Paul Jewell
My current Ipswich Town squad are no mugs, insists Paul Jewell
By Stuart Watson
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
11:14 AM
IPSWICH Town could see a quartet of transfer deals fall through before tonight’s 11pm deadline – but manager Paul Jewell is not panicking.
The Blues head into this evening’s home game against Championship table-toppers West Ham firmly embroiled in a relegation battle following a return of just eight points from a possible 45.
And supporters are concerned that failure to strengthen a back five which continues to leak goals at an alarming rate will quickly see Town sucked into the drop zone.
A move for a trio of Portsmouth players – believed to be keeper Stephen Henderson, centre-back Jason Pearce and versatile right-back Joel Ward – as well as teenage Falkirk defender Murray Wallace, hang by a thread with just hours to go until the window closes.
“It’s critical to get the right ones,” said Jewell. “It would be easy to get players that wouldn’t improve us but you need to think, okay, if I can’t get the right players in this window can we get through to the summer and get them then?
“We have to remember that it’s not as if we’ve got a team full of mugs at present. We’ve got a team that hasn’t produced its best on enough occasions to get us the points over the course of the season. It’s still a squad that can be full of good players though.”
Portsmouth last night released a statement which revealed that the club’s funds had been frozen by HMRC following an unpaid tax bill of £1.6m, and that player and staff wages would not be paid for January.
Jewell said: “We made bids for three Portsmouth players last week, it was rejected but the clubs are still talking. Whether we get one, two or three is in the air.
“It’s difficult because we don’t know who we should be speaking to there – the administrator or the chief exec. Complicated is not the word.”
And speaking of Wallace – the Blues understood to have had a £300,000 bid accepted on the proviso that the teenager would be loaned straight back to Falkirk – Jewell said: “He’s been down here to look around, but I know he’s talked to Brighton and he’s going to look at a couple of places after us. We’d like him here, but whether that happens is down to a lot of factors.
“We do have alternatives for the loan market, but ideally I want to bring in players that can be here for the long run.”
– See today’s EADT and Ipswich Star for full Town v West Ham match preview.
More Ipswich Town news
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- Grant Leadbitter ‘relaxed’ about finding a new club
- POLL: Would re-signing David Norris be a backwards step for Ipswich Town?
- George Burley looking forward to Cypriot challenge
- The myths surrounding Ipswich Town’s season
- Tommy Smith signs new deal at Ipswich but admits: I almost quit
- POLL: Is West Ham’s Sam Baldock the right man to boost Ipswich Town’s attacking options?
- Ryan Stevenson’s praise for midfield rivals Byron Lawrence and Jimmy Bullard
- Grant Leadbitter close to securing move to Middlesbrough
- SIMON CLEGG INTERVIEW: Ipswich Town won’t employ a high-risk strategy
17 comments
Pj whose earnt 8 points out of 45 lol we r the mugs putting up with u as a manager u r rubbish
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robbierotten
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Beat the Hammers tonight and all the hype about who we have not been able to sign will all be forgiven until we start another 7 match losing run..... etc etc etc.
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Al K Hall
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Quite apt that the first sentance finishes with the words 'but Paul jewell is not panicking' He becomes more like his role model every day - visions of the hapless Jonsey panicking in all but words while his Dads Army make yet another mess of things !!!! We're all dooooomed
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Old Timer
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
You say the most stupid things. like things fall out of the sky. at leeds. players are no mugs.it is the fans who are .paying to watch them. as for you the worst manager of all time. you are the saucer flying around in space. huston we have a problem.
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mike benham
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Paul Jewell says - “It would be easy to get players that wouldn’t improve us..." - well you've certainly proved that point all too well Paul.....Might I add it's also easy to get in a manager that wouldn't improve us - we did that too with your disastrous appointment
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bluearmy78
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What a clown you are jewell, 8 points from a possible 45 certainly shows your squad are a load of mugs and quite frankly are useless at their job and should be sacked like you. Time for fans to move ship and buy some green and yellow and support a team who are no mugs and going places. After all its only commonsense to do so, theres certainly not much of that around at deadbeat portman road.
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ged scott
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
No we are the MUGS for thinking that you could get us out of this MESS.
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david bradley
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Id say the biggest bunch of mugs at PR these days are us fans that support this shower of s@@@ now . The WHOLE defence are inept (with the sole exception of young Cresswell. Seems the only people that cant see it until the Jnauary window is Clegg and Jewell. This situation with the defence has been a major problme since BEFORE McAuley came here and later left ! So who is are the Mug(s)?
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Liz Knott
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Frank's contact at the crockery section in a high street retailer, said they are not mugs, although the defence is a bit like a sieve, which is in the cooking section, and the midfield is a bit like a slow-cooker.
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Kevin Bailey
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The mugs may be OK, but the tea is weak. In any business the inability to satisfy customers is cue for regime change. In 4 years the club has lost 6000 customers and more will follow, yet all is well and we have a brilliant CEO. Gross ignorance or hubris - you choose!
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Mike Wyatt
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Peter, I agree. IF the players are not mugs, then the coaching staff are not up to the job. Which is it Jewell?
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Kevin Bailey
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Frank's Contact at Crewe will Frank have a change of mind tomorrow about which side of the bread is buttered?
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Brian Betts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
They're no mugs, for sure. They know exactly which side their bread's buttered.
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Frank's contact at Crewe
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Same old, same old from Jewell who should remember that although he has the support of Evans at the moment he hasn't been given the same level of support from the fans who, like he claims for his team. are no mugs. If they start to vote with their feet and there are rows of empty seats let's see how long ME and 'joined at the hip' Clegg "stand by their man". Dolly Parton in the goalmouth should stop us leaking goals !!!!!!!
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Brian Betts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The table does not lie. If the ingredients are so good and the food tastes so bad it must be that the cook is hopeless.
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graham garrod
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The downside of a month's hot air publically pursuing at least half a team is that the current incumbents will be thinking even less of their manager than before - if this is possible.
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Rob Steroo
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
You may go on saying this team are no mugs but really!!!!!!! wake up and take a look at what you the CEO and owner have combined to put together,a team with less points a team with no defense no ideas and no confidence,well correct me if im wrong was this Roy keanes fault or Jim Magiltons fault or wakey wakey YOU THREE ARE TO BLAME.
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peter samuels
Tuesday, January 31, 2012