Press Box Blues

Ipswich Town's defending makes them an average Championship side

Dave Gooderham — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:22:41 GMT

AT one stage in the second half of Town's miserable 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest, a section of the home fans started chanting 'attack, attack, attack'.

In this Saturday's home match against Reading, it wouldn't surprise me if the whole of Portman Road, in unison, turned it round to 'defend, defend, defend'.

This can't go on. When Southampton and Peterborough scored against Ipswich for fun, we blamed it on the lack of centre-backs.

Now we have some good ones, ironically Danny Collins and Ivar Ingimarsson were two of the better performers at the City Ground, and it still wasn't enough.

I'm not going to say I have all the answers, but in the last few matches Town have got overrun in the middle of the park and also in wide areas. If one of those things happen, you are in trouble. Both, and any back four in the world wouldn't be able to cope.

I still think having two central defensive midfielders could be the answer but personally I don't care if Paul Jewell lines up with six across his defence, he just needs to stop the torrent of goals flooding past poor David Stockdale.

There has been predictable talk in very small quarters about whether Jewell is the right man for the job or whether Ipswich could even find themselves in League One next season.

I would currently disagree with both. But the stats don't lie. Town are currently a below mid-table side and that is exactly where they should be.

Never mind some fantastic performances which had us all dreaming. When you concede goals at a rate of knots, then you are never going to be anywhere near a top six finish.

And that will be the case until Jewell sorts out his defending, all over the pitch. I personally think the back four is good, Ingimarsson will get better with games under his belt while we still have Ibrahima Sonko to come back.

But they desperately need protection from a midfield that is getting overrun too often in games.

Whether at home or not, I think most fans will take some defensive solidity and then build from there. If that means some bore draws, then so be it - however tragic it is writing those words. As long as the final score starts reading nil to the opponents.

Town's future looks bright - if a little unknown

Dave Gooderham — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:33:26 GMT

GEORGE Porter, Andrew Hughes, Jamie Proctor and Rory Loy.

All reported Ipswich Town targets, but none are names to set the pulses racing in the way Michael Chopra and Lee Bowyer did in the summer.

But we are approaching a new dawn in Paul Jewell's transfer policy.

Experienced players were needed to bolster the ranks but no fan would have been too surprised by seeing the manager's admission that his squad was "top heavy" and more youngsters were needed.

So as much as retaining Keith Andrews and Danny Collins is important, Jewell is starting to identify some younger lights, largely from the lower leagues (though it should be said that some of the aformentioned might prove mere speculation).

One has to hope this starts in January although the manager is also thinking longer-term.

Regardless, it seems that we might be nearing an end to the 'marquee' signings, the Jimmy Bullards of this world.

I, for one, am glad. Jewell has answered the dire need for experience and then some. Now it is time to bring in the much-needed youth.

Names like Porter and Proctor might require a little more research on my part and time for most supporters to get to know them, but it is what Ipswich Town is crying out for right now.

To start with that research, take a look at Porter scoring for Leyton Orient in Saturday's FA Cup win over Bromley (a match, Jewell confirmed, was watched by a Town scout).

(Please visit the site to view this video)

Sign Keith up - and then make him captain

Dave Gooderham — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:52:58 GMT

IT is amazing to think that Keith Andrews was a target for the Blackburn boo-boys.

He arrived in Suffolk, labelled as a Premier League reject and with some doubting his importance to the Republic of Ireland side.

Well the secret is out. Since signing on a half-season loan in August, Blues fans have witnessed an all-action, committed player with a welcome penchant for goals.

Rarely a game goes by where Andrews doesn't try his luck from long distance and he rarely misses the target. He could have added a few more goals in his 13 games but we'll take five thus far, thank you very much.

There is often a lot of criticism directed at loan players, much of which I agree with. But you could never accuse Andrews of not caring about the club or only moving to Portman Road to secure a better deal elsewhere.

I have had the privilege of talking to the midfielder on a number of occasions and two things are always clear: his will to win, and how much he is enjoying his time at Ipswich.

Andrews has come out before and said he wants to stay in Suffolk. While Paul Jewell has stressed how he would like to sign the midfielder when his loan deal expires in January.

Now it is time to make it happen after Andrews played a starring role in the Republic of Ireland's fantastic 4-0 win in Estonia in the Euro 2012 Play-Off.

The 31-year-old was briefly trending worldwide on Twitter after he opened the scoring in Tallin on Friday night.

Even then, for some, he was a figure of fun with some tweeters (Blackburn fans?) saying it was laughable that Andrews could soon grace a major international championships.

Well they can keep laughing for all I care, as long as Jewell and the Town money-men encourage the tenacious Andrews to sign on the dotted line.

(Please visit the site to view this video)

Once Andrews commits his long-term future to Town, assuming he does, Jewell's next job should be to make him permanent Ipswich captain.

This is not some anti-Grant Leadbitter rant, he is someone who I still rate and I still believe will have a big role to play this season.

But Leadbitter is no skipper. Call me traditional, but I want a captain who is going to rant and rave as well as inspire through their performance on the pitch.

Let me give you an example. The captain is meant to be the only one who can talk to the referee but if team mates feel Leadbitter is too quiet to do that, they will take matters into their own hands - and potentially talk/shout themselves into trouble.

The only reason I wouldn't have given Andrews the armband thus far is because it shouldn't go to a loan player.

Come January, hopefully that problem will be overcome and we can all be cheering on 'Captain Keith'.

Five England youngsters Jewell might be looking at

Dave Gooderham — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:03:10 GMT

AS its Friday, I thought I would have a bit of fun and delve into my crystal ball.

Paul Jewell was not at Colchester United last night to watch England Under-21s' comprehensive 5-0 victory over Iceland.

But his trusty lieutenants, Chris Hutchings and Sean McCarthy, were both sitting comfortably in the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Now the duo might have just fancied a taste of international football on their doorstep. But for the purposes of this blog, here's five young lads they might, semi-realistically, been casting an eye over for the months to come.

Will Keane (striker)

A Manchester United striker whose goalscoring instincts have been compared to Old Trafford legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Having scored eight goals in United's victorious FA Youth Cup campaign last season and then another six in seven starts for the reserves, it is not hard to see why the likes of Paul Scholes are expecting the Red Devils to boast another Keane in their ranks in the near future. This one would be a definitely loan deal only and Paul Jewell appears to be an admirer, not convincingly denying the links when I quizzed him at a recent press conference. But Jewell's public pursuit of Billy Sharp might mean that he puts Keane on the back-burner, so to speak. Came on for the last 12 minutes at Colchester.

Gary Gardner (centre midfield)

A new name to watch after his two goals last night, one of which a cracking free-kick which saw the confident Aston Villa midfielder push Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson out of the pecking order. Stuart Pearce later admitted that he had told Gardner just to sit in front of the back four - and boy does Ipswich need one of those. The goals were an obvious bonus. The younger brother of Sunderland midfielder Craig, the 19-year-old is a new name for me and clearly there are no guarantees he is ready for the hustle and bustle of the Championship. But he has to start somewhere and the fact that he has not played a single minute for Villa this season suggests they would not have a problem with a loan deal. Just a thought.

Craig Dawson (centre-back)

I would prefer Town to be looking at Martin Kelly (but then again I would prefer them to get Messrs Henderson, McEachran or Oxlade-Chamberlain on loan!) But with Kelly making a name for himself at Liverpool, his centre-back partner Dawson seems a more likely bet. Linked with Town in the summer, Dawson has again struggled to break through at West Brom but he looked a good physical presence, decent on the ball and an able defender during his 90 minutes at the Weston Homes. A loan spell would seem the only route to Portman Road with Everton said to be among his admirers. But if Jewell and Co are looking for a bit of temporary pace at the heart of his defence, he could do far worse.

Sammy Ameobi (striker/left-winger)

A youngster who has just broken through at Newcastle and now starred for England is unlikely to be eyeing a move downwards just yet. But if Alan Pardew feels Shola's younger brother could do with a loan spell, I would just love it if Ipswich were in the market. The star of the show at Col U - some feat after Ameobi was only in the squad because of poor Connor Wickham's injury and then only on the pitch after Nathan Delfouneso felt his hamstring with just 12 minutes on the clock. Possessing a bag of tricks as well as pace to burn, the 19-year-old would brighten up the Championship.

Adam Smith (right-back)

The Tottenham full-back surprised many by joining MK Dons on a season-long loan after appearing to be touted for the Championship. He will hope that his loan spell will help him make a similar impact at White Hart Lane to Kyle Walker. But if it doesn't, Championship clubs might again be in the frame either or another loan deal next season or maybe a permanent move. Smith looked very comfortable on the ball last night and had a nice bit of pace about him - especially in dealing with Iceland's danger man Johann Gudmunsson. Impossible to say whether Town missed a trick on the 20-year-old full-back based on one match, but definitely one to watch. He can also shoot a bit too.

(Please visit the site to view this video)

It's time to protect Town's fragile defence

Dave Gooderham — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:43:00 GMT

HOW do you start picking the bones out of that?

The Blues' 3-2 home defeat at rock bottom Doncaster Rovers left too many questions - and all worrying ones.

Why was Colin Healy preferred over the young legs of Lee Martin or Josh Carson? Does Paul Jewell have a Plan B to a diamond midfield that has painfully not worked in recent games? Why have the defensive problems returned to haunt Town once again? And just what is wrong with Jimmy Bullard?

As I say worrying, following another dire 90 minutes at Portman Road. Never mind the scoreline, Town were never in this match at all, save for a bright opening 10 minutes in the second half when Martin and Carson inspired some life into the zombie-like men in blue.

By that time, Ipswich were 3-0 down at half-time against, currently, the worst team in the league. There's no way of sugar coating that.

All the aformentioned questions are serious ones but I would suggest that Jewell starts with the most important before working out the rest.

For me, that is the staggering amount of easy goals that are being leaked in by Town. Of course, this means a good hard look at his defenders but also what is going on in front of them.

Ipswich might start with a diamond midfield full of experience but none of the four seem to take any real responsibility for protecting the back four. This is fine when you are keeping the ball as well as the side did against West Ham or Coventry, but when the likes of Bullard are repeatedly closed down, it opens up a whole host of problems for the likes of Danny Collins et al.

So where do you go from here? I would like to see more width and pace in the team - who wouldn't? - but I worry that Town still don't have the right two centre midfielders to play a traditional 4-4-2, certainly this formation would currently rule Bullard out of the equation.

The defence need more protection and perhaps this would come from a 4-2-3-1 formation. Two defensive-minded central midfielders in front of the back four, while still releasing a further four in front of them to attack, not to mention the likes of Aaron Cresswell.

Deciding upon the two sitting midfielders does pose it problems with Town not blessed with many such players (Mark Kennedy and Luke Hyam are the only ones that spring to mind). I would go with Kennedy, Town's best player at the start of the season, and Keith Andrews, fulfilling the same role as he does for Ireland.

With Michael Chopra on his own upfront, flanked by Carson and Martin who both shone on Saturday, it would leave a straight fight between Grant Leadbitter, Bullard and JET as to who would be the attacking point of the midfield.

With a trip to Nottingham Forest on the horizon, I would probably opt for Leadbitter (who can also provide some defensive reinforcement) or JET (in the free attacking role he craves). Jimmy is just not cutting it for me, I'm afraid.

* For the last four weeks, I have chased an interview with Connor Wickham in the run-up to England Under-21s match with Iceland at Colchester United this Thursday night. Finally getting the go-ahead last week to speak to Wickham for the first time since his departure from Portman Road, his cruel injury at the weekend has put paid to that.

The teenager must be devastated having finally started to show his worth at Sunderland. But the 18-year-old is literally made of strong stuff and his physique should ensure he makes a full recovery as quickly as possible. I wish you well Connor - one day, I will get that interview!

Why injuries might actually improve Ipswich Town's fortunes

Dave Gooderham — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:58:00 GMT

FIRST and foremost, this is not a witch-hunt against Lee Bowyer.

There have been far worse than the tenacious midfielder during Town's trio of miserable performances.

But his absence from tomorrow's visit of Doncaster Rovers - now deemed a must-win after a dismal few games - might oddly help the Blues, rather than have supporters singing them.

It gives Paul Jewell a dilemma, but an intriguing one.

He could continue to deploy the diamond midfield or move to a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation. Mark Kennedy could be brought into defensive midfield or there could be a starting spot for Lee Martin or Josh Carson - both were praised by Jewell this week.

Another tempting option must be to move Jimmy Bullard to the tip of the diamond, releasing him from his defensive shackles, following his wonderful solo goal last week.

My heart wants to see more pace injected into the midfield - whether through Carlos Edwards moving back onto the wing or Martin and/or Carson returning to the side. I would love to see Town really go at a Doncaster side that is better than their paltry two league wins suggest, but whose confidence can quickly be go - and shot - at.

Play 4-4-2, with two proper wingers, not Grant Leadbitter. And then have two central midfielders consisting of the never-say-die Keith Andrews and one of Leadbitter or Bullard, I'd go for the latter.

Sadly, my head thinks the diamond will remain and either Kennedy or Carson will be brought in.

Then again, I was equally sceptical when Jewell lined up with four central midfielders against Coventry City. And we all know what happened there.

Time to panic? Not quite, but Paul Jewell faces his toughest challenge yet

Dave Gooderham — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:53:23 GMT

PAUL Jewell is said to be confused and David Stockdale can't explain it.

Well put me down on the list of people struggling to comprehend how Ipswich Town can totally dominate West Ham at Upton Park and then put in an inept shift against Crystal Palace and Millwall just weeks later.

The Blues, in the first half especially, had returned to the dark days of the last few seasons where they had no drive, no creativity and resorted to just pumping aimless balls up to the helpless frontmen.

In one sense, it was the most dire 45 minutes I have seen all season.

There was no energy, no impetus, passes went astray all over the pitch. I can remember one decent chance all half and that was from Jason Scotland, 40 yards from goal, while at the other end, the nervousness and simple defensive errors had returned. The second half fared little better.

Working out the reasons for the mini-slump, both in terms of performances and now results, is difficult.

The easiest thing to point to is Jewell's ageing squad, the side that started at the New Den had an average age of 30.5 and including just three players under 30.

Based on just 90 minutes of football, it is impossible to say how good Liam Feeney is, but on Saturday he was made to look like a world-beater. The same goes for Jay Simpson, Brian Howard and our local-boy-made-good Liam Trotter.

Pace is an issue, it has been all season, in good times and bad.

Have the opposition sussed out the diamond midfield? Possibly, although it is hard to stray from the simple fact that too many of Jewell's players are underperforming at the same time.

You can talk about systems all day but when that happens, you are always going to struggle.

Stockdale told me that players are buzzing in training but they currently seem to be caught in the headlights when they go over that white line.

Jewell must work out quickly why that is. And with it comes his biggest challenge since becoming Town boss.

Only Michael Chopra can decide his footballing fate

Dave Gooderham — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:32:00 GMT

At his worst, he would wake up in the middle of the night in search of his next hit.

He would lie to his parents before looking for an excuse to make a quick exit while he was never "grateful" for the time he spent with his little boy.

His employment was almost second fiddle as his mind became quickly riddled by his addiction even minutes after huge personal glory.

This is the depth Michael Chopra stooped too as his gambling addiction took hold.

In many ways, his candid, heart-wrenching words in today's East Anglian Daily Times and Evening Star could be associated with any serious addiction.

But there is something about gambling that almost seems light-hearted. We all like a flutter on the Grand National or betting on the first goalscorer at a football match. I know I do.

Only Chopra fell much deeper and darker, spiralling into a world where he would win "big money", but still not be satisfied. He would also lose massive amounts and then frantically look at the latest odds to try and win his money right back.

Like with alcoholics or drug users, he would lie to those around him - including Paul Jewell - and just spend a matter of minutes with the ones he loved before wanting to disappear down the bookies.

Perhaps his comments about his relationship with his son are the most heart-rendering of them all:

"I'm spending a lot more time with my little boy which before I wasn't grateful of. People say that your kids should be the best thing in your world but as a gambler I didn't see that. Yesterday, I went home to see my little boy and spent eight, nine hours with him. It was amazing, I didn't have any thoughts about gambling at all."

Powerful stuff and the honesty shown by Town's top goalscorer, as well as Paul Jewell's handling of the situation at yesterday's press conference, should be applauded.

Both player and manager has spoken of Chopra's false dawns, something that fans of Sunderland and Cardiff City can also testify to.

In our newspapers today, Chopra speaks a good game and the player should be warmed by all the messages of support from Blues fans that flooded into us following yesterday's breaking - if not surprising - news.

One can only hope and pray that a man who admitted to waking up in the middle of the night to bet on football matches in Brazil and Argentina can accept the help he so desperately needs from the likes of the Sporting Chance Clinic and those closer to home.

Everyone connected at Ipswich Town, from the owner right down to the local press, will ensure he gets the right kind of support.

The rest is up to Michael Chopra.

JET largely falls flat in big audition against Palace

Dave Gooderham — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:45:00 GMT

Dazzling, frustrating, exhilarating, languid.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, you are all of the above.

Unfortunately for Town fans, the man known as JET showed more of his negative traits during his first 90 minutes of the Championship season.

He had gone into Saturday’s match with Crystal Palace attracting some unwanted headlines after his music mate Chipmunk blabbed to the tabloids that Town’s £1 million man harboured hopes of becoming a rapper.

Clearly disgruntled by this, Ipswich boss Paul Jewell had told the enigmatic Emmanuel-Thomas to keep his feet on the football pitch rather than have an eye and ear on breaking into the music charts.

With Michael Chopra and Jason Scotland dropped to the bench, Jewell gave the music man his big chance to shine in front of Portman Road’s biggest crowd of the season. And initially, Emmanuel-Thomas looked ready to take advantage of his big break.

He might have tricks in his locker that most can only dream about, but JET stands 6ft tall and gives the Blues a decent muscular presence upfront. He won his fair share of aerial balls early on and impressively used his frame to hold off markers and retain possession.

And he also has the ability to light up a football match and get bums off seats. He did this as well with one decent run down the right-hand side before just running out of pitch and then a nutmeg which beat Palace left-back Jonathan Parr all ends up.

JET always goes looking for the ball in a free spirited sense which often leaves the Blues missing a striker, but on one occasion he cleverly played in Carlos Edwards who almost set up Lee Bowyer for the opener.

Then the big striker showed everyone his prowess in front of goal, latching onto to Nathan Ellington’s through ball before launching a 25-yard scorcher that Julian Speroni did well to tip over.

That came in the 44th minute and was largely JET’s last meaningful action in the game. Too often in the second half, he slowed up play with that languid style of his while, more often that not, his opponents saw the tricks coming as the game wore on.

Emmanuel-Thomas has only briefly shown his talent since his move from Arsenal, but we must remember he is only 20-years-old and he has suffered both from being on the fringes of the Gunners and going out on loan too often.

There were moments of his undoubted quality, especially in the first half, but there were too many times after the break where he remained on the periphery of the match rather than imposing himself on it. The jury remains out on our boy JET.

JET can be anything he wants to be...Ruud Gullit, Andy Cole, Terry Venables

Dave Gooderham — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:56:00 GMT

PAUL Jewell was never going to like reports that one of his players was considering a music career with a hip-hop rapper called Chipmunk.

The Town boss has criticised Twitter in the past and footballers' lifestyles in the present. In many ways, he is a traditionalist, which makes him at odds with a young footballer wanting to break into the music charts.

The player in question is Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, a 20-year-old who also hankers to be a rapper, if his aformentioned pal Chipmunk is to be believed.

Jewell was not a happy bunny when I mentioned to him that Mr Munk had been quoted in a national newspaper saying that he would be collaborating with JET.

The big problem in the big man's plans is that he is struggling to break into Ipswich Town's team, never mind the charts.

It might be a different story if JET was soaring - sorry - but at the moment, he is pretty much grounded (last pun, I promise).

The manager wants his enigma to concentrate all his efforts on the football field and that is completely understandable. Unfortunately, footballers and musicians mix in similar circles, JET and Chipmunk are good friends, and the £1 million signing was hardly likely to be content with just sleepy Suffolk, when the bright lights of the capital are not too far away.

Regardless of what JET does with his spare time, it is Jewell's job to channel the player into winning over fans after a largely disappointing start to life with the Blues. That might be the harder than stopping the former Arsenal man from trying to conquer the charts.

After Jewell had finished discussing the merits of Emmanuel-Thomas, he admitted that he had no idea who this Chipmunk was.

So here's a flavour for you Paul.

(Please visit the site to view this video)

* Spitballing in the office yesterday, we wondered what songs Emmanuel-Thomas might be able to perform. 'Jet' by Wings was an obvious one, 'Benny and the Jets' by Elton John more of a curveball. Then someone mentioned 'Jet Back' by the Beatles. It was time to get back to the day job.

* Of course, JET would be following in some very dodgy footsteps when it comes to footballers showcasing their, erm, 'music' skills.

Terry Venables, Hoddle & Waddle, Ian Wright, Gazza....oh the list goes on and on and it doesn't get any better.

But is JET gonna be more Ruud Gullit....

(Please visit the site to view this video)

...or Andy Cole???

(Please visit the site to view this video)

One hopes neither.

Tough-talking match-winner Andrews turns the tables on me

Dave Gooderham — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:33:00 GMT

I HAD my first friendly 'confrontation' with a Town star last night. The first time one of my questions has been turned around and asked back to me.

The player in question was the affable Keith Andrews, who gave a typically honest and frank admission of the Blues' failings in their 1-0 victory over Portsmouth.

It started simply enough, Keith talking about how he was delighted with his goal (above) which lifted Town up to sixth in the Championship but disappointed in the scrappy nature of the win.

Then I simply asked him if he thought Ipswich deserved the points over an improving Pompey side? He replied that they had deserved the win because they had won, simple, before turning it around on me, asking: "You don't obviously?".

Whether people agree with me or not - and my previous blog on David Norris certainly sparked debate - I will always be honest.

So I told Keith exactly what I am writing now...Ipswich were very hugely lucky to claim the three points at Portman Road last night.

After a bright first few minutes, the side slowly descended into playing like strangers again. On some occasions they seemed over-confident, with Danny Collins among those guilty of some wayward Beckenbauer-esque passing. But then at other times they looked nervy and edgy, unbefitting a side that had gone five matches unbeaten.

It was strange to watch, not to mention worrying, as big names like Jimmy Bullard and Michael Chopra put in their worst shift of the season.

Reasons why are difficult to nail down. A collective bad day at the office or credit to Pompey who never stopped running and looked dangerous on the break?

As Andrews rightly said, it was probably a "bit of both".

But what was obvious was how leggy some of the home players looked. Cardiff was clearly a sapping 90 minutes, as was last night against the valiant visitors.

Paul Jewell admitted post-match that he had not been completely honest with the media, hiding the fact that some players were carrying knocks - how dare he?!. So a bumper Saturday crowd at Portman Road might see some new faces in the starting XI.

Right, that's a few hundred words on what went wrong, both during the game and in the interview after!

But quite simply, who cares??!! The most important thing was that Jewell's new-look Blues have finally found a way to grind out a victory when they have been below-par.

A few weeks ago when Southampton and Peterborough were shipping in goals against them for fun, Ipswich never looked like keeping a clean sheet, never mind playing badly and winning. It is an often-used phrase, but that is clearly a hallmark of a good team.

As Jewell rightly said, Town will have to up their game against fellow top-sixers Palace at the weekend, but last night was in one way as encouraging as the wins against West Ham and Brighton.

To boo or not to boo? The return of David Norris

Dave Gooderham — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:32:00 GMT

PAUL Jewell was on typical good form at yesterday's pre-Portsmouth press conference.

He talked about how he is enjoying watching his unbeaten side play at the moment, admitted the Blues were "miles off" from a top-six place at the start of the season and even left the door ajar for Tamas Priskin to impress again.

But on one matter he was deadly serious - the return of last season's skipper David 'Chuck' Norris.

There have been some discussions on ITFC forums and Twitter whether the former captain will actually get booed on his return to Portman Road.

Such a notion is preposterous and anyone who does so should hang their head in shame.

To me, as confirmed by Jewell yesterday, Chuck's departure was completely amicable. At 30 years old, the family man was understandably stalling to get the best contract possible - arguably the last big deal of his career.

Ipswich, I believe, offered him a fair deal, including a two-year contract, but Portsmouth came in with an "unbelievable" offer and a guaranteed extra year.

It transpires, as most thought, that Norris never wanted to leave Town, but who in their right mind would turn down more money and an extra year when they are approaching the twilight of their career?

Norris was nothing more than a dedicated servant to Ipswich, never giving anything less than 100% for the cause - and the same applies on the training pitch, Jewell confirmed. Off-the-pitch, he was a friendly guy who understood the role of being club captain.

But this doesn't mean that I mourn his departure. Far from it.

Norris had qualities - a good engine, a never-say-side attitude and, for one season at least, some goals to his name - and his one for Pompey on Saturday was certainly a cracker!

But for me, his talent was limited. He never seemed good enough to be able to play in a traditional 4-4-2 formation, Jewell's favourite lest we forget, and only shined when the manager thought he had no choice but to play three in the heart of midfield.

In his defence, he did play in a very unsettled Ipswich Town team and had problems with injuries. But I still think he was more of a workhorse and given both his age and ability, a two-year contract offer was completely reasonable.

Some might blame Simon Clegg or Marcus Evans for the player's departure, but recent history has shown that the buck stops with the manager - and I firmly believe it was Jewell's decision to sanction the offer made to the midfielder, and his subsequent decision to leave for Fratton Park.

But it was the right one. I personally wouldn't swap Norris for any one of the current Town midfield - with Jewell now rightly focusing on bringing younger players around them in the coming months. The pursuit of Jonjo Shelvey shows that.

Norris deserves respectful applause from everyone inside Portman Road tonight, but I am only concerned with the future of Ipswich Town, not its past.

* Of course, should Norris play a blinder tonight, I appreciate that the above comments will all be shot down!

What do you think? Should the club have done more to keep David Norris at Portman Road? Leave your thoughts below.

Town's trip to Cardiff suggests they are still made of the right stuff

Dave Gooderham — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 23:03:00 GMT

MOMENTUM...a seemingly new football buzz-word, or at least one that seems to be all the rage like never before.

Whether it is newly-promoted teams or ones with new managers, string a few results together and momentum is what you got.

And boy did Ipswich Town have it going into the international break. Take a spoonful of defensive solidity, a dose of fluidity and flexibility and a heap of prolific strikers and what do you have? You get my point.

So it was with a little trepidation that I made the long trip to Cardiff yesterday to see if a two-week gap had scuppered the rise of Paul Jewell's new-look Blues.

Well I am happy to report it hasn't - but only just.

The most important thing was that Ipswich kept their unbeaten run going, now five games and counting, not to mention just one defeat in seven. After yesterday's 2-2 draw, they can look forward to two home matches in five days and maybe, just maybe, a top six place at the end of Saturday night.

But it was close as Cardiff pushed them all the way at the end and Town did all they could to look unimpressive at the beginning.

There's no getting away from the fact that the Super Blues had a super hangover for the first 25 minutes at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Unable to string passes together or create any worthwhile chances, they also looked more than a little shaky at the back. It was as if all the things that had made Town good recently had been turned on their head. I can barely remember Danny Collins losing a header in games one to four, but the hugely Rudy Gestede put paid to that (although the centre-back vastly improved in the second half).

Jason Scotland's equaliser brought about a half-hour period either side of the break which returned Ipswich to their post-international break form - and Scotland himself should have made the points safe, as he admitted after the game.

But following Peter Whittingham's contentious penalty - after inept referee Dean Whitehouse simply lost control - the Bluebirds showed their own strengths in what proved to be an absorbing end to the match.

Town were hanging on a little. But regardless of how it came about and why, most would have taken a point after the match, just as much as before.

* For those trying to keep up... judging on yesterday's booing richter scale, the majority of Cardiff fans still like Michael Chopra, but Scotland is not on their Christmas card list (especially when he scored and gave them the finger - no, not that one).

While judging by the fans' reaction and subsequent tasteless tweets, poor Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is not welcome in the city any time soon. We still love you JET, even if I can't understand anything you write on Twitter.

* On a lighter note, it appears Paul Jewell has made signing number 13. Always wanting to make transfer deals under the radar, I applaud Jewell for his efforts in keeping quiet the capture of young Canadian full-back 'Sergio Peter'. Or maybe the Cardiff City programme just got Jaime Peters' name wrong!

Every player has his price - which means some won't make the cut

Dave Gooderham — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:24:00 GMT

It has a nasty taste of Groundhog Day.

The closing months of last season at Ipswich Town were all too dominated by the contract sagas of David Norris, Gareth McAuley and many, too many, youngsters.

Fairly new to the job, Paul Jewell got fed up with the constant questions but in truth, those assembling in the weekly press conference were probably equally bored of asking the same questions week-in, week-out.

In the end, a disappointed Norris left for divisional rivals Portsmouth while McAuley chanced his arm in the Premier League with West Brom.

Along with them, a plethora of promising youngsters left with Jewell largely feeling their footballing education would be better served elsewhere while he scanned the bargain bins, free transfers and loan market for experienced first team players.

Now it seems the murky subject is rearing its head once again with another 16 players are out of contract next summer:

They are: Carlos Edwards, Ibrahima Sonko, Ivar Ingimarsson, Mark Kennedy, Tommy Smith, Jack Ainsley (his contract runs out in December 2011), Shane O'Connor, Grant Leadbitter, Lee Bowyer (option of a second year), Josh Carson, Luke Hyam, Colin Healy, Jamie Griffiths (Dec 2011), Jason Scotland, Tamas Priskin, Ronan Murray.

But before everyone starts panicking again, the situation is a little less clear-cut.

The likes of Ibrahima Sonko, Ivar Ingimarsson and Lee Bowyer were rightly given a one-year deal. Their future won't - and shouldn't - be decided until we all see how they get through the rigours of a Championship season. Sonko seems the likely to earn a new deal at present, but that could all change very quickly.

For others, I'm thinking about Colin Healy, Shane O'Connor and maybe even Mark Kennedy and Luke Hyam, it might depend on what league Town ply their trade in next season.

As Jewell says, his decisions will be dictated by performances with many clubs now taking a look at how Scotland does while one hopes Josh Carson can start replicating the kind of performances he showed at the back end of last season.

As with Carlos Edwards, you hope skipper Grant Leadbitter continues to perform as he has in recent weeks and earns himself a decent contract - something he is adamant that he wants after his manager felt he was initially "unsettled" by transfer speculation.

The opening salvo might be that the captain has rejected a deal, but in truth it is merely the start of bartering that is likely to go back and forth for a number of weeks and maybe months.

But when it comes down to it, Jewell will have a clear idea who is worth what (though, as I said, that can change over the course of a season).

A canny operator, the Town boss keeps a shrewd eye on contracts and agents - a reason that so many players have been lured to Suffolk in recent months.

I believe that in the case of Norris, he felt the then-club captain was worth keeping, but not worth a three-year deal. That is something that has divided fans but for what its worth, it was the right decision for me. For one, Norris is 30 years old (five older than Leadbitter).

McAuley is a slightly different one. I have heard stories that he was desperate to stay with Town but just wanted pay parity. Personally I think the lure of one shot at the big time was too good to turn down.

Jewell will look at every single one of the 16 and judge them on their own merits. Leadbitter, for instance, might be viewed as being worth a three-year deal but on wages that don't break the bank.

Then it is up to every player to decide how much they want to stay with the Blues.

* Who do you think is worth keeping beyond this season? Should Leadbitter stay or go? Let me know your thoughts below

Smells like team spirit as Jimmy Bullard has a rival for class clown

Dave Gooderham — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:04:00 GMT

PLAYING rock, paper, scissors in the middle of a game. Trying to pull someone's shorts down after he has just scored a goal.

Sounds like the antics of a Sunday league side after one too many bevy's the night before.

Only I am referring to a professional football club, in front of an audience of millions, and played out by people earning thousands of pounds a week.

Welcome to the new wacky world of Ipswich Town.

First Jimmy Bullard and Keith Andrews chose a novel way of deciding how to take a free kick in a match played out on Sky Sports.

Then Michael Chopra reveals that Andrews attempted to pull his shorts down after the striker broke his eight-match goal drought in the win over Brighton. This might not have been live on television, but almost 20,000 fans saw Chops spare his blushes - just.

But according to the striker (below), this is just a sign of the changing times at Portman Road when fun and frolics has replaced fear and trepidation.

http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town/chopra_s_payback_to_pj_1_1077978

As for Paul Jewell's take on things, he told the EADT today that the pranks prove that Ipswich is a fun place to be at the moment - and that even he would have pulled Chopra's shorts down if Town's number 10 had gone on to score a hat-trick.

http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town/town_could_have_been_caught_with_their_pants_down_1_1078788

There is one consistent here. The role Andrews is playing in these on-the-pitch japes.

Jimmy was meant to be the joker, the one playing the pranks and lifting the dressing room. But like with the free kicks, it appears he has a rival for his crown.

Andrews has impressed with his all-action displays, and unexpected goal threat, but he has also helped lift the mood over IP1 to such a degree, that securing his signature for the rest of the season should top Jewell's priorities in the coming weeks and months.

One hopes the future of Blackburn boss Steve Keen will not be related to that of Andrews.

* What do you think of the antics at Ipswich Town? And should Jewell do his utmost to keep hold of Andrews? Let me know your thoughts below