Town owner Marcus Evans has written to the club’s season ticket holders thanking them for their support.

The Blues’ season ticket total had hit 11,748 by Monday’s early bird deadline, not enough to trigger a reduction in the price but 15 per cent up on this year’s figure of 10,200. Ninety-five per cent of existing season ticket holders renewed. Evans’s letter was emailed to season ticket holders this morning.

I am writing to thank you for pledging your support for the club for next season by purchasing a season ticket.

We have been delighted by the response that people like you have shown in signing up for 2019/20, with season ticket sales up by 15 per cent on last year. I truly believe we can repay you with entertaining and winning football next season.

Although I have cut prices over the last two years by up to 25 per cent, I still realise that watching your team play comes at a significant financial cost so I’d like to reiterate on behalf of Paul, the players and myself that we really do appreciate your support.

It’s been a challenging year for all connected to the club but if there is one positive to take, it’s undoubtedly the backing for the team that has come from the stands.

As Paul has said many times, the atmosphere here has been nothing like a club that has been in the position we have.

I think perhaps supporters have appreciated the way the team has played, in an entertaining style. We also have a young team, with players evolving through our academy system and into the first team.

Those players will need time to develop and fulfil their potential of course, but along with the experienced players we have here and a few new additions where needed, I strongly believe we are in a good position to move forward as a football club.

Once again, thanks for becoming a season ticket holder for next year. Owners, managers, players come and go in this game but it’s the fans that are the lifeblood of any football club and I will do everything I can to reward that support and bring success to Ipswich Town.

Have a good summer and see you at Portman Road in August.

Photo: ITFC

Sospiri added 21:15 - May 9 I like Marcus. He is clearly smart and competent, he communicates well, and most of his decisions were good at the time (and in fact were applauded at the time), but just didn't work out. I do agree that he hasn't invested enough though. I suspect he didn't realise how much money and personal time he would need to put into the club, and didn't understand that a good business brain might not be enough to work in football. I also suspect that it has been rather a shock to him to have one of his business ventures fail, I don't think he has had too much of that. I would be interested to know why he got involved with a football club in the first place, as he doesn't seem like a football man to me. Anyone know?

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mrmorisato added 21:57 - May 9 The only exciting bit of news that will make me raise just one eyebrow is that ME has managed to improve the Academy that it will be awarded 'category one' status from next season. But if this isn't the exciting news that I'm hoping to receive then is youthful thinking for promotion in May could be, in 2025 perhaps? His plan is doomed to fail very rapidly if ME does not protect our very best young talent :( And if he's not going to buy any good goalscorers anytime soon that we could be nearer to League 2 next campaign.

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SitfcB added 07:27 - May 10 @ Bluearmy_81 - You can say the same about Lambert!
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BeattiesBackPocket added 08:36 - May 10 I've renewed again there's only one season I didn't in the past 25 years and that was the last season under McCarthy, I personally don't see an issue we all knew it was 12000 we didn't reach it so that's that. I am however fed up with this guy he's been banging on about five point plans, making us competitive and looking to the promise land of the premier league then you get an ex manager coming out saying his remit was to merely stay in the division! I don't believe a word uttered from Evans anymore we are never competitive when our wage budget is lower than some league one clubs and having to buy hopeful signings that no one else is competing for because the ones we compete for we lose out to clubs smaller than us! Even players on a free we lose out because we won't pay the wages why else do you think the Waghorns etc want out because they know we won't compete on the field or wages. I agree with Evans that spending millions doesn't guarantee success look at derby however the reason the Sheffield Utd and Huddersfield's did well are due to competitive wages not spending millions Sheff Utd are 5 million up on players in and out. The five point plan when does that start? I'm sick of his spin and then the fans on here going on about he's owning up to his mistakes, he's making an effort, he's saying sorry that doesn't make up for 10 years of bad ownership and management of our once great club, the family feels gone, the connection between fans and club and even ex players is there now because of lambert not him. Stop sticking up for him every other business of his is thriving except ours he's not a fan and I'm starting to question why he's even here. We all want the same thing success for our club but tell me how you think we can be under his ownership because wages will drop again next season, we have either of Sunderland, Portsmouth or charlton to compete with and let's not forget we already finished below the mighty Rotherham. Please don't dictate to me that I can't have a go at Evans because he's sorry etc because that doesn't wash anymore!!

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Bluearmy_81 added 08:42 - May 10 Well said BBP. Or that you can't have a go at him because you can't buy the club yourself!! What utter tosh!! Never heard the like of it in football in over 40 years.
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BeattiesBackPocket added 08:44 - May 10 Sospiri no one will give you an answer on that they'll just mark you down with no reply because they can't answer the reason he's here themselves. He has no affinity for the club he's a Chelsea fan, he's lied to us as has been proven by his ex manager, he's extremely successful in every other business, he doesn't go to half the games, he's one of the richest owners in the championship dwarfing Middlesbrough's owner Gibson who somehow makes them competitive without necessarily spending millions however giving them a decent wage budget. There are no answers to why he's here you'd have to ask him.

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Bluearmy_81 added 08:45 - May 10 And yes it's true, all the Evans lovers/apologists seem to have glossed over the fact that McCarthy came out saying his remit was to keep the club in the championship!! How does that fit in with the ME spin/5point plan?!!! There's loyal then there's blindly gullible. Wake up.
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LWNR2013 added 09:17 - May 10 I agree with most of that BBP. My allegiance is always to the club not necessarily the owner or some past chairmen.
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rabbit added 09:22 - May 10 Bluearmy_81 and BPP nobody that I have read has ever suggested that Evans is a great owner, his decisions have been poor but 99.9% of ITFC fans found them great at the time, for example the most disastrous but most exciting at the time was the Roy Keane appointment, but bad followed bad, Jewel was great, improved the atmosphere, got the team going but couldn't ultimately get through the toxicity left by Keane, MM came in saved the team from what looked certain relegation which was in itself exciting but sadly even during the play off season the football on offer was dour. Three in theory high quality managers, all of which were very high earners at this level....but supporters demanded change, by and large we wanted a young up and coming manager the like of which we had had so much success with over the years, Hurst seemed to fit the bill, but, guess what, big failure. The fact is he does invest, albeit not to the extent that maybe you or others had hoped for, but the fact remains that without him we have no club unless another owner can be found and the only person likely to achieve that particular find is the club owner himself. However if you can, go for it but please make sure we don't follow the likes of QPR, Portsmouth and dare I say poor old BWFC to name just a very few, all of whom's fans demanded a change of ownership as in fact did the Norwich supporters, who have over the years tried to hound their owners out, particularly when they went into the third tier after several years of horrendous management errors. The fact is by making the atmosphere toxic you do not increase his or the teams resolve, you simply add further fuel to the misery that has been endured and more importantly give him and his advisers reasons to write their debt off by walking away and leave the club in administration with very little hope of a come back. Good luck with your season, I shall be there for the home matches I hope you try and support what is trying to be done.

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Razor added 11:02 - May 10 What a syrupy load of tripe from this con man who is slowly ruining our club. Forget to mention you can watch PPREMIERSHIP footy up the road cheaper from a club that is run miles better and obviously cares for and has a closer emphathy with its fans.
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BeattiesBackPocket added 12:02 - May 10 Well written rabbit and I don't disagree with some of that tbh managerial wise the only person I really didn't want was Keane as I felt Magilton had done enough and we were playing some good football under him. I do however blame Marcus for the poor management with clegg especially to let our assets like Leadbitter, Norris etc and let their contracts run down and leave for free putting us in a lot more debt is his fault as is not giving managers the funds in wages to make us competitive as I say I'm not fussed with having millions to spend as it doesn't always breed success however paying Waghorn or a proven championship striker or someone silimar a decent wage that could've probably kept us in the division instead of losing now 9 million is moronic and short sighted to say the least. There are some absolute gems in lower leagues but we will never pay their wages even on frees instead whichever manager we have will have to make do with and hope for the best with turning an average striker etc into a gem not only does that continue to waste money and wages but will get us nowhere. We have some very good youngsters but they do need a lot more help than we have at the club and I fear us becoming an average league one team which as a fan I don't want to settle for anymore and no fan should.

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BeattiesBackPocket added 12:09 - May 10 Holland, Stewart, Johnson's all came from lower leagues and made a huge difference however we would probably struggle signing those guys in this day and age due to not paying the wages and that concerns me. I'm def not one for saying throw 20 million at stuff because look at derby however the more attractive the team plays the more competitive we are at the top of a league will also bring more revenue in terms of gates, programmes, food and drink and in the club shop which again bring in more revenue means we can do more. Very chicken and egg but he'll only ever see a return on his money if we achieve getting to the premier league or at least become a team that challenges for it.

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Carberry added 13:41 - May 10 Razor that's astonishing. You can buy a season ticket to watch the Scum get relegated for £570, that's less than some of our ticket prices. How can our illustrious owner justify that?
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Saxonblue74 added 13:07 - May 11 Usual form, long list of "Evans out" whingers and no list at all of alternatives!!!
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