IN EVERYTHING he does, genial, secretive, tycoon Marcus Evans means business..

judderman · August 29, 2012

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.

Sir Digby Chicken Ceasar · August 29, 2012

Interesting read, but I take it from the extensive post you are saying the new editor of the EEN and EDP is a binner?

ricardo · August 29, 2012

This rubbish sounds as though it was written years ago.

judderman · August 29, 2012

Nigel Pickover, who wrote that (the worst article I have ever seen) back in 2008 is the new editor, and is also a business man.Who has met Marcus Evans, and "very much liked" what he saw.

Surfbird · August 29, 2012

What an absolute rubbish article. Doesn''t even know his derring-do from his daring-do!

GenerationA47 · August 29, 2012

This could be straight out of any one of a number of Private Eye parody features. Surely it''s got to have won that year''s brown nose award - although the judges may well have put an end to themselves before reaching even midway through. The drivel just goes on and on. His desperation to please Big M seems to be matched only by his regard for himself, the regional broadcast leader.

Would love to be a fly on the wall if this guy ever tried to do the same to e.g. McNally''s rear end... blood on the floor and walls, you''d hope.

e10_yellow · August 29, 2012

I remember there was a very, very funny parody of that article posted on here at the time - anyone got it?

TIL 1010 · August 29, 2012

Blimey a thread about the Scum and after two hours it has still not been moved.[:D]

Google Bot · August 29, 2012

"...as he lay me on his leather covered writing desk i had a wry smile, by now any boundaries that were still standing would be blown away by his powerful manly lungs.

He was like a young hamster foraging for food in it''s delicate sawdust bedding, simultaneously delicate & powerful but a man knowing what he wanted from me.

Shortly afterwards i lay stroking his thigh, hypnotised by the rings of smoke he puffed from his lips, i knew by the fact that he had not said i word in 2 hours that i should leave.

I grabbed my stuff, and left. A Remarkable man."

PurpleCanary · August 29, 2012

[quote user="s10_yellow"]I remember there was a very, very funny parody of that article posted on here at the time - anyone got it?[/quote]

Surely that unparodyable piece of "journalism" has to be the parody!

nutty nigel · August 29, 2012

Well now, if this is true it appears we now have a cuckoo in the nest. It would also explain why my three threads concerning the binners have picked over and either deleted or moved to the basement along with the cobwebs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/suffolk/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8508000/8508601.stm

Wembley express

Nigel is proud of the campaigns that he''s overseen at the Star, and for the industry awards which followed.

Coverage of Ipswich Town Football Club remains a key part of the paper, with the celebrations after promotion to the Premier League in 2000 still fresh in his memory.

The Evening Star Wembley Express was a huge success

"There were 17 consecutive front pages when we went to Wembley in 2000 with the Super Blues and that will always live in my memory," he said.

"We thought that we were so proud with the way that the Wembley journey had happened under George Burley that we''d take a train to Wembley.

"We chartered a train and we sold it out with 650 people within hours, so we had our own Ipswich Evening Star Wembley Express and we had to dress the train up in a rather unusual place, Norwich."

TIL 1010 · August 29, 2012

I also understand that he was responsible for the infamous relegation countdown clock !!!!

TCCANARY · August 29, 2012

Is that a Bobby Charlton style comb over?

It's Character Forming · August 29, 2012

[quote user="PurpleCanary"]

[quote user="s10_yellow"]I remember there was a very, very funny parody of that article posted on here at the time - anyone got it?[/quote]

Surely that unparodyable piece of "journalism" has to be the parody!

[/quote]

I certainly thought it was a piss-take when I read it. Got to agree, how could you parody that ?

Graham Paddons Beard · August 29, 2012

Got half way through and gave up. I suspect even the "charismatic" Mr Evans would be a tiny bit embarrassed by this drivel.

TIL 1010 · August 29, 2012

Just looked on his Tweets and Mr.Pickover spent the weekend in Blackpool watching the Scum.He even signs off COYB.[:''(][:$][U]

ricardo · August 29, 2012

[quote user="s10_yellow"]I remember there was a very, very funny parody of that article posted on here at the time - anyone got it?[/quote]

The Real Marcus Evans Interview.http://www.wrathofthebarclay.co.uk/interactive/board/mobile-message.php?pid=827354

lappinitup · August 29, 2012

[quote user="judderman"]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.[/quote]Yep, he''s still looking for them big names........"IPSWICH Town manager Paul Jewell has confirmed that the club has had a

bid for Peterborough United attacking duo Paul Taylor and George Boyd

accepted.“They

(Peterborough) have accepted an offer from us, we’re meeting them

tomorrow and hopefully we can move forward with that.”The EADT

understands that the offer is in the region of £1.75m, with the duo

having both played in Posh’s 3-2 defeat at Reading last night, Taylor a

scorer.".Guess it doesn''t matter how they made their names....."Striker Paul Taylor has signed an 18-month contract with Peterborough United after a successful trial with the club.Taylor arrives having spent the last two years in Belgium.

He started is career at non-league Vauxhall Motors before a making a loan switch to Chester in August 2008.

He played nine times in League Two before making the move a permanent one, but his career with the Blues was a chequered one.

After failing on numerous occasions to turn up for training sessions,

and twice for matches,

he received written and verbal warnings from the club.

Ferguson said: "He is a good age. He has had one or two problems off the pitch, but we are prepared to take chance on him.

Nearly forgot to mention this.........

"He was given a six-month drugs ban by the Football Association while playing for Chester in 2008 (he tested positive for cocaine)."

[:S]

Bill · August 29, 2012

But how did it all go wrong, many will ask ?

Who can forget the sight of the hundreds of over excited farmhands waving money at Carrow Road ?

A bumch of simple minded rustics who would have been better to have read the letter to the shareholders that was sent out 3/12/07 in which the fairly stark realities of the handover were laid bare.

The club to be given (87.5%) to Marcus Evans for less than £4m. Loans that were being made to prop up the club were to be charged at a high rate of interest. The far lower figure paid for the debt with the then Norwich Union was to be charged at the full amount, NOT the amount Evans had bought it for. This was not a kindly benefactor helping a struggling club get back on it''s feet, but a ruthless deal maker taking full advantage of the club''s perilous plight.

Within months it was obvious that Evans had little interest in promotion as a million or so could have been the difference in Feb 2008 between a play off place (automatic promotion) and failure. He chose failure.

Despite the continual bleats about the billions being pumped in (something Roy Keane refuted more than once) the club is now over £70m in debt after being constantly hit with interest charges - and an income stream that has fallen year on year as have the ticket sales.

Should it concern City fans beyond the obvious amusement ? Yes, if only as a stark warning to those who endlessly bleat about ''hambition'', who would risk us putting the club into a position where we had virtually no choice over what hyenna it was that picked over the bones of our club.

The paupers ended up with Marcus Evans as they had little choice after years of mismanagement and lack of investment. thankfully I cannot see us ever going down that road ................ nor poorman road either, bar a cup game which until January is not even possible, nevermind likely.

TIL 1010 · August 29, 2012

Nigel 6inner Pickover

......and Smith must score. · August 29, 2012

[quote user="TIL 1010"]Just looked on his Tweets and Mr.Pickover spent the weekend in Blackpool watching the Scum.He even signs off COYB.[:''(][:$][U][/quote]Well I hope he had another wasted trip all the way to Carlisle last night.....A while back on here Pete the Delete mentioned that the creature known as Ged Steroo - who can''t seem to help himself hanging around the '' Pink-Un '' website - was an Ipswich fan.I''ll bet it''s him.

The Butler · August 29, 2012

Before you all get carried away with the justifiable hilarity, just remember who''s website this is and who NOW controls it!!

Hate to see Pete jobless and no forum for you all to haunt.[:D]

......and Smith must score. · August 29, 2012

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="judderman"]Which is why there was an almost instant clear-out of