Chairman and CEO Mark Ashton has issued a passionate rallying cry as the Blues go into the final 14 games of the Premier League season.

Town sit in 19th place, three points plus goal difference away from safety in their first season back in the top flight in 22 years.

Despite the position in the table, the fans have stayed behind the players and manager Kieran McKenna, while the supporters at the clubs in the relegation fight with the Blues, bottom side Southampton, Leicester and Wolves, have all changed their boss with fans having made their frustrations clear.

Ashton says staying together has been a key factor which has seen Town climb from League One to the Premier League in two seasons and it will be equally as important as the club seeks to secure their top-flight status.

“The difference in this football club since we came, has been unity,” Ashton said in an interview with former skipper and now board member Matt Holland for TownTV alongside McKenna.

“Has been that ability for everyone to be as one, and we’re going to need that more than ever. It’s so important

“We’re really fortunate that we have a board of directors that make sure, with the shareholders, we’re on secure and we’re on solid ground, so we never have to look over our shoulder.

“Our fight and our challenge is in front of us, and that’s with the other clubs in the Premier League.

“I think if we are as one, whether that’s fans, whether that’s key stakeholders, whether that’s commercial customers, whether that’s the local community, whether that’s former players, if we’re as one, we can do something quite special. We’ve proven that time and time again.

“How many times last season did people think we’d run out of steam? How many times in the League One season did they think Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday would run away with it? No.

“The difference was, for me, this fella [McKenna], the players that we’ve got and that ability for this fanbase and the people who purport to genuinely care about this football club staying as one.

“And I think if we can do that again, we can have a right swing at this second half of the season.”

He added: “You see so many football clubs when they hit choppy waters, they don’t stay at one.

“We have to stick to the process, as Kieran says, believe in the process, believe in the fact that we’re trying to rebuild this football club. This investment group, we’re not going away, we are going to rebuild this football club and we’re going to hit choppy waters at times. But as one.

“We expect the nationals, the internationals, the regional media to come after us, to criticise us, to be challenging to us, but the locals, the people who care about this football club, whether you’re fans, local media, the podcasters, you name it, if we stay as one and really show how much we care about this football club, as the fans have been incredible in the last three and a half years, I’m telling you, we’ve got a right swing at this.

“But we can only do it, my passionate war cry, if you like, on this, is that we do this as one, and we do it again.”

Photo: TownTV

BurleysGloryDays added 21:09 - Feb 13 Just utter, utter class. Superb timing, superb speaking, pitch perfect sentiment. 99.9% of everyone involved in any way with the club is right behind you gents. If we’re up or if we’re down…..
29

Bluewhiteboy added 21:36 - Feb 13 Utter class? Cliche drivel more like. Just needs a few " we go again" to complete the nonsense modern day bingo for losing. We will support the team but your big boys on bigger pay packets. We will support but when you mess up we will let you know. Terrible comparison about people not expecting us to be ahead of Plymouth in league 1. Really? I can't remember that, the amount we spent that year and the years before and sizes of clubs we should have finished top all season long.

-56

Writtleblue added 21:49 - Feb 13 Bluewhiteboy , short memory, Wednesday were flying till they tell apart.
9

Tractorboy58 added 21:55 - Feb 13 We are so lucky to be supporters of our wonderful club .. and Mark Ashton, our owners, KM and fans really are what makes this such a special club .. COYB !
16

Suffolkboy added 22:10 - Feb 13 ITFC is and always will be very special for so many of us ,supporters in person, from a distance or no longer able to attend Portman Rd regularly , if at all . In difficult times, or in good times we are bonded together and feel a real part of ITFC ,all it stands for and the wonderful team efforts and unity ( from the very top down ) . COYB
14

Gforce added 22:13 - Feb 13 Bluewhiteboy..........Obviously a very bitter budgie.
13

Skip73 added 22:21 - Feb 13 Bluewhiteboy, exactly the opposite of what they're talking about.
11

Edmundo added 22:23 - Feb 13 A number of posters on here seem to have been AWOL in the good times, but can't wait to stick the knife in, and twist it, now we are facing a challenge. Supporters support, so stop your bitter little troll-like rants, and GET BEHIND THE BLUES!!
7

MVBlue added 22:36 - Feb 13 We've got a tough ask. Need results in all home games.
2

johnwarksshorts added 22:50 - Feb 13 I love this club.
4

churchmans added 23:05 - Feb 13 Nice warm words and we are all together but it is the players on the pitch that need to stick together and keep our dreams and hopes of staying in the prem leauge! And i beleive we could win the F.A Cup
1

blues1 added 23:17 - Feb 13 Churchmans. But they also need the fans fully behind them. Not moaning and groaning, slagging them off every time a bad pass is made, or a mistake is made. Which unfortunately some so called fans do every game. If the fans don't stick by them, their confidence will go completely and any chance of survival will be gone. It's gonna be extremely tough to survive. But realistic fans would have known there's a good chance we'd go down even before the season started. So let's just give it everything we have to get behind them. Any fans who can't, or don't want to do that, shouldn't bother going to games.

8

blues1 added 23:20 - Feb 13 Bluewhiteboy. Here you go again. Talking negative tripe . If you have nothing positive to say, just dont bother saying anything. Hadn't seen you on here ever, until recently, and every single post has been negativity.
5

SickParrot added 23:27 - Feb 13 A well timed rallying call from Mark Ashton. We must all stick together and demonstrate that we trust in the regime and process that achieved back to back promotions. If the fans do show that they trust Kieran and the players to get us out of the bottom three it may create the environment in which the players can achieve it. If the fans do demonstrate unwaivering support for the manager snd the players

3

SickParrot added 23:32 - Feb 13 ... but we are still relegated Kieran and the players should repay that faith by staying with the club in the Championship next season.
1

1Warky added 00:07 - Feb 14 So much has changed for the better at our Club. We are very lucky to have these two men. Long may it continue.
2

Bluewhiteboy added 08:28 - Feb 14 Just because I don't suck up to everything that Ashton says, or that I don't belive in clapping them off and singing bob marley when we get relegated doesn't make me less of a fan (or half the north satnd like me). If your happy doing that tucking into your packed lunch and flask of coffee like half you on here, then fair play to you you pay your money and it's up to you but don't know why others can't have a different opinion. Always quick to moan about anything negative but I've been over the moon with delap, performances in the fa cup. Just believe when your spending the sums we have Regis season there should be accountability. And also that I've seen it tike and time again that players respond to passion. Sometimes that's negative but guess what from the first minute of the game it will always be positive.

-7

Magic8 added 08:43 - Feb 14 I do hope that the couple in the West Stand who walk out and don't come back after half time when we are losing read this...and take note
0

Paulc added 08:43 - Feb 14 Bluewhiteboy - What part of the rallying call of “let’s be as one” are you not understanding? It’s not about sucking up, it’s about we’re in this together, remember we are here well ahead of schedule. Your sense of entitlement is utterly baffling.
5

Bluewhiteboy added 08:53 - Feb 14 My sense of entitlement is baffling, from the person replying to my message saying that everyone should be able to have their own opinion. Wow that's impressive! It's this happy failure that lead to us falling out of the championship, same people digging me out now are the people that were sticking with chambers and co when they got us relegated. Like I've said, always get behind the boys from.the start but after the game if they haven't turned up clapping them.off the pitch isn't going to help. Ashton highlights over clubs losing it when they hit choppy waters, and yes like I said loom.at wolves and guess what a kick up the arse is what they needed. I also.dont agree about saying local media and sites like this should all just clap along as we drift out of the league we thought so hard to get into. We just need a little kick up.the arse every now and again.

0

virginblue added 09:50 - Feb 14 Are you really comparing us to Wolves? Wolves had a manager the fans never really wanted and who had clearly lost the players. We’re not in that situation - apart from a few idiots who seek to think we should be mid-table. This season was always going to be a massive challenge, and it’s not as if we’re 12 points adrift of safety.
0

Orraman added 09:52 - Feb 14 Downmark by mistake. Absolutely agree with everything in the article.
-1

bobble added 10:53 - Feb 14 I think we would have been happy enough before the start of the season to be told we would be here with 14 games to go...
2

Cadiar added 20:39 - Feb 14 More incoherent gibberish from BWB, a fair weather fan. Somebody please teach him how to type, buy him a dictionary or just a train ticket back to Narwich.
1

churchmans added 23:22 - Feb 14 Blues1 Moaning and groaning and slagging players off as you call it is,was and always will be part of football! Fans will call it as they see it! It is a natural reaction to groan at a poor pass just like its natural to cheer when a goal goes in! Slagging off players on here makes no difference on these forums to a player or team! and if it does they should not read them! You go on social media platforms like X or INSTA feeds after any teams loss! It can be unreal! I was on X for about 1month before i left! To toxic! So get a grip of yourself if you think post on this forum affects the teams performances I would never 'boo' a town player at the stadium(even muric) If a player has a shocker or a great game you will always know on this forum and all football club forums! this is because the majority of fans will put it on as they witness it! that is what suporters do! If you think its bad then your lucky to never have watched the likes of graham harby,cole skuse,manuel thetis lol! Are you the muric lover?

0

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls