Town manager Paul Jewell believes there are clubs in the Championship gambling their futures on winning promotion to the Premier League. Despite Championship sides voting in favour of Financial Fair Play rules ultimately aimed at keeping spending within their turnover, plenty of clubs have been splashing very significant cash this summer.

Blackburn led the way, paying Huddersfield £8 million for former Blue Jordan Rhodes, while Nottingham Forest, Bolton, Wolves and Cardiff were also amongst the division’s big spenders during the close season.

Jewell warns that some clubs may pay the price further along the line: “There are a lot of teams in our division now with their eggs in one basket and if they don’t go up I think we could see a few more teams à la Portsmouth.”

Although the Financial Fair Play rules came in this season, there will be no sanctions for breaking them for two years and clubs will be allowed to spend beyond their turnover by amounts decreasing annually until 2015/16.

The Town manager’s comments echo those made by chief executive Simon Clegg when speaking to TWTD in May: “You’re playing a very, very high risk game if you chase [the Premier League] dream based on the principle that there will be no sanctions for two years and you don’t achieve it, because you could end up being placed in a very difficult financial situation where you have to break even at that point.”

The Blues’ biggest fee this summer was the £1.5 million rising to £2.5 million paid to Peterborough for Paul Taylor, a figure somewhat dwarfed by some of the spending elsewhere.

Jewell says the Championship is a very tough division with plenty of clubs believing that the Premier League is their natural home: “It’s as difficult a league to get to the top of as you’re going to come across throughout Europe.

“There are 18 teams in this league that have been in the Premier League at one stage or another and a lot of them have been in the Premier League a lot more recently than we have.

“We have no God-given right because we’ve got tradition and history. That’s the same with most clubs in this league. It’s up to us to do it now and create more history in the coming years rather than looking back.”

Photo: Action Images

thechangingman added 09:30 - Sep 21 This really is an extraorinarily unusual, ahem, 'article' to be honest. What is its REAL message? It it merely spin? A means of deflecting blame? I am really very, VERY sad to say that this isn't the club I used to love and follow. It feels chaotic and disordered, badly run and without a clear sense of purpose and direction. If I am feeling this I wonder what the players are thinking? Sad, sad days...

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chripswich added 09:36 - Sep 21 This atricle is yet another attempt by the media obsessed, chirpy scouser to take the attention off current events at FPR (poor form, lack of the necessary signings etc) He deflected everything in his first season by harping on about saving us from relegation when any TWTD member could have done that..we were never going down!!..last season it was soundbite after soundbite of deflecting responsibility..now its this.. the man needs to be put out of his misery..I actually feel sorry for him now...clegg/evans grow some b*****s and DO SOMETHING!!!! PS and why the heck do people still keep droning on about Keano?...this isnt his team, his style, or his fault.. The man had to go but for completely different reasons to this baffoon..keanes only copmment on departure "I will never take another job without knowing the chief exec..." speaks volumes!!!!!

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Kesgraveblue57 added 09:37 - Sep 21 What you need in this league to gain success is :- good coaching and management first and foremost. This formula works, because having a winning side puts bums on seats. On the figure of a 1000 fans approximately the club gets £23000, this club should be getting get a minimum gates of 22000, the fans are no fools but why pay out good money to see rubbish week after week, this has now gone on for too long, Tuesday 16000 to see Wolves and the club just don't know how lucky they are to have these loyal fans.

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upthewallpaul added 09:41 - Sep 21 Stop making excuses and focus on getting the best out of your own team!
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PunchNoHopers added 09:51 - Sep 21 Well nice to know we will be financially sound when we are playing in the lower football leagues in a season or two!
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 09:54 - Sep 21 Chripswich - No, selling Rhodes, buying Priskin and shipping out Martin speaks volumes for RK. Lets be honest none of us really know how the Fairplay rules are going to go at this stage, or how they will be enforced, but as ME is a successful business man i would like to think that he has looked at it and set out a plan with a limited wage structure, and quite right too. We all know football has been on a self destruct course with wages for years and hopefully these laws will help. Yes i know its frustrating when we cant sign players but i would rather watch a mid-table Town for the next to or three years than us become a Portsmouth/Rangers and end up in the Ryman.

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gibbo added 10:09 - Sep 21 Big deal, what's the fine a transfer ban, get a big team with some big names by the time ban comes in you won't care. Then there's us that clears everybody out and just leave a team that couldn't beat a team of under 9's
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bluey123 added 10:20 - Sep 21 another gem from Jewell prehaps he has forgotten he just forked out 1.5 m on a player we did not need we needed a RB and 2 CBs what does he spend the money on a position that we are well manned. Jewell is a class act at saying what people need to hear instead of the truth which is he is incapable of managing a football team. I say it again nearly 2 yrs on and only going backwards 23rd in the league

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Pessimistic added 10:59 - Sep 21 Sadly the only real idiot is Michael 11... but if that is his age then I sort of forgive him.
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hogster1970 added 11:40 - Sep 21 well look at history jewel, all of town players of the past who were realy good, were either players who were ontop of there game playing in the same or lower leques, or came through the youth system, are youth system is knackered at the mo, so that leaves you with the lower legues, forget has been premier fringe players on loan or cast off,s, they are fringe players and cast off,s for a reason, thats why we are in this predicament, murphy springs to mind, ndaw aint that great neither, and as said above thats what the likes of blackpool norwich southhampton ect have all done, these players will fight tooth and nail for the team, not well can i be arsed today type players,

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smudger99 added 11:52 - Sep 21 Sounds like covering his A**! Also looks like he is happy with mid table at best!!
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shefkuqi32 added 11:59 - Sep 21 It isn't all about money, obviously it helps but there is no reason why Ipswich can't be up there. Look at a few recent examples of clubs doing well without 'splashing the cash' in this division...Blackpool, Southampton, Norwich. All these teams signed players for relatively small fees and got some great recents. I think when this whole fair play thing actually kicks in a few years time it will have an affect. People will gamble a bit to get into the Prem before hand as you'd expect. Ipswich are by no means a title chasing team, but no doubt they are well underperforming and have been for a number of years especially with the amount spent on players. It is a disgrace and still makes me feel sick to the stomach thinking about the millions spent on the likes of Norris, Macauley, Fulop, Leadbitter etc and all to show for it was a mediocre leage finishes and a league cup semi final appearance.

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shefkuqi32 added 12:00 - Sep 21 Ipswich have already gambled and are effectively 'bust'
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walberswick added 12:10 - Sep 21 If anyone has gambled in this league it's Ipswich. and we lost. ITFC are the club who is most likely to end up in a Rangers/ Portmouth type of disaster. Thanks Paul.
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gorse added 12:12 - Sep 21 I think Mr Jewell speaks sense and should hopefully answer some criticisms as to why Town have not been spending on large transfers over the last window. I don't see a conspiracy theory here!
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raycrawfordswig added 12:34 - Sep 21 Would just like to think that we should be seeing some improvement by now.
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AndyStannard added 12:42 - Sep 21 PJ OUT!! he has to get a result against charlton!! And by a result i mean a result!! Mick Mccarthy is looking for work as is others tht could do better
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MattinLondon added 13:21 - Sep 21 If I was ME I would be asking myself am I getting value for money and the answer would have to be 'no'. I am not talking about PJ but the players. Attracting players from the Premier League is expensive business. True you might get a bargain, but on the whole if you're buying from the top league you pay top money and this does not include wages. Even buying from other Championship clubs is expensive. Personally i would turn my back on the domestic market, hire top scouts and raid (for example) the Polish Leagues for cheaper more affordable talent. Just wondered what other people thought?

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Cheshire_Blue added 17:20 - Sep 21 There is only one idiot,Michael11 and it is not PJ!
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walberswick added 20:16 - Sep 21 @CheslseaBlue Sorry, I'm afraid there's three, PJ, Michael11 and you.
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