Blues boss Paul Jewell says he will speak to Hull City in the next couple of weeks regarding what he says will be a “very, very difficult” deal to ensure that Player of the Year Jimmy Bullard returns to Portman Road next season. The 32-year-old has two years remaining on his £45,000-a-week contract at the KC Stadium.

Jewell says he’d love to have Bullard as part of his squad next season having talked to the player about his future on Friday: “We’d love to have Jimmy here, although I’d also like have Messi here but they’re quite expensive - I don’t know who’s on more money, Jimmy or Messi!

“It is a very, very difficult deal for us to do. I think the owner deserves great credit for doing what he’s done so far.

“I’ll be speaking to Hull over the next week or two to see if we can sort something out for next season.

“Obviously the supporters love him and he’s been really good for us and we’d like to have Jimmy and four or five other players in for the start of next season.”

The Town manager isn’t dismissing the possibility of a further loan: “We will explore all avenues, any way we can do it, we’ll try and do it. I think people have to realise that some things at times aren’t doable but we will endeavour and try our very best to do it.”

Jewell says his side again showed that they’re a team unused to seeing games out during the 2-1 home victory over Preston on Saturday: “We just get to a certain stage in games. We’d got the game won at 2-0 but you just don’t ever get the feeling [that the match is over] because we’ve got a team which over the last two or three years hasn’t gone on and killed games off.

“That’s still here, that’s still a bit of a problem we’ve got and that I’ve been speaking about since I got here — that killer instinct, killer mentality or whatever it is.

“Our goalie’s made some vital saves at some vital times but the game should have been out of sight in the first half. We were 2-0 up and had a couple of other chances.

“We started the second half not great and they came into it. It’s one of the many areas where we have to do better next season.”

The Town manager was impressed with youngsters Troy Brown and Ronan Murray, who was making his first Blues start: “Troy did well considering he started the game with a yellow card after a minute. He did well, I was pleased with him.

“Ronan just tired a bit in the second half. He’s been on loan at Torquay. He made some good runs and was a bit unfortunate not to score himself.

“He did OK, in fact he did better than OK, he did fine until he tired. Obviously it’s nice for youngsters to get in and it would have been nice for him to score.”

Jewell says there have been no new developments on the contract front: “We're no further than we were on Thursday when I was last asked.”

Photo: Action Images

Behind_Enemy_Lines added 08:47 - May 2 Nothing like admitting defeat to forewarn the supporters, dont be suprised if we see another summer of irons in the fire!!!
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WREXHAM_BLUE added 08:49 - May 2 Here's hoping!! Good luck PJ.
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bluearmy4life added 09:01 - May 2 Good work Pj. It's good to have a great player like Jimmy wanting to play for us. The club may have to break the budget on the wages for him but he will be worth every penny. Come on town!
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radiogaga added 09:09 - May 2 And we have one person moaning on here already...the guy is on a lot of money right now and, although he would take a pay cut to come here, none of us really know how much an acceptable paycut is in Jimmy's view. Our squad has been assembled with ME's money under a fairly decent wage structure and if we start letting players come here on buckets more money than everyone else, you begin to cause disharmony amongst the players already at the club (such as the Finidi scenario back in '01) plus the club has to be sure it only pays out strictly what it can afford for a player. The fact Hull couldn't do that is partly why we have situation. That said, I imagine Hull will be keen to clear that 1/5 of their wage bill and would see getting rid of him on a free as good business still. Fingers crossed we get him, there's no doubting he wants to come here and there's no doubt we love him here! Let's believe, this is not the Keane era anymore. We are moving in a positive direction now by the looks of it. PS Vincelot of Dagenham looks worth a punt too!

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blueblood66 added 09:28 - May 2 Sign him up but on a season long long with the same terms we have him on now. Evans can afford him especially with Norris and McAuley off elsewhere.
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mikeybloo88 added 10:00 - May 2 Get rid off Norris and Leadbitter and put their wages towards affording Jimmy - JB and Jewell are the reason we're in the Championship next year and not League 1. Keane would never have got a player like JB here and it's clear PJ made him the spiritual leader of the team over the last 4 months, which is great management in my book. JB clearly enthused the team after they were all so down with Keane and got enough good performances out of them to survive. I'm not saying we break the bank for Jimmy, but if we have to pay him a pretty high wage, I think we'll all reap the benefits of him being around next year

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Ipswich24 added 10:01 - May 2 I think we need seven or eight players and lets get rid of seven or eight we do need major reconstruction of squad this summer we need young and hungry players from lower leagues and maybe a foreign player or two players who are not afraid to try something different go that extra yard
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tractorblue99 added 10:06 - May 2 After watching him on gos yestetday it seems that he really does love it here. Come on Jimmy you must know that the suppporters love you!!!
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hmhb added 10:08 - May 2 bye bye jimmy
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tractorboybig added 10:11 - May 2 If you read carefully what is being said here and by Bullard in his comments,we are being prepared to be told he will NOT be with us next season.
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TractorRoyNo1 added 10:20 - May 2 all depends on how much of the near £5m that Hull are prepared to write off
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TractorRoyNo1 added 10:23 - May 2 doh, and play one in midfield? replacing norris's 12 goals will probably cost us £2m and £10k / week mikeybloo88 added 10:00 - May 2 Get rid off Norris and Leadbitter
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Dolly2.0 added 10:28 - May 2 You could read it that way, Tractorboybig, if you're a right old misery. Or you could read it for what it is. It's gonna be tough but we'll try our best to do a deal
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poringlandblue added 11:24 - May 2 we shouldnt shell out silly money for jb but then hes twice the player than the rest of average joes we have so they shouldnt moan hes on twice their money more an incentive to match him in their performances each week then they can pop into pj s office foer a wage rise, how many of them have put in a full good 90min performance this season more like 45min and a 50% pay cut!!! fook it break the bank and build next seasons team around jb

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DiamondGezzer added 11:54 - May 2 Why so negative guys, look at the bigger picture, he MIGHT be hear next season.
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bigfish added 12:22 - May 2 Jimmy sign for a club that wants you, take a pay cut to do what you love best play football, in the long run by playing each week you attract more sponsor deals etc.
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Hungry_Badger added 12:36 - May 2 when was the last time we sorted out a'difficult' deal? I would love him to be here but i dont see it happeneing im affraid.
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jas0999 added 13:15 - May 2 I don't think it's going to happen.
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bluearmy89 added 13:50 - May 2 Get Jimmy and Messi in!!!! Go on PJ you can do it!! If not 1 will do!
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tractorboybig added 13:55 - May 2 Dolly_verbiage. If cleggs track record is anything to go by then we can write it off now. PS no misery just realistic, unfortuantly.
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roytheboy added 14:36 - May 2 If ITFC want to play in the Premiership, then do that deal and secure Jimmy's services with us, he totally commands the midfield and is worth his weight in gold, once we know we have him here we can build a strong team around him, every possible effort should be made to keep Jimmy here where the fans love him.
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h32 added 18:37 - May 2 ..... isn't every deal a 'difficult' one now for Ipswich Town. Same old story .... we fail where others succeed. Will be I guess - until the Club is back in the hands of real Football people again - Roll on the Olympics, after which we will then we'll see !!!!!!!!.
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h32 added 18:40 - May 2 .... ignore the 'we'll' - typing error.
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sonian_blue added 21:29 - May 2 He will NOT be with us next season. You heard it here first. Have listened to all the 'I love it here and wouldnt have a problem with staying, Blah Blah Blah' It is his call so why not do it? Oh yeah Money talks and there will be better offers on the table than ours. Thanks Jim and good luck.
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Karlosfandangal added 22:24 - May 2 Its alright us saying take a pay cut Jimmy but would we take less than half of what we earn now to do a job we liked or would we put up with your job because it payed more. Bottom line is he is going to get over £4 million pound over the next 2 years, if we offer £20k a week and a 3 year contract that will only pay just over £3 million big ask
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