Legend Matt Holland has expressed his concerns regarding the current situation at Town with the Blues sitting at the foot of the Championship with only one win all season under boss Paul Hurst and says he has heard that owner Marcus Evans has been sounding out potential new managers.

“It’s a horrible situation that’s panning out at Portman Road at the moment. Bottom of the table and not playing particularly well,” former skipper Holland, 44, said on talkSPORT.

“Crowds have held up pretty well, to be honest, there was 18,000 there against QPR at the weekend.

“But speaking to lots of friends and people that go to the games, they said that was probably the lowest they’ve been watching it.

“A close friend of mine left at half-time, he said it was that bad. He said it was the worst he’d seen as an Ipswich Town supporter. It’s really worrying what’s happening to the club at the moment.”

Holland says the club’s summer business is a big factor behind the present predicament.

“The recruitment has not been good enough, simple as that,” he said. “You look at the players who have gone. Martyn Waghorn, £5 million to Derby, Adam Webster to Bristol City, Joe Garner to Wigan, David McGoldrick on a free to Sheffield United. That’s four quality players that you’ve lost.

“In have come a number of players from League One and League Two. Now, I’m not saying that players in League One and League Two can’t make the step up to the Championship, but to ask, say, eight or nine of them to do it at the same time is asking an awful lot of those players.”

😢 “I’m so upset. It’s really worrying what’s happening at the club.”

🗣 “I’ve heard Marcus Evans is talking to other managers about the job.”

Ipswich hero @MattHolland8 opens up on problems at his old club. #ITFC pic.twitter.com/Ex5CORH3S6– talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 22, 2018

Evans was widely believed to have been considering whether to change manager going into the international break and Holland says he had heard that other potential bosses had been talked to.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen and whether a change is going to be made,” he added. “You hear one or two things when you’re involved and you’re close to the club. I’ve heard that Marcus Evans has spoken to other managers and there’s a possibility that something might change.

“I don’t know whether that will change or not. That was a couple of weeks ago I heard that, that he had spoken to other managers. That will be interesting to see.

“You also hear about what’s going on on the training ground and things and by all accounts perhaps man-management has been lacking.

“I’m at a loss really because I’m so upset, a club that I’m so close to. I still live down the road, I go as much as I can, I work on Saturday generally so it’s difficult to go and see the on a weekend, but I go to midweek games.

“I saw them in the first game of the season against Blackburn when they were probably a bit fortunate to get a draw that day as well. It’s a tough right now.”

Very sensible comments by @mattholland8 got his point over very well. A Manager’s job is hard these days, there’s more emphasis on man management skills than on coaching, that’s why you need a good ‘man manager’ and a good ‘coach’ to work in partnership! Hard to learn on the job! https://t.co/DLwSRIQeR7

— Russell Osman (@RussellOs5) October 22, 2018

Photo: Action Images

shakytown added 00:42 - Oct 23 For even ex players to be talking in public there must be some really bad things going on in the club and especially the team. I really think Hurst is a nice guy and will make it at this and higher levels in the future but he is clearly completely out of his depth now and either needs to get some help from an experienced manager at this level or leave. If he and Doig have lost the dressing room then it's already to late for them.

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jackson added 01:09 - Oct 23 If Paul Hurst should resign - there is simply no other honourable course of action remaining. He has ruined us. I can only hope Evans awakes from his Scrooge like trance and takes serious action before the ghost of xmas future relegation comes rattling its chains.
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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 02:03 - Oct 23 Well said Holland! -- Always one to be counted on is Matty. And ehhh now over to an somewhat equally depressed *unofficial* version of 'The Most Interesting Man in the World': :-) :-)
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trncbluearmy added 05:47 - Oct 23 Whilst I agree with every word that Holland says, one or two also remember one of the prime reasons Town went into admin was his refusal to move when a multi million transfer had been agreed. Legend he is not,future manager no thanks, but his assessment about our current situation is right and his opinion is respected.
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truckerblue added 06:26 - Oct 23 Should've got Gary White in from the start.
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DurhamTownFan added 07:39 - Oct 23 I love Matt Holland and think he could help out in some kind of role. But when people say why not put in Burley again or Mills, I tend to think you don't know modern football that well. Football changes very quickly, and I think even Burley wold be baffled by some of the changes since his ten years or so without a club.
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Swn98 added 08:01 - Oct 23 They missed part of original script out MH was a mm supporter strange how all professionals in the game are big supporters of MM yet the numbskulls and Know alls of TWTD hounded him out!!. Take issue with gates holding up 18,000 sat yes only because of season ticket promotion then I doubt there was 18,000 present. Still you got what you wished for.😢
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Northstandveteran added 08:11 - Oct 23 There would have been under ten thousand if Mick were still here Swn. Must admit to being surprised at the 18000 crowd. Yes, perhaps the ticket promotion helped, but one win and the fans return. I just think that there are still many many town fans desperate to return to Portman road but just can't bring themselves to do so and watch this utter garbage.
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trncbluearmy added 08:13 - Oct 23 Swn98 if mad Mick had been in charge less then 10000 fans would have been bored to death. Employing Mick and getting rid of Mick are the only two decisions our useless owner and his yes men have got right.
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Westy added 08:18 - Oct 23 Under the present regime I can't see things improving much but feel that even if Matt Holland has heard something he should not make it public until the Club wish too.
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runningout added 09:08 - Oct 23 think we know something is not going to plan without MH mentioning it, well said though. Would be a big shame to lose PH, but there's something not Ipswich here
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spanishblue added 09:19 - Oct 23 Do we not have an excellent football coach at PRd already why not give him the reins until Xmas at least the younger homegrowns will be given game time they cannot be worse than those playing with no guidance surely cometh the hour step forward Brian Klug if only for couple of months at least we,lol see a pass or two what sad times we are seeing unfold
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brittaniaman added 09:25 - Oct 23 I dread the thought of Portsmouth, Peterboro, and Stanley coming up, with us going down yes Us ITFC.!!!!!!
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Barty added 09:30 - Oct 23 Need new manager now now now
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BlueBlood90 added 09:40 - Oct 23 I don't understand the dig at Marcus Evans this time around. He got a young manager in from the leagues below like we all wanted and then backed Hurst with millions of £££ when players were sold. It's Hurst who is completely at fault here as he used that money to sign absolute dross! A huge part of his appointment was to do the following: - Play a good style of football (IT'S WORSE LONG BALL FOOTBALL THAN MCCARTHY) - Develop our youth players (NOT HAPPENED AT ALL AND SENT THEM ALL OUT ON LOAN) - Take a cup run seriously (LOST IN THE FIRST ROUND) - Sign good young players (ONLY EDWARDS ISN'T COMPLETELY USELESS OUT OF ALL HIS SIGNINGS)

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ShropshireBluenago09 added 09:47 - Oct 23 Hurst got lucky with a very good keeper in Dean Henderson on loan from Man Utd last season. Without him they would have been average.
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ShropshireBluenago09 added 09:49 - Oct 23 Doig is Hursts voice and used to bark out the orders at Shrewsbury right through the game. Not seen much of him pitch side recently
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BlueBlood90 added 10:12 - Oct 23 Absolutely spot on. People like Matt should still be at the club in some way or another. A good man, a true professional and a shining example to any young player. Plus he CARES hugely about the club which is massively important. I'd love to see him back in the future and I think he'd make a great coach or assistant manager.
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Blue_Moses added 10:14 - Oct 23 The club said there were 18,000 on Saturday, I could have laid down across empty seats behind the goal in lower North
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Bergholtblue added 10:27 - Oct 23 Do you really want Matt Holland as manager? A man with absolutely no managerial experience. Don't get me wrong he was my favourite Town player in his day. He clearly loves the club but what we need is a manager who can steady the ship and get the best out of the dross we have left, Matt Holland is not that man I'm afraid. Nor can a lot of the other ex-players that have been mentioned over the last few weeks. We need a manager with a lot of experience, managers like Allerdyce or Warnock (That's how bad it is now, two managers I have come to loathe but would not welcome with open arms!)

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Razor added 10:29 - Oct 23 It is of course not totally true that any new manager would have to work with only the players here now----look at Mclaren----problems with goalscoring so got in Hemed and Nakki Wells on the same day-----Warnock did the same at Cardiff, on his first day got 2 big defenders in, one of which I remember was Sol Bamba. As long as they are out of contract we can sign them up---at least as a stop gap to January. I know somebody a lot cleverer than me (Phil) could probably give us a list of available players----I know one for sure, Darren Bent.

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ElephantintheRoom added 10:31 - Oct 23 Bit much considering that it was Holland's greed and opportunism that contributed in full to the financial collapse. If he felt that strongly about ITFC he could have bitten the bullet and gone to Aston Villa for a club-saving fee when given the chance, rather than trouser a huge pay out for joining Charlton.
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thechangingman added 11:07 - Oct 23 I respect Matt Holland very much indeed and personally consider him a very positive influence for the club - both then and now. He's also not someone usually given to controversy or malice and so it gives these comments even greater gravitas. None of us know the true 'ins-and-outs' but clearly something has gone very badly wrong indeed. I agree with other, level-headed posters, that it wouldn't be ideal to see Hurst sacked and yet I also don't see what other option we have. We are, quite literally, caught between a rock and a hard place! Overall, I'd favour Hurst leaving and for us to get an experienced manager in, even for the short term, just to steady-the-boat - indeed, whilst we still have a boat left to steady... Very troubling days indeed for Town and yet somewhere, deep down, I feel a slight flicker of optimism as we at least seem to be starting to address the inevitable. I.T.I.D.

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Swn98 added 11:12 - Oct 23 Northstandveteran,trncbluearmy , What the above mentioned and others fail to understand or not wish to understand is that the Majority of Professionals have a high regard for MM talents especially in the position our club are in i know whose opinion i respect.
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TimmyH added 11:18 - Oct 23 yawn...swn98
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