fourth manager in two and a half years.

I am honest enough to admit that Jewell has got a lot wrong. He tried to address the central defensive issues we had when he first arrived at the club, showing an interest and bidding for Sean St Ledger. However since then, he has not fully addressed it, signing players that are out of contract or on loan – that is his own fault.

He failed to sign a back-up keeper for David Stockdale and now that he has returned to Fulham, a lot of us are scratching our heads and will be biting our nails if Arran Lee-Barrett or Richard Wright starts in goal because, let’s be honest, they are not the best keepers in the Championship.

He has not really got the balance right in our midfield, and as three of our best performers this season are in defence, it doesn’t take a lot to see that the performance of the midfielders has been awful. He sometimes seems to forget that we have a youth team, and has frozen several players out of the picture. Jewell has got a lot to do, but sacking him after less than a year in charge, is that really the way?

A lot of people on here talk about ‘the Ipswich way’. They say: “We don’t play the Ipswich way” or “This is the worst football I’ve seen at Portman Road” and “Ipswich is a friendly, family club”. I am not fortunate enough to be old enough to remember the good old days when Ipswich Town was a real force. However, would sacking Paul Jewell without giving him a real chance be 'the Ipswich way'?

The club has changed. A lot. At the moment, it seems we are an average Championship team, doomed to walk among the second division of Football, lost and alone. We have aspirations of Premier League football, but lack at the moment the capacity to reach those goals. Jewell has some excellent players:

Andrews: although lost in the past few games, has scored eight goals from midfield.
Bowyer: he is not a mug, and he has shown in the last three games that he can play.
Chopra: one of the best strikers, on his day, in the Championship.
Cresswell: has the potential to be a Premier League left-back.
Bullard: no-one could have predicted his loss of form, but get it back like last season, he makes us tick.
Carson: exciting, young, fresh, willing, able, he wants to play.

He has the ingredients to make one amazing team that could compete at the very top, but, as Jewell has admitted, he has tried too much, too soon. Who here has not gone down that particular alley?

Teams take time to build. When people talk about Sir Alex Ferguson, they talk about his ability to re-build teams and squads. It may not happen overnight, but it does happen. Jewell has got a lot wrong, we all know this, but Rome was not built in a day. If, and I fully expect us to, we survive this season in the Championship, we should all look forward to building a squad of players, young and old, to move us to the next level.

We don’t have a right to be in the Premier League. It does not happen overnight. The past few seasons have been awful, I accept that, but until we have stability and consistency, it will continue. Showing faith in the manager, trusting his decisions will all mean that the club has that sense of stability it is craving for, and we have a platform to build on.

In my opinion, Sacking Jewell would be a mistake. We need to introduce structure, youth and a clear plan. If the fans know where the club would like to go, and how it intends to achieve it, I am sure we would all be happier on a Saturday afternoon if we turn up and six members of our team were under the age of 22 and we lost 3-2, or 3-1.

Who says that if we sack Jewell, the next manager also signs his previous players, or players that are all over 30? Drogba is 33, I would argue that he can still perform at the highest level – age is just a number.

We don’t know how much financial backing Jewell really has and he certainly has not thrown money around like Roy Keane did. I look forward to January, and the rest of the season because I have optimism. I support Ipswich Town through the good times and the bad. I refuse to bully a man who is trying to take us back to the top flight for the first time in nine years after only 11 months attempting to deliver that dream.

Jewell_do added 15:35 - Dec 15 Brilliant blog. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't have demanded top 6 this season with the MASSIVE rebuilding work after Keane. Before a ball was kicked I predicted 12th and would be happy with that. We are well on course to do that so why get rid??? When you get rid of 3 of your best players it'll always be tough to do well. Plus he has to answer to Clegg, who in my view, will slowly kill this club. Give Jewell at least 100 games and then judge. If it's L1 then so be it. Bigger clubs than us have dropped.

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Bluebaz added 15:37 - Dec 15 Nice blog well written however people keep making the same mistake about the 'Ipswich Way'. It's not about promotion or winning titles, its about conducting ourselves in a way which befits the standing of the club and a way which makes us all proud of the club. At the moment we are not even close to this, we have loan players looking for their next contract, youth players looking to move on through limited opportunities and players who are so disjointed with personal problems that we are inviting the worst possible headlines onto the club. We have a club which refuses to listen and engage with the fans and most opposition now openly mocking us. I agree that most of this isn't Jewell's fault but he alone decides who is in the team, who to leave out, advises who to buy and loan in and who to sell and release. The problems at the club are deep rooted and may never be fixed but just because the 'Ipswich Way' relates to a long distant past doesn't mean we can't have it again

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naa added 15:43 - Dec 15 A good blog. Bluebaz: I do agree with you but feel that with football being the almost entirely commercial experience that it is these days it is probably sadly the case that the 'Ipswich way' as you describe it is no longer fully achievable. Though clearly we can get some way towards some of this. Despite current results I actually think that our general play has been OK and certainly there has been much more ball on the ground passing and moving than we ever saw under the previous leadership. Though, obviously it's hardly been top stuff and has slipped in recent weeks as the pressure mounted. Anyway, I agree that we need to give Jewell time. He obviously signed a lot of cheap players, many older, trying to get some quick momentum and I feel that his long term plan was to integrate some youth into that. The fact that his quick fix hasn't really worked has made him look worse than it otherwise would have. After all, no-one was complaining about our ageing, narrow midfield when we were beating West Ham away were they? If we can make some gentle progress this season then I think next season could show us what Jewell really has planned for the team as he starts to build. But I could be wrong and maybe Jewell only ever planned to get quick fix with old players and keep buying up the dregs every summer. The fact is, without giving the guy a chance we won't know will we?

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Garv added 16:23 - Dec 15 'He deserves to be sacked' and 'he should be sacked' are two different things in my opinion. Sacking is not the answer.
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Vic added 17:03 - Dec 15 Best blog on here for a while. Thanks
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JimmyJazz added 17:04 - Dec 15 Can't compare Preston to us. Preston were expected to be one of the top teams this year in league 1. We were expected to...? Probably do nothing remarkable and end up in a mid table position.
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PortmanOz added 17:27 - Dec 15 L1 so be it? That some kind of sick joke!! Love the way people blame Keane for nearly everything. If you remember we had players in the office wanting to sign but Clegg couldnt finish the deals. If I was ME I'd get rid of him. And in all fairness if Jewell has at any other club he would of been sacked by now.
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irishtim added 17:50 - Dec 15 jewell not doing it for us 2 many poor signings bad decisions & constant jibberish. We all knew at the end of last season that we needed keeper 2 centre halves holding central midfielder oh & a right back none were addressed properly so if this is our future we up sh.. creek
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Jewell_do added 18:11 - Dec 15 Portman...do you reckon Saints, scum and Leeds said the same? It was the best thing to happen to those clubs so it wouldn't be all doom and gloom. Id never want that but to sack a man with a 43% win record and a transfer window coming up is mental. If you're looking to get someone sacked focus on Clegg.
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itfcjoe added 19:00 - Dec 15 It's well written but I think it misses the point about Jewell's reign. These are the main things I have noticed: - he can't set a team up to not get beat. - we play suicidal football and 442 isn't fashionable now for a reason - he picks his best 11 players and tries to fashion them into a team rather than setting a system and buying/selecting around it - this team isn't cheap, why do people keep spouting this? At this level the biggest expense is wages not transfer fees - our wage bill is in top 5 in league. - he makes same mistakes week in week out - this team isn't building for the future, we'll need another one at end of season! In his defence I don't know what targets ME has set him other than the obvious but that is because the club don't give any info to the fans. I think he is a good bloke but he is yesterday's man, he hasn't succesfully managed since 2006(?) and football has moved on hugely since then - Jewell hasn't and the longer it goes on the further we will slide. Hopefully I'm wrong but I just can't see him turning it round consistently and putting us on right path

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Jewell_do added 19:34 - Dec 15 joe...I agree with some points but scum embarassed us twice and finished 2nd in this league playing 442 and Man U often play it so it can work. He has had some howlers but I honestly believe it will come good. Brighton, West Ham, Barnsley, Boro and Cardiff games give me hope. This window coming up is crucial to the future of ITFC. CLEGG OUT.
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itfcjoe added 19:43 - Dec 15 jewell_do - when they played 442 they had a very good holding midfield player in Crofts, we play Bullard who doesn't break up play, it's not what he's good at. Also if Rooney is in a 442 he plays so deep, and they lost CL final by playing 442 as got outnumbered in midfield (they prob would have lost anyway but this made it embarrassing) Our squad cries out for 451
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Jewell_do added 19:51 - Dec 15 I didn't say we should be playing 442 but fact is it has worked for a lot of clubs in the past 12 months so the modern snobbery about the 442 doesn't wash. Hyam could've been our Crofts with Martin and Townsend out wide but there you go.
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Jewell_do added 19:56 - Dec 15 our squad might cry out for 451 but Chopra doesn't. Cardiff played 442 and Chopra was on fire, you put him up top on his own all season and he will be barely net 10 goals. He already has 7 and that's in a piss poor side. All Jewell needs to do is find that CDM (he tried with the Forest bloke remember) and that out and out left winger and I think 442 will be the answer.

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wesleyITFC added 21:02 - Dec 15 I think there are 2 persistent arguments on this page. Formation doesn't really matter that much - whether its 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 ultimately it will be the same players. I think the youth really needs to be brought into the team but the fact that Jewell has pretty much stuck with his philosophy shows he knows what he's doing. Jewell out claims are ridiculous, if you look at his previous records adapting the club to his own style usually takes a toll on the first 12 months. I doubt it was ever about this season for him. And for people moaning about the "quick fix" over the summer he didn't really have any other choice, when your 3 best players leave you need to bring in players and when transfers broke down he didn't have a huge choice in who he did finally bring in.

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sonian_blue added 09:48 - Dec 16 Good blog but the 'cant change it over night does not wash' Lambert took over up the road after a 7-1 hammering at home when they were on a real downer, 8 months later they romped the league. 12 months later they promoted again...clearly a manager going places. Something PJ is not. He was out of the game too long, following a dismal failure at Derby. How many saw his appointment coming. I dont sign up to the sack him brigade usually but IMO this was the wrong appointment which was doomed to failure. What is Sean ODriscoll doing at the moment. Get him in now = play as a TEAM=nice football= rise up the league. Jewell Out NOW.

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owdboy1 added 10:12 - Dec 16 The "Ipswich Way" was always a ridiculous tag from newspapers which centered around the Cobbolds management style. On the field we have always, when successful, had our share of hard enforcers think of Nelson/Baxter/Elseworthy - Jefferson/Morris - Hunter/Beattie/Mariner. Our present side has a soft centre and badly needs some bite in midfield.
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Back_The_Boss added 10:58 - Dec 17 Well written, good blog!
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