Ashton: We're Only at the End of the Beginning
Wednesday, 17th Dec 2025 16:35

Town chairman and CEO Mark Ashton called for unity with the club only at the end of the beginning of what he believes is the ‘biggest and best football development opportunity’ in Europe at last night’s PLC AGM at Portman Road.

The PLC represents the shareholding of the club prior to Marcus Evans’s 2007 takeover with the majority of those owning the shares - who number around 3,500 - supporters who bought them as the club sought to raise cash following the 2003 period in administration.

Having opted to maintain a five per cent ownership of the club after the April 2021 takeover, its stake has since been diluted multiple times down to a fraction of that level.

Ashton was joined by chief financial officer Tom Ball at last night’s meeting alongside PLC chair Roger Finbow, who stood down from that role after 12 years, Peter Over, the new chair, and fellow PLC board members Richard Moore, who was voted back into his position, and Elizabeth Edwards.

After the PLC’s administrative business had been completed, Ashton spoke and then he and Ball answered questions from shareholders.

Ashton, on the fourth anniversary of the appointment of manager Kieran McKenna, was keen to stress that the while the club has made great strides since the 2021 takeover, there is still a long way to go.

“I am so enthused that we’re only at the end of the beginning,” he said. “I can’t wait for the training ground to be done, I can’t wait for Tom and the team to design the Cobbold, other plans for around the stadium that we’re looking at, the recruitment team producing, the academy starting to deliver players through.

“If we only deliver 70 per cent of the things that we’re talking about, just think where this football club’s going to be.”

He added: “This is the biggest and best football development opportunity that is happening right now in Europe, bar none. Go find me one that’s bigger and more exciting than this. I don’t think it exists.

“I’m very privileged and very proud to lead this football club. I do not run this football club. I manage a group of very, very special people who run this football club, day in, day out and work tirelessly to make it better.

“When you leave here tonight, I ask one thing from you - unity. Whether the team win or the team lose, you can’t judge this football club’s success on a seven-day turnaround, it’s too big, it’s too special, there’s too much going on.

“Make sure everybody’s behind it, everyone’s positive, stays together as one. The football club is too special.”

“There’s more to do. This football club is only going one place and that’s forward.”

Photo: TWTD

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Bazza8564 added 17:13 - Dec 17 In Ashton we trust!
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Cakeman added 17:21 - Dec 17 Very fair comments. The unity of support is generally there. There will be some including myself who have views that are sometimes critical. However that’s born out of disappointment usually after defeat as I’m a bad loser. We all want the club to do well and I’m sure that given time it will do very well.
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Bazza8564 added 17:48 - Dec 17

Cakeman, yes indeed, frustration and disappointment, and Im the same.
One thing i keep trying to focus on though is that the clubs development ON the field has to be matched OFF the field, and when that gets out of step (like getting to the PL 1-2 years too early) , it all gets out of sync.
As fans, we all want the football of PL standard and to win every week. We aren't good enough or ready enough yet to sustain PL levels but we could be in 3-5 years, easily.
And a side that has continued to get better and better on the field matched by state of the art Playford road facilities and a 40000 stadium.... well thats something Im personally prepared to invest a bit of patience for. GC came in 5 years ago next March, Ashton 5 in June, im excited for the next 5 and happy to see it keep going forward

strikalite added 17:49 - Dec 17 Is there no video of this anywhere?
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MickMillsTash added 18:03 - Dec 17 Not sure what the brief was last night but building a world class recruitment structure would be my number 1 priority. Given the recent Birmingham stadium design should the new Cobbold stand have a tractor wheel theme ?
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victorysquad added 18:13 - Dec 17 He is absolutely right on the unity
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Northstandveteran added 18:42 - Dec 17 Regarding the headline. As said Winston Churchill.
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OldFart71 added 18:54 - Dec 17

Given where we were under Marcus Evans we are light years ahead of that era. I think what rankles supporters at the moment is our inability to kick on this season. They compare the previous Championship promotion team and don't see the same unity and will to win. What they see is a mixture of players able to produce wonderful moments of brilliance mixed with a lack of cohesion and ability to beat teams that should be swept to one side. Sometimes it could be seen as over confidence or a lack of it where several of the new recruits just don't put in the necessary performances. We have four forwards with only half a dozen goals between them. I very much doubt this is a team capable of getting us to the Premier League and more importantly staying there.

blueoutlook added 19:00 - Dec 17

None of that matters if you don’t have the product on the pitch. People won’t come if the product is cr@p, they get fed up and drift away, then where are all your projects ? Up sh!te creek without a paddle. We need to get it right on the pitch first and foremost. People won’t care about unity if we keep being served up rubbish football. Then you will have no need for a 40,000 seat stadium.

DinnernotTea added 19:10 - Dec 17 Stop chucking McKenna sht, window after window then 40,000 is realistic. If you keep chucking him sht after sht then I promise you crowds will eventually be 20,000.
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churchmans added 19:15 - Dec 17 Mickmillstash hell na! Why in the hell do you want a tractor wheel! Da hell are you getting that idea from? The tractor boys is a chit name made up by sky sports richard keys! Before that we where always called the super blues! I personally dont like the tag given to us
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armchaircritic59 added 19:26 - Dec 17

Whilst I agree with some posters that the off field developments at the club are amazing ( I never imagined seeing the like as little as 20 or even 10 years ago, as for my seat in the old " chicken run " East stand in the 1960's! ). This all has to met by equal success on the field of play, again as others have said. Otherwise we are in danger once again of putting the cart before the horse, and having a stadium that will be approx 33% larger, holding attendances that are 33% smaller or more, than they are now.

This is why it's absolutely imperative that we get promoted at the end of this season. So it's over to KM and the players to deliver their part of the bargain.

alfromcol added 19:52 - Dec 17 I'm glad some of the people on here have no involvement in the running of the club.
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Gforce added 20:24 - Dec 17 @Churchmans.......Well said,I totally agree !
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Gforce added 20:31 - Dec 17 My wish would be for our Ed to write a new club song/anthem, as that call me Ted song is dire.Its about time we had a quality club anthem to get behind, before kick-off.
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55015Deltic added 20:56 - Dec 17 It’s the Recruitment the Club needs to get right first. Clearly they’ve been some poor signings over the last 2 years…it’s imperative
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Brogan55 added 21:04 - Dec 17

The lack of of investment in the Marcus Evans era has meant that since the new investors have taken over we are catching up with the rest.The fact that Kieron took us to the Premiership too fast!We were not prepared.However the experience has helped us financially,the team needed to be improved.So far this season we are not performing at the level we were all expecting.
The season is a marathon,not a sprint.The impatience of many supporters,is due to the inconsistency of the performances.We will get there,but let’s get there when the whole Club is PREMIERSHIP.

ArnieM added 21:04 - Dec 17 Off the field, I agree, our development has / is absolutely stunning. Im not sure id attribute that accolade to on field atm though....
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bobble added 21:18 - Dec 17 Dont you just love salesmen...
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herfie added 21:48 - Dec 17

The prime focus has to be on building a strong, competitive, balanced and consistent team, coached in a way that maximises individuals’ talents. The need, therefore, for a recruitment regime that, in all honesty, is significantly more agile and effective than what has gone before, is a key enabler.

The off-field projects are of course welcome, enhancing all aspects of training and supporter environments. But these should not sap the focus or energy invested in achieving the prime objective.

Not exactly equivalent, but older folk will recall the Sheepshanks era where building new stands proved to be a costly distraction from team building etc. Having said that, I trust MA to get the key decisions right.

HOG500 added 22:11 - Dec 17 What is that massive green and purple thing behind him?… with blown up condoms?
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blues1 added 23:02 - Dec 17

Oldfart71.You csnt compare. the championship season 2 years ago with this one. 2,years ago, there was no expectation on us at all. We cameup from lge1, and no1,was expecting us to achieve what we did. This season, we are the team everyone wants to beat, which puts much more pressure on us. And if our fans dont get behind the team, and keep slagging players off, then thst just makes it even harder for them. Clearly not all the new players have hit the ground running, but it can take time for players to adjust. Something our fans dont seem to take into account

hammo56 added 23:06 - Dec 17 bobble, I said to the wife earlier he would make a great car salesman. Think we should call him Boycie in future.
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armchaircritic59 added 00:27 - Dec 18 Hammo, I think MA could sell a membership of the Democratic Party to Donald Trump! Which actually is a good thing for the club, powers of persuasion come in very useful to say the least.
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BangaloreBlues added 07:34 - Dec 18

Genuine question here... and it might seem stupid to some.
I know why we're called the Tractor Boys but..
Sheff Utd are called The Blades, Wednesday The Owls, Bristol City The Robins, etc etc, and for obvious reasons.. so why are we not called The Horses?
It would sound strange, I get that (and The Budgies would call us The Donkeys), but does anyone know the reason why we are not The Horses? There are only a few clubs with a horse on the badge (Gillingham and Newmarket have too). Randers FC in Denmark have a horse and they are actually called The Horses...