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judderman

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Posts posted by judderman

  1. Posted

    [quote user="Indy_Bones"]Bear in mind that we''ve probably spent at most 10m so far (2-3 Bassong, 1.5-2 Turner, 0.5-1 Bunn, 1.75-2.5 Snoddy, 2-3 Tettey?), and if our transfer budget was anywhere in the region of 25m then we have approx 15m left to spend with a striker apparently being the missing puzzle piece for CH.[/quote]What on earth makes you think our transfer budget was anywhere in that region. They said we had the largest playing budget in the clubs history (which would include all wages, signing on fees, and agents fees which means the price of a player is usually more than twice their initial transfer fee). They didn''t say it was twice as big as it''s ever been before. We probably have in the region of £3-5m left for upfront fees.

  2. Posted

    I think the reasons he is well liked are mainly to do with his attitude. He works really hard, he works for others in the team, and he showed incredible resilience to being singled out 3 times by Glenn Roeder and being told he would never play for the club again.He''s not good enough to be a regular premiership player, no doubt, but he''s good enough to do a job when called upon. He''s settled here, his mates are here, and if he''s happy for that to be the situation, and the club are happy to pay him the amount he''s currently on, then that''s fair enough.It''s not like the club are trying to get rid but he''s staying put just because he''s on a packet.

  4. Posted

    The first line of this amazing article by........the new editor of the EDP and Evening NewsRead on:

    He has devoted a lifetime of toil to entrepreneurial success - and

    seconds count to a man who left school before the pressures of A-levels

    ... and who grew up to build a worldwide empire worth hundreds of

    millions.

    Meetings with London-based colleagues are followed by

    instant, e-mailed, minutes and action points. Sometimes, these messages

    reach their intended target''s computer even before the recipient has had

    time to get back to his or her desk.

    One-to-one conversations and

    meetings with some of his 4,000 colleagues, spread across 63 countries,

    are often conducted by video conferencing, direct from his hi-tech

    office.

    Marcus Evans, new owner of Ipswich Town, knows his company and the various businesses within it - inside out.

    And

    those in the corridors of power at Portman Road have been finding out

    just how keen their new boss is to learn everything to do with his first

    football asset.

    Here is a stylish, driven, hungry individual who

    attacks knowledge and business targets as a proven Premier League

    striker attacks the goal.

    And his current goal, his over-riding

    passion and determination, is to get Ipswich Town back into the big time

    of English soccer.

    He wants to take ITFC back to the promised

    land of the Premier League - he wants to do this in double-quick time -

    and he won''t take any prisoners as he drives his football strike force

    forward.

    Which is why there was an almost instant clear-out of

    discarded players at the end of the season just gone - and why there may

    be some big-name signings very soon. Marcus time waits for no one.

    Promotion

    is this season or next as far as the big M is concerned but to say his

    crusade is just about instant glory, or quick profits, would do the man

    an injustice.

    It''s about getting Ipswich Town to where he believes

    the club should be - and then keeping it there - for at least a

    generation among the elite of our national game.

    How do I know all this? Because I''ve spent quality time with charismatic Mr Evans... catching up on his Ipswich Town dreams.

    And I very much liked what I saw.

    In

    a boardroom high above the spring-time blossoms of London''s Hyde Park,

    the dynamic businessman of mystery, welcomed me to his crisply-run

    empire.

    The Marcus Evans Group world headquarters has been created

    in the Edwardian white-stone splendour of the former Football League

    offices, in a discreet side street away from the noise of nearby main

    through routes... and away from unwanted prying glances.

    I was a

    little early for my mid-morning appointment and two sleek women

    secretaries and the latest key-fob security kept me away from the man

    whose name - but not face - is now known to Ipswich Town fans

    everywhere.

    This is a world far removed from the clinical

    glass-wall executive suite inhabited by TV''s Sir Alan Sugar and his

    Apprentice henchmen and women. But I could have sworn that when I was

    summoned it was with the immortal words: “Marcus will see you now.” How I

    chortled.

    A lift took me on high, through more security doors.

    Bright young executives glided by as I went to an inner-sanctum waiting

    zone.

    M E Group financial wizard Martin Pitcher, who is 40, but

    whose boyish looks and good humour places him happily among the bright

    young things, raced through.

    The man Marcus has tasked as Keeper

    of the Portman Road Purse Strings (who is just a little younger than his

    boss) stopped to say “hello” and to discuss the latest Town fortunes.

    Clearly, communication is good among the Evans elite and Martin had been

    told I was in the building.

    I found this all good fun before the Main Event, the initials being rather appropriate.

    So how had I got into the ultimate Super Blue corridors of power?

    The

    tale goes back to October of last year when, after weeks of patience

    and dogged digging, my newspaper exclusively revealed the name of the

    new boss of Ipswich Town. Our award-winning title showed its credentials

    as Britain''s daily and Sunday news-paper of the year with a stunning

    set of Ipswich Town revelations.

    The Marcus Evans empire ranges from opulent corporate hospitality at one end to high-flying business summits at the other.

    His

    world of business wizardry and international daring-do, and my Evening

    Star world of power-packed daily newspaper journalism had come together -

    and the new man appeared to like how The Star had handled itself with a

    potent mixture of newsbreaks on one hand and fun, a la “mystery magnate

    Marcus”, on the other.

    On the front page of the Star, I had written an open letter to him... and he had replied by return.

    As

    we had no image of Marcus, we created our “shadow man” logo and soon

    realised that a “mystery man” was, in fact, better than having a

    picture. If Marcus didn''t want to have his picture splashed around, we

    were happy with our very own shadow - and we told readers so.

    This

    stance was backed by readers who, overwhelmingly, stressed that if the

    new owner wanted his secrecy then the media, in general, should let him

    have it.

    As 2007 ended, Marcus sent me a Christmas card by special delivery, and I knew that our style and stance hadn''t caused offence.

    Later,

    there were other exclusive stories - and news of which Ipswich matches

    the new man had seen... among others the games at Blackpool and Preston,

    in the Fylde area of Lancashire, when he had flown north to the local

    Squire''s Gate airport in a private jet.

    There were other matches

    at Portman Road - including that memorable 2-1 defeat of the Canaries,

    which thrilled the new boss enormously. How ironic - given the

    importance attached to keeping his identity and image a secret - that

    one East Anglian broadcast media leader even rubbed shoulders with the

    tycoon at this game.

    So, the Marcus/Evening Star relationship had

    been built on firm foundations. But the London meeting came because of a

    simple question. Please could I meet Marcus Evans? Simple as that.

    Funny, no one else had asked...

    And so I came to a high-octane

    world and a meeting I had been looking forward to enormously. I''m glad

    to say I was not to be disappointed.

    Marcus and I shook hands in

    his large, yet not ostentatious, office and we moved to the adjoining

    boardroom for our meeting. He knew why I had come down to London, of

    course, but I was yet to find out what he was to glean from my visit.

    I guess one immediate benefit of the visit was to confirm, in conversation and in this article, that the man really does exist.

    Wilder

    rumours, from the ever-churning mill of Ipswich Town chattering, have

    had our man as anything from a) a figure of corporate imagination b) a

    woman and c) a Dr Who, Davros-style, brain in a box.

    But, I believe, there was subtler work afoot - and I''ll return to that momentarily.

    Marcus

    Evans, I can attest, is a normal guy, worth quite a lot of dosh

    (£200million according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List) who is one

    of the most driven and “sharp” individuals I have ever met.

    In a well-cut navy suit, the suave and talkative Marcus started proceedings by... handing me a cup of English breakfast tea.

    I''m

    glad I had that cuppa because for the next 50 minutes or so I sat back

    and heard the incredible “pennies-to-riches” story that has made Marcus

    one of the great business successes of the last decade.

    His journey through his own history showed three things to me.

    The first is that he hadn''t until then had the time - or the trust - to tell full details of the Marcus Evans story to anyone.

    The second is that he has an immense pride in all that has been achieved.

    And the third is that success for Ipswich Town is the new imperative - and he is devoting a lot of time to it.

    I

    knew, very quickly, that I was going to be able to do business with the

    man who has shelled out a chunk of his firm''s money to buy Ipswich Town

    Football Club.

    And back to that subtle point.

    Marcus Evans is to information what blotting paper is to ink - he sucks it in and swoops on it big time.

    When it came to my turn to talk, he took it all in - every scrap of info and every nuance that my words offered.

    And

    he has done that with dozens of people from the world of football since

    the day he took the helm of one of the great football clubs in this

    country, Ipswich Town.

    Just the day before we met he had enjoyed a

    powerhouse lunch with a Premier League football manager - and there

    have been meetings with some of Britain''s most influential soccer

    chairmen and senior executives.

    It''s all part of a steep learning

    curve with one aim in mind - to take Ipswich Town to places it has never

    reached and maintained before - to the top echelons of the Premier

    League.

    Marcus Evans, it is clear to me, has been bitten by the Ipswich Town bug. Fans will hear more of that in the future, I''m sure,

    Yes,

    this football fairytale journey started with a simple business

    proposition. His purchase of a football club with good Premier League

    credentials makes sound business sense and promotion will bring with it

    more millions for the Evans bank balance.

    But, as Town fans

    everywhere know, an attraction to Ipswich Town soon becomes an obsession

    and Marcus now has the power - and the passion - to deliver the much

    craved-for success

    And if soon he delivers the golden ticket, he will be propelled into the hearts of Ipswich Town fans everywhere... forever.

  9. Posted

    As for Hooper, I can''t see how he''s going to cost less than £8m - people are saying it would be more like £4m or so. Jelavic went for £6m, but he was from a cash strapped Rangers who had to accept a lower fee than they would like. Gary Hooper has a better strike rate than Jelavic in the SPL - in fact his strike rate was the best of any player in Britain and only bettered by Di Natale, Messi and Ronaldo last season.Obviously the SPL is a different kettle of fish to the leagues those guys are playing in but it''s still a very impressive feat and shows he certainly knows where the net is.And they''ve already rejected £7m this summer.I can''t see him being any cheaper than the £8m reported.

  10. Posted

    [quote user="AJ"]Oo ar!

    You can''t beat this forum to liven up an afternoon

    I can''t believe some folks are STILL bitter. I know plenty of blues fans and they don''t act like this about losing their manager to your lot!. And they''ve got to factor in their manager to a smaller club too

    Priceless.

    Roll on kick off[/quote]Unfortunately you''re spot on.But, thankfully, the majority of fans aren''t as bitter as a silly people who keep posting these threads.You''ve got a great manager, best of luck for the season - I hope we do better though!

  12. Posted

    I do hope this comes off as I think it would be a very good signing.Some of the people who aren''t that happy were probably disappointed with releasing Whitbread, but here we have a guy who is the same age but with far more Premier League experience coming into his prime.

  14. Posted

    [quote user="colneycanary"]No it''s not just you. Transfer news this year is very very slow. It doesn''t help that Bowkett said we have the biggest transfer budget in our history, and all we''ve seen is a couple of out of contract players come in. Very disappointing so far. Was expecting at least a few big money players coming in. We have the money (or so we are told), and we ain''t spending it! Grrrrrrr[/quote]Why did you expect big money seasons. Bowkett only said we have the biggest transfer budget in our history. That could mean just £1m more than last year.And Hughton has explained why there''s not going to be new signings for a few days. He wants to get to know our players first then make some decisions.

  16. Posted

    [quote user="Farro"][quote user="Skerritt"]Seeing as PL has signed him for villa, surely he would have wanted to take him to Norwich. For 3 million, the price seems a bit steep and personally I would have much prefered Gunter for 2 million so am happy that deal didnt go through at Norwich.[/quote]

    I''m not sure on Gunter - he''s quite volatile. Also, I haven''t really seen him set the Championship alight so I question whether he would pull up trees in the Premiership.

    What interested me in the Lowton signing was the fact that he was signed from Sheffield United. I''m almost positive that Lambert stated there was no more talent to be had from the lower leagues, and that we had poached it all already.[/quote]He didn''t quite say that, he alluded to wondering how much more talent there was. I think he was probably just saying he would need to shop abroad as well as from the lower leagues.As for Lowton, it''s a big step to the Premier League, especially for a defender, but once he adjusts, I think he''ll be a great signing, well worth the £3m and possibly and England international in the future.I live in Sheffield, and Utd fans are absolutely gutted he''s gone, he''s by far their best player and should be a definite improvement on Hutton! He''s been raved about all year. I would have liked to have seen him here, but we''ve got money to spend in other positions now.

  17. Posted

    [quote user="GJP"]

    Yeah, bit unlucky last season. Got cut out but we never got any better defensively without him.

     

    Great at winning the ball (maybe best at the club) but not as good as Ward or Ayala at distributing it.

    [/quote]I''m pretty sure we did, statistically at least. Whether that can be put down to him is another matter

  18. Posted

    [quote user="NCFCgardener"]So how does this work then?  He is free to join any club he likes but because of his age and the fact he came through their youth system, the club are due compensation.  Thats fair enough I guess but does this mean that he can sign for Norwich and the fee decided by tribunal at a later date?  Is there a time limit set on Tribunals, do they have to be completed within a certain timeframe? Could we still be sitting here in a month or 2''s time waiting for this to go through...[/quote]If we choose to risk the tribunal, we sign him now, and he''s our player. The date of the hearing is irrelevant, just like the fact Lambert was our manager for months before the fee was set

  21. Posted

    I would be very annoyed at this. A player who is known to be irresponsible in his behaviour, to publically criticise his managers when he''s not picked. He was probably one of the worst for Wolves last season, and appears to jump ship when his team gets relegated presumably because he thinks he''s too good for them.On the last day of the season he applauded the Wigan fans rather than the Wolves fans and refused to come out for say thanks after the match
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