Thomas Rooney takes a look at events in Suffolk and what has been happening with the Tractor Boys.
Even those looking at casinos mobile note how it was almost a year ago that Paul Jewell appointed by the owner, Marcus Evans to replace former boss Roy Keane, who the club had finally lost patience with. A year on, though, and things do not seem an awful lot better.
A plethora of new players have hardly turned out to be the answer, with Jewell’s current record standing at a dismal 19 wins, eight draws and 23 defeats. It does not point towards relegation, true, but at this rate, promotion looks a long way off.
For the amount of money that has been invested by the owner over the past few seasons, by now you would be expecting a certain degree of return. That has not been forthcoming.
But should we be judging Paul Jewell just yet?
No. Twelve months is not enough time, in reality, for a manager to transform a club from relegation ‘probables’ to promotion ‘possibles’. You have to remember; half of his playing staff upped sticks and left in the summer when their contracts expired.
He has overseen a huge turnover in playing staff during his time in charge, and in truth, he has only had all of four months to work with this group of players. If they have improved on last season’s 13th place finish, by the end of this season, then that should be considered a very real achievement.
The manager has agreed a five-year plan with the owner for getting promotion. In the cutthroat world of football that seems an incredibly long time. But if Jewell is to build a sustainable side, capable of not only achieving promotion but holding down a place in the Premier League, it is a wise idea.
His credentials are there for all to see. Twice he has earned promotion from this division – and twice that was with unfashionable sides (Bradford and Wigan). It is testament to the job Paul Jewell did at Wigan that they are still in the Premier League today.
Ipswich are a slightly bigger club, though. With more resources, many expected Jewell to earn promotion at a canter. Football does not work like that, unfortunately. The Championship is not so formulaic.
It must also not be forgotten that Jewell spent a considerable amount of time out of the game, following his resignation as Derby manager. Perhaps he needed a little bit of time to re-adjust to the trials and tribulations of being a football manager.
Next season will be the one that the owner will really be looking for some sort of pay back. That will be the time that we will really be able to call it Paul Jewell’s squad
