Town owner Marcus Evans has apologised to Town fans in the wake of the Blues' relegation to League One and has outlined the plans for the future in a personal letter that will go out with season ticket renewals later this week, which has been published in part on the club website today.

Before I talk about the future, which I truly am positive about, I want to personally apologise to you for the position the club finds itself in at the moment. "

We tried something different at the start of the season. For one reason or another it didn’t work, and you will have your own views as to what went wrong, but clearly mistakes have been made and as owner, I have to take overall responsibility for that.

""Now my responsibility is to take this great club forwards again. Paul Lambert, as our manager, is obviously a key part of that plan and whilst results on the pitch have not been as we would have hoped for, performances and entertainment levels have vastly improved and most importantly as the manager has had time to work with the players, most of whom will be the core of next year’s team, we have recently been competitive with the best teams in the Championship.

As our young team develops and improves, this foundation has to be encouraging to all of us as a positive indication that we are now going in the right direction. We will quite rightly expect this team to carry on with this competitiveness in the lower league next season.

These players, who are still learning the game at the highest levels, all need a significant run of matches to consolidate their position in the first team and whilst there is a place for one or two loans and players who can bring vital experience in the latter stages of their careers, the majority of the squad need to be younger players who will be improving week by week. "

Where we don’t have talent in the building that is ready for developing in a particular position and it’s clear that we need to invest to improve we will do so but we will not bring in anyone who blocks our own players’ development and we will ensure we give our young homegrown players a run of games.

They will make mistakes, but as long as they learn from those mistakes we will have a team that gets better and better. ""We need players on the pitch who are the future of Ipswich for the next five or six years, not just for one or two seasons, whose development our coaches can influence and who are on the upward curve of their playing career.""

Much of this was the plan for last summer however it didn’t work out the way we planned. In Paul Lambert and his team, we have a group of excellent coaches who are completely invested in the strategy.

I cannot doubt the loyal support you have shown the club through thick and thin but now we need everyone’s support and togetherness more than ever. ""We are playing the attractive, entertaining football that I think you want to see. I certainly do. I have seen the players applauded off in many games this season, even after defeat, so I think that shows you are appreciating the way Paul is getting the team to play.

Of course, it’s about winning football matches though and that is something that we have to put right. ""Paul, our general manager of football operations, Lee O’Neill, and myself have had numerous meetings over the last four or five months to discuss the future direction of the club.""

We are all united in the strong belief that our young players need to be given a pathway into the first-team and a chance to establish themselves at that level, not just a few games here or there but over a period of time.

Developing and nurturing our own players and giving them first-team opportunities are at the core of our focus going forward. They will need patience but it’s the way forward for Ipswich Town. I want you to witness the excitement of a team developing week in, week out and see this turning this into a winning formula.

""We will still retain that balance of experienced players around them, of course. Players like Bart Bialkowski, Alan Judge, Luke Chambers and Cole Skuse will provide that guidance for our young players to progress.

""As stated earlier it’s not our intention to bring in loan players in any numbers. We may have one or two but the plan is to provide that pathway for our young players, rather than use the loan market. "

I have become much more hands-on at the club since the turn of the year and that will continue. I’m not going to hide from the fact that these are challenging times at the club but sometimes out of adversity you become stronger. That is our aim.

"I am also putting plans in place to take Ipswich Town deeper into the local community, working closer than ever before with schools, charities and local organisations. There will be more on that over the coming weeks.

""I know Paul has been amazed and humbled as well by the backing he, personally, and the team have received from you the fans and he is determined to repay that support in the years ahead.""

With Paul as our manager, we have the right man to take us forward. I will provide all the support I can to him but we need your continued fantastic support as well.

It seems strange to say this but we are not a club in crisis, we are once again already developing our community roots; we are financially stable; we have a proven management team intent on doing things going forwards in the Ipswich way and whilst the foundations have already been laid to move onwards and upwards THE REAL FIGHTBACK STARTS NOW to get back into the Championship and then on from there.

General manager of football operations Lee O’Neill will be on Mark Murphy’s Radio Suffolk breakfast show on Monday morning from 8am talking about Town’s relegation and the Blues’ future.

Photo: ITFC

Bluearmy_81 added 20:49 - Apr 14 Bingboast, thanks for your comment. As Ive previously said, telling people they can't criticise the owner if they can't buy the club themselves is about as ridiculous as saying the manager should help to buy players out of his own wages, it's frankly a completely ludicrous statement. I've never heard anything so ridiculous in football in my whole life. You are missing the point by a country mile.

-1

TractorRoyNo1 added 20:50 - Apr 14 mainished - "The Academy has produced three young players in recent years (Downes, Dozzell, Nydam) something that Norwich (a level 1 Academy) can't claim" Really???? they sold the Murphy boys for £25m and have at least 3 youth team players in their team at present, with Arsenal reportedly ready to test them with a £20m bid for lad who made his debut st Portman Road this season.

2

BrandestonBlue added 20:55 - Apr 14 Looking forward to next season already - new grounds to visit and if we can retain the players suggested we should have a positive mix of experience and youth - key for me will be whether players like Freddie Sears, Ellis Harrison and Kayden Jackson and Edwards can make an impact at this lower level under Lamberts guidance and a good pre season behind them Hoping for a positive announcement on season ticket prices which will make Portman Road a rocking place to play and provide the extra man to enable us to win home games playing the Ipswich way - lots to be positive about ! Frankly what's the alternative?

3

TractorRoyNo1 added 21:01 - Apr 14 itfcsince1973 - "The talk of a new striker needed, that's a £10m signing in today's market. " Mick Mills is right it us about recruitment, Waghorn £750k, Pukki £250k
3

dirtydingusmagee added 21:02 - Apr 14 who set up the FB page ,Nigel Farage ?
1

Jim added 21:11 - Apr 14 I bet the breakfast table is a little somber in the Evans household!
-1

Yeti added 21:11 - Apr 14 I can already hear the pundits this time next year “they hounded out a manager then an owner and look what's happened now” Isn't it about time the outers clubbed their dole and pocket monies together, bought the damn club and did a better job? Or just bite the bullet and support like intelligent grown-ups.
0

boysof1981 added 21:16 - Apr 14 ‘We need players on the pitch who are the future of Ipswich for the next five or six years, not just for one or two seasons'. Until we get a bid above £250k then he'll sell. Complete fraud.
0

tractorollson added 21:23 - Apr 14 Young players rather than loans are all very well but they sadly dont get results, we need a blend of both experienced loans and youth
0

blues1 added 21:49 - Apr 14 Bluearmy81. At least get your facts right. Hes supposedly asking £36m for the club and the debt is £90m. So how is he including that in the price? As for those slagging him off for this statement? Ive seen since yesterday people saying he should apologise and now he has, he hets slagged off. Grow up people.
3

warktheline added 22:06 - Apr 14 Telling sections on the forum to shut up and support the team is whitewashing over a multitude of mistakes spanning over Evans ownership! If the ‘money debate' is removed from the equation what's left really looks like mishaps upon mishaps in relation to footballing decisions! What I'd suggest to Evans is to appoint a ‘football man' to oversee football practicalities going forward! From youth to senior level all needs to be seen pushing in the same direction! Undoubtedly Evans has been found painfully short in such matters and moments.An example as follows; He's stated on record Lambert is the right man to take the club forward! Surely he should have shown caution and possibly avoided the issue especially when Lamberts current ( and previous appointments) haven't produced the desired level of expectations! If the team starts poorly and continues to struggle up to end of year again the owner will be facing another dilemma and another round of unrest from the terraces! That's not to say Evans should disappear again! He needs to be extremely vocal and to be seen in and around Portman Road! Talking to staff and players letting them know he's fully aware of his surroundings and committed to the cause! Setting standards and expecting them to be met! There's much to do Evans to rectify this mess and to gain an ounce of credibility from many sectors of Ipswich Town Football Club! No more talking, action is what is required!

2

Dissboyitfc added 22:22 - Apr 14 Tractorroyno1... pukki was a free transfer i think i am right in saying! i agree with what you say though, you dont need to spend 10 million on players. Norwich havent spent big this season, shows it isnt always about the money. Look how much Derby spend every season!
4

Bluearmy_81 added 22:51 - Apr 14 Trust me I hope I'm wrong with this but personally I think if Evans is still here in 3-4 years there is more chance we will be playing in league two than in the championship. I wonder if all the Evans backers on here, given that scenario in 3-4 years, would hold their hands up and admit they called it wrong and were naïve to back Evans past this point? We'll see. Trust me I hope it's you who are right and I'm wrong but I deal in facts and evidence, not vain hope.

2

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 23:52 - Apr 14 Blueboy1981 - didn't think it would ever happen but we agree totally on this . Very honest and sincere statement in my opinion , and Bluearmy 1981 do you really not see a massive change in the atmosphere at Portman Rd ?
1

bobble added 01:10 - Apr 15 it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.......
0

Tractamatt added 01:29 - Apr 15 I'm going to put £10 on Ipswich winning the first division next season by a long way. Gut feeling and its down to lambert and the fact I think Marcus Evans is going to sell before the next season starts.
-1

Sospiri added 01:32 - Apr 15 I can understand peoples frustration with Marcus, but if you look at his decisions, they all seemed good at the time. He picked Managers who seemed right for the job at the time, but ultimately just didn't work out. So, why is that? Has he simply not invested like other owners? I was struck by how many players over 1.5m that even lowly Brentford could afford. Why do we never pay these amounts? Or is it something else we are just not aware of?

1

Brockleyblue added 03:27 - Apr 15 I want to personally apologise for using a split infinitive in my opening sentence.
0

Bluearmy_81 added 06:41 - Apr 15 Dozzells bobble, there may be a change in atmosphere but that's not equating to positive change on the pitch in terms of results. The team are giving their all for Lambert but just arent good enough, not by a long way. Imo significant investment is required to get us up in the next two seasons as we are currently mid table league one in terms of quality. I just don't see that investment coming. If we don't go up in two seasons we will end up stuck in league one/two, like Coventry/Charlton.

0

ITFCsince73 added 08:42 - Apr 15 Yes tractorroy you can get lucky with recruitment. But if we want a striker up to standard, to hit the ground running. The going rate is 10m. Theres only so many Pukki,s out there undiscovered. 250k!! Amazing buisness and scouting network.
0

blueboy1981 added 09:28 - Apr 15 Bluearmy_81 ........... 'the team are giving their all for Lambert' ? - sorry but I have to question that. I didn't see that at Brentford, and I didn't see that in the first half on Saturday against Birmingham. Second half different story completely.
0

Gcon added 10:12 - Apr 15 Relegated due to his decision making, generally based on greed (selling Waghorn to make a quick buck was the defining moment for me). And he's still trying to pull the wool over our eyes. And there are still people buying it! Unbelievable naivety from people on here.
1

Westy added 10:23 - Apr 15 We'll see how sorry he is when the new Season Ticket prices are announced.
0

upthewallpaul added 10:58 - Apr 15 Crisis? What Crisis?
0

Warkys_Tash added 12:28 - Apr 15 The only way you can really apologise Marcus is to properly fund this club once again. Stop nickel and diming it!! Kids alone wont get us promoted at the first attempt - Many of them still not ready or even good enough sadly. We need some decent experience added to the mix and TWO top strikers, Champinship standard, not League One. We want to be better than League One and get out of that dross league at the first attempt. Anything less than promotion next year and you can stick your apology. I am not happy getting relegated, its a disgrace not to be holding our own in the Championshp!!

3

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls