Ipswich Town chief executive Simon Clegg
SIMON CLEGG INTERVIEW: ‘I will share negotiating duties with Marcus Evans’
By Stuart Watson
Friday, May 11, 2012
2:24 PM
With the close season upon us, transfers, contracts and season tickets come to the fore. In an Star exclusive, STUART WATSON spoke to Ipswich Town chief executive Simon Clegg about the summer ahead.
TRANSFERS
“The identification of players is a matter for the manager, then it’s a case of where they fit within the finances that we’ve got available.
“There’s no particular budget, but in very broad terms Paul (Jewell) has got some understanding in terms of what monies may be available. Then it’s down to Marcus (Evans) or I to undertake the negotiations and try to make those deals happen.”
Asked what determined whether he or Evans negotiated player contracts, Clegg said: “It depends on a whole range of issues. It may depend on the quantum of what’s being discussed – at the end of the day it’s Marcus’ money. It might depend on where he is in the world. It may depend upon relations that he or I may already have with the agent. “There’s no one particular model.”
BUDGET
“If Paul comes to us and says he wants Wayne Rooney I think we all recognise it’s not going to happen with the sort of budget that we’ve got, but I think he has been quite sensitive to budget.
“We have demonstrated previously that Marcus is prepared to support him financially with some reasonably expensive signings; you look at Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (£600,000 with add ons) and Michael Chopra (£1m) last season.
“Not withstanding the dynamics of financial fair play, money will be available going forward.
“Let me just say that already, less than two week days beyond the end of the season, there are already some live issues.
“At the end of the day it’s the manager’s job that’s on the line. We’ve employed a professional manager to deliver what we want delivered for this football club. His reputation and his future employment rests on that. Therefore, we’re not a club that effectively sends our manager in to fight with one hand tied behind his back.
“I passionately believe that the manager needs to be the major driver behind the decisions as to who comes into the club, so long as we can provide him with the resources to do that. I don’t think there can be any arguments in terms of resources having been available over the last few years since Marcus joined the club.”
PAUL JEWELL’S CONTRACT
With the Blues manager now entering the final year of his two-and-a-half year contract, Clegg said: “Of course it’s something we will have to assess at some stage. Marcus and I tend not to necessarily draw lines in the sand on these issues though. You just have to see how it goes.
“We’re highly conscious of the issue. I think there’s a bit of a perception out there that the season comes to an end and all of a sudden the chief executive, owner and the manager think ‘crikey, there are contracts to deal with’. It just doesn’t happen like that.
“We’re constantly on top of these things, despite the fact that some of the fans might not think we are. We quite rightly keep our cards close to our chest though because not to do that would cause you all sorts of financial pain.
“There is a lot that goes on in the football club which, quite rightly from a business perspective, fans are not aware of. We are on top of these things and we deal with them in a timely manner as and when we have to.”
PART TWO TO FOLLOW ON MONDAY
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- Mick McCarthy seeing red as new Ipswich Town kits are launched!
- Aston Villa prepared to offer £4.5m for Ipswich Town defender
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- Ipswich Town: New kits leaked on Twitter
- Bryan Klug can deliver academy success again, says former Ipswich Town youngster
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20 comments
Brian you agree with my assemsment, and therefore you should understand why I left him out as I said Top players. With regard to the ME question I voted NO, If Gold and Sullivan were interested as reported, I do not understand why Sheepshanks landed us with ME. In fairness I feel he would do much better if he had a footballing man in the CEO position as at the moment if is the blind leading the blind. However you cannot blame PJ having to manage the current squad but with the right signings, it may come good. I am no signing off this page
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Cyril Baker
Monday, May 14, 2012
Come on John Burls, that anonymous old man's grey jacket is actually a country gentleman's shooting coat like that worn in the past by Mr Patrick Cobbold which puts Clegg in a different class bracket than we peasant supporters !!!!!!
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Brian Betts
Monday, May 14, 2012
Cyril, agree with your assessment of Leadbitter but there was a player who cost us and was allowed to walk away for nothing. Also don't forget Priskin who was bought by RK for £1M+ and was PAID to have his contract cancelled. Perhaps you can begin to understand why I and so many others have no confidence in the present regime at PR and are concerned at where these people are taking us despite the alleged EADT poll on ME last week if only they could inform us on which day this poll was launched.
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Brian Betts
Monday, May 14, 2012
Strange comment Brian, your Scot Duncan remark has no relevence to my entry, as for Leadbitter, I did not consider him a top class player. Good when he wanted to be but certainly not top class.
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Cyril Baker
Monday, May 14, 2012
Could Cleggie not wear an ITFC jacket like the gentleman behind him in the photo accompanying this piece,rather than that anonymous old man's grey jacket?
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JOHN BURLS
Sunday, May 13, 2012
I suspect that again we will lose out on many "Targets" as seems to be the norm.It isn't that we offer too little for the players, the stumbling block always seems to be the players terms. No one suggests that we pay stupid wages for players, but you still need to offer "the going rate" which we always seem incapable of offering. Either M.E. wants Premiership football or he doesn't and I suspect that crowds will fall further if the later is deemed to be the outcome by supporters. Those players that have put in a half decent shift this last season will also look at who's coming in and only the one's with no future beyond their careers at PR will want to remain.
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whymarkmariner
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Deep Joy
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mike blunt
Saturday, May 12, 2012
I suppose that P:J's contract will turn out like the rest of the player's have done. Not that iwant him still in place for the new season...Maybe he will will feel what its like to be hung out to dry.....
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david bradley
Saturday, May 12, 2012
with all due respect. the man is clearly good at his job or he would have been fired. it's a much harder task than yo think so just let him try and do his best
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trueblue
Friday, May 11, 2012
Why oh why have the eadt campaigned on the CEO situation, when clearly most supporters appear to see him as the problem, and his failure to sell the club to potential signings supports this.
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Cyril Baker
Friday, May 11, 2012
Cyril, have you forgotten Leadbitter makes the third or are you still back in Scott Duncan's days?
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Brian Betts
Friday, May 11, 2012
“At the end of the day it’s the manager’s job that’s on the line."
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martyn elmy
Friday, May 11, 2012
Oh dear!
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Mike Wyatt
Friday, May 11, 2012
if SG has anything to do the transfers then no one half decent is going to sign for us . Transfers over the last season or two have been jokable !!
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jason slaymaker
Friday, May 11, 2012
Watch how all of the players we are linked with go elsewhere.....
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Kevin Bailey
Friday, May 11, 2012
I suppose PJ is allowed to make the odd suggestion here or there?
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JOHN BURLS
Friday, May 11, 2012
I don’t think there can be any arguments in terms of resources having been available over the last few years since Marcus joined the club.” Actually, there is. For a start, why have we not elected to pay £1M a year and have a category one status academy? Why have we not bought a right back? Why do we only have one Goal Keeper? Why has Tommy Smith not signed his contract yet? Why has Jason Scotland not signed his contract yet? Why are crowds down 18% since Evans arrived? Maybe the CEO can answer some of these questions, instead of prattling on in pseudo-business speak....the upper quartile....we have some live issues....“There is a lot that goes on in the football club which, quite rightly from a business perspective, fans are not aware of. We are on top of these things and we deal with them in a timely manner as and when we have to.” .......The main thing we are not aware of, is why our club is going down the pan...answers please CEO
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Kevin Bailey
Friday, May 11, 2012
Dont concern yourself Marc, SC is out of it, a busy man does not have dog and bark himself if he is satisfied with what is going on. How can he say he is on top of contracts when he let two top players walk out the door for nothing.
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Cyril Baker
Friday, May 11, 2012
As someone who would prefer SC I know I open myself up to accusations of just moaning at anything he says or does but I consider myself fairly reasoned. Some of what SC has done has been good, such as the way the club dealt with marking Sir Bobby’s passing and what he says here sounds and is perfectly reasonable. But there are still hints of lessons still not learnt like their attitude to contracts. Regardless of whether they do leave contract negotiations to the end or not, contracts are still being left run out and not only is that criminal (obviously not in the literal sense) but it causes us the huge financial pain that he says they are trying to avoid. Let us please get someone in who knows how to deal with footballers and their agents.
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Mike Rotch
Friday, May 11, 2012
"or I to undertake the negotiations and try to make those deals happen" Please just stay out of it... Please Clegg!!
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Marc Wilson
Friday, May 11, 2012