MD Ian Milne has urged wavering season ticket holders to stick with the Blues, despite Town now looking highly unlikely to repeat last season’s play-off finish. The early bird deadline for buying 2016/17 season tickets at the cheapest prices passes at midday today.

“We’re not in the relegation zone, we’re currently eighth and hopefully we’ll get higher,” Milne told BBC Radio Suffolk’s Life’s a Pitch prior to Saturday’s game against Brentford.

“I don’t think anything’s changed in many ways. Yes, we’d love to be in the top six, but we’re still a great football club with a great following.”

Town currently have just over 14,000 season ticket holders but with anecdotal evidence suggesting that a number of fans don’t plan to renew, many citing the style of play as much as results, that figure is likely to drop, perhaps as far the 12,000s, where sales were prior a boost provided by last season's success.

“That’s a pity, we’re still up there,” Milne added. “I understand what people say about it not being attractive football, but you can play attractive football and be in the relegation zone.

“It’s a very tough league, it’s gets tougher every year. We have to play to that, play to our strengths and keep the fight up.”

He dismisses suggestions that 2015/16 has been a wasted season: “Absolutely not, we have expanded the squad, the boys are still very confident, that’s where we want them to be and they’ve all worked extremely hard. Of course we’re feeling down, we’d love to be in the top six but it’s not over yet.”

He added: “Looking at just the players’ salary bill, it’s gone up 25 per cent over the last two seasons and 15 per cent over the last season, so that shows the expanding squad.

“We could say we’ve been unfortunate with some injuries, some key injuries, and it’s really good to see David McGoldrick and Teddy Bishop back and maybe they will give us that little bit of extra creativity that we need.”

Whether manager Mick McCarthy will be handed more cash for next season will be decided in the summer.

“The budget’s gone up and there’s going to be a discussion between Mick and Marcus in the summer about players and we need to wait for that,” the Blues MD continued.

SEASON TICKETS: Please note there will be no further sales beyond 12pm today. Tickets will remain off sale until season outcome known #ITFC

— ITFC_PlanetBlue (@ITFC_PlanetBlue) April 11, 2016

“But I have no reason to think that he’s not going to continue to invest at or above the level he’s investing at the moment. There could be more money available, as there has been this season.”

Meanwhile, Milne says there has been no contact from Aston Villa regarding McCarthy, who remains second-favourite for the vacant manager’s job at the Premier League’s bottom side, behind ex-Leicester boss Nigel Pearson, with some bookies quoting a price as low as 5/2.

“Nothing at all, it’s just a lovely rumour for certain Aston Villa fans, I suspect,” Milne added.

“He’s here to stay, I saw him on Friday and we were talking about open days and pre-season and what have you.”"

Photo: Action Images

BillBlue added 12:52 - Apr 11 “He's here to stay, I saw him on Friday and we were talking about open days and pre-season and what have you.”
 That says it all, anything but football!.
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JohnSpencer added 12:52 - Apr 11 form table for the last 7 matches doesn't look good
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Facefacts added 12:55 - Apr 11 One thing I forgot to mention: Should have put something in to Mick McCarthy's contract extension, and the season ticket renewals, saying, we will not invent imaginary injuries in order to rest first team regulars and we will put out a full team for the League and FA Cup. Then, make the cup home matches free for season ticket holders. It's a huge negative and downer that we disrespect the cup competitions so much. Most seasons we exit the FA Cup at the 3rd Round. Next season will be the tenth season in a row that we haven't gone beyond the FA Cup 4th Round. During the 70s and early 80s we had one of the best FA Cup records in the country, and people remember that, it is part of the club.

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RYITFC added 12:57 - Apr 11 The comment of wages increasing by 25% is an interesting one, and i'm guessing it's due to us having too many average players who aren't anywhere near good enough to play at this level in the squad. Polish Pete, Tabb, Coke, Toure, Varney all nowhere near good enough to be challenging for the first team, but all are probably on a decent wage. Not to mention others currently in the first team that aren't performing. When we sign players we need to sign better than we already have and if we can't do that there is a serious problem with the recruitment policy and/or level of investment into the club.

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grubbyoik added 12:59 - Apr 11 Let's get this straight... You want us to renew our season tickets to watch our team play under Mick McCarthy for another season... Your out of your mind.. We play the way we do because McCarthy picks the team and then enforces his tactics on that team to play the way they do.. He then defends the players when they play badly because off his tactics who are also sick and tired off this.. And to top it off the fans then berate the players for playing the way they do because of McCarthys tactics and team selection.. Douglas is a good player but not under McCarthys tactics.. Fact.. He scored 8 goals for Brentford last season and was an integral part of their team.. No spine to the team and no spine to the club.. Rant over.

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sidtheswan added 13:00 - Apr 11 Sack the manager, think about a manager who plays football and competes in cup games and I'll think about my season ticket . Oops too late !
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cornishnick added 13:03 - Apr 11 "...it's just a lovely rumour for certain Aston Villa fans, I suspect" The funniest thing I've read in ages! Aston Villa fans want him even less than our own fans!
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Spirit_of_78 added 13:05 - Apr 11 yawn yawn yawn, if you don't want to purchase a ticket don't your obviously not supporters, supporters support a team through the good and bad times, the good football the not so good football, if your a true blue then you'll be there next season to support our team, if your not then jog on! and we'll see you when things change, which they will, maybe not next season or the one after but they will then you'll all come crawling out of the woodwork claiming to be ipswich till i die and a true supporter, get over it or get another team to "support"

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M82 added 13:08 - Apr 11 You can say what you like about MM, but with this lot in charge it won't matter who you get in as a manager. "Stick with Us" suggests some kind of plan or strategy - do please enlighten us loyal paying supporters on what that might be and how you set to achieve it?? Simply put, continued levels of investment will not sustain anything, apart from a steady decline into League 1...basically the Sheffield United model.

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Plums added 13:08 - Apr 11 I imagine the queue is snaking round the ground after that rousing call...
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TheSelkirk added 13:11 - Apr 11 Prior to next season - ship out all those players who are simply not good enough - there are many. Salary overheads immediately reduced. Build a team around the players with true quality (Bart / Freddie) and / or potential (Bishop / Dozzell). Invest the savings in a mix of both experienced and younger players - avoiding journeymen and those looking for a pre-retirement home. If MM is going to be here, ensure that he is aware that a genuine footballing team which is attractive and exciting to watch, CAN produce results and is likely to put bums back on seats in the long run. Come up with the same old same old next season and the understandable frustration, anger and growing lethargy of many fans will continue as our club spirals slowly downward.

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groundhog added 13:13 - Apr 11 There's a good chance next year we will be playing boring football in the relegation zone. So what then Mr milne.
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Elto added 13:19 - Apr 11 Len_Brennan Refreshing post. This will not go down well either, but I think another small step to improve our style could be keeping Digby. I would think he will/could replace Berra at some point. Berra just can't play football, he tried once on Saturday and we know what happened next. Digby, if he makes the grade defensively, can, apparently, play football as well. It is a bit of longshot but tells me the future is at least being considered.

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MrDiddle added 13:23 - Apr 11 I think Mick has done the best with the tools at his disposal. Marcus Evans has been running the club within the limits of FFP (Which we all know is nigh on impossible) and Mick has been working within those constraints to try and get the best out of his squad with limited funds. Hopefully with the amended rules coming into force from next season, this will allow Mick to have access to additional funds without the worry of jeopardising Town's standing in the football league - let's face it the club is heavily dependant on being able to get players in on short term or exceptionally cheap deals, and generally the good ones then get snapped up on longer term deals. As a result the club has remained within FFP limits and has been able to carry on working in this manner. It's not always worked as this season shows, but it's something that generally has done the club well over the past 3 years. I do think that in order for the club to remain competitive in the coming season Marcus Evans is going to have to give Mick a sizeable transfer kitty to work with, independant of wages. I completely agree that the football that we've been given since the turn of the year has been cringe-worthy although I would add that no-one really gives a monkeys when we're winning (14000 season tickets sold for this season is a good indicator of that). I don't think it's right that Mick should go, I actually don't think there is anybody who could do a better job with the restrictions he has to work with. So lets hope that Marcus Evans does the right thing, gives Mick a transfer kitty for next season and hopefully Mick will then go and do the business and buy some additional quality, with our midfield being an obvious candidate.

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runningout added 13:24 - Apr 11 We need robust footballers, not pretty hairdos
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sixtyblue added 13:28 - Apr 11 No money for transfers but three millio or so could have been found by getting rid of the dinosaur and his sidekick.Why not give Bryan Klug a go he knows more about the way this club has been run in the past and should be n the future.Mccarthy has no respect for supporters even those who have supported the club more years than he has been in football.
4

Poultman added 13:29 - Apr 11 If ME doesn't think the club is worth backing with more investment, how can the club expect the average loyal supporter to more invest time and hard earned money?? Surely the powers that be need to lead by example??
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radiogaga added 13:53 - Apr 11 "that figure is likely to drop, perhaps as far the 12,000s, where sales were prior a boost provided by last season's success." So most of the fairweathers are having a sulk by the look of it. See ya.
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TractorBoy666 added 13:56 - Apr 11 God I absolutely despise this man. Not much could get worse than Clegg but this man is very close to that. Oh we are still up there!! Brilliant, so is that worth a renew itself Mr Milne?! You've just got to love the ambition of our club these days. I remember the time where Mr Clegg said it was 'laughable' to even think Harry Redknapp would be a target for us before we got hoofball McCarthy in, says it all really. It's time for supporters not to be treated like dirt and do something about it ME or get out of our club and hand it to somebody who knows a bit about football. I continue to stick by my word of not renewing until I see some actual actions taking place, until then you can stick your season ticket where the sun doesn't shine!

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Currie10 added 13:58 - Apr 11 It's all well and good people typing all kinds of things and people giving them an up arrow, if people think it's not worth going don't renew! I can guarantee a lot of " rar rar rar " commenters WILL renew. The only way prices will come down is if season tickets drop significantly, same with matchday ticket sales, and £10 specials attract big crowds. Until then, it'll go up up up and away. Not than Milne cares, he's a Chelsea fan anyway.

3

Spirit_of_78 added 14:25 - Apr 11 TractorBoy666 not really a tractor boy hey? come back when the sun shines will you? don't bother your not a real tractor boy anyway!!!
-18

grubbyoik added 14:35 - Apr 11 Spirit of 78.. People can support their team how they see fit.. They can also have their own opinion of what ever they like about their team.. who the FXXCK are you to question that
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blueherts added 14:43 - Apr 11 The great irony in all this is that Marcus Evans is in the 'Corporate ENTERTAINMENT'business- centred around sporting occasions - Our group of wholehearted work horses ( with the odd thoroughbred thrown in - out of position) wouldnt wont help their sales guys reach their targets me thinks I know ALOT of people not renewing next season Milne is , I am afraid , as deluded as the rest of them 5 wins since January

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blueherts added 14:43 - Apr 11 The great irony in all this is that Marcus Evans is in the 'Corporate ENTERTAINMENT'business- centred around sporting occasions - Our group of wholehearted work horses ( with the odd thoroughbred thrown in - out of position) wouldnt wont help their sales guys reach their targets me thinks I know ALOT of people not renewing next season Milne is , I am afraid , as deluded as the rest of them 5 wins since January

1

blueherts added 14:43 - Apr 11 The great irony in all this is that Marcus Evans is in the 'Corporate ENTERTAINMENT'business- centred around sporting occasions - Our group of wholehearted work horses ( with the odd thoroughbred thrown in - out of position) wouldnt wont help their sales guys reach their targets me thinks I know ALOT of people not renewing next season Milne is , I am afraid , as deluded as the rest of them 5 wins since January

1

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