Stick with Jim - and here's why

OH dear, oh dear it must be the long season.

Having confirmed to my sister that Sunday tea would be a good time to meet up over Easter, I now find myself on the way to Bristol City for an overnight stay.

So it will be a mid-afternoon leave for the west country, and be bright and fresh in the morning to relate the goings on at Ashton Gate in the penultimate away Ipswich Town game.

I am sure the trip will be a pleasant one – as was the journey to Sheffield United last weekend that included a full English breakfast (cereal, the works, then fruit, toast and coffee) at the Ram Jam Inn on the A1.

And my apologies to Reading who since our last visit have updated their press facilities and now offer one of the best in the business. Full marks to the Reading club.

Finding the press car park near Bramall Lane took almost as long as getting to the steel city as it was around a one-way system that was clogged up with traffic and the relevant street name signs were hidden from view.

But get there we did with the King navigation still proving far better than my erstwhile radio colleague Bryan Knights’ efforts in previous years.

Talking of the radio had an enjoyable chinwag with Heart radio commentator Mark Scott and summariser Mick Stockwell on the air after the 2-0 defeat against the Blades.

Mark might be a little envious of my so-called dancing on a night out in Blackpool, but he does a fine job and it is always interesting to put Ipswich Town affairs to rights after games.

It is amazing how fluctuating it has all been. A win at Reading and everything in the garden is rosy, followed by a bad defeat at Sheffield United and Jim has to go!

The 2008/09 campaign has been that sort of event.

I have to admit that there are genuine reasons why Ipswich Town should consider waving goodbye to their current manager.

But like Jim I have Taurus the bull as my star sign, and I know how stubborn and determined to succeed that makes him.

Review the Reading game and yes we have talent and tactics to beat the best in the division. Review the Sheffield United game and we have nothing of the sort.

Football is like that, and getting worse.

Lose one game and it is all woe. Win the next and all is well.

Stick with Jim is my feeling for what its worth. Give him one more year to build on what has been (and was always going to be) a difficult first few years in a highly demanding job.

Five key players were missing at Bramall Lane – and it showed leading to genuine concerns about the strength of an expensively assembled squad.

The drifting out of the scene of the likes of Matt Richards, Dan Harding and Billy Clarke (when Town have struggled to find left-sided balance this term) is a concern about man-management and ‘talent spotting’ skills.

And then we have the current demise of Jaime Peters, Liam Trotter and a few others who were around the scene when Ipswich were doing as well as they are now – without the cash and without the number of players.

Joe Royle ended up with no alternative than have kids on the bench. Jim has much more going for him.

He is not guaranteed to succeed I am afraid. But his heart is in the right place – so give him another chance.