Jewell wants to build a core of seven or eight players

Paul Jewell looks to build a ‘core’ at Ipswich Town

BY Dave Gooderham Thursday, February 2, 2012
10:55 AM

PAUL Jewell wants to make the Blues a force for the future using a settled “core” of players.

The Town boss knows he has made mistakes with his transfer policy but is determined to restore some stability after making 15 signings since the summer.

And on the back of Tuesday night’s fantastic 5-1 win over league leaders West Ham, the manager might have now realised that the future of his side is already right under his nose.

Jewell explained: “I think the best teams manage to get a core to their team and then just add to it each season. What’s happened at Ipswich is that the squad has chopped and changed over the years.

“I think everybody accepts that we need to get a settled squad and a core of seven or eight players that we can then build around.”

Defenders Tommy Smith and Aaron Cresswell plus Luke Hyam and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas are all in their early 20s while Josh Carson is just 18 years old.

And even 24-year-old Lee Martin, new signing Ryan Stevenson, 27, and Andy Drury and Michael Chopra, both 28, are the right age to build a team around.

While the need for a commanding centre-back, dependable right-back and long-term keeper are still on most supporters’ wish-lists, the demolition of the Hammers has returned some optimism back to Portman Road.

This season’s priority will simply be about moving away from the relegation zone, but there are signs of better times ahead.

Jewell said: “This season we have spent searching for the right formation, searching for the right formula, almost hoping something clicks.

“You don’t want to be signing 13 players every summer, you just want to be adding two or three to your group in an ideal world.”

“We need to get back to stability and having a core of players who are in the team and likely to be at the club for the next two or three years at least. I’m working on that.”

28 comments

Blue and true since 1962, I think you are right except that those deficiencies you identified in Jewell also appear in the other "two wise monkeys" and I wish they would all leave now.

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Brian Betts

Sunday, February 5, 2012
PJ needs to leave for I fear - he does not have the prinicples and expertise we need at ITFC - am I wrong or right?

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Blue and true since 1962

Friday, February 3, 2012
@SussexTractorBoy and several other contributors: Please believe me that just because I do not agree with all your opinions that I think you are not true supporters; I agree with many of the points you make and they do cause me to stop and think! However, at the moment I come to a different overall opinion to you and think things will come good under Paul Jewell. I am sorry if this makes some of you feel that I am stupid and have my head in the sand; well so be it!

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Chris Hampshire

Friday, February 3, 2012
Firstly we did not 'sign' 15 players - we temporarily borrowed the majority of them - so these players owe us no loyalty at all when it comes to giving 100% effort when playing for us. 2nd If the contract situation is not resolved with the likes of Scotland, Edwards etc, we WILL need to sign aload of players at the end of the season, we are already at least 3 players short of a respectable team - GK, Central defender and right back. 1 or 2 bad injuries and we are scuppered. Unless clegg & PJ pay the going rate for players - we will not bring any decent players to Portman Rd Pearce obviously didnt want to come here and would only have reluctantly come down to agree terms - if indeed he wanted to do that!!!. PJ really needs to pull the stops out and soon, as we are expecting better things next season... Clegg needs to brush up on his negotiating skills aswell - how can you be in negotiations with a club - pretty much for days and STILL dont get anywhere, what does this tell you about him.... Sort it out Town

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oilburner1978

Thursday, February 2, 2012
My only comment is why has he wasted a year of frustration to work this out. Another point - we do need a good solid right back and i am amazed anyone believes Carlos Edwards is the answer.Square pegs in round holes and we have had too many of those in the last year.

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Alan Chaplin

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Firstly, well done Town for Tuesday night, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, the only thing the EADT 'scribes' would be disappointed or even ashamed about is letting you make pointless and dreary comments Steroo. Also, for John Burls, grow up! I'm an Alien, called Paul. I am Spartacus, nice one mate.

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Paul The Alien

Thursday, February 2, 2012
So this is Jewells latest thought for the day - or should I say minute!! I already hear the cries of "moaner" and "you are not a true supporter" which is surprising as those words are uttered from heads buried deep in the sand. I bet those of you out there that claim Jewell is the next Messiah are already placing bets on ITFC being in the play offs and are saving up for a Premier Season Ticket in 2 years time - and all that after just 1 win. Think again good friends because however much verbal footwork Jewell enters into none of it makes sense and the truth is he does not have a clue how Tuesdays result happened or how to make it happen again. Look at the facts ITFC are 6 points worse off than at the same time last year and that is after he has had a full year to get things right. Any manager that confesses to having spent the season so far "searching for the right formation, searching for the right formula, almost hoping something clicks" needs to spend the rest of the season looking for some other mug to employ him. For goodness sake he is supposed to know what he is doing - if he doesnt then how does he expect the players to know what they are expected to do. It is a pitiful statement from a pitifiul manager and the only surprising thing is that we still hear from people on this site that he is the man for the job!!

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SussexTractorBoy

Thursday, February 2, 2012
we all new this before you went on your merry-go-round last summer and we dont get paid nowhere near what you do credit where credit due for the other night but you are not the right man for the job so jog on and whats happened to josh coz it looks like your going to muck that up as well as all the so called transfers this week

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gutted

Thursday, February 2, 2012
This is laughable - Jewell said: “This season we have spent searching for the right formation, searching for the right formula, almost hoping something clicks. You don’t want to be signing 13 players every summer, you just want to be adding two or three to your group in an ideal world" - And this my friends is what I struggle with about Jewell - Hoping something clikcks !!! I aks you ??? What an appalling admission - Do you think Fergie (or any other manager come to think of it) relies upon HOPE to get through the season - We are told he is a good manager and yet he is reliant on HOPE ??!!?? Paul, you are also dead right you don't want to be signing 13 players each summer - now remind me just how many have you signed and why ?? Oh yes it's because you chose to & you (and your CEO) chose to allow contracts to expire..

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bluearmy78

Thursday, February 2, 2012
@ trueblue - sorry even I underrated your stupidity - are you really suggesting things will now be OK because we've got a player the 'same size' as Eric Gates ?????? If we can stretch PJ to the same height as Bobby Robson all our troubles will be over.

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Old Timer

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Almost hoping something clicks. This is the latest pearl of wisdom from the hopeless Jewell. Heres another one for you. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Its one win still 19th. Now lets see how you manage, now everything is sorted.

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graham garrod

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hate to pull you up Rob Steroo but the longest serving player at PR is not who suggest but rather Jaime Peters - also likely to be an ex-player come the summer.

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bluearmy78

Thursday, February 2, 2012
True blue, an excellent point, and why not play him in the Eric Gates position, as a floating player, with no defensive responsibilities? Could work very well, in my view. John Burls, I think the point most of us are trying to get across regarding Carlos, is why play him out of position? Why have we not got a right back? We could then have played Carlos wide right, where we have not had the same effectiveness since Walters left. The main difficulty we have at present, is potential injuries, as it wouldn't take many to mess us up. Further loan players, after the comments about not getting too many loan players would make Jewell look foolish once more, and I hope that ALB keeps his place in goal, and is there for the remainder of this season.

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Kevin Bailey

Thursday, February 2, 2012
@ John Burls. Anonymous? My name IS Spartacus so, strangely, it is the name I use on here. You criticise me suggesting that Carlos Edwards is not a right back and then say '...I don't think he did at all badly against WH, especially as it isn't his position'. THAT is the point. We have a Right Midfielder playing out of position (badly) and even I were to (wrongly) accept he did okay against West Ham, then like your other comments I would have to also accept that one game defines the way things are now going to be- which is nothing more than trying to ignore all that has gone before it. It's like saying that I won the lotto last Saturday, so I must then be due to win the Lotto most Saturdays from here to eternity. Delusional. The players get lots of congrats for the win against West Ham, Paul Jewell gets none. He has taken over a year to decide that utilising our young players is the way forward- something most ITFC fans have pushed for from the start. Jewell contradicts most of the things the escape his mouth and I think he has lucked upon the last few games with youth. We WILL start losing again in the next game or 2 because of his cluelessness. I don't trust him to take us forward and I question his utter ineptitude tactically and with man-management. We both want the same thing- Ipswich winning. We just see how that will happen differently. I'll apologise if I'm wrong- and we will find out soon enough (by the end of the season we will know for sure). Thing is, I won't be wrong and you should know this having gone to see the games for so long. There is a difference between blindly supporting a team and supporting the club but noticing things are clearly wrong.

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I am Spartacus

Thursday, February 2, 2012
One win and suddenly we are world beaters again , only thing Jewel is likely to build is a relegation squad .Back down to earth against Coventry at the weekend

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LizzSnot

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Kevin, totally correct and doing justice to the very difficult but grand job RK was doing. We would now have been playoffs, Lu kie would have been on the Premier teams radar along with others and the standing of the club would have only been second to the big 7. I really hope that the RK bashers realise this or challenge to say otherwise!!

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Brian Wren

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Well I AM SPARTICUS (don't you have a name?) I've seen every game he's played at PR, having been a supporter and season ticket holder since 1968, and I don't think he did at all badly against WH, especially as it isn't his position. After a display like that they all including PJ deserve a few congrats not the usual anonymous moans.

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JOHN BURLS

Thursday, February 2, 2012
I think that we have a core and Josh Carson is more the size of Eric Gates who was a very good Goal Scorer for ITFC under Sir Bobby Robson. Clearly the younger team members are the ones with passion and heart for the club and will play for the Club and Fans.

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TrueBlue

Thursday, February 2, 2012
bluearmy78 that is Jamie Peters crime as well !!

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Brian Betts

Thursday, February 2, 2012
At long last !!! After a whole year of dropping players in and out of the squad, bringing in other clubs unwanted "assets" straight into the starting 11 and general fudging around in the dark the penny has finally dropped.....Sorry to have to say this but many many posters have been saying that this is what has been needed for a very long time....A balanced team with a few wiser more experienced heads in key positions and the rest made up of OUR young talent or young, enthusiastic, exciting up and coming players is THE way forward.....In actual fact it always has been and with the fiasco of expiring contracts rearing it's ugly head again this season (like last) and our inability to sign players it is the ONLY option available to Jewell.....As things stand we will only have 8 contracted players - so that is your core right there.......This also highlights why I have no confidence in Jewell - he lurches from one policy (older ex-prem players) and from one formation to another...Nothing is ever as a result of his tactical nouse, his beliefs, this thought process - it's all stumbled or forced upon him after what he actually believes fails to work....That is why I think it is far too soon to predict survival in this league - we all know that while we SHOULD move away from the bottom of the table building on that great win over WHU, under Jewell we are just as likely to go the next 6 or seven games without a win....I have to say in spite of this rhetoric I am very concerned for the future of Mr Carson whose ONLY crime has been to be three or four inches too short.

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bluearmy78

Thursday, February 2, 2012
John, are you for real? Edwards a decent Right Back? Madness. Have you even seen any games with him playing? Positionally he is all at sea and defensively he is very suspect- I'd imagine anyone with a modicum of knowledge on the responsibilities of a full back would spot that. In reference to Jewells ramblings, how is he going to reduce the chopping and changing in signings when he has an inordinate amount of contracts up this summer. With Edwards, Scotland, Leadbitter, Bowyer et al all likely to be on their way we will still need a large amount of signings to have anyway near enough depth in the squad. If we get 10 points from our next 5 or 6 games I might accept that things are looking more steady, but those people that claim all is rosey after 1 win need to look back to the Barnsley game. One win against Derby after that and then another collection of losses. Jewell is clueless and will not be the manager come the end of 2012. Time for the deluded to realise this.

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I am Spartacus

Thursday, February 2, 2012
How do you listen to and print this stuff with a straight face? Who is the longest serving player at Portman Road? The soon to be ex-skipper who along with virtually the entire team will be gone at the end of the season. The reason that Town are so poor is precisely because there is no core. As has been said many times in the past by having a temporary goalie, central defenders, midfield and leading scorer Jewell has take precisely the opposite tack - either because he is utterly incompetent - or the strapped-for-cash owner cannot afford to commit any money - or more likely both. Please, as this season is now to ll intents and purposes over can you be just a little more objective? It's not too much to ask - you EADT scribes must be ashamed of what you have written to date.

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Rob Steroo

Thursday, February 2, 2012
@ Frank’s contact at Crewe: You should give the complete quotation - ‘Faith does not, in the realist, spring from the miracle but the miracle from the faith’. Slightly different meaning to what you intended to convey?

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Chris Hampshire

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Rather strangely, this is entirely the policy that Keane was following, only for Jewell to come along and dismantle it, then blaming Keane for the mess he inherited. He is now doing what Keane was doing, and for those of us that could never understand why Hyam was ever dropped (and Carson now) it is vindication.

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Kevin Bailey

Thursday, February 2, 2012
cue frenzied cries of 'we're gonna win the league'....

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MR.E

Thursday, February 2, 2012
The core of a fruit is what is left after the good parts have gone, sure sounds as though it could be ITFC.

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Brian Betts

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hey Frank! Do not adjust your set! There I was the other night, slapping the Ekco 17'', messing with the vertical hold, trying to get a sensible picture. Mine was showing a big home win at Portman Road. Well, strike me down with a feather! You've been right all along, then. Word on the street is that Jewell is up for Goodwin's discarded gong and the statue company are delivering an extra large load of bronze! I like to listen to my mate Fyodor though. He said: 'Faith does not, in the realist, spring from the miracle....'

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Frank's contact at Crewe

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Well I can see after West Ham that we already have a core of 11 good players, so PJ don't mess with it! It seems to me Edwards is well on the way to becoming "a dependable right back", and don't sell Scotland whatever you do, he's a class player.

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JOHN BURLS

Thursday, February 2, 2012

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