Blues boss Paul Cook says Town’s Playford Road training ground will be open to supporters next season as he feels the distance between players and fans is too great in the modern game.

Previously, Roy Keane invited supporters to come and watch the Blues train but with his successor Paul Jewell less keen.

“The training ground will be an open place for people, the supporters,” Cook said.

“They will be allowed to come in and watch training. We want that feel-good factor to go around our town and our community because we want people to see how hard we’re working in pursuit of being successful for them.

Is that something he has done at his previous sides? “At all my clubs. At Portsmouth at times I used to get letters of criticism regarding certain stuff. Like I try and do at Ipswich, I try phoning people up who have written letters in, I try and speak to everyone about what we’re trying to do.

“And then the most important thing, the gates of the club are open. When you watch clubs train and you watch the physicality that they’re putting in and the workloads and the effort, I think you leave then a lot more satisfied with what’s going on.

“Listen, as football’s moved on, I’ve never agreed with how players have become off limits and clubs have become off limits for supporters. In my mind, that’s not how football clubs should be.

“We’re a massive part of our community, so to say that nowadays we can’t meet people, we don’t get to know players [isn’t something I agree with].

“And I know there’s great work that goes on in the community at all football clubs, including our own, it’s something I’m very much aligned with.

“We shouldn’t be strangers to the people of Ipswich, that’s the players, the staff and our training facilities.”

Photo: Matchday Images

stopmoaning added 12:23 - May 7 Open last season?
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Suffolkboy added 12:34 - May 7 Good : we came up from Kent ,visited Playford Rd ( showing son and pal ) ,were invited by Richard Wright to go across and watch the First Team ( on the old Cranes ground ) ,which we did . Came back across, having been studiously ignored by P Jewell ,and were then rudely and ‘strongly ‘ advised to get off the premises ! Wrote to PJ explaining we'd travelled up specially, staying overnight to watch pre season at Colchester ,and politely wondering why such an adverse reaction ; NO response ! Significant or not ?– but R W invited to leave ITFC training facilities immediately thereafter ? SO we thoroughly applaud this initiative ,and PC ‘s reasoning ! Well done ! COYB

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Bergholt_Blue added 12:55 - May 7 Love it up there will be popping in next season
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Cakeman added 13:31 - May 7 Well said Paul Cook. I really like the fact that our Manager is trying to embrace the support. Can only stand us in good stead. Good old fashioned values. I know in the early days Paul Lambert tried similar with some success but with our new ownership this feels very different.
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Guthrum added 14:02 - May 7 As long as they don't set light to anything ;-)
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ArnieM added 14:44 - May 7 Cookie, is giving us back our Club. COYBS .
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BotesdaleBlue added 15:09 - May 7 Well done Paul Cook for making this change and advertising it through the media. It may be a small change in the whole scheme of things, but it is another example of what is needed to re-connect the Club with it's fans. After all, isn't the lack of connection and the ever increasing distancing of the Club with fans, one of this principal concerns we have been voicing for many years now. Positive collective change, which needs to happen so deperately, will come in various ways both large and small and this is another small positive step I feel.

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therein61 added 16:14 - May 7 All is knitting together off the field which is about time, fans have been distanced for far too long now over to you Mr Cook to get it right on the field. C.O.Y.B
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istanblue added 20:19 - May 7 Solid move. Great way to get fans back involved.
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Old_Git added 12:31 - May 8 See you there... OldGit..
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