The Marcus Evans group of companies numbers over 30 different organisations and having a lame duck subsidiary running at a loss has its merits in terms of taxation.

ITFC is right at the bottom of the ME Group in terms of profit/loss and absolutely nobody within that Group cares one jot.

The initial plan was to invest in the team, reach the Premier League and flog the club immediately. Marcus Evans, a Chelsea fan, proclaimed himself as an “admirer” of Ipswich Town in his first statement and I recall thinking at the time that this was a strange word to use. A supporter would have used very different terminology.

I’m afraid nobody within the Marcus Evans Group, including Ipswich’s managing director (another Chelsea supporter) actually care about the quality of the football, the dwindling attendances and the fall of this once great club.

I won’t be in the slightest bit surprised if they extend the current manager’s contract because he is one of the few really good operators that has no ambition, will not constantly moan to the board about lack of funds, pick up a massive salary and keep ITFC in the Championship.

It is not too hard to survive in this league, the first principle you adopt is to concentrate on not losing. Forget about going on the front foot against average lame ducks like QPR and Bolton, focus on their respective strengths and nullify them.

Since I first watched Town beat Coventry 4-0 on a Tuesday night in 1974 I have been following the team on a home and away basis. It has been my life, my obsession, the one single thing I think about more than anything else if I’m truly honest. Sadly that passion is disappearing because I find it’s hard to care if the owners don’t.

I won’t be renewing our three season tickets after over 40 years and it sickens me to the core that Marcus Evans doesn’t care.

These people will go down in history as those that dismantled a great institution that was an important part of our lives but guess what? They don’t care.

Coastalblue added 13:37 - Feb 24 If his losses with the Club are a benefit, and if he'd be a lot better off financially if we were to go up, and because we could have a couple of weighty years of expenditure before fpp kicked in (if indeed it actually did) then surely the smart man would be ploughing money in, making bigger losses, but apparently being better off for it, and having an outside chance of entry to the land of milk and honey that is the division above? Or are we suggesting a relatively small loss benefits him but a bigger loss doesn't?

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jas0999 added 14:35 - Feb 24 Evans is making money out of the club. His initial investment, where he bought a 40 million debt for sex million has been repaid in interest payments. There must be some benefit to Evans for the full debt amount to sit on the books. Most of it doesn’t exist. You are right though. Evans doesn’t care.
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jas0999 added 14:39 - Feb 24 Should read SIX million!!!
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OohArrPaulGoddard added 16:07 - Feb 24 I don’t think anyone is suggesting he makes money by making a loss otherwise he should put all his money in up to the level of all his profits in all his companies. Simply that it has not cost him as much as Mick claims or as much as the loss is. I know it is easy to spend other people’s money but if he does not provide a good product be can’t be surprised if people don’t buy it

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dusth added 22:12 - Feb 24 This is a really interesting "conspiracy theory" and like many, a lot of the facts seem to fit and some may even be true. It is also good to have a grown up conversationon here. But reality never quite matches up to conspiracy. Over the last few years i see a gradual but significant improvement in the talent coming up, in the quality of signings and in sensible management. There is a huge element of luck in why an underfunded team "clicks" and goes on a run that will beat the odds. I don't think ME has the funds to match Wolves whatever the business savvy are saying. McCarthy is a frustrating, cautious, canny old bird but I wouldn't write him off - for a while in Daryl M's golden season we looked real promotion material and to my mind it was screwed by one of McGoldrick's many injuries and momentum was lost, never to be recovered. There is no reason in the world to my mind why ME would want us to jog along in mid table, partly because he couldn't guarantee it.

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SanityBlue added 10:58 - Feb 25 I have done some research on the Marcus Evans takeover and written a number of blogs over the years. My view has always been that the club would be better off in the long term if it reverts to the traditional model of local ownership and control. We have perhaps 20,000 core fans who would be prepared to pay for lifelong membership rights. Some would have considerable financial resources and others relatively little. If the average amount contributed was £1,000, it would mean £20 million in total. Marcus Evans has rolled the dice a few times without a Premiership payoff. You put this to him: here is £20 million and if in the next 10 years ITFC wins promotion to the Premier League you will be paid another £20 million. There’s more than a fair chance he would take it. ITFC members would then elect a board of directors. It doesn’t matter where they come from - business, the professions, government or an NGO. What matters is they have a record of achievement and are true fans. The board would appoint a skilled CEO supported by high quality specialists in finance, administration and marketing. With a strong and representative board, a competent day-to-day executive team, a progressive first team manager and an engaged fan base the club would be transformed. This is not pie in the sky stuff. All it takes is for one individual with the time and energy to get the ball rolling.

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ChestnutSe added 09:58 - Feb 27 SanityBlue - it sounds a piece of piss, give it a go and see how easy it is to run the club as a business and stay in profit, not many clubs run at a profit (perhaps Arsenal and Man Utd in the U.K. Are exceptions).
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IamSpartacus added 09:58 - Feb 27 @ SanityBlue- Whilst I like the idea of the club being owned by the fans, finding 10000 people able to pay £10k into the club will be pretty much impossible (or even averaging that amount. Aside from that though, once they owned the club who would put money in every season to keep it afloat? Most of the moans and groans are about the lack of investment, if that £1k on ave each across 10,000 was achieved, where else does the next set of cash come from? I'd prefer to be prudent, invest in youth players and be patient for them to come through.... as long as the manager plays progressive football and will trust young players. Both which MM fails at on the whole. Hope is what I want, not one large vomit of cash that could put the club in jeopardy-

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ChestnutSe added 10:04 - Feb 27 The best suggestion on here was that the club should slash season ticket prices. The large drop in attendances is in my opinion a combination of economics (people have been squeezed in the last 10 years and have less spare cash to spend), the appalling policy of removing discounts from the over 60's (taking a financial benefit from a loyal and large slug of your customers is not a clever idea) and a lack of sparkle/ success on the pitch. Having said that I think we are in good hands with MM and ME and I fully support the strategy of slowly improving our squad and trying to bring talent through from the academy, both of which is making progress. MM seems to rub some up the wrong way but says it as it is and if you don't like it, jog on.

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wayway added 21:07 - Feb 27 Sanity Blue, good man, there doesn't seem to be much sanity within these pages. I have been saying for over two years by whatever means Evans PLC has to go. I have suggested before that the owners of the Port Of Felixstowe would be a good fit for the club but to approach people like that you need a figurehead, a person of influence and standing who genuinely cares about ITFC. In the John Duncan days there was the Ipswich Town Action Group, supported by well known business men and landowners, has apathy set in that much that those such people are not prepared to stand up again. We need a influential group of people to question Evans PLC, make a noise in the local media and be a rallying point. Surely there is someone out there.

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BorisOrTrevor added 13:07 - Mar 3 Well just had my weekend fix of Mickszzztactics prose, this guys surreal posts are utter genius on many levels.
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sotd78 added 07:17 - Mar 8 Why not start another club then guys? Take your support to say Ipswich Wanderers and turn your backs on knackered ITFC. It won’t happen. In the same ways that bemoaning the broken modern game won’t get it fixed. Individually vociferous. Collectively incapable. Picking on MM who is doing a good job deflects all the time from the real villains.
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