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

churchmans added 18:23 - Aug 22 i cant beleive the krap talkers on here especially on page 1 of the comments! we need bullard BADLY! midfield is still duff in my opinion and we need hes goals and creativity along with 2 centre backs and a right back to go with a strike partner for chops! i still personally think priskin and chopra would be an awesome strike partnership in the leauge does anyone agree with me! CHURCHMANS SPEAKER OF TRUTH! AND FACTS1

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jas0999 added 18:46 - Aug 22 bluelady - no I don't think it is all to do with location; we actually manage to sign players ... but more often than not they are not very good! The telling quote from PJ is this: "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". Added to this, RK's comments that if he had met the CEO before signing for ITFC he would not have done so. People slated Roy, and although I can understand why, it would seem to me both Roy AND PJ are blaming one man - Simon Clegg. Of course, managers have to be questioned as to whether they are targetting realistic players - and for me, PJ hasn't done this. But whatever some people think, we know Clegg has failed to seal a number of deals for both Roy and PJ. Look at the evidence, just TWO actual fees agreed all Summer and one of them when Clegg was on holiday! I think that sums up all you need to know. For this club to move forward, ME has to appoint a football man as a CEO. People said when PJ was appointed that he would help Clegg - clearly this is not the case. ME sort this sorry mess out! p.s. no chance of signing Bullard - unless no-one else offers him anything!

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suffolkpunchdrunk added 18:50 - Aug 22 Jimmy Bullard is not the messiah! Would rather ITFC concentrated on shoring up our non existent defence with the bucket loads of cash that it would cost to have JB in our team. Granted JB has the talents that any fan would like to see in their team but we can ill afford spending the sort of sum he would demand when his dodgy knees mean he could be spending more time on the treatment table than on the pitch.

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churchmans added 18:56 - Aug 22 your wrong suffolkpunchdrunk bullard is the messiah and we can afford him our owner is a mult multi millionaire mate so i dont understand your point. the fact is the owner needs to spend if he wants to get outa the leuge simple as! and that includes having the best midfielder in the leauge if we get him along with our defence.
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bluearmy4life added 18:57 - Aug 22 It's a massive week for all at the club. We need a lift, some new quality players and Bullard fits the bill. We do however need CB'S AND A RB very quickly. But for me Bullard is Leadbitters replacement and much more. I feel we have got to sign new players this week time is running out in the transfer window. At this moment in time whos starting on Saturday?
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bluearmy4life added 19:06 - Aug 22 This would be first choice team as it stands at the mo: Stockdale Peters Delaney Kennedy Cresswell Hyam Carson Bowyer (if fit) JET Chopra Priskin Some players need to be dropped and others deserve there chance. Any thoughts?
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nearly50yearsblue added 19:08 - Aug 22 Smokescreen is all I can say.
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del45 added 19:16 - Aug 22 Chuchmans, i agree with you, you are dead right we need bullard also lets change the front two give priskin a run with chops. Also why has SG not given a statement to the fans that pay good money into this club each week.
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wrightyblue added 19:27 - Aug 22 Evans show your self or get out of our club! Clegg u r just a muppet! Congratulations for making our club a laughing stock!
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alfromcol added 19:42 - Aug 22 bluearmy4life did you see Peters against Northampton? Why, as soon as something bad happens, does loads of you blame Clegg?
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Daleyitfc added 19:48 - Aug 22 Oh God. Another crock. Another gutless midfielder. Another OAP. Why?
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mark1969 added 19:49 - Aug 22 48 hours since saturday , no sign of a signing just the same old Jimmy stories, 5 days to go until Leeds , i hope Cleggs silence means he is busy about to bring in a quality centre half or 2 plus Bullard i know these things take time but we have had since June , c,mon Clegg wake up and help PJ or go back to the London Olympics.We need help now !!! Prove you are up to it !!

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raycrawford added 20:40 - Aug 22 We will be lucky if we get 16,000 on Saturday!
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Jim added 21:06 - Aug 22 Quite disappointed to see this story. Don't get me wrong he did a very good job for us last season but as a fan it is annoying being taken for an idiot. He states that it isn't all about money, but then seems content to sit out the remainder of his hull contract (until he was sacked). Therefore reading between the lines he clearly was not prepared to take any less than his reported 45k a week wages, otherwise he would have ended up somewhere. If he was that bothered about playing football then he could have surely come to an arrangement with Hull. Yes he is entitled to that money as he signed the contract, but don't then make out that all that matters is playing football. Did anybody also notice that he also talked up each and every club which showed an interest in him? I would rather accept that we used him to get us out a relagation scrap and he used us to play some football and get match fit.

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Keaneish added 21:07 - Aug 22 Ipswich Town doom and gloom merchants 'zzzz....', the worst type of football fans there are? Do one....
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stuts added 21:08 - Aug 22 Bullard is a must.. Get Allan Hutton (spurs) Danny Wilson (Liverpool) on loan...
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churchmans added 21:56 - Aug 22 BLUEARMYFORLIFE i agree with your team for saturday but i am wondering why keith andrews is not in there?? 2 goals 2 starts is bloody good considering he is in a krap team at the moment and as for CARSON i think he is phucking krap he had a couple of good games towards the end of last season and i see him play for northern ireland and he was rubbish! so rubbish that he got subbed at half time cos he was so inefective he aint good enough at a higher level maybe i am wrong but for me he aint no bobby peta. and i think he is average i really do i dont beleve the hype around him i can only judge him on when i see him play and for me average im afraid he dont excite me.

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stoofer added 22:04 - Aug 22 im still feeling numb to whats happening to our club, i cant help but think whoever we bring in wont matter too much, things are deeply wrong with the town and have been for some time.
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churchmans added 22:07 - Aug 22 i think a lot of our fans are dreamers with regards to our young players. another thing that wind me up is this krap about cleggs fault for this that and every player that does not want to come to us. at the end of the day MARCUS EVANS DICTATES HOW MUCH MONEY IPSWICH SPEND NOT SIMON CLEGG!! MESSAGE TO DALEYFC,SUFFOLKPUNCHDRUNK,BLUEARMY FORLIFE AND ALL THE MUPPETS ON PAGE 1 me spunked 30million buying our krap club going nowhere and probably another 20million hiring and firing old and new managers and trainers and old and new krap players. so get a phucking grip onyourselves bullard to expensive! i dont give a phuk i want him here we need him here and me has got to splash the cash!! simple as he want ipswich up? he has to buy us out of the leauge even if it costs another 30mill on players and wages

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suffolkpunchdrunk added 22:11 - Aug 22 churchmans - time for your medication dear
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churchmans added 22:16 - Aug 22 if not then STOOFER is right! (whispering) we are in trouble we need lots of cash to buy the best 1.5mill for him 1mill for him get him on a free. pollocks how much did burley pay for stewart when we were not as loaded as we are now,david johnson,sereni,finidi(dont start on that one)he found peta,clapham,holland,armstrong,peralta! imagine that team against the shower of chit we got now! oh jesus im so phucked off im waffling! we gona get a hiding on saturday if no one come in

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Lightningboy added 22:17 - Aug 22 Those knocking Jaime Peters because of his performance versus Northampton need to remember his performance against Arsenal in the 1-0 win..he was outstanding..then got dropped for the 2nd leg over Edwards - no idea why?? For the life of me I can't understand why Jewell has so much faith in Edwards over Peters in the right-back role..i'm not a manager or coach but I know when someone is blatantly useless in a certain position. At the end of the day far too many decent players (David Wright,Garvan,Counago,McAuley & Norris to name a few) have been let go way to easily by this club...that's one of the reasons we are in the mess we're in.

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churchmans added 22:25 - Aug 22 ROSSEDEN agree with your comments but with our owners wealth we should be able to blow away any club in this two bob leauge when it comes to transfer fees and wages. remember our owner tried to buy the mirror newspapergroup with an reported offer of 800MILLION quid phuk me! the doppy kunts on this site that say (girly voice)we got keep to a wage structure we gota be carefull with money! phukin idiots. if any of you were multi millionaires and true town fans ask yourself this! how much would you spend to get us out hmm???

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Tractamatt added 22:27 - Aug 22 When you read that Q.P.R. , Bolton , Wolves and Wigan are our competition we have no chance of getting him.Can't help feel this story has been put out there just to divert our attention away from the state of our team.I so hope im wrong but I don't think anybody is on their way this week and we will get an absolute hiding on saturday and that will further damage our chances of getting anybody in.We need changes at the very top before we can think of anything other than struggling to survive in the championship, There will be three teams worse than us this season but it wont be nice to watch it wont be pretty, we will have a ndifferent manager by christmas but i will support Ipswich town f.c till i die.

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Blue_75 added 22:28 - Aug 22 Whilst I'm thoroughly dejected by what's happened since a cracking day out at Bristol (and no - Bristol weren't easy), I don't think we're as bad as many are making out or fearing! Yes - 3/4 of our defence is poor and desperately needs replacing and yes Leadbitter and Bowyer gave the ball away at key times in the last 2 games but apart from that we've got some decent players with good competition for places. 2 CB's, a RB and Bullard (if we're lucky) and we'll be more than OK! I'm not an eternal optimist but I have faith in Paul Jewell. If you don't agree you can have a good laugh at the fact i've just stuck £20 on us to win promotion!

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