Former boss Paul Hurst has talked at length about his time with the Blues for the first time and says he doesn’t think the squad at Town “as a whole bought into what we were trying to do”, adding that he found it difficult to have a relationship with owner Marcus Evans.

Speaking at length in an interview with Sky Sports, Hurst reflected on his 149 days in charge at Portman Road, which ended on October 25th when his assistant Chris Doig, fitness coach Nathan Winder and physio Chris Skitt also left the club.

"I wanted people to embrace the idea that you be the best that you can be - with no excuses," he said.

"That's something I'm a big believer in. But as it went on, maybe because we did not get those early victories, those excuses began to creep in there.

“It is easy to say that you want change but when it comes along are you prepared to put the hard work in or do you show some resistance?

"I don't think the group as a whole bought into what we were trying to do. I'd had a fantastic relationship with my players at every one of my other clubs. Even at Ipswich, I felt I had decent relationships and the door was always open for players to air their grievances.

"But what it showed to me was the importance of getting the right characters in the dressing room. Character is so important. All you can do is manage those characters the best that you can until you can get the squad how you want it."

Hurst, 44, says he always knew it was a tough job to make Town competitive in the Championship given the budget he was working with.

"I'd had some success at Shrewsbury with an unfancied team that were second favourites for relegation, so you are hoping you can do something similar," he reflected.

"The owner didn't want to embrace that underdog tag. He felt that given the club's history and having been in the Championship for a long time, he didn't want to go down that route. I was OK with that and so we decided to do something different.

"We certainly put more emphasis on sports science. We also wanted to recruit in a different way because there was this complaint about adding journeymen players to the squad. The aim was to bring in younger and hungrier players with a point to prove.

"That is going to take time. I was not naïve enough to think that all the new players would take to it like a duck to water and play really well because that doesn't happen. But the mindset was that one or two could do that and some of the others could do it with time.”

He says things were difficult from the start: "Pre-season was a struggle. I fought hard to get us a trip abroad just to change things up a bit. The owner, the players and the fans needed that culture change.

"They had been going to Ireland with Mick [McCarthy] but it had almost become a set routine. I thought going abroad instead was great but because we went without anything like the squad we ended up with, that bonding experience was not as effective as I would have liked it to be.

"A lot of the players that went on that trip were not going to be part of my plans to begin with and others moved on. We sold Adam Webster after a couple of days of pre-season and I couldn't replace him until the season had started. We went into the season with one senior centre-back and we were filling in around that.

"At the other end of the pitch, David McGoldrick had already left the football club and then we lost Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner. Both wanted to leave and that left a huge void which had to be filled within the wage structure which was difficult.

“The lads that came in probably needed some time to gain confidence and would have benefited from an experienced player like Martyn or Joe.

"Most of the time changes take time to come together and we were starting the season nowhere near as far forward as I had hoped."

Regarding working with Evans, who has taken a more hands-on role since Paul Lambert took charge, he said: "Trying to have a relationship with the owner was difficult. We spoke on the phone but with him not being around to speak to in person, it meant that there was a little bit of a void."

Reflecting on the current positives for the club, he added: "There are a lot of good young players coming through. If they can continue to progress over the next year or two they might end up in a situation where that group can all be playing in the same team. That would be a real positive for the football club.

"Paul has also brought more new faces to the club, which I would have liked to do in the January window. They may have the positive impact which the team requires. I hope the club can retain their Championship status as I was, and still am, grateful for the opportunity they gave me."

Photo: TWTD

Kirbmeister added 19:49 - Jan 11 So it was everyone else's fault apart from Hirst and his idiot assistant deputy Doig.
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blueboy1981 added 19:57 - Jan 11 Longer term - it may have been the right thing - we didn't have that time for a new culture to merge. If's, but's, and maybe's. In fairness PH brought in some potential, but time was never going to be on his side. Even less now for Lambert.
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FrankMarshall added 20:01 - Jan 11 A number of key decisions were made between the departure of MM and the arrival of PH. Players such as Crowe, Hyam, Bru and Carayol were allowed to leave--3 of which would walk into this team right now. Hurst had to spend because he had no other real choice, most of the squad had left and a few others were long-term injured! Hurst also obviously wanted Tilt and made that very clear; and that never happened. Add McGoldrick, Webster, Waghorn and Garner leaving and we were a disaster waiting to happen. The point I am trying to make is that the interim period between the two managers was critical. I am not sure who was firing the shots during that period, but whoever it was did an appalling job. In the end Hurst turned out to be a poor appointment but it wasn't helped by the impossible situation he found himself in.

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Bergholtblue added 20:09 - Jan 11 "The squad as a whole didn't buy in to what we were trying to do" That's down to poor man management then. The crowd didn't buy into it either! We hadn't a clue as to what you were trying to do.
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Sparky85 added 20:29 - Jan 11 Interesting on the sky sports page for this interview, PH is quoted as saying Evans is wanting to sell the club as soon as a buyer is found (not included above unless I missed it)?? Probably confirms what we all know but ME isn't going to admit to
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lightingblue added 20:55 - Jan 11 Like any job. People come people go. Life goes on. Now yesterday's man. In all fairness hurst May have a point regards Evans lack of physical presence around the place. Then again, Evans has several businesses to run. His one man trying to juggle several companies. Personally I know several people of extremely high wealth and businesses around the world. It can be crazy full on beyond belief and few people can realise. Then again it's their choice. Whatever they do they can't keep everyone happy

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lightingblue added 20:55 - Jan 11 Like any job. People come people go. Life goes on. Now yesterday's man. In all fairness hurst May have a point regards Evans lack of physical presence around the place. Then again, Evans has several businesses to run. His one man trying to juggle several companies. Personally I know several people of extremely high wealth and businesses around the world. It can be crazy full on beyond belief and few people can realise. Then again it's their choice. Whatever they do they can't keep everyone happy

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Terra_Farma added 21:04 - Jan 11 All the best to PH. Moving on swiftly.... In PL we trust.
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miltonsnephew added 21:16 - Jan 11 Probably because they realised that we'd end up in the terrible state we're in right now!! Such a backwards step, hope we've learnt from this and realise the grass isn't always greener. We shouldn't of let such an inexperienced person/Manager/coach make that big a jump to our club and bring all the players he brought! Should've gone with an experienced guy and someone with the no how for this league. We're already a tough project for anyone, especially with the tight funds and a mediocre team we currently have. Paul Lambert is exactly what our team/ club needs, I just hope he can complete the great escape. If not I don't fully know he'll be here next season.

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blueboy1981 added 21:19 - Jan 11 If I was Evans I would sell up - and who would be mug enough to invest in some of you so called SUPPORTERS ? No one, but no one - could come in as Owner and please (far too many) of you lot. SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE - and prove you REALLY care - by supporting everything about the Club in order to rebuild.
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phantom added 21:41 - Jan 11 The fact that old players like chambers couldnt handle the new challenge is why hurst failed. Cahmbers fell out the the assistant coach which then had a detrimental eefect with orher senior players. And now we have lambert who now has a worse record than hirst and he now the messiar 😂 really is this how far we have come as a club.? And the fact that evans sanctioned the employment of the new manager and then failed to support him sums ip everything wrong with this club at the moment. The ipswich i knew is dying under this structure and the new fans are to nieve to understand the stupidity that evans has indicted into what was a great club

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warktheline added 21:45 - Jan 11 @blueboy, what are you going on about! Why don't you step into a 'roll' alongside 'your man' Evans, by all accounts reading your posts recently, it would appear the two of you would instantly see eye to eye!!!!
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warktheline added 21:50 - Jan 11 ....that is of course you can locate him around Portman Rd! Hurst will fill you in on that one!!!! More excuses no doubt!
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warktheline added 21:52 - Jan 11 @phantom, spot on! 👍
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barrystedmunds added 21:56 - Jan 11 It is strange that he doesn't admit ANY culpability to the shambles we now find ourselves. I'd admit he never had the best platform to launch his attempt to turn us round (delay in appointment, players leaving, injuries etc) but I feel his transfer policy, particularly the guys he brought in were his downfall. Short term, he must shoulder huge responsibility for our current demise.

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algarvefan added 22:52 - Jan 11 The state the club is in didn't just happen under Paul Hurst, the rot set in many many years ago and our decline has been steadily taking place over a number of years. You can blame whoever you like but the club as a whole has been poorly run right across the board and it all came to be at about the time Evans arrived. Investment has been poor and the relationship with the fans has also been poor. I like the sound of Lambert, but lets wait and see what the results say. Either way there appears to be little money of direct involvement by the owner.

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shakytown added 23:49 - Jan 11 Why can't he just own up to his own incompetence???? Mr Hurst your arrogant underestimating of the difference between leagues has almost destroyed this club. Time to just shut up and learn from YOUR mistakes.
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bobble added 06:01 - Jan 12 if i took over a fairly average consistent mid table team and then proceeded to chuck out the 10% of good and then spend 7 million quid replace it with 95% very bad and then plunge that team into their worst leagues position in 60 years while paying terrible football i would be wearing mirrored shades and have grown a long beard and be living incognito in the south of spain or new zealand, not appearing on national tv blaming the players i purchased.....

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CornishMariner added 07:47 - Jan 12 Not one player brought in from the Championship. The Ipswich scouting network did well under MM but Hurst went on record to say he wanted control over who came in. It is easier to buy into a philosophy when the manager has either played at the highest level or has the intellect to get it across in a convincing manner - this is what marks out the Premiership managers.

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Swn98 added 10:25 - Jan 12 Do we realy need three pages of debate about Hurst he fitted most of the wishes of the fans after MM walked and failed, so be it. Lets get behind PL and get three points today i know its long odds against us staying up but perhaps we can perform a miracle.
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carlo88 added 10:31 - Jan 12 I thought that was a very fair and thoughtful interview, I have no interest in slagging him off. The man had done well at all of his previous clubs so there is obviously a good manager in there somewhere. I get the impression it must be very difficult for anyone to follow on from Mick, the players seem to love him.
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DoseOfReality added 11:17 - Jan 12 He has a very valid point in Evans inept running if the club. Also he was allowed to make too many rash decisions which in top of years of under investment ended in disaster. Funny how he didn't have balls to speak out when in the seat. PL is breath of fresh air .. he says it how it is
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tebbo28 added 11:23 - Jan 12 Totally agree kirbmeister. No acknowledgement of his failings, his mistakes and his weaknesses. Would get alot more credit if he simply said 'hands up, I didn't do as well as I expected'.
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Pilgrimblue added 11:43 - Jan 12 He wasn't on my list but like everyone I hoped he would succeed. The trouble is that all this has stirred up MM supporters who sadly haven't moved on! I hope PL does pull the rabbit out of th ehat but whatever I'm Town through and through.
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Pecker added 12:01 - Jan 12 We know what you did you muppet, totally fooked us, that what you did. God help your next club, if you get one.
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