Any Town supporters living in blissful ignorance that this season might still end up with a top half finish or that the unnecessarily ambitious January transfer attempts will bear fruit or that Paul Jewell is the man to spearhead a five-year rebuilding strategy (if such a thing really exists at ITFC) need a wake up call. Urgently.

But what about those of us who arrived at this realisation some time ago? These ranks have swelled week on week since November, but as yet have failed to mobilise their united concern/anger/frustration sufficiently to trouble those with power to initiate the change needed. Grumbling in the stands or on the internet is hardly going to prick the ears of Marcus Evans.

Are the supporters of our club too disillusioned, too disparate in opinion, or demographically diverse to unify in a common purpose any more? There is no way significant, much needed change will occur when the supporters do not sing as one, or if they don’t agree its needed in the first place.

But why is this? Is it because we have no one to rally behind? Who is ‘Mr Ipswich Town’ - the figurehead to fight for the supporters who unifies all stakeholders in the club? Right now there isn’t one in the boardroom, there isn’t one in the dugout, and there isn’t one on the pitch. Of most concern, there doesn’t appear to be one in the stands either.

The figureheads for football clubs in the past were the chairmen. Typically rich, well-to-do locals done good, their agenda was to give something back to the area that nurtured them to their fortune.

The last notable example of this is Wigan supremo Dave Whelan. But since the swathe of foreign ownership and multi-millionaire takeovers, clubs in the top two tiers have largely had faceless corporate backing. “Football is big business” or “There is no room in football for sentiment” - phrases typical of this new era of club ownership, which should make us all shudder.

However some of these takeovers see an intermediary appointed to bridge the gap between the aloof millionaires and the supporters. See Peter Kenyon, first at Manchester United then at Chelsea, or Garry Cook at Manchester City. See Simon Clegg at ITFC.

But these guys aren’t supporters either. They’re not motivated in the same way, they’re paid first and foremost to protect the investment and try to yield returns for their bosses. Why do they care what the supporters think if it ultimately has a cost or puts into doubt revenue (high ticket prices anyone?)?

So in ITFC’s hour of need, who do we the fans turn to? Marcus Evans PLC? A faceless individual and/or entity who graciously deems us worthy of a few paragraphs on the website twice a season? Or how about their appointed figurehead? The former Olympics bigwig CEO with a military background who was supposed to drill our club into shape on and off the pitch? Or the current managerial incumbent whose last club appointment ended in abject failure, who is statistically worse than his predecessor? Or maybe the Supporters Club, appointed in almost complete secret from the masses that actually have a right to steer their agenda. Who take out pages in the matchday programme to criticise their own?

Who could it be? Well the Supporters Club for one need to step up and take their responsibility seriously. If they could properly manifest a presence that allows supporters to understand their agenda and how they can get involved that would be a start. If they are not fit for purpose, there should be enough people who care to pool supporters as a group vocal enough to seek real answers from the club’s owners on their capability and intent.

Or how about an ex-pro or manager? Could one of our former heroes from a time of success use their stature to ask the tough questions to the Evans regime? There are many with ITFC in their blood and knowledge how the professional game works to be able to translate supporter concern to those in charge. It’s a tragic shame Sir Bobby Robson never got to exert influence as ITFC honorary president.

But what about the man who awarded him that position, David Sheepshanks? Chairman of the PLC board, leading the FA academy build at Burton, whose tenure as chairman has been made to look a shining beacon since the Evans era turned sour.

We desperately need the right kind of someone (ie not the local newpapers) to come forward and try and unite the terraces, web forums and Twitter feeds. As the famous protest song goes - the people united will never be defeated. Now is the time for Town fans everywhere to unify to try and save our beloved football club, because it seems that we are the only ones who can.

FornhamBlue added 15:49 - Jan 22 I'm not sure what the answer is, but a terrific blog nonethe less.
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IpsRich added 15:58 - Jan 22 Thanks FornhamBlue; getting all Town supporters united is the starting point to challenging the club's problems. Easier said than done though.
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DurhamTownFan added 18:48 - Jan 22 No, there isn't an answer! But its true, our club (and many others like it-Leicester, QPR, Portsmouth, even Blackburn) is being run by a group of individuals with little or no football background. At least the Cobbolds had the family tradition, and at least Sheekpshanks had a really big say in the organisation of the football league. We have a faceless owner who fabricates 'interviews' in order to have a public voice, and a much-criticised 'chief execuvive (executive of what, and chief of which things?!) who appears to have no credibility with the supporters. I fear the local paper will not help things. They turned on Jewell over christmas, with almost every recent article slating one thing or the other that PJ has ruined. I agree-an ex-player might do it. But we do certainly need to get together behing geuinie leaders off the pitch and really really soon ON the pitch! Leadbitter is no captain, and neither it seems is Sonko. Someone help us!!

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RegencyBlue added 19:00 - Jan 22 Good blog apart from the implication Sheepshanks should come back to save us. You can trace back the last ten years of relentless decline to his decision to spend vast amounts of money we didnt have IMHO!
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Bigbigg added 20:36 - Jan 22 Great blog. Sums up the problem with Town these days, a decade ago we had Burley, Holland, Sheepshanks, Scowcroft, Reuser, Wilnis and my own childhood hero David Johnson. Now we have absolutely noone who you could say absolutely loves the club and as a result shamefully Ipswich just seems like 'another club'. It is of course in no way helped by the fact, (well to me anyway) that Jewell is a journeyman manager and we have so many journeyman players. The only way this deep flaw in our club could be repaired is if we began cultivating some great players from the youth teams again (easier said than done). Also, purely speculative and a very long shot; would the pride be back in Ipswich if Matt Holland decided to go into manage ment and start his career here? There's your figurehead, but as I say, an exceptionally long shot!

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DurhamTownFan added 21:29 - Jan 22 Bibbigg-agree with your suggestion that youth is the key. Obviously I'd love Matty Holland to play a role, but we saw what happened when the Canaries appointed an inexperienced fans' favourite as manager in Bryan Gunn...embarassing relegation(although God bless him for his 'goal' in the derby!)
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Bigbigg added 22:27 - Jan 22 True DurhamTownFan about Brian Gunn, but from a perhaps biased viewpoint I can't help but think Matty may provide just a little more tactical expertise than Gunn would have! Makes a lot of sense as a pundit anyway. But yeah it's maybe besides the point Holland is doing rather well for himself as a pundit and would he really give that all up for crisis managing a football club? Let's best uncover some gems in the youth team!

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linhdi added 23:39 - Jan 22 Not sure what your point is, but it is certainly undermined by your suggestion that the Cobbolds had a football background, or that Marcus Evans is a PLC. You will never unite football fans, and if you did, you'd destroy much of the richness of the game itself. Supporters don't want to be united - they want to argue, sometimes vehemently, always passionately. If you wanted someone to "save" ITFC, you'd probably want a rich individual, who pumps millions in every year, and does not interfere in the day to day work of the manager - a manager who he supports even when things aren't going well. That happens to be Marcus Evans. So, what is your point?

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JayITFC added 01:53 - Jan 23 Best blog I've ever read on this site and I've taken in quite a few. Protest against all 3 muppets than our running our club in to the ground required before kickoff for the West Ham night game.
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peaky69 added 02:43 - Jan 23 linhdi - totally agree with you. Ask any successful club and they will tell you the best benefactor is the one seldom heard. This is a ridiculous blog, asking the people to incite a revolt. How on earth is that unity? Further more I am sick and tired of "supporters" calling Marcus Evans faceless. It is a falsehood to claim he makes 2 statements a year and even if that was the case it is the Manager and more importantly the players that need to take responsibility for the current predicament. Couldn't agree more with those wishing Town to part company with Paul Jewell, his list management is bordering on a joke.

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RevAdrian added 11:53 - Jan 23 There is a proverb that says 'without a vision the people die' - that was wisdom over 2,000 years ago and it still is wisdom today. There is not point in saying 'there is a five year plan', that plan has to be described - and described in words that management, players, supporters can understand - because it is only by understanding it that we can all get behind the club and create the kind of atmosphere that supports the implementation of the plan. But where is this to come from? The hour is here - or if not it seems likely it will be shortly - if it does not come from the very top where does it come from? Our Chief Executive seems (as far as we can see) neither to have the knowledge nor the enthusiasm to do it. PJ (whether you think his position is self-inflicted or not) is too close (or if not then should be) to the immediate on the pitch challenges to just stand back and take a longer view. Unless we find someone completed unexpected it can surely only be ME?

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MBG added 12:05 - Jan 23 I agree that we need an individual or a group of people with the stature to challenge the running of our club since the Marcus Evans takeover. The culture that made Ipswich Town such a special club has been destroyed in just a few years. Not only are we shocking on the pitch due to our reliance on overpaid has-beens and loan players, we are paying ridiculous ticket prices for the pleasure of seeing this disaster. Something dramatic has to be done for us to get our club back.

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irishtim added 13:46 - Jan 23 Bigbigg: Agree with you re mattie holland. Would br a big boost if he was involved. But i would put Goerge Burley with him to help him for a while. We need people who love the club running things again .IMO i dont think there is any of the current crop give a f..k about the club. All they want is wages.
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stiffshorts added 21:53 - Jan 23 what about the "independent" supporters club? Set up some years ago outwith the traditional supporters club as an alternative to the exact problems highlighted here??
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bluekeen added 18:26 - Jan 24 You have some points here ie. the supporters club being a closely guarded faternity, that there is no one you can call a true Ipswich man I the upper tiers of the club, yes PJ has got a lot wrong with the players signed and trusting the youth players he has left.(i.e the ones clegg and kean let go 2 years ago). . and Clegg is not a chief executive! I would not let him run one of my shops let alone a football club. I do however disagree about ME, without him we would have either folded been relegated after administration after administration and actually be the biggest club in league 2. the club loses money every year,which he underwrites himself. Yes he does nto want to be an abramovich style owber out front flag waiving .. but seriously would any of you so called fans want to either? one minuet your a hero for saving the club the next your poisen and pure evil. I say it must be better for him and his family to stay in the back ground. Looking at the current crop of youngster left at the club (4/5, of which I think only tommy smith played in the fa youth cup winning team) and this is where we should draw our support too this is whom we should be singing for every week... football is all about confidence DEFENDING is all about confidence...... how greatwould smith feel ifhe hears 25k standing and signing there's only one tommy smith from the first to the final whistle....... if we believe they will believe...

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jas0999 added 20:07 - Jan 24 Great blog. PJ is a disaster area - delivering terrible results at Derby and now us. His 'long-term' idea is signing has been injury prone players. Even today he talks about sending Hyam out on loan next year - presumably so he can bring in even more 35/36 year olds. PJ is IMO opinion the worst manager in recent years - he should have been sacked months ago. ME is deluded. End of.

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Lightningboy added 14:28 - Jan 25 Great blog..just about sums up the "helplessness" felt certainly by myself and probably the majority of the fans. like i've said many times,I don't dislike Jewell (I hated Keane)..but he is way out of his depth..I think we're in total limbo at the moment because for some reason our owner & his muppet right-hand man Clegg seem content with what's being served up week after week and there's not much we as fans can do about it. Sad times..I honestly felt that when Keane was dismissed the weight would lift off of the clubs shoulders but the last 12 months have just highlighted that our problems run a lot deeper..throwing money at a team is not always the best solution..over the last 4 years since ME opened his chequebook,we've tried fixing a problem which wasn't broke to begin with under Magilton's first 2 years in charge.

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ArnieMsBigToe added 15:53 - Jan 25 Whats Terry Butcher doing these days?
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