Rosseden, bang goes that theory then :-)

Its just amazing how teams that go down to League 1 can come back up and challenge at the top end of the Championship, but clubs like (who i deem to be pretty big clubs) Ipswich, Derby, Notts Forest, Leicester, Portsmouth etc struggle season after season.

Whats the odds on Charlton doing what Norwich and Southampton have done next season ? - I'll be having a punt on back to back promotions for them thats for sure...

havinit, they will be there or there abouts i think if they keep the bulk of their team together, but, if you look at Forest, they went down to league one, but couldnt carry on the momentum on the way back up, so its not that way for everyone who gets promoted. When you go down, no matter what happens, it does buy you some time to restructure, re-organise, get rod of some big wages etc, the board often make changes too, League one isnt a glamourous league, so some players will leave anyway. The gap between each division is increasing though, and i dont know that whats happening now will happen for a long time in the future..... especially not once the academy stuff kicks in....... I do think though anyone who can approach the same rebuilding exercise as those clubs do, whilst retaining Champ status, will be in with a good shout, thats what Cardiff, Reading and to some extent Boro have done, Swansea did it, Birmingham are doing it...... Clough is trying to do it at Derby..... i thin its a mindset that a mamnager has however, to do it that way. Something i recall PJ coming out and admitting he hasnt done well and is looking to do....... so lets see how next year looks.......

This is the type of progress made by an alcoholic that is now only drinking at weekends ... he's doing better than he was but should never have got into that state in the first place. Jewell, like his 2 predecessors, is not intelligent enough to be a success : every time he opens his mouth you can hear his ignorance shining through. Get rid.

and replace with who Daley? In reality we need 3 or 4 good candidates to interview to pick someone better, so lets have some names?

im a jewell supporter but more importantly a town supporter he has one more year for me and if theres no improvement he should go. but come xmas if were any where nr the mess we were in this season m.e. should act swiftly and do the right thing give a new manager the rest of the season to set stones in place,this cutting your cloth and getting your finances in order is bit of a bug bear to as we are openly doing it yes long term its probably right but when u know u have 2 yrs and the 3 prem clubs who come down and wham cardiff mboro and birmingham whoever of that mix who dont go up have stated that they will use the 2 yrs before the penalties come in to get back no matter what almost puts us out of the top six before we start, we wont be able to attract quality from the championship as a lot of clubs who want to bend the rules will offer big 2 yr only contracts so effectivly ruling us and half the league out,thats without bringing our inability to do a deal but yes i am pro town just not the cheaters like leeds leicester and wham the real money boys, ps i love going to watch the blues and have renewed there a buzz,

BillM, interesting to hear those clubs saying that, that makes it 4 clubs flaunting the incoming rules, plus each of the 3 clubs who come down who will likely do the same, then theres Leicester who also will have issues with the new rules...... by my reckoning, that makes it 6 promotional spaces, and 11 teams who are betting everything on having one of those spaces...... i think id take our position on the rules, not theirs, if theyre one of the 5 that miss out, they could end up in real trouble......

Improvement must be judged over a season as a whole compared to previous seasons . Jewell has improved very slightly to last season but only took over half way through ,and improved on Keanes whole season in charge .
He has also had his hands tied somewhat in the transfer windows it would seem due to the financial restraints all clubs should be following and the fact he had a number of poor players some on big contracts with clauses the club could not afford Fulop,Priskin,Leadbitter, Healy ,Scotland .He also saw the core of his team leave in the summer Mac,Norris and Wickham with little he could do .
I think we have to stick with him and back him for next season and hope he can attract the players he wants that the club can realistically afford in the glaring areas he has highlighted on a number of occassions .
Given the form we have shown since christmas we could and should challenge for the playoffs next season as we should have done this year but for one awful run ,if not there is no more time for excuses . but fans need a realistic approach to where our Town should be , there are big clubs in this league who have bigger support,bigger backing and a lot better history over recent years and in reality we are a mid table team who need a good run to compete

Agreed with a mix of Surco and IvorFeeling (although Ivor I think JET will get better and better with more games, he's still young too).

Jewell's been frustrated and frustrating this year, but the team we have now is miles better than what he took over. In terms of results it's been frustrating, but I think we underestimate the competition of this league. Right down to the likes of Bristol City, Forest and Portsmouth may well have been eyeing the playoffs at the start of the year. I don't think it'll hurt to give Jewell another year using what he learnt this year. 12 - 18 months is still not enough time for a manger to build lasting foundations IMO but he'd be pushing his luck after two years if he still had made minimal progress.

Great debate as ever guys. I am in two minds over this. I remain unconvinced by Jewell who seems to be making it up as he goes along rather than sticking to some agreed plan for the team and the club and he is imo out of his depth so we will not improve much. Yes, we are better than under Keane but not much. If he hasn't got the guts to try the likes of Hyam again in the remaining games, I would say get rid and bring Lee Clark in...plays good football, seems to be able to pick a player and has a winning mentality (as a player anyway).

No progress from where im sitting!!!
we still havent addressed the goalkeeping situation, ALB isnt that bad for me, poor lad has been treated bad, we keep getting loan goalkeepers in for a few weeks here and there and then call ALB when it suits, show some confidence in the lad.
Stockdale hardly set the world alight and Macarthy was hideuous!
then there is the Defence, how many months has he had to sort it?? for me carlos is great going forward but not a RB, he switches off defensively and loses his man regularly, he is crying out to be played as an attacking winger, he actually has pace which murphy,martin etc dont have..
2/3 centre backs needed is a must, we need to clear out what we have they are not up to it, im sorry but their not!
finally we find a position for LEE MARTIN that brings out the best in him and the team and we then chop it all about and stick on the bench or wing!!
Bowyer - enough said!!!
i think Jewell is losing it!!!
the trouble is will sacking him get us anywhere either??

Jewell: We Never Recovered From His Appointment.

Still we have till 18th August 2012 to come up with another plan, We have the luxury of 4 games to try young ones out and a whole summer to sign a few decent players.

It is important to realise that there will be lots of speculation and disspointment. At this time it is action that speaks.

So a lucky consequence is that no-one has to give much notice to ITFC for the next 4 months, WE are released from this dreary soap-opera for most of the summer. Lets make a break for it, leave them alone to get on with things.

Then By August we will know what Kind of entertainment might be on offer at PR. At that point we can continue, or tell them to stuff it .

Or instead continue with the other fun things we found during the long hot summer.

So we've 18 weeks for ITFC to get themselves in order and for the supportters to be freed from this daily propaganda. And so come back fresh and enthusiatic.

Good luck, PJ. Don't bother me for 4 months. I'll check you out in August if your stil here. and see what you actually done. and who you've sighed.

Then it's up to everyone to back him or walk away. All the best ITFC, off to Puerto Escondido with Keanish for a well earned holiday with the board.

Lee Clarke is an interesing one, i thought he was looking great, then he got fired, so i started asking about and not many Hudds fan were upset to see him go..... wonder where he will appear next, could go either way i think..... bit like Graham Westley......

Under Magtilton we had a tiny bit of 'success' and a good campaign in 2007 -2008 but ultimately our abysmal away record saw us miss out on the play-offs. Rather than build on this the following season we became stagnent dropping too many points at home to 'lesser' sides. Finally too many home draws and too much abject football saw Magilton lose his job. 'Square pegs in round holes' became an all too popular phrase with Magilton's team selections which we constantly scrutinsed...

Then the days of the dark lord...
I have nothing to say about this as it was a complete disaster on every level. Anyone who argues Keane did anything positive for this club is very misguided. A couple of good signings which he couldn't get to play well for him but easily the worst football we've all seen at PR in some time.

Now Jewell, who after saving us from relegation has had a poor start to a full campaign but in the second half of the season has begun to put a side a together, which in my opinion is beginning to show some promising signs and has played the most fluent football in the last 5 years. The poor start is down to a whole host of summer signings coming into the fold and needing time to gel, an over reliance on old heads which was an admitted mistake and several right and wrong experimentations with the system and player's best positions (which should now stand us in good stead going forward).

Has progress been made? Depends on how you look at it.
We've lost more games and are in a lower league position than we ever did under Magilton but arguably we have a better squad who have showed over the last 15 games that there are positive signs to come for the season ahead.

5 signings in the summer and the first 10 games of next season will judge for me whether PJ is going to take us up. Currently the side looks jaded after an exhaustive campaign. Personally i think we'll achieve a top 6 or 4 position next season depending on who comes down but i do have reservations about PJs ability to change a game tactically when backed into a corner.

In order to rejuvenate the side and create the correct balance in the squad, we need the summer signings to be players of this age and ability:

1 - Goalkeeper (Back in for Keiran Westwood)
2 - Right Back (Joel Ward when Pompey go down)
3 - Right sided centre half (Jason Pearce when Pompey go down)
4 - Left sided Midfielder (Daryl Murphy - although i'd rather see a big money move for Peter Whittingam!)
5 - Striker (Big Money move for Jordan Rhodes, Ched Evans or Darius Henderson)

I am afraid I completely disagree. This season did not start in January. It started last August and as a whole it's been a very poor one - we sit 15th. This is despite PJ already having a half season in charge prior to last Summer. What transpired was a Summer of largely 'buying' injury prone has been players and securing loans. A complete neglect to addressing the keeper and CB positions - resulting in us having the WORST defensive record in the Championship. PJ has overseen some decent results, but equally some of the worst in our history (at this level). On 12 occasions this season we have lost conceeding 3 goals or more. A worful record. we are so far off promotion contenders it is unreal. Even now PJ makes the same mistakes as he was making in August. Attendances are at an all time low - not all because of PJ but certainly he has not helped.

Let's not forget this is not PJ's first season - full one maybe - but he had time to plan prior to the 11/12 season. Overall he has done a poor job. However, with a better manager on board I think we could really press next season. Not with PJ though.

People can blatently ignore the absolute rubbish PJ delivered up until 31 Jan if they like - but if they do it's papering over the cracks to convince themselves all is okay. It's not and PJ is to blame.

jas, how do you differ from Paul Jewell? He stopped delivering absolute rubbish on 31 Jan! You could be taken more seriously if you could contribute with a degree of balance. Plus you need a history lesson. Look back at the records and you will see numerous seasons when attendances were lower than this season - and in the second tier under whatever name. So to say they are at an all time low is utter nonsense. You are entitled to an opinion even though the majority on here totally disagree with your rants but when you quote 'facts' at least get them right

50yearsablue you are out of order with Jas0999 he talks more sense than your good self after we are all Town Fans

Kesgrave i think the reason so many dismiss Jas0999 rants at Jewell are because he backed Keane to such riduculous lengths and Jewell in a what Jas and others have described as a dreadful season has still amassed more points and got us closer to the playoffs and further from the drop than Keane did with less money spent after being left with a dreadful squad and players wanting to leave . He has also never given Jewell a chance and uses any point to try and attack him when surely all Town fans want him to succeed and bring success to the club rather than making their personal point proved ,when they were so blatantly wrong about the last manager ?

@Keanish - Great post, well written and a very fair assessment. :-)

Jas - PJ hasn't splashed out any transfer fees on 'old has been' players. Bullard, Bowyer, Ingimarson and Ellington were all free. None of them have particularly worked out well but given there are no up front fees involved, all managers look at deals like this in the summer to balance the books.

I don't think some people who knock PJ really appreciate the mess Keane left this club in and i give PJ credit for turning the club around and sorting out a lot of wrongs left from the old regime like.

There is far more belief, unity and ability in this current squad than there ever was under Keane. The club are structuring transfer dealings and contracts correctly now. PJ and Hutchings are getting the best out of players that Keane couldn't anywhere near and what's more is that the players actually want to play!

Jewell has made mistakes without a doubt but given where this club was a season and a half ago i'm happy with the progress made.

To keep levelling the Centre Back/Goalkeeper conundrum at him is redundant. Targets were identified, transfers never came off. It's better to wait and get the correct players and not spunk cash on the misfits just because we need them like keane repeatedly did!!!

Let us not forget, If Keane hadn't sold Rhodes he may never have found himself in the mess he did as we may have had a recognised goalscorer that season. I shudder to think where we'd be now though and how much of a mess we'd be in behind the seasons so maybe there's a silver lining in that sale. I'd love to see Town pull out all the stops and make a move for him again this summer! That would give a few on here some much needed optimism....

Grrrrr...Jordan Rhodes record this season:- Played 34, Goals 37...RK still haunts us!

Keanish - whilst i also cant stand thinking about the dark lords reign, he did bring one good thing, they spend money upgrading the facilities at playford road and the fitness levels of his team was nothing short of excellent, the fact they ran around like headless chickens was the bigger issue!

As for the whole Jas / everyone who berates Jas thing, he has some good points on occasion, but with no balance and often an obvious ommision of facts to suit his PJ hating style, means its hard to take very much of it seriously as its so skewed.....

Its been a depressing season for me, even the relegation season was better than this,at least there were young players who could improve. Hyam and Carson where are they?
I think Jewell should stay, he has made mistakes ( Ellington, goalkeepers, that centre-half from guy from Reading but Keane was worse ( Leadbetter 2M , Jordan Rhodes, a scouting team focused on Cork and Sunderland .

Kesgraveblue57 - your posts make much sense - ignore the knockers, their opinions are worth no more or less than yours.
All many of them lack is AMBITION / EXPECTANCY for / from our Club - and have become satisfied with what we currently are, and continually make excuses for just that.

I am NOT satisfied where we are, and have been lanquishing, for far too long now - and I'm proud of it, because I want this Club where it once was, and there is no reason why we cannot (in the right hands) be once again.

Now that's what I call being a real Supporter.

With low expectancy levels from Supporters, people will keep coughing up, whilst others (no names mentioned) will be cozy and keep smiling and take the cream - 'until it suits them not to'.

Bobblehat - call me arrogant, I do not care one iota - I SPEAK THE TRUTH and that's what matters to me.

AND I CARE PASSIONATELY ABOUT 'OUR' CLUB - AND ALWAYS WILL.

Look PJ is not a high flyer.Is he?
What IS his IQ?
Dedicated, yes. Experienced, yes. Good man.
But he doesn't seem to have been able to understand his team's ability and inability to score goals.
Unfortunately impotent teams are brushed aside.

I agree that the Drury effect...gaining confidence in a lower division (and away from the negativity of being "second rate"at Portman Road) and finding that it works just as well is instructive, and the fact that this central energy was related with the Hyam and rejuvenated Smith worked well. But appears to be thrown over in an attempt to justify signings which can only be described as "difficult"
I can understand testing the squad last weekend. But we have watched a team that has no finishing ability when the players themselves are pretty good.
So we have a management problem. Don't we?

h32 - we agree on one thing, that everyone is entitled to their opinions and no one's are better than any others. You obviously dont rate Jewell, and that is fine, you are more than entitled to express it on here. However what absolutely astonishes me is that because a lot of us dont agree with you, we all lack ambition for the club.
What the hell gives you the right to declare such a sweeping statement. You have no idea what each individual town fan expects or wants for the club.
For the record i honestly believe that we have the stadium, fanbase and infra-structure to be a mid table Premier League club (Fulham for example).
I just dont expect it to happen overnight, especially when PJ has had to pretty much re-build the squad that RK left ( and yes he is still in that process). Look at Robson here and Ferguson at MUFC, they took years to get success.
Feel free to express your thoughts but please do not tell me and many others that we are lacking in ambition just because we have some patience.
Your last post confirms this attitude completely.