Paul Jewell

Just one new signing but no need for Ipswich Town fans to panic – yet...

By Dave Gooderham Thursday, June 7, 2012
10:51 AM

THE 2011/12 league season ended 40 days ago.

Ipswich Town current squad

GOALKEEPERS

Arran Lee-Barrett

DEFENDERS

Carlos Edwards

Elliott Hewitt

Jack Ainsley

Jaime Peters

Aaron Cresswell

Joe Whight

Damien Delaney

Tommy Smith

MIDFIELDERS

Ryan Stevenson

Andy Drury

Luke Hyam

Jimmy Bullard

Josh Carson

Byron Lawrence

ATTACKERS

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

Michael Chopra

Lee Martin

Jason Scotland

Nathan Ellington

Ronan Murray

There is a month until pre-season officially starts for Ipswich Town and little over 10 weeks until the new campaign begins.

Never mind the Euros and the Olympics, all the Blue Army want to know is where are the new signings?

The capture of highly-rated, but raw, Elliott Hewitt was universally welcomed by Town fans but the 18-year-old could well be the club’s future, rather than the present.

Supporters are growing restless. Amid the speculation and tittle-tattle, they want news of cold, hard signings that will strengthen Paul Jewell’s first team.

What they don’t want is to be told to be patient.

Sadly, that is the situation facing Jewell, owner Marcus Evans and fans looking for reasons to be optimistic next season.

A few signings have already been completed in the Championship and Jewell has missed out on Joel Ward and, to a lesser extent, Jason Pearce and Joe Lewis.

That is not the blame of the manager or anyone in the negotiations, just a simple sign that Ipswich are not going to be able to sign everyone they go for.

Barely a day goes by where Jewell is not fielding calls from agents, scrutinising the free transfer list or looking to tie down early deals under the radar.

The silence, at times, can be painful but far better to do it that way than alert rival clubs of a player’s availability.

It remains very early days in the transfer market, even for a club that is expecting a busy summer. An estimated six to eight players are needed by Jewell with the biggest priorities – in goal and in the centre of defence – remaining a big worry.

As is the size of the squad, just 21, which includes schoolboy Byron Lawrence and Jaime Peters and Nathan Ellington, a duo who might not even be at the club come August.

But while the manager, like the fans, would want to see transfers brought in nice and early, it rarely happens.

The signings will come. But patience will have to be a virtue.

If the season started today...

First XI (4-2-3-1): Lee-Barrett; Edwards, Smith, Delaney, Cresswell; Hyam, Drury; JET, Martin, Carson; Chopra.

Reserve XI (4-4-2): ???; Hewitt, Ainsley, ???, Whight; ???, Bullard, Stevenson, Lawrence; Scotland, Ellington.

Players left: Peters, Murray

23 comments

Kevin, you are talking out of your hat, since Jewell has been manager the club have sold and allowed to go on a free more than 12 million from the team and received less than 3 million in new players. I imagine you will say the money was wasted by Jewell on loans well all I can say they must have been on jolly good wages.

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Cyril Baker

Saturday, June 9, 2012
Spartacus, dont tell me you take not of polls that are done by eadt but do not represent 1% of town supporters you are really desperate if you do. To get the answer to your question to me, just look at the season ticket sales already this season, and then there will be the supporters that dont buy season ticket holders. Yes a few will be like yourself critics of everything that PJ does but the majoritry will give support.

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Cyril Baker

Friday, June 8, 2012
@ Mat: I think you'll find you have come to the party late on the vacuuous 'you aren't happy with the manager so can't support the club' argument. It is precisely BECAUSE people support the club that they are worried about the ineptitude of the management. It is also precisely the case that, even though the posters on here are (using your terminology) 'no-one', and could still state the problems coming 16 months ago (12-15 months before those at the club apologised for those mistakes), that it is concerning the 'experienced' manager didn't. You have the right to have a belief in the manager but unless you are willing to give reasons for it, wildly attacking others that have a differing opinion isn't the most intelligent angle to take.

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I am Spartacus

Friday, June 8, 2012
Mat Mursell@ That was a big paddy was n't it? You know nothing about me and therefore I suggest you save your infantile rants and stop making assumptions.

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SussexTractorBoy

Friday, June 8, 2012
Jewell has wasted loads of money, and frankly my cat could have done a better job!

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Kevin Bailey

Friday, June 8, 2012
then i suggest you do the job with the money hes allowed to spend i dont see you managing a club i dont even see you anywhere how famous are you? whats your pedigree as it comes to it WHO ARE YOU!!! I TAKE IT YOUR NOT A ITFC FAN THEN

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Mat Mursell

Friday, June 8, 2012
@ Cyril: Could you please point me in the direction of the poll where your stated 'majority' was established? Pretty much ALL ITFC fans that I speak to are anti-Jewell, or anti many of his decisions. Most of us are only able to speak from a small sector or anecdotally, but you will find that unless Jewell gets the right players in by the end of August, and doesn't resort to Loanees again, the large majority of fans will definitely have low faith in him by early September.

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I am Spartacus

Friday, June 8, 2012
Sounds like Jewell has signed another 'oldie' in Corporal Jones, "don't panic Mr Mainwaring".

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Brian Betts

Friday, June 8, 2012
Our current squad looks OK to me, what they lack is motivation and direction and GOOD coaching. So get on with it. One must ask, if Norwich could do it with their players, why can't we?

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JOHN BURLS

Friday, June 8, 2012
Paul Jewell will be gutted to have missed out on the signing of Joel Ward who appeared to be waiting for an improved offer from Town prior to joining Crystal Palace. Maybe PJ is waiting for the Euros to start to discover some previously unknown talent? I guess not as Town are more likely to sign on players who will not attract a large signing on fee & are still waiting for the best offer from the Clubs chasing their signature.

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Neil Gedny

Friday, June 8, 2012
Correction sussex tractor boy, you have a doubt about his ability as a manager,but not the majority.

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Cyril Baker

Friday, June 8, 2012
@ Mat Mursell: As per Sussex, I disagree completely, there is every element of doubt about Jewell's ability as a manager. What I do agree with is the time to gel, though. As at previous clubs (so, an experienced 'non-gel' manager) he rushed players in at the end and then suffered horrifically. Then he did the same last summer with us. Now he is primed to do the same this summer as well. Although I appreciate Agents are the specres of doom and try to squeeze the last pennies out of clubs for their clients wages (and their comissions), so deals can take longer, this is not a new situation. Jewell has known for several months we would need several players. The lists are circulated around clubs for free agents. Agents call around managers touting their players. As ever, by the end of August we will know if Jewell will make the New Year or not. As things stand he will be gone, and strangely (bearing in mind my dislike for him as our manager) I'm sad about that because that is another season in my life he will have wasted- and, for that matter, ME and Clegg with their completely inappropriate manager signings.

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I am Spartacus

Friday, June 8, 2012
If we are unable to make expensive purchases then it is important to make sure our scouting system is up to the task of finding untapped talent both at home and abroad. But if the powers that be are hoping to cut back on scouting and are not prepared to compete in the transfer market then we are in trouble. Unless the rest of the football league are prepared to make a stand on players wages,agents and transfer fees then Town are trying to sail against a very strong tide. The biggest problem they face is that if they don't sign a few quality players then the crowds will diminish further, but if they do and they still remain in the championship then we are back to square one again.

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whymarkmariner

Thursday, June 7, 2012
the man is clueless how can he say i wont be rushed into signing players new players should be identified over the season gone there is no need to rush if you have alredy been doing what your paid for you have got a list havent you pj

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gutted

Thursday, June 7, 2012
Surely Town fans only need to panic when Jewell actually starts to make signings... most alleged targets at the moment will be pretty sure of finding a proper club. The time to start biting fingers is in a month's time when injury-prone deadbeats give up hope of finding another club and start taking Jewell's overtures seriously,

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Rob Steroo

Thursday, June 7, 2012
Mat Mursell, plenty of doubt regarding Jewell in my book.

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Kevin Bailey

Thursday, June 7, 2012
Mat Mursell@ I beg to differ. There is every doubt about his quality as a manager.

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SussexTractorBoy

Thursday, June 7, 2012
I think we have to face it. We were dire last season, never looked like mounting any serious promotion challenge, so why bother to come to Ipswich. I know theres plenty of time to get players in but all of our targets have gone elsewhere because they see those clubs as having more of a chance of sustaining a promotion challenge than we have. I would love to see us go up next season but it ain't gonna happen. I see us doing more of a Charlton, or a Crewe to be honest. Sad but a fact.

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bismark

Thursday, June 7, 2012
look there is no doubt that pj is a quality manager but he must remember along with the rest of the board and owner who is paying their wages ok maybe not M.E and us fans must see progress there are a lot of players that we are interested in so no need to take time with them as they are targets identified get them in you only need to take time over players that we are looking for i suggest get them in before anther club does anymore waiting and the coming season is over before it starts as players brought in late wont have the time to gell.

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Mat Mursell

Thursday, June 7, 2012
A nothing story as usual- Most players are on holiday at moment plus contracts dont officially come to an end yet. Transfers are a cut throat business these days and keeping quiet is the best way (ask Peterborough, they have gagged Barry Fry!!!). Plenty of time yet

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Philip Wright

Thursday, June 7, 2012
Again, this is ridiculous. Why would Ellington the way he has been playing start in front of Murray? The fact is we need about 6 - 8 players and there has to be a goalkeeper, a couple of centre backs a really good distributing midfielder, a winger (somebody tell me what the heck happened to Judge) and a big striker. As well as others, a mix of experience so why not get Ryan Nelsen in and youth such as Hewitt. Act now, before it's to late in the market.

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Paul The Alien

Thursday, June 7, 2012
The idea is interesting but this debate is premature. One day in football is a long time. One month is a life-time!

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FRANK WESTON

Thursday, June 7, 2012
EADT, how many transfer windows have supporters been patient through under manager PJ ?

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Brian Betts

Thursday, June 7, 2012