Skipper David Norris says the reason he turned down the new Town contract which was on offer at the end of last year was down to its length rather than him wanting more money. The former Plymouth man, whose current terms are up in the summer, says there has been no new progress towards sealing a deal.

Norris said: “I had an initial offer two months ago and it wasn’t quite right for me. I was hoping for three years and it was only two years and I haven’t heard anything since.

“I read something last week about certain demands, but it hasn’t even got that far, to be honest. It was more the fact that initially I was hoping for three years. I was hoping that might be negotiable and we could talk, but I haven’t heard anything since.

“I’m fully committed then. If I sign for only two years, come the following summer, I’m back in the same position where I’m in my last year again, so I’d like to fully commit to the club.”

The midfielder spoke to new boss Paul Jewell last week, along with Damien Delaney and Gareth McAuley, who will be in the same position as him at the end of June, and says he’ll keep pushing for a new deal until Town tell him one definitely won’t be forthcoming: “He spoke to us last week, he just said there were a couple of bids in in January and that he didn’t want us to leave.

“I said that that was fine by me. Until this club comes to me and says ‘Thanks, but we’re going to let you go’, I’ll keep trying and hopefully get a contract.

“It’s an unusual situation but there was the change of manager at an awkward time and maybe he wants to come in have a look and that might be part of the reason it might not have happened. I’d rather have it done yesterday.”

Norris took Portsmouth manager Steve Cotterill’s claims that he wanted to move to Pompey with a pinch of salt: “I read about those. I don’t tend to take too much notice. My agent deals with anything else away from the game, I tell him not to bother me too much until it’s concrete.”

The Blues' top scorer for the season with nine goals says he very much wants to stay at Portman Road, having signed from Argyle for £2.25 million in January 2008: “I’ve never said anything different. We’re settled here, I never said I wanted to leave. I haven’t signed anything with anyone else when I possibly could have.

“It’s just a little bit frustrating because I don’t really know 100% where I stand. Are the club happy? Do they want me to stay and sort a deal out? Do they want me to stay until the end of the season and then I go? Or in January did they want to cash in on me? I’m just not sure exactly where I stand.”

Norris says the situation doesn’t affect him during games but that there are serious matters to be considered and he Delaney and McAuley have discussed their positions: “Off the pitch you think about it, you don’t know where you’re going to be playing and I’ve got to be careful. Coming towards the end of a contract I don’t want to get injured.

“It plays a little bit on my mind but once the games get going I just want to concentrate on the football and enjoy it.

“I wouldn’t say we’re unsettled," he added, "We’re enjoying our games here. We’re not unsettled and it’s not causing problems, but we have the conversations, ‘What’s happening with you?’ and this and that. We’re still enjoying our football, as you can see.”

The Peterborough-born player admits that if Town don’t tie him down soon he could find himself in a strong position in the summer where he’s able to pick and choose from various offers, but the 29-year-old doesn't appear particularly interested in moving elsewhere: “Yes, if I carry on OK it’s a strong position but sometimes the grass isn’t always greener.”

Photo: Action Images

dobbie73 added 10:27 - Feb 7 Come on ITFC ... give the man another year. It WILL be worth it!
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Karlosfandangal added 10:50 - Feb 7 Still think the club are looking at League One and until the club are safe and they know the club will be playing in the Championship, the contract will not be offered. If the reports are correct and we have a wage bill of £15 million for the first team, and if we were playing League 1 football the gates would fall even more than they have now, The club would not be able sustain the wage bill. 2 or 3 more wins and i think the club will start talk about contracts

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SouperJim added 10:59 - Feb 7 No contracts will be sorted until we are mathmatically safe, so all you clegg-bashers can climb back into your holes. Why do fans always need a scapegoat?
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nitroblue added 11:12 - Feb 7 It was nice to hear the crowd chanting "sign him up" after he scored against Sheff Utd......pity the same chant didnt go up when Delany scored!...he and Mcauley are the rock that our resurgant ipswich town will be based on..so sign em all up!
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alsagerblue added 11:19 - Feb 7 Norris is fitter than any other first team player we have and with McAuley the most consistent this season. Give him another 3 years please Simon!!!
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rosseden added 11:30 - Feb 7 ''No contracts will be sorted until we are mathmatically safe, so all you clegg-bashers can climb back into your holes. Why do fans always need a scapegoat?'' thats because fans generally dont consider the long term financial and business implications before they engage their emotional wants. the nature of being a fan im afraid. Hence thats often why 'fans' of clubs rarely make good owners etc...... I think once were safe, you'll see the handful of people we want to keep offered the right deals, some fringe people offered a solid deal which they can take or leave, and some let go. But itll be decided once the budget for next year is in place and we know which league we'll be in...... Im sure PJ's 'chats' with them go something like...... If we're in this league, of course you'll get the right offer, if we're not, you probabaly wont, so get your arses in gear and keep us up, then we'll chat about it with the gaffer.......

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buresmac added 11:42 - Feb 7 No brainner, sign him up!
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Keaneish added 11:54 - Feb 7 Yep, excellent engine and the difference for us between winning and losing. Great to see him getting forward more under Jewell and 8 goals already is a good return which is hard to replace. 3 years is a no brainer for me. Get Mac and Delaney done as well.
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trueblue added 11:55 - Feb 7 just sign him up, he is commited to us and wants to stay. Not going to be a hard task to add a year to his offer is it, Clegg pull your finger out mate and get this sorted, or maybe you can let £2million slip through your fingers ?
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Weddell added 11:56 - Feb 7 If we are not able to negotiate a deal with a player who wants to stay at the club, then there really is something wrong Clegg and the others. He's the captain, he wants to stay, there are 20-odd other contracts to deal with in the coming months, just get this one done and dusted!
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blue_em_away added 12:00 - Feb 7 I must say it is refreshing to see our club not bowing to player pressure. Chuck..... Sign the 2 year deal you have been offered. If you have confidence in your own ability you will know you will get your contract extended within 18 months. Try to remember you are in a privaliged postion within society and we would all love to have YOUR worries.
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StowTractorBoy added 12:02 - Feb 7 I want him to stay but feel he evaded Brenner Woolies question as to whether he stated he wanted to play for Pompey. The evasion of the quesation indicates to me he did make that statement and why would Cotterell lie. Leaves a bitter taste for me and would put Delaney and McCauley as more important to sign than Norris. Don't get me wrong I want him to stay but won't be surprised if he doesn't.

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tractorboy2434 added 12:28 - Feb 7 he is 30 very soon and until the past few weeks his form has been as bad as the others, I think a 2 year deal with an option of a 3rd year would be the sensible option, he would probably go for that.
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BlueMoolay added 12:34 - Feb 7 For god sake give him a 3 year deal....What's to debate. This bloke puts in 100% every game, scores goals and is a great captain. Come on.....sort it out NOW..!!!
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casanovacrow added 12:34 - Feb 7 theres got to be a reason that we cant offer 3 years, god knows what it is though.fear of paying championship wages for 3 years in a lower division cant be it, 1, cant see it happening and 2, we would find a buyer if we do. Very strange one. Cumon Clegg, explain please
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brian_a_mul added 12:37 - Feb 7 He is club captain and is proving to be our best player. Its important for him to sign. It will motivate the other players out of contract and show that we mean business. Delaney and Chuck have been outstanding the past month and deserve their contracts. I would like McAuley to stay but I doubt his commitment. Some of his comments havent been too inspiring.
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simonsays added 13:10 - Feb 7 Sign him up!
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Blue041273 added 13:10 - Feb 7 It's all very well being critical of the club for not immediately giving these players what they want but in this situation the players are holding most of the aces. Their agents are probably in contact with other clubs as I write purely to up the ante in any negotiations with Town. This of course is their right but this kind of story following on from the Delaney interview at the end of last week purely stokes the kind of response we're seeing. Of course most of us don't want to lose these players but I think it is extraordinarily brave of the club to play this 'who blinks first loses' game given the fees they have paid for them and at the end of the day if any of them walk away for nothing at the end of the season there will inevitably be accusations of incompetence. But it surely cannot be a concidence that DN, DD & GMcC are currently playing their best football of the season. If, as they claim, they don't want to leave and they continue playing as they are presently they will without doubt be offered terms to extend their stay. If they are just looking for a bigger pot of gold doubtless they will move on.

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NITFC added 13:13 - Feb 7 Couldn't be any clearer. The man wants to play for us. He is not letting greed get in the way like so many others would. He is a consistent performer and probably the best captain since Matt Holland. SIGN HIM UP
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bluearmy78 added 13:17 - Feb 7 It's a no brainer, give him a 3 yr contract. Hopefully he'll stay fit as he was out for an age in his first season,then he got injured at the start of last season and was out for months!!!
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Bergholtblue added 13:23 - Feb 7 If it was really over fear as to which league we were playing in next year, then SC wouldn't have even offered 2 years surely. I do not thinks it helps the situation with players airing their grievances in public. I appreciate that they are constantly being pestered by reporters looking for a comment, but this is all got to be a bit unsettling. I wish SC would make a statement one way or another. Either to say 'negotiations will continue' or 'that was his offer, nothing new will be forthcomoing he has to take it or leave it'.

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VILJOEN67 added 13:38 - Feb 7 Some players need to be left hanging to get them to perform for a new contract. Norris, mc cauley and delaney are not such players they give of their best anyway they are true 100% ers.Surely you get your best players, even the ones who can command a fee on board because they are assets on the pitch.I really do not understand the position of the club on this one.Please Simon get all three signed up, like this afternoon.

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tractor_boy_1947 added 14:10 - Feb 7 Come on Clegg he should have had that 3 year contract by now as he has already proved that he deserves a 3 year contract. If you don't hurry up and give him the 3 year contract, youre going to see him go elsewhere.
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blueherts added 14:33 - Feb 7 Here is an alternative argument DN has been with us since 2007/8 - he has not yet played 100 games for the club - Before people come on here shootin Clegg down - demanding we SIGN HIM UP and give him 3 years , look at the real world The agents - and especially Norris' - if u remember his departure from Plymouth , his obviously a classic deal maker - playing one club off another Norris says himself he should be scoring more goals ( and maybe a clause should be added to his contract!!) ok then give us 15 goals a season for the next two and u get a three year deal - what is wrong with that - that would test his loyalty??!!

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ClassyIpswichLass added 15:09 - Feb 7 Insert last comments from Blew_em_away, Blue041273 and blueherts here. Fantastic comments. He says he really wants to play here, so take the two years Chuck. If, this time next year, we're certainties for promotion (or already in the Premier) then the club has enough on your contract not to have to give you away. If you want to stay in the Premier, then there's every chance you got us there and you'll be worth keeping (with an improved contract) or a worth a packet on the market. If we're doomed to League 1, don't stuff the club you love so much by having to have to afford you in the wrong division. If we're going to be sat here in the Championship for a while, fine. We'd love you to stay and negotiate for what you're worth in 2 years time. I wish someone could guarantee my wage for 2 years, and I don't earn in a year what DN does in a month.

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