U18s Coach Jason Leaves Blues to Watch Son Andre at QPR Friday, 30th Jul 2021 11:16 Blues legend Jason Dozzell is leaving his role as Town's U18s coach in order to follow his son Andre's progress with QPR in the season ahead, a transfer he says was best for all parties.
The 53-year-old has coached at various levels in the Town academy in recent years and last season assisted Adem Atay with the U18s.
However, after Andre’s move to QPR earlier this summer for £1 million, Jason has decided to stand down.
“Saturdays were going to be a problem because I couldn’t commit to them,” he told TWTD. “The U18s play Saturdays and I’m going to be following Andre for most of it, especially the home games.
“Plus Andre’s gone, so it’s a little bit different for me. I’m a little bit disappointed in how it all [went], but he had to go.
“It’s been a part of my life since I was nine, I went to Wembley to watch them in the FA Cup final.
“I’ll always be an Ipswich Town fan and I’ll be going back to watch, it’s just I’m a bit sad that my boy’s not going to be there, which had to be done for both parties.”
He admits he was a torn to some degree following last season’s successful campaign with the U18s, who finished second in their league and reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup where they were defeated by Liverpool
“We had a great season, we got to the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup and I did really enjoy it,” he said. “With Covid, I wasn’t going in as much as I would have been, but it was a great journey for the boys and for the coaches.
“It was great for Ipswich Town as well, especially with the disappointing season, we carried a little bit of hope for the fans that we’ve got some good young players coming through.”
His involvement with the club isn’t completely ending as he’ll be doing some work with the Community Trust.
“That will be happening in the week so that doesn’t affect me too much,” he added. “That will be starting in a couple of weeks, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Reflecting on 22-year-old Andre’s Town departure last month, Jason says it was something the midfielder needed.
“One hundred per cent, and that’s no criticism of anybody,” he said. “He’s come into an Ipswich team which was on the slide from when he first got there, to the position we’re in now.
“But I do understand that they did need change. That is very important for me to say that, they did need change.
“Collectively, they just weren’t good enough. We’ve got good individuals, they’ve had good individuals, but collectively the mechanics of the side just didn’t go together in that division.
“I doubt the academy players would get you out of League One, you need a different type of player and a different type of mentality to get out of this division.
“It’s been hard. It’s been hard for me to watch what was going on down there in the last few years.
“I’ve not seen anybody thrive, I’ve just seen a lot of players going out there defeated, maybe because they were not scoring enough goals. If they went behind they knew they weren’t coming back because of the lack of goals.
“I think it was mentally a tough challenge for all of them in the last few years, and also for the fans.
“He’s not kicked on. That’s no criticism of anybody but the environment they were in, I don’t think anybody could. I think mentally going out on to that pitch for the young players was a grind.
“The academy boys are coming through, it’s not for them right at this minute, it needed a whole change because the dynamics of the team in the last few years wasn’t going to get them up. I wish them all the best and I’ll be willing them on.”
He added: “No young player was going to thrive in the environment they were in. From top to bottom it was a bit of a mess. No structure, no nothing, no identity.
“To put the pressure on the young lads, they needed help rather than the other way around.
“By that I mean good experienced players. It was a shame [Luke] Chambers and [Cole] Skuse were coming to the end of their careers. If they could have had them as they were four or five years ago when they were in their prime, they maybe could have helped the younger ones a little bit more.
“When Skuse was at his prime four or five years ago he could have helped Andre getting in. That’s the way it goes. When I got in the first team, I had lots of really good characters around me who helped me through it.
“Honestly, it was hard to watch in the last few years. He needed to get out for many reasons, being my son and everything else, he just had to go away be his own man.”
Was there extra pressure on Andre, who famously followed in his father's footsteps by scoring on his debut aged only 16, at Town because of his surname? “I think so. I think he got some unfair criticism from people, relating him to me.
“This is a kid who has been here since he was eight years old, turned down Liverpool when he was 16 or 17. Got a bad injury and then came back and it’s just not happened for one reason or another.
“So I’m disappointed, also because Ipswich could be on to something big in the next few years and he’s not going to be part of it.
“But it’s a win-win for both situations, they got a million quid or whatever for him, he can go away and strive somewhere else and I can come down here and I can enjoy my football again without that added pressure!
“I’ll always go down to the odd game here and there. I’ve been an Ipswich fan since I was nine years old. I can come down there and support the team without the added pressure of what was happening over the last few years.”
Jason says Andre has done well in pre-season with QPR so far: “He played 70 minutes against Man United [last Saturday], he looked really, really comfortable. QPR are a very exciting team and the game looked very easy.
“There were people very comfortable on the ball, knew what they were doing. It wasn’t hustle, bustle, kick from front to back, they had a style about them which you would see from the outside looking in. You could see what they were trying to do.
“They beat them 4-2, it wasn’t their strongest side, but they still had a lot of experienced players in there, [Jesse] Lingard, [Nemanja] Matic, [Juan] Mata, [Mason] Greenwood, so it was a great game to start for him.
“That was always the plan, to play against those players when he was 16. He needed to get away from Ipswich because he just wasn’t thriving, for me. He’s a certain type, I get that, I can see why people say things about him, he’s a certain type.
“He needs a game playing around him and people to trust him, not necessarily without the ball but with the ball.
“In the Man United game there weren’t many tackles going about, he had time to shine, he had time to pass. It was so different from bloody League One.”
Various ex-players and coaches have said that Andre will be a better player at a higher level and his father agrees.
“That’s it, that was always the case,” he continued. “I’ve seen it all the way through the England teams. When it was just based on possession he would be the best player on the pitch.
“The transition to League One is bloody hard because it’s just not the same football. He’s got to adapt and he’s got to learn how to play through that.”
Looking forward to the season ahead, he added: “Between QPR and Ipswich I’ll be flying about everywhere I think!
“I can go down to Ipswich and relax being an Ipswich fan, which I was before I started playing. Everyone knows I’m a huge Ipswich fan and I will be taking some of the games in.”
Photos: Matchday Images
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Kropotkin123 added 11:22 - Jul 30
Best of luck to him and his son | ![](/images/avatars/1636.gif) | |
Super_Cooper added 11:25 - Jul 30
Understandable. Family comes first. Hopefully we will see Andre at Portman Road next season when we get promoted! | ![](/images/avatars/1282.gif) | |
BlueBlood90 added 11:27 - Jul 30
Perfectly understandable. who wouldn't want to watch their son play Championship football? It's a real shame Andre never kicked on here but I think QPR with Mark Warburton is a perfect move for him which should work out well. Best of luck to them both. | ![](/images/avatars/20155.gif) | |
Timefliesbyintheblue added 11:27 - Jul 30
Whow, how well written was that. It would have been easy for Jason to have sounded bitter and demoralised, but no, being the decent bloke he is, there was a positive spin to it all and some polite home truths without any recriminations. As supporters we can learn from that ourselves, and move on in a positive way without the frustrations and anger of what went before. Good luck to both father and son, you deserve success in your lives. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
RedX added 11:32 - Jul 30
Good honest Interview. Again it shows the mess the club was in, and the horrible environment the players had to work in. The only surprise hearing all these stories, is that the club didn't sink further down and into League two. Best of luck to two lads. | ![](/images/avatars/1463.gif) | |
Suffolk_n_Proud added 11:32 - Jul 30
Very well said Jason. We all wish Andre well | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
cat added 11:33 - Jul 30
Quality interview from one of greater players. Pretty much agree with everything said apart from the it's a shame Chambers and Skuse having to move on but! When your clubs rotten from top to bottom then your club and team captains have to take some accountability. Glad they have gone in all honesty, exciting times ahead. | ![](/images/avatars/10636.gif) | |
rayman_10 added 11:39 - Jul 30
Surely we can give this role to Terry Butcher? | ![](/images/avatars/46.gif) | |
Monkey_Blue added 11:42 - Jul 30
I have always felt there are some players who are better the higher the level. I think warburton would have been a perfect appointment for us instead of hurst. Love Doz as him and Brennan were my post Bobby heroes. He's being diplomatic but what he really means is since Mick there was a poor strategy | ![](/images/avatars/4508.gif) | |
Europablue added 11:42 - Jul 30
Jason is an absolute legend and top bloke. It was a very tough situation for him being in the middle. Everything he said was right. Funnily enough, the player who can't quite handle League One will do much better at a higher standard. I'd love to see Andre come back one day, but Jason is absolutely right, Andre needs to go out and be his own man and the circumstances have been a disaster for bringing through the young players. I can't quite blame the academy players, but that doesn't alter the fact that many of them needed to move on. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
Stretchyboy added 11:48 - Jul 30
Love Jason to bits, and have so much time for him. Agree with 99% of what he says, but my only criticism, i feel that he needs to cut the umbilical cord and let Andre be his own man, seems to want to control a lot of Andre's career. Maybe i'm being a bit harsh, as i'm not a parent, so can't resonate with him | ![](/images/avatars/7252.gif) | |
Saxonblue74 added 11:53 - Jul 30
He's going to find it very boring staring at the bench every Saturday! | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
DoseOfReality added 11:57 - Jul 30
Very well said Jason and absolutely the right decision for all. I just wish there would be more from behind the scenes who would tell it how it was. Entire club was in free fall for years & ruined many promising careers. NOT ANYMORE !!!! | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
dirtydingusmagee added 12:10 - Jul 30
Jason summed it up perfectly, now Andre can have a fresh start ,Good luck to them both. | ![](/images/avatars/360.gif) | |
Beattiesballbag added 12:10 - Jul 30
Cat....read it again he doesn't say it's a shame they had to move on. ....... "It was a shame [Luke] Chambers and [Cole] Skuse were coming to the end of their careers. If they could have had them as they were four or five years ago when they were in their prime, they maybe could have helped the younger ones a little bit more" ........So they should have gone years ago to make way for players that were up to the task. | ![](/images/avatars/13147.gif) | |
Suffolkboy added 12:12 - Jul 30
Some ‘punishingly ‘ honest reflections and home truths from Jason ( I was there when he debuted for ITFC ) and more of an insight into the structural mess and ineffectual understanding of business management which has eaten away at ITFC for much too long . For all many of us criticised the style and lack of success under Paul Lambert ( & rightly so ) we should grasp the home truths and accept that when things go wrong ALWAYS start by looking at the top down ! ME's financial clout saved ITFC from worse outcomes ,but how to allocate responsibility and give away his authority showed up terrible deficiencies ; hopefully the current Mgt Team have shown they have the experience ,ability and decisiveness to effect a remedy ,and produce success ! COYB | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
Suffolkboy added 12:12 - Jul 30
Some ‘punishingly ‘ honest reflections and home truths from Jason ( I was there when he debuted for ITFC ) and more of an insight into the structural mess and ineffectual understanding of business management which has eaten away at ITFC for much too long . For all many of us criticised the style and lack of success under Paul Lambert ( & rightly so ) we should grasp the home truths and accept that when things go wrong ALWAYS start by looking at the top down ! ME's financial clout saved ITFC from worse outcomes ,but how to allocate responsibility and give away his authority showed up terrible deficiencies ; hopefully the current Mgt Team have shown they have the experience ,ability and decisiveness to effect a remedy ,and produce success ! COYB | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
ghostofescobar added 12:14 - Jul 30
Good luck to both Dozzels. Who knows, perhaps we will re sign Andre when we are back in the Prem!! And yet another damning indictment of what Evans did to our club : “ From top to bottom it was a bit of a mess. No structure, no nothing, no identity.” | ![](/images/avatars/2714.gif) | |
jong75 added 12:18 - Jul 30
I wish Andre well and hope he goes on to build a great career. Like many other players at portman road, he hasn't kicked on, but he is one of the few players to go up a level with the move. Good luck Andre, and Jason will always be a legend in my eyes. COYB. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
Nobbysnuts added 12:21 - Jul 30
I bet he is.....as I'm sure Andre is on more money there..... | ![](/images/avatars/21576.gif) | |
abandon_hope1978 added 12:23 - Jul 30
“No young player was going to thrive in the environment” is probably the most honest but saddest quote I've heard about our academy and this is coming from an academy coach who has been honest enough to admit what we have all known, unlike the more senior academy staff who keep banging on about what an amazing opportunity the youngsters have to progress. It has been a pathetic shambles for a number of years and who has anyone gone on to fulfil their potential since the likes of Connor Wickhan? Good luck Andre, you and many others chose Ipswich over other academies and had your careers knocked back years, but hopefully not anymore. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
jas0999 added 12:31 - Jul 30
Excellent words from Jason. Interesting another has criticised the previous regime. Good luck to him and his son. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | |
Nobbysnuts added 12:35 - Jul 30
Lots of people have forgotten about his drug driving conviction....yeah what a great role model...... | ![](/images/avatars/21576.gif) | |
dubblue added 12:38 - Jul 30
Very thoughtful interview, I do home our academy is not neglected as we focus on promotion. I wish both Andre and Jason all the best, it was time for Andre to move on for the sake of his own career. Do not quite understand why Jason felt the need to move on, Andre will now be working with the QPR coaching system, I assume its just a father wanting to watch his son play. | ![](/images/avatars/1644.gif) | |
arc added 12:57 - Jul 30
I have thought for a while that one of the important moments in our decline was when McC spent good money in whichever off-season that was for Huws and Adeyemi to be the new engine room of the team, and they both turned out to be crocks, which meant Andre was rushed into the first team and promptly got injured. If those two had been as advertised then Andre and Downes and Nydam could have come through slowly alongside them, and everything might have been different. Oh well. | ![](/images/avatars/363.gif) | |
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