Blues manager Paul Cook says he’s made his decisions on the players currently at the club and that nothing that happens in the final three games of the season will change his mind, adding that he could have released some of the squad with no regrets in his frustration following last Saturday’s dismal 0-0 home draw with AFC Wimbledon.

Quizzed on whether anything which happens in the matches at Swindon on Saturday, Shrewsbury next Tuesday and then at home to Fleetwood on the final day could change his thoughts on any individual, Cook said: “No, I’ve made my mind up 100 per cent. All the decisions have been made.

“I’m tired of listening to feeble excuses about why we don’t play well, it’s always somebody’s fault. It’s like pass the blame, pass the parcel for blame. Eventually the parcel has to stop with someone and they have to stand up and be counted.

“As a manager of a football team last Saturday at half-time, that was a performance that gets every manager in the country sacked.

“I won’t be a part of that. There’s not a chance I’ll be a part of that. I’ve watched Plymouth, Bristol Rovers, Lincoln for a period of the game, MK Dons and latterly Wimbledon all come to Portman Road and dominate the game. Come to Portman Road and dominating football games? Are you messing? Come on. It’s not going to carry on.”

Is he keen to do his summer business early? “I 100 per cent get where our supporters are at. We don’t even score a goal at the minute. I’ve never been around a football team like this, and it’s not me going back looking at what Paul Cook’s done, everything in the past is totally irrelevant.

“This is about the future. I’ve never seen a team not win second balls and show a character to win a game like we offered at Portman Road last Saturday.

“So whilst it’s great to speak about the future and what will happen tomorrow, I think we’ve got to stay in the painful today at the minute. And it is very painful.”

When will news of players being released or options taken be announced? “If I could have done it last Saturday at a quarter to five I would have done it, and I’d have done it with no regrets.

“There are processes that you have to go through now and then processes will be taken with everything in mind, players’ well-being, conducting ourselves properly as a club and not on an emotional one.

“The emotional one is your pride, it’s hurt and anger and as a manager I want to show everyone how much I’m hurt.

“That’s gone now. We’re in the realms of 10 days left of the season. The release list will come out, the people who can leave the club will come out and we’ll start signing players and, as they say, it will be a case of out with the old and in with the new. That’s 100 per cent what will happen at this club.”

So, as it stands, no one’s been spoken to about their future? Not current players or any incoming signings? “You lads will always poke and prod me in relation to what you would like me to say, what you want me to say.

“I like to think a lot of the time I represent our supporters. When I represent our supporters I can only tell them that I am up there with their unhappiness, I’m totally with you. Unfortunately, whatever I say or do at the minute will just fall on deaf ears.”

Cook will have had opinions on at least some of the current squad when he came in. Have those thoughts changed? Have some drifted in and out of his thoughts?

“That’s a very, very good question,” he reflected. “One of the answers I would give you, I’m actually trying to throw everyone under the bus at the minute in relation to how I feel because that’s how I feel.

“But within that, I’ve managed long enough to know that we do have some good players in the building, of course we do.

“But at the minute I think we’d all suggest we’re all struggling to find them, aren’t we? Let’s hope that the winds of change will blow through the building and the reality is that next year we’ll have a team on the pitch that we can be very, very proud of.”

While it’s expected there will be a player exodus unlike any previous summer, it’s likely a handful of the existing squad will still be at Portman Road. Is Cook confident that those players will be refreshed and their hearts and minds will be with him next season?

“Watch this space! Watch this space,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, I’ve never feared anything I’ve done as a football manager. I don’t fear getting beat. I fear not having a team on the pitch that reflects me.

“At all my previous clubs, I’ve always had teams on the pitch that reflect me. Going forward, hopefully as soon as I can, I’ll put on the pitch that reflects me, that I know our club and our owners and our fans and everybody in Ipswich will be proud of.

“Today, I’m an Ipswich town manager that’s hurting, I’m not doing well enough in my own job and I always look at myself first - what can I do better? One hundred per cent ‘what can I do better?’

“And then when I look out at the training ground areas, when we travel on the team bus, how much do I trust the people behind me. At the minute I don’t trust many people behind me.”

Town had 27 professional players out of contract this summer, including a number of senior members of the squad. Several youngsters have already departed along with Alan Judge, who would have triggered another year on his deal automatically had he started another league game.

Asked whether he is confident the club can avoid getting into a position with so many players coming out of contract again, he said: “Going forward, it’s a situation, especially with the new ownership coming in, and Mark Ashton coming in, our new CEO, that time of change is coming, and it really is coming.

“We’ve got to get everybody get in place and we’ve got to let people settle into their jobs. The functioning of the club going forward has got to happen.

“But in my world, we can’t be in any worse place than we’re in today. And I’m very much part of that. Make no mistake about it. I am devastated about what I’ve seen over the last 13 games.

“As a manager it falls at my door as well. But eventually as a manager the team replicate you. That team at the minute, our team at the minute does not replicate me in any shape or form.

“So going forward, we’ve got to finish the season properly, we’ve got to conduct ourselves properly, we’ve got to do everything correctly. But as you can work out, it will not be allowed to carry on.”

Photo: TWTD

RegencyBlue added 16:04 - Apr 29 Cook has given this shower every chance to step up and impress him. They have failed to take the opportunity and are now being shown the door. Good!
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Barty added 16:09 - Apr 29 That's hopefully about 20 out of the door - excellent
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ArnieM added 16:18 - Apr 29 I wonder which players are being the rotten apples in the barrel and the complete tits?
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Europablue added 16:29 - Apr 29 London_Blue It doesn't matter how good or bad the players are technically, they aren't trying hard enough. Even poor quality players can give it their all, but the mold is set for the last few games.
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dirtydingusmagee added 16:39 - Apr 29 I dont think PC is being harsh, bloody hell these players have need an ear bashing and a kick up the a#se for a long time. Say it as it is, no point in glossing over a turd, just because it may upset them .THEY should have shown some pride, some desire to impress the new boss, they failed badly .Get them out of the club asap.If the snowflakes think that being nice and keeping them cosy would have produced results they are deluded, these players have been poor all along,and instead of trying to prove people wrong theyve decided to throw their toys out of the pram . Good for PC he sounds as p#ssed off as the supporters,and change is needed now.

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therein61 added 16:43 - Apr 29 Re his trust comment i hope signals the end of the road for Marcus Evans creeps they have nobody to run to now and from the lack of playing time given it looks like the end for them Cook is a strong character that they cannot over rule while thinking they run the club, come in 4&8 your time is up good riddance.
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norfolkbluey added 16:57 - Apr 29 All players seen laughing at the end of a lost match should be the first out of the door. When Sir Bobby first came to the club he lost a lot of matches and had physical fights with unnamed players who he had problems with. However when he had kicked a few arses his teams started doing well. Cook's summing up here smacks of a similar approach and if it works then great. He needs to be seen as the boss not their friends harsh but true. PC gets my fullest support after this article because that's what this team needs. I had hoped he would be like this from the start but he was too nice. I hope he gives Oli Hawkins a chance because we need some height up front. Well done PC but the rant should have been kept behind closed doors. Otherwise how are we going to get any money for these wasters when we get rid. Good luck PC, we wait with bated breath.

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Bezzer added 17:05 - Apr 29 Who do we think will be shown the door? Or a quicker way of looking at it, is who's staying at Town?
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TB42 added 17:06 - Apr 29 Whilst I appreciate that there is much conjecture and speculation surrounding our current situation and the bottom line is we are never likely to hear the full reasons behind what has been happening, the one thing that does baffle me is the lack of effort by so many on the pitch with contracts coming to an end. Whether you like / dislike, agree / disagree with the new manager or not, your future livelihood is at stake. To most, I would expect that to translate into some sort of tangible effort - either to secure a further contract with ITFC or to showcase themselves for future clubs. To date, we appear to have seen neither .......

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cat added 17:11 - Apr 29 WANTED - Accommodation required for academy players lol Should be an easy process, get rid of anyone over 23 years of age.
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Bert added 17:13 - Apr 29 Len B is absolutely right in his comments. I am dreading what happens in our last few games as Cook has now, in my opinion, gone too far in his public comments. He may well be right in all that he has said but to me he has been unwise and unprofessional with three games to go. There is a time and place for these things but never in public. Yes, it will please many but it rests uneasy with me in terms of how a manager deals with matters of employment.

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happybeingblue added 17:27 - Apr 29 go on cooky my son ! thats the passion we have been missing,reminds me of super jim.
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Warkystache added 17:31 - Apr 29 To my mind, this spells the end of Jackson, Nolan, Ward, Huws, Holy, Dozzell, possibly Bishop, although I'd keep him personally, Chambers, Skuse, McGavin, possibly Norwood due to his constant injury issues. We'll command fees for Dozzell, Jackson and Nolan. The rest will probably go on a free. I'd expect there to be interest in Dozzell, Jackson, Downes and Nolan. Ward and Holy might be lucky to find new clubs.

0

chepstowblue added 17:37 - Apr 29 It's funny that back in january when I said "we're appalling,dismal, absolutely shocking, no way will we finish in the top ten, lacking the very basics of what a park player should have, none of our players could cut it in the championship", I was subjected to vitriol and down votes. It didnt bother me because at the time I knew I was right. Our current manager(who's taken us from play off contenders to probable bottom half) says it, and many of the same people are in admiration of his honesty and straight talking. It's a funny old game, and we have some very confused fans !

7

VanDusen added 17:40 - Apr 29 The reality is that it really doesn't matter if we get hammered 6-0 or more in each of the last three games. I'd prefer not, but equally I don't particularly care now we only have a wafer thin chance of the playoffs now based on winning all our games whilst needing about a dozen results go our way (and even this minuscule opportunity nearly evaporated anyway on Tuesday night but for a couple of injury time equalisers). So who cares now? The team's already blown it badly across the course of a whole season, with much of the damage before the problems since Cook even came in the door - so frustrating all those throwaways like at home to Northampton and Swindon, or the capitulation at Doncaster after bossing it for half an hour, or the stupid sendings off v Lincoln and Sunderland (twice). Imagine if we'd got just an extra 4-5 points out of those?! Once it's all put to bed for good mathematically on Saturday the first team can own it and then maybe the youngsters can have a run out against Shrewsbury and Fleetwood. But please - no more loans in the side, of that there really is no point. Personally I'd like to see Chambers reinstated as captain for what will probably be his last three games at the club - at least he gives 110% where half our problem has been a complete lack of passion or commitment from most. Never have I seen team - and indeed a whole squad - which is less the sum of its parts than this one... a real shame.

2

Linkboy13 added 17:51 - Apr 29 One of the main problems Cook found when he took over is that the players were so unfit. In my opinion he made a mistake by making the training too hard. Pre season is the only time you can do your really hard training you are never going to get players super fit in such a short space of time and all it does is make the players feel fatigued and leggy poor dears. But of course Cook could have been trying to find out which players were prepared to show the right attitude which i believe is the main reason he worked them so hard. I think it would be more beneficial to get promoted next season with hopefully a better and stronger team. I think if we had of gone up this season it would have been disastrous and i think Cook knows this and wanted more time to build a stronger squad.

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Warkystache added 17:57 - Apr 29 Oh and Edwards...forgot about him. Thought he'd already gone tbh.
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therein61 added 18:38 - Apr 29 ArnieM, 4&8 being the rotten apples and the rest being complete tits for believing they run the club.
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cat added 18:45 - Apr 29 Zero sympathy regarding our current squad. These guys are paid handsomely for theirs efforts and have probably got to the stage where they take it all for granted. Not a good look or attitude to convey to the young pros on the books or the nearly made it's who could only dream of the privilege what these players have had. Cooks probably got to the stage where he cannot contain himself anymore, and fair play to him.

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head1970 added 18:51 - Apr 29 I wish him alot of luck during the summer because he's going to need it, to attract the right players get them to gel before the new season.He has lost the dressing room with the team he has got and I fear the last three games will be a non event.
3

ChrisFelix added 18:58 - Apr 29 Question ? In nearly all team sports failure usually means the changing or dropping of the team captain. Certainly in cricket. Our club has suffered relegation plus continued poor form in league 1. Yet until recently Csptain
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ChrisFelix added 19:00 - Apr 29 Calamity remains in control. However I now believe this has happened & maybe Ward will be the one to be retained
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RobsonWark added 19:07 - Apr 29 After seeing videos of Edwards well overhit corner and unbelievable free kick (he OBVIOUSLY blasted that high into the stands on purpose) in the last game, it would suggest he must have already been told he won't be here next season lol.
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RobsonWark added 19:09 - Apr 29 ArnieM added 16:18 - Apr 29 "I wonder which players are being the rotten apples in the barrel" No.4 and No.8
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TimmyH added 19:16 - Apr 29 Onwards and upwards...certainly a new horizon this summer which to be honest we needed, but we've been here before to a degree with Keane and Hurst in a league higher only to fail drastically so I'm going to be optimistic and believe PC can turn this club around. Just as much onus on him at the start of next season as what there will be on the players.
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