Boss Paul Jewell says the Blues are “in there fighting” to bring former loanee Jimmy Bullard back to Portman Road having spoken to his agent on Friday. The Town manager continues his search for new players with centre-halves remaining top of his list.

Jewell, who talked to Bullard himself on Thursday, said: “I spoke to Jimmy’s agent [on Friday] and he told me that there are two Premier League teams in for him and another Championship team. He’s officially free on Monday and we are in there fighting.

“We do need a couple of centre-halves like you can’t believe. Not just a couple of centre-halves as well.

“I was sitting there in pre-season thinking we were a couple of centre-halves away from being all right. But now I think we’re a couple of centre-halves and a couple of other positions away from just being all right. I’ve said before there’s a lot of work to do and that view has only been enhanced by [Saturday].”

Bullard, whose contract is set to be terminated by Hull City, has been mentioned in connection with QPR, although that potential switch appears to have broken down, Wigan, West Ham, Bolton and now Wolves in addition to the Blues.

The Blues’ boss says his failure to land central defenders this summer is not down to a lack of effort: “I wish I could bring some of you in and get you to sit in my office and drive in my car and see the amount of time that I’m on the phone trying to bring in players. Even [Saturday] morning I was speaking to a club about a player.

“It’s the most frustrating time of my managerial career as far as trying to get players in goes. We need to do it and we need to do it quickly.”

Jewell says his remaining players were on a hiding to nothing in the second half: “No disrespect, everyone can play when they’re 6-1 up and against nine men. I’m looking at when it was 1-1 or when we were 1-0 down or even when we were 1-0 up. You’ve got to get together.

“The second half was nine against 11, that was tough. It was the 12 minutes before that which cost us the game. We were winning 1-0, we were doing OK and then 1-1 and you think 'let’s just try and [keep it tight]'.”

The Town manager was again left shaking his head at his side’s defending: “The goals we give away, you can’t legislate for them, can you? But how many times have I said that, and I guess Roy said that and Jim said it too.

"When we go over the white line, everyone’s got instructions, but when they cross the white line some people decide to make decisions we haven’t been talking about all week and it costs us. Whenever we come under pressure we collapse.

“Every time there was a 50/50 we got brushed off of it. The seventh goal just summed us up — he went through three tackles. There’s an awful lot of work to do, not just defensively but all over the pitch.”

Jewell is determined to turn things around: “Ultimately it comes down to me and I’ve got to make sure I can get the right players in here who can take this great club where we want to be.

“We’re a long way from there. I think people realise that. But there won’t be any lack of fighting and trying by me.”

Jewell was at Upton Park yesterday to watch Saturday's opponents Leeds draw 2-2 with West Ham.

Photo: Action Images

Basil_Smallpiece added 10:25 - Aug 22 Hull must be a rotten team. They scored only one.
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Basil_Smallpiece added 10:26 - Aug 22 The Day The Music Died.
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Basil_Smallpiece added 10:28 - Aug 22 Sheepshanks sells out to Invisible Man. The greatest calamity in the history of a once-proud club.
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Basil_Smallpiece added 10:31 - Aug 22 'Oi never let in a dozen in two games' chortles swarthy Mick.
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bobble added 10:32 - Aug 22 we spent 2 years saying we had no forwards now we have no backs........ ! .i assume next year it will be the turn of midfield.. if this keeps on going on we will have no fans !
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Surco72 added 10:37 - Aug 22 Karlosfandangol .. Jewell has signed 8 players but of those 8 who was poor on Saturday ? Stockdale kept the score down ,Andrews has scored two screamers in two games started , Chopra isolated up front , Jet started well sacrificed due to sendings off not at fault for goals , Cresswell slightly naive certainly looks a good signing ,Ellington on pitch for limited time when down to 9 players or Bowyer and Inger who were both injured ? The fault lies with the dross Keane signed that we still have Edwards , Leadbitter , Delaney , Healy , Smith ,Scotland ,Priskin all not good enough. Jewell knows he needs new players and is working on getting them and the centre backs etc we have been linked with are the right players to take us forward Upson,Woodgate ,Ayala etc signings will become easier over the next two weeks ,lets get Bramble back but idiot comments from so called supporters who dont go to the games dont help

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baldman added 10:42 - Aug 22 Just saying what he thinks us fans want to hear after all this crap we have watched
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itfcjc added 10:44 - Aug 22 Come home jimmy
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sonian_blue added 10:47 - Aug 22 Not original I know but who cares about Bullard now, there are more pressing issues. PJ says how hard he is working to bring someone in, pity he didnt use just some of that effort convincing McCauley to stay or at least one of our back ups (Brown, Eastman). He alludes to Jim and Roy having the same problems. Silly statement to make considering the amount of money that between them has been spent. It was Cloughie who said you cross the white line with a point and if you dont concede you keep that point. I fear the worst again this weekend against a free scoring Leeds team and I will return my Blackpool ticket on route to the game. As a season ticket holder I will attend the home games but as of Saturday night I will not attend away games until our defensive problems and the attitude of the team are resolved. I have better things to do with my time and money. Not a decision taken lightly, the past five years I have missed only a dozen games but even in the days of Jim and the virtual whole season of no away wins there was promise. Dark days indeed and if I were ME I would seriously be considering my commitment to the club now.

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BlackandBlue added 10:49 - Aug 22 We desperatly need some confidence and positivity. Bullard can bring both. Two new CBs and a RB would be nice, but this could be the quickest fix. Please Jimmy sign.
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ITFCMonk added 11:06 - Aug 22
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UsualSuspect added 11:12 - Aug 22 Karlosfandangal, Shall we just call you Karlosdangal now? Seriously man get a grip! I can understand the disappointment, not exactly jumping through hoops myself, thick and thin man, thick and thin.
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Bezzer added 11:13 - Aug 22 Lack of ambition = 3 home defeats and 1 massively embarrassing away defeat. Can't you see, if we don't pay the money for players we won't get anywhere. We could have signed Austin, Mackail Smith, Nugent, Henry, Moussi, St Ledger, Stearman, Whittingham, Treacy, Mills, Lambert, Bullard, Coppinger, Sharp, Dos Santos, Sordell, Maynard, etc... Every player has their price and as per usual we are not prepared to bid high, which is fine if you are an unambitious club! I really thought including the Wickham money we would be spending minimum £15m this summer! Alright, there have been clubs who have been promoted without buying big, but given the choice and money (which we must have) then I would prefer to speculate to accumulate.

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ITFC4daprem added 11:19 - Aug 22 Bullard, Bowyer and Andrews sounds promising but we must prioritise a CB
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michaeldownunder added 11:34 - Aug 22 Have just seen the goals/highlights? on youtube How thick is Lee Martin? Ball almost out for a throw in, dives in, right beside the lines man. Maybe it should have been just a yellow but deserved a red for being so stupid. How open were we for all the goals? no cover from the midfield the c/backs so far apart it was almost like we were playing with four full backs.Delany looked like he bottled it and tried to get away from the action giving no help at all to Ainsley. PJ forget about telling who he has not been able to buy, our problems in the last two games seem to be down to poor team selection in midfield and defence, Have to go now as my sister is on skype from uk

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Bezzer added 11:38 - Aug 22 Lets be honest - Healy, Delaney, Smith, Ainsley, Drury, Ellington would all struggle to get into a poor championship club. Martin, Edwards, Bowyer, Kennedy, Scotland, Prisken would just about get into an average championship side. Question is, do we want to be an average champ side or a promotion chasing one? I'm no manager but can identify the problems we have in our team, and have for years - NO PACE and NO CREATIVITY.

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PunchNoHopers added 11:39 - Aug 22 According to Sky Sports, Wolves have entered race to sign Bullard, with QPR and Ipswich also showing an interest! And I agree Michaeldownunder, Martin dived in a number of times last year, he is a liability and is always likely to get a number of red cards as a result!
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irvinf added 11:40 - Aug 22 Personally, I really don't care if Jimmy joins us or not. Will he ever be fit enough not just for one whole game but consecutive matches? He inspires people around him when things are going great but how is he when we are in the trenches and scrapping for our lives? I would love him onboard but worry about the arduous nature of Jimmy being up for a relegation battle. We need eleven battlers out there at the moment and it seems we only have one, a goalkeeper who could be recalled by Fulham at any time which would leave us well and truly up the swanny. If Jimmy wants to sweat blood than get him and give him a reasonable fee but dont burst the bank for him.

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Surco72 added 11:42 - Aug 22 Victorywillhappen how can anyone comment on the season from watching one game on TV ? Against Bristol we were very good ,the Hull game could have gone either way and the other two until we conceded and in spells second half against Saints we were good ,after we conceded we were awful agreed which we must address and Jewell will as he has been saying . A number of fans have been criticising Jewell for not playing two up front when we do so we get stuffed because our defence is not up to it .We are a few signings away from being a very decent championship side especially with Inger and Bowyer back .Lets stop the headless panic and criticism and support our team as the scum did even when they dropped down a league !!

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Bezzer added 11:44 - Aug 22 michaeldownunder - Re: your comment below - "PJ forget about telling who he has not been able to buy, our problems in the last two games seem to be down to poor team selection in midfield and defence" The point is, had PJ been able to buy some of those players mentioned you would not have been watching the awful performance on you tube, instead you might have been watching highlights of an attacking, pacey, well marshalled, dynamic team! Agree about Martin though - although tbh he wouldn't even be at the club if it was up to me - another one paced player who has no idea what to do with the ball or without it.

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meekreech added 11:44 - Aug 22 JB is only a sticking plaster ! 2 centre backs must be first on the list and should have been here before the start of the season ! PJ knew GMac was going so he should have been busy in the last weeks of last season getting a replacement in place not waiting on possible loans now ! Only allowed a limited number of loans playing at any one time ! Unfortunately I am starting to see a repeat of the PJ happenings at Derby ( a lot of people forget PJ had 2 bad clubs as well as 2 good ! ) and fear for our future ! I will continue to support our club but feel PJ must get the players in before too long or we will be following a faster downwards path !!

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blue_em_away added 11:47 - Aug 22 Karlosfandangal Ipswich is not your team anymore? You have had enough?? P1ss off then. ITFC does not need LIGHT weight supporters like you. Me? I take the rough with the smooth, but ALWAYS Suffolk blue.
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ArnieMsBigToe added 11:54 - Aug 22 I used to live in Ipswich, but now live near Peterboro. My step-son is a posh supporter and we watched the game together on Sky. When we went 4-1 down, I predicted that it would end 8-1. Only one goal out!! Town were unbelievably bad. T.B.H I still think think that we are suffering the aftermath of Keano. Lee Martin is no better than a village idiot and Headbutter was never worth £2.3 m or what ever we paid for him. We just don't appear to have any craft or guile. Still relying on the long punt up field ( and that was with 11 men !!). I couldn't help thinking that J.E.T appears to have all the speed and skill of Frank Bruno (now. Not 30 years ago!!) I feel sorry for P.J personally. I think he is a good judge of footballer, but when you look at what he was given to start with, P.J has no chance. When we had 11 men, Posh were looking like Barca. Knocking the ball round; one touch football. I do think Aaron Cresswell was a good aquisition. All we need is another 9 players like him. . . fat chance.

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legoman added 12:02 - Aug 22 Having Bullard made no difference against Norwich!
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ipswichtown28 added 12:05 - Aug 22 Ipswich have not had a solid defence since the venus and mowbray days and no manager since george burley has corrected this problem!!! I know we have injuries but our 2 main defenders delaney and smith are not good enough, smith is not a championship player and delaney is soooo poor on the ball. These last 2 games have come down to bad defending. I wouod rather play kennedy in central defence with his experience instead of smith or ainsley at the mo, and kennedy has been a good player when he has played so far this season. I would play him left back all day long, with cresswell coming on as her looks to be a great little player in the next couple of seasons. we need to forget about jimmy bullard, he is never going to come back and despite what the player says, it is all about money!!! I also agree with victorywilhappen, leadbitter is awful he cant takle, he dont score and he cant even pass these days, such an overated player. please jewell bring us in 2 central defenders and a right back.... really not sure about prem defenders on loan, will they give there all for the town??? maybe we should be searching the lower leagues for players with something to prove at a higher level........ it must be better than what we have at the mo. lets get behind the boys against leeds and hopefully we will have at least one new defender by then and things cant get any worse than letting in 7 goals, can they!!??

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