On the fence somewhat.

He saved us from going under and the plan was really more buy the club and debt cheap, get promoted and sell the club for more than purchase price of club and debt thus resulting in a profit.

For me.

No one else ponied up any dough. Evans did and I'm thankful. Even if Gold and Sullivan had got on they would have dumped the club at the first sniff of buying west ham and they don't care who the sell the club too (just whoever gives them the most dosh, see Brum City and the iffy Thai owner they flogged the club too)


Agree big Jim deserved more time but what else has he done in management so saying he would have got us up is an unknown. Plus Keane was availble and whilst I diagreed with that at the time I understood it (I recall most town fans being pretty chuffed at the time too so hard to blame Evans for what on paper was a good appointment). Here was Roy F******* Keane, who had taken (scared) Sunderland from rock bottom of the Championship to promotion in half a season, a man with a contact book that should have a helped get players through the door and a reputation in the game to match ( the true fall out from his move from Utd still to be revealed) we should have had access to the best young talent both perm and on loan. As it happened Keane had pissed of everyone he had ever worked with and what we got was Lee Martin and Darren O'dea. Oh dear.

Then to PJ who I thought was a good appointment (wrong) . Again on paper this was a man who worked wonders at small provincial clubs (esp Wigan) whose players played for him and whos affable nature seemed and ideal Antidote to Keane ripping the heart of the club. Sadly he couldn't get us to deffend and we lostrich 4-3 every week.

All of the above had cash to spend and whilst I know some disagree we only have to look at what was wasted on the likes of Chopra, Martin, Fullop (not wasted there but big wages), Priskin etc during those tenures to see why Evans had changed his plan. Cue Mick the shoestring miracle worker.

In those years between Evans buying and Micks appointment football moved on, dramatically, costs spiralled and fees and wages went through the roof and the truth is the game is to rich even for Evans.

Here he was (and is) pumping in £6 million a year just to cover costs let alone anything else (during Keane tenure our wages to income ration was untenable) so you can understand something had to be done.

Add on top of that investment in Cat 1 status ( Can't blame Evans for the constant shiffting of goal posts on that) which is substancial and I think Evans had done more for the club than we give him credit for.

That said he lingered on Keane and PJ too long (I like that we give managers time but there is a limit), he did underestimate what was needed to get us up and was a touch naive when buying the club ( but i think we see him learning) and has been dross at PR and communication with fans (again we see him learning though and this is getting better).

Yes we could see more investment but FFP certainly played it's part (though it feels like that is no longer an excuse as it seems well out the window) but at least we now have a plan of building a core of younger players and an aim to try and keep out best (yes cress and Mings sold But in order to keep MCG whom we turned down 8 mill for) and whilst it has again taken longer than Evans thought it does now feel like we are moving in that direction, with a plan and a core of talented played comming through.

It's been a long 10 yrs, a hard 10 yrs and mistakes have been made but some of those on context are understandable and I certainlydon't buy all this Evans doesn't want promotion nonsense.

He can't take cash out of the club unless we get promoted, the deal was structured as such, you can't tell me he enjoys losing 6 million a a year and so what if he does get tax breaks as a result if it means he continues to pump that money in its just fine by me. Bether we owe out owner who has no interest is pulling the plug (coz it will cost him a fortune) than the banks who don't care and were happy to pull the liquidation trigger. Fact is if Evans spends more the debt gets biggee and we can't have it both ways! Look how much Utd are in debt, football has changed (for the worse) and the way clubs finances have changed also (for the worse).

So Evans bought the club and prevented himself taking any payback until he delivers prem league ... thats seems a very fair deal..... not to many owners I am aware of have done the same.

Bottom line is no, he's not the Messiah but he's not the very naughty boy some make him out to be either.

As for saying it's time to go.... frankly if somoene with real clout came in to buy I think he would sell. The trouble is no one wants to buy a club stuck out in the nowhere (which we are) they want the glamour of London or Manchester or at least nearby so unless there is a super wealthy individual who grew up supporting town and recalls the glory days and has the desire to give away his cash in order to do so I don't think the buyers are out there.

If anyone knows one please point them in our direction

Why do we keep hearing these figures 0f £6-7m being pumped into the Club each year by Evans? In the last few years the figure has been something like £250k.
http://swissramble.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ipswich%20Town

Carberry.... forgive me if I'm wrong as I would need to read that throughly. Lots of figures there and good article but based on an initial (and quick) read I think you are conflating squad investment with actual running costs (leccy for the floodlights and so on).

How good to read some well judged appraisals,both of what M Evans has brought to our club,of the correct ,if nor always full, assessment of just what his funds have enabled ( and please ,less uninformed rubbish about £6M a year ,and the cries for yet more !) As to the appointments of Keane and Jewell , both inadequate in so many ways ,let alone their immediate past history when they came , then those of us who may have had the unfortunate experience of first hand meetings , would have probably nothing to recommend either ,in human terms ,in man management abilities , or even as amicable honest men !We should be able to reflect happily on their departures and appreciate a LOT more the very very good standards that MM uand TC expect of ITFC staff at all levels ,together with the joined up manner of all that occurs ,both on match days ,on the training grounds and most importantly in the Acadamy and junior ranks !
Let all be truly supportive ,and grateful for the undoubted efforts of everyone from ME down !
Those who have and do actually play any sport will know that the cards don't actually fall your way each time you perform ,so be a little generous and understanding ; positive critique is fine ,but unmitigated CRITICSM is so truly sad !
Come On You Blues !

The best thank you would be for you to sell Marcus !

I appreciate what you did for us 10 years back but selling to a more proactive owner would be great .

Because on the footballing side of the business we have gone backwards Imo .

We are now compared with the likes of Burton Albion and such like .

Take MM With you please

I'm not someone who likes Evans and disagree with most if not all that he does for the club.

But there is little doubt his takeover was much needed and it did save the club at the time. I just personally don't see the club moving forward under his ownership. I very much hope to be proved wrong and recent showings on the pitch are encouraging.

Football has changed so much due Sky involvement, and not for the better. The PL frankly is the poisoned chalice. See that lot up the road for evidence. However without doubt, Marcus Evans buying ITFC saved the Club from certain liquidation. I think he sold a good “ buy” by Sheepshanks when it was no doubt indicated promotion was very much within reach with an injection of cash. The problem was Evans had no knowledge of the game or the problem or in it. He could only court others views. He was badly advised regarding managers. Magilton got this Club to a reasonable placement as a rookie manager , before being unceremoniously sacked! The appointment of Keane was an unmitigated disaster for this Club , which set us back a decade ( with the damage he did to the academy and the Club as s whole) . Bloody awful manager. Then he was replaced by the out of date , hapless but well meaning Jewell, for whom the game had dimples my past him by. Both spent millions.

Now arguably in Mick McCarthy we have the best manager under Evans , yet he gives him sod all funds. There is now an irreparable rift between Mick and the fan base, due to the problems he has had in assembling an attacking squad on buttons, coupled with his unfortunate ultra cautious tactical approach.

Where do we go now?

Evans is unlikely to change his fiscal management of ITFC and Mick will almost certainly walk. ( on his terms) in May. Have we lost a very good manager? Probably. Was he a good fit with what the ITFC fans historically have come to accept as their preferred “Ipswich way”? Probably no. Will we be doomed when he leaves? Probably not. But whoever comes in to manage Town under Evans ownership will be under no illusions that he must achieve promotion on sod all funds and heavy reliance on our Academy players- which takes time.

The fans have two Options. Support the Club through these difficult times and accept those h Ady days under SBR are long gone now , or walk away and find something else to do on a Saturday.

Me? I'm staying !

Unless I have missed it, I am not aware of anyone showing a genuine interest in taking the club over in the past 10 years.

Without Marcus Evans money we would be stuffed. Game has moved on and parachute payments have stopped the level playing field aspect of the Championship to a degree.

We now get mid table crowds at best despite improvements in entertainment this season. Be careful what you wish for peeps

I can't add too much to what has already been said.
My biggest bug bear is that Evans lost interest quickly after the disastrous appointments of Keane and Jewell. Magilton was building a decent team, although as a young manager he made inevitable mistakes. Hindsight says he should have been given more time, or a Director of football brought in to guide him. It's fair to say though that there weren't many dissenting voices when Keane was appointed.
Once the gloss was off after the Keane and Jewell debacle, a decision seemed to be made that has resulted in us plodding along with no imagination or vision - almost a policy of damage limitation, and that's what hurts me most. The excitement that drew me year after year has gone, replaced with a pragmatic manager, who sometimes has my sympathy, and other times only seems adept at shooting himself in the foot, an MD who is laughable through lack of any identity what so ever and an absent owner who has a greater love for a balance sheet than his football club. It's all a terrible shame.
I haven't been to PR in several years - not out of protest, I used to do the 240 mile round trip 7-8 times a season as well as all of the midlands away games, it's more an unconscious decision based on an overpriced product with little value for money. Loyalty pricks the conscience with such remarks and I'd like to think that's the kind of statement that would resonate enough with the owners for them to do something, but sadly that just won't happen.

Haha, if we lost on Saturday these comments would look so different.

What have we achieved in the last 10 years? That should be the only measure of whether ownership under Marcus Evan's has been a success or not.

I personally would rather see an owner who loves the club & listens to the fans more.

Loads of cash is a bonus $$$$ :) !

Evans has made a series of "football" mistakes in his tenure including the hasty dismissal of Magilton, the appointments of Keane and Jewell, the early player trading and lack of a plan with regard to squad building and not backing MM in January window 2015 when we had a real chance of going up. We will most likely finish mid table again this year with average attendances down year on year again.

That said, his investment has been considerable, there weren't many others queuing up to invest 10 years ago and the financial landscape has changed so that it is now a tougher ask than ever to get promoted if you've been away from the Premier League as long as we have. Compared with many, he's been better and he's shown loyalty to his managers, invested in the academy and certainly got smarter in the transfer market.

My main gripe with him is the lack of leadership, communication and engagement with the supporter base. This club should be at the heart of the community and a positive force in the town and county. Under Evans there is a lack of connection and investment. Clegg and Milne have been very poor at building this connection and the own goals over ticketing and pricing have caused unnecessary antagonism between fan and owner.

A lot on here that seem to know what would've happened if Marcus hadn't 'saved' the club. So if he hadn't we would be where? No one has a clue so basically just speculating for the benefit of their argument with absolutely no proof. I don't know which club they are talking about that he has saved, the one that is in nearly 3 times the debt it was when he took over, the one that has only finished in the top 6 once in 10 years, the one that has managed to half it's home fanbase. We're saved! oh thank you 'Marcus i don't want publicity but i want my name posted over every square inch of the club Evans.' he's been ok for the club but certainly not deserving of the praise some are giving him. But that's my opinion

Hasn't gone to plan so far, but thanks to Marcus Evans from me

The main issue for me is the complete lack of any credible passion for our beloved ITFC from any of the senior club figures. The owner is faceless, his MD appears to be little more than a puppet given to uttering the odd unconvincing platitude, and the manager appears more intent to demonstrate that he is a man of integrity by being seen to honour his contractual obligations, than to make any meaningful attempt to convince the fan base that he is motivated to move heaven and earth to gain success for the club he loves.
While ITFC will remain forever in my blood, the malaise of past few years has created a fundamental disconnect with much of the fan base, and I regret that it certainly doesn't entice me to contemplate either the renewal of my season ticket, or investing considerable time and expense in the 200 mile round trip to attend PR. Sad.