Those with a modicum of sense will realise that we can't win every game, but we do expect a noticeable level of effort from players (Micky Stockwell is a great example, awesome effort made up for any shortfalls in ability), and a particular level of aptitude from the manager (confused tactics, selection and contradictions, as displayed by Jewell, are not welcome).

If we don't see the effort from a/some player/s, we have a right to demand more- albeit it not in the form of abuse. I suspect outbursts from players (like Michael Chopra recently) are because they have been embarrassed/found out - not a popular comment, perhaps, but can anyone honestly say the players have performed to the level expected - or that the manager has enabled them to?

Nevertheless, right or wrong, if players open themselves up to Twitter/Facebook etc, some idiot posing as a ‘fan’ will inevitably spout something inane and pre-Neanderthal. It doesn't make it right, but to not realise this basic fact shows a high level of naivety.

Equally, fans require both competence of and confidence in the manager. Long after Jewell has gone (I personally hope that time is soon) we will all still support ITFC. We at Portman Road are pretty patient fans. We appreciate the nuances (in the main) of the game and appreciate the slow but important progress of young players.

We have been patient with Jewell and he has failed to show even the beginnings of a cohesive managerial reign. I’m tired of being told that We (fans) ‘expect the club to be promoted’. I don’t (not for a while, anyway) and most people I speak to don’t, we just want noticeable progression. And hope.

At this point, with my criticising Jewell twice and a player once in three paragraphs many will automatically assume they must dislike this article. They will consider me ‘not a true supporter’ etc. This doesn’t have to be so, and isn't.

We, as fans, pay huge (relatively, compared to wages) money to watch our team. Even those that can’t afford to go regularly are allowed to be passionate about the club - it would be ignorant and snobbish to ignore this and it could be the next generation of supporters we are cutting off by doing so.

Some fans insist that we MUST back all decisions made. To be blunt, I can’t afford to - financially or emotionally. I can’t justify going to watch games where I dislike the decisions made by the manager so intensely that it ruins my weekend, and furthermore I can’t financially justify to my wife why I would spend, all in, approaching £100 on a home game with my son when it aggravates me so much.

We are, whether staunch fans or not, paying for ‘entertainment’ after all. The fact I question decisions doesn’t make me less of a fan, just means I feel the direction we are taking is utterly wrong.

Football is emotive, but that works both ways. We love the good/hopeful times but also have to deal with the negative. If you feel that someone is so destructive to something you love (in this case, the club) you MUST make your feelings constructively known. Emphasis on ‘constructive’.

Youth players getting golden opportunities. Young players getting runs in the side where the manager accepts it will take time to gain a level of consistency, but realises that experience doesn’t come from watching a game but by taking part in it.

Does anyone else remember those days? Seriously, ask yourselves, would Wark, Osman, Butcher, Burley, Dyer, Bent, Brazil, Gates etc. have got sufficient match time under the current management team? (I purposely left out Beattie, the man was an animal even at a young age - surely even Jewell may have noticed this?)

ITFC has for some decades been reliant on youth products and, although I’m not suggesting we have a wealth of talent as listed above, whoever we have won’t get game time to prove their worth with a plethora of loanees blocking the route. Seeing players in training is all well and good, but youth production is the lifeblood of ITFC.

I can’t see Jewell ever being able to deal with the requirements of ITFC, I think he has presided over a ruinous time at Portman Road and feel he should be replaced ASAP - my personal choices are Paul Tisdale, Darren Ferguson, Karl Robinson or even Terry Butcher (not necessarily my first choice, but perhaps ITFC running through his veins might reignite the spirit of the club again?).

Whoever comes in, and it seems certain - can anyone seriously see the club renewing Jewell’s contract? - they must have a long-term plan, intend to play good football, understand ITFC will only ever be lastingly competitive by nurturing youth and be able to coach players better, rather than buy the team better. Pretty much each of those boxes Jewell never did, or will ever, tick.

I lament the detachment that has grown. For this I do attach blame to Simon Clegg and Marcus Evans. I remember visiting the club as a child to get match tickets with my Granddad. Whilst there Patrick Cobbold appeared, exchanged pleasantries with my Granddad and then offered to show me around the boardroom etc. That ensured Ipswich were my team, and I look back on it fondly. I see no reason why there still can’t be an element of that even today, despite the ‘cash is king’ culture.

A great blog, posted by adamisablue a few days ago - http://www.twtd.co.uk/blogs/21230/a-lesson-in-football-support/ - gave further ideas on enjoying the matchday experience more. We have to look to be more ingenious than not only the next club, but also more attractive than going to the pub, playing on PC games or getting a takeaway etc. Going to the game shouldn’t have to be a financial raping. For those in charge to 'customerise' us thus is just treating fans with disdain. The fact my wife and I both work, have decent jobs, and I still can’t afford a season ticket says it all.

Ipswich really can move forward if we had a manager that can nurture youth, understand tactics have moved forward from 15 years ago, spot rough diamonds from lower divisions and gradually grow rather than swing from one desperation of a signing to another desperation loanee. If fans see ‘hope’ they will return, attendances increase and revenues follow their path. QED.

We have the bones of a good and solid ITFC spine in Scott Loach (I love the fact he is ITFC through and through, although last night didn’t cover himself in glory), Tommy Smith (although recent displays have admittedly been wanting) and Luke Hyam (very poorly treated over the last 18 months). We also have Josh Carson, JET, Aaron Cresswell, Elliott Hewitt, Byron Lawrence and we (the fans) need to help cultivate that ‘ITFC to the bone’ feeling around the club again.

That is something all us must participate in, along with players and the, what seems increasingly imminent, new management team. Players won't get better watching games, otherwise we all might get a squad number.

All this needs to start with the top, though. Marcus Evans needs to demonstrate how he made his hospitality millions here at Portnam Road. That said, I truly believe nothing will improve until Jewell goes and we start a longer term approach. I hate the fact we have had three managers in around fouryears, I just hope the next one is the right one and stays with us for a decade.

Kuqicoo added 14:28 - Oct 7 You've hit the nail on the head there totally. Our club feels soulless at the moment, with no ambition, no plan, run by people who don't seem to have or want any connection to our fans or the area in general. Things have got to change or the support will drift away. When you have fans that have watched us for 25 years + (that includes me!) saying this is the worst they've seen and they don't want to watch games anymore, it speaks volumes and proves we are in real trouble. But no-one seems to be listening.

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kuyski added 15:34 - Oct 7 good is good。worst is worst，the league table can give you the right answer。it never lied to you .
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delias_cheesy_flaps added 17:59 - Oct 7 Spot on blog IMHO and a spot on comment kuqicoo. Being a 35+ years fan I too cannot recall a more depressing period for ITFC, since Evans took over the club, Jewell as our manager and the standard of footy is diabolical why wouldn't any right minded Ipswich fan be totally dejected at what we have become. I'll still be rooting for the team but not as enthusiastically as the pre-Evans era.

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Pip50 added 19:05 - Oct 7 Was with you until the comment about "the beat" clearly you know nothing about football talent!
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staffordshireblue added 20:40 - Oct 7 Brilliant blog, absolutely hits the nail on the head, I've followed this club for 40 years and I honestly cannot see the way forward at this time. I hate this hire 'em fire 'em football manager culture but I do fervently believe that our club needs a change otherwise we will be playing league 1 football next season. Great blog.
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IamSpartacus added 22:16 - Oct 7 @Pip50- The 'Animal' comment was to indiate that Kevin Beattie was so good at a young age that his ability couldn't be confused by anyone.... unless you think he wasn't?
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Rentaghost added 22:22 - Oct 7 We have great history behind us and i thought it was a well written and interesting blog. Portsmouth Coventry and Luton are just a few to fall. I hope we are not next.
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AndrewPC added 04:46 - Oct 8 Thoughtful blog Iamspartacus. I especially like the way you construct the argument that true supporters can and must criticise what they see as wrong directions. My only gripe is this. While Ipswich have had great success in the past wit a youth oriented policy, and while many of us want that to be a core principle at the club, I am myself unsure that that that can work well any more at Championship level. I see that the Teams on this league have become progressively more competitive in recent years. I do not think that you can put out just a talented youth side and expect to survive. Looking at our current squad, I think we have the players to be a good mid table outfit. But our best XI would be a blend of older heads like Edwards , NDaw and Higginbotham, with youth in the form of Cresswelll and Hyam. I agree with those fans who say that PJ chops and changes the first XI too often. I do think he should go with continuity of his best side (barring injuries or suspensions) and that would mean that some of the youngsters will often be at best on the bench.

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TR11BLU added 08:25 - Oct 8 Excellent, well written blog. My thoughts entirely on the new managers too, Robinson no.1 choice tho.
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Blue041273 added 10:59 - Oct 8 An erudite and analytical blog from a true fan. I agree completely. The whole Ipswich Town FC experience currently is like running in treacle; going nowhere fast and sinking deeper with every dismal result. Are we downhearted? Well actually, yes we are.
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murraybrunning added 15:40 - Oct 9 I go to every home game. Because I don't know what else to do on a Saturday, not because I enjoy it anymore. Jewell is quite an affable bloke, I kept the faith and was pleased when in pre season he spoke of the need for "young" and "hungry" players and also building for the future. Instead we have a team cobbled together with loanees whose future is probably not with ITFC. There are some good players here, many of them young, Taylor, Carson, Hyam but they need to be supported by a tactically aware dynamic manager. Sadly it appears Jewell is not that man. We need more people who play with their heart on their sleeve a la Loach/Chambers and a manager who can get the best out of them a la Royle or we will be in this rut for a long long time. Your blog reflects perfectly how I (and many others) feel, and I applaud you for it!

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Blue041273 added 16:38 - Oct 9 AndrewPC I understand what you are saying but really despair at the essence of your post. Football as a sport, particularly a spectator sport, is doomed if the natural progress of the younger players is blocked because of dinosaur attitudes of managers in the league. The best teams have a natural balance of youth and experience and all the successful teams manage to infuse a continuous drip feed of young blood into the core of experience. Of course we need to develop our own youth talent but if we can't do this we should be identifying and acquiring good young talent from other clubs. To be fair I think that PJ knows this but seems always, when things go wrong, to resort to older players at the expense of youth development. He was somewhat proud of the young average age of the team earlier in the season. Whatever principles he had when choosing these teams he has well and truly betrayed them now.

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