The Blues could still make the play-offs this season, according to manager Paul Jewell — but only if they improve a lot on the campaign’s performances up to now. Town's 2011/12 season reaches its halfway mark with today's game at Reading with the Blues in 19th, nine points behind the Royals in sixth.

Jewell said: “With 24 games to go anything is possible. We could make the play-offs but we won’t if we show the form we’ve shown so far. We’ve got to improve an awful lot in the second half of the season to get up the table.

“We’re nine points from sixth with a game in hand,” he continued. “I don’t think there’s a bad team in this league. You can tell by the results every week that everyone goes somewhere thinking they can get a result. There’s nowhere where you think you can’t get a result.

“So far this season we’ve had everything - good, bad and a lot of ugly, and that’s just the players. I think we’ve shown at times that we’ve got the ability to play against the best but we’ve also got that inability to kill teams off and concede soft goals, and that’s why we are where we are.”

The Liverpudlian is clear what he’d like to see in the months to come and during today’s match: “We’d like to see an improvement as a group, not just individually but as a group.

“We had a collective performance against Leicester and we might have to do the same against Reading, who were in the Premier League a couple of seasons ago and got beaten in the play-off final last year.

“Then we play Forest on Monday and they’ve been in the play-offs twice in the last two seasons. Then it’s Birmingham the week after. There are no mugs in this league.”

Photo: Action Images

TimmyH added 17:21 - Dec 31 It heartens me that we performed ok today at one of the inform teams but disheartens me that we LOST! - surely we should be getting something from games we play well in !?! Now surely the Nottm Forest game who have not scored in 10 hours of football will be interesting, I'll bet they break that duck! it'll also show who are really the basement kings of this division.
0

h32 added 17:21 - Dec 31 Keanish - you highlight with your post the difference between a club with ambition - and a mottled collection of rabble.
0

AlanMahon2011 added 18:30 - Dec 31 Clueless Jewell
0

scooterblue added 22:18 - Dec 31 not on your nellie.
0

jas0999 added 00:16 - Jan 1 Idiotic comments. No chance under this manager.
0

PSGBlue added 12:51 - Jan 1 Bet you wished you hadn't said that PJ!
0

RegencyBlue added 17:00 - Jan 1 I would be making sure there is no prospct of relegation first PJ!
0

llewej_tuo added 11:19 - Jan 2 hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaha ... he's now deluded, oh well i told ye all this when he was appointed .. rubbish JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT JEWELL OUT
0

portman_blue added 17:12 - Jan 2 Life must be strange on Planet Jewell!!
0

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls