The Office (UK): Ipswich Town edition

[Abraham Romanovich]

34 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I guess the owners have significant backing to cover it…..no different to SL and the £150m losses he's converted to shares.

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/gEbxPgrW-MEiNtD9zaidCDWzEPtQR5SGZCbU8t2OKTA/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3LPBXCG5V%2F20210906%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20210906T075424Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjECYaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCICyQClouGdNKH0fZj5AdCFtdmok44KSvZVs2RUSN6mcTAiAG2JRh89nItcLzY6pvZ5fNFE9as%2BblUMqtSyasJPucyyr6AwhvEAMaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIMjuHwDIBX%2BRY2qYmAKtcDRbJJ9P6igFlrePyishYGMxBS8K44i1sFDOZ6VPhiWUQLf%2F%2FLzGQnE3YfuaPlyKqeRSxuVLo49dpDk5KyW6rsWX9JGHrKycgZHUKPZVjeoPZQlhUd9S6tOeOgTpMvK9YNRjbDFnjk%2BCdGLvZe41CVCnTSnw2TxfwHVcl9XnfdX23MFMxYKoqc68nhHSbZiUaJJocjSBGQNXEQpQIuKSETItyDqBgdNwewkU508jsP1ER1V6kPi4gyHXVt%2BfZBARe5Al2Mt67uk600xM76CneDJF%2F5b6TAN7rp4QJ99%2FaGtR4N56JwocQVxYIWK7W3zoXST2pt9Uo3D%2FYVSM5uuxBe4kBSlXbCkjQn%2FOPNeyL4nrvWa9eeJ56iYhSO2Ekl0TLSnN57ge6VkzX6v9zf6v%2FCnJF57MQ0hP7TwFXx7RGYu4Wvl0MzyC1BjhATITd0rWcZhnNsvIARifcyxNdGDT8YMS6F69o1rTzxBdu9VkHz9EGw9v8zvY7l2b%2BsMgBkvH%2FXoy7%2BdlYd1P%2FT9kNXcsMy4D9FSAXHvIWQgsdjeIQt37b7hrkIxdnf8IN39fWP0BXQyUi8JRWz3txavFuALzIAWT6JtaW1QMKGXwH9wD4aFzzAmxPDqzsAMJXg1okGOqYBi4EtdPtLvpXeFd%2BNd35%2F9TDzB1TKPTpZD8T9Y2iRy%2FjEWL7yiDbOd9ntRKhTscvYEe61DQSORzuY9X1ooatNqEbwjCniyU2K%2BbD1QOKozM7FFoKwRZheNPZR26Rs%2FWBrOhP2D%2B2XkLnPO%2F3p5vr11AEEZWzzzkUTMj6xRfhJjmsNdU8rg6XzSVqlaAEDo5ybQh8waAGevehMO6MGfZvn0Opr1SWwXw%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D"00315421_aa_2021-06-30.pdf"&X-Amz-Signature=c56cd96c2474ddc0918365d7112d26570530be1feb782f99301c1ea3716e51ff

Thanks but none of the links work for me, all I get is this "XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it" which is ironic as similar comments have often been made about my attire..

.

[Son of Fred]

On 03/09/2021 at 13:37, Ska Junkie said:

like the vast majority, I'm so glad to see the back of the buzz word ridden, vein, self obsessed car salesman! 

Thank goodness he wasn't an estate agent!

[Davefevs]

7 minutes ago, Abraham Romanovich said:

Thanks but none of the links work for me, all I get is this "XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it" which is ironic as similar comments have often been made about my attire..

.

Just Google “companies house beta”, type Ipswich Town football and go from there.

[downendcity]

37 minutes ago, Son of Fred said:

Thank goodness he wasn't an estate agent!

It’s all about location, location, location.

He’s found the right location - anywhere but here!

[downendcity]

1 hour ago, soultrader said:

I think if you look back on MAs tenure, regarding transfers, yes we sold some people for big bucks.  Can't argue with that, although you could question if we should have sold them?

I think the main thrust of his tenure was to hamstring the club, by making (mostly) mediocre signings.   So the team was dilluted every time

The ffp experts will confirm, but I think the simple answer is yes, we had to to cover losses to keep within ffp. Also with players like Reid, Bryan, Webster would they have been happy had we denied the their chance to play at the highest level, added to which can you imagine the flack the club would have got had they turned down the bids we got for those players?

[Bainsey]

On 01/09/2021 at 21:26, Henry said:

I’m confused; is it one or two ingredients? Time or patience?

Cook isn’t going to last long, it pains Ashton to say his name.

Ding Ding Ding!

The scores are just in, I've just counted.

One of his most-loathed phrases - Mark Ashton says "this football club" a grand total of TEN times during this 9 minute interview. That's more than once a minute. Absolutely sickening. 

[Southport Red]

16 minutes ago, Bainsey said:

Ding Ding Ding!

The scores are just in, I've just counted.

One of his most-loathed phrases - Mark Ashton says "this football club" a grand total of TEN times during this 9 minute interview. That's more than once a minute. Absolutely sickening. 

Saves him having to learn the name 

[Soul_Trader]

[slartibartfast]

On 06/09/2021 at 11:40, Bainsey said:

Ding Ding Ding!

The scores are just in, I've just counted.

One of his most-loathed phrases - Mark Ashton says "this football club" a grand total of TEN times during this 9 minute interview. That's more than once a minute. Absolutely sickening. 

TBF most "suits" say this, it does my brain in as well. Why not just say this club ?

[Davefevs]

He’s done another media interview today with the local East Anglian press.

Starts off with saying he went after Bersant Celina earlier this summer….before he’d spoken to Paul Cook.  It fell through due to Celina having a heart issue which subsequently was resolved prior to deadline day deal.

More talk about going after certain players because he knew the agents well.  ICM Stellar Sports are a big agency, but  - Celina, Burns, Coulson, Chaplin, 

plus non-Ipswich players Woodrow, Burke and Whatmough (who we were allegedly interested in), Wickham, Dozzell (who they just sold), Morrell (who they tried to sign), Maenpaa.  I suspect some of our press might have their contacts in this agency?

Then talk of Wes Burns and how he knew him from when he was consultant here, and how he did Wes’s first pro deal, took him to Oxford on loan and how he gets on so well with Wes’s family and “representatives”.

Then talks about Kyle Edwards and how the Chairman (O’Leary- ex WBA) said they should sign Edwards….so they did.

Both the press guys blowing smoke up his arse….about the hours he works, how many calls he took in a day, etc.

Having said that, if you didn’t know his previous form you might think it was all fantastic.

[chinapig]

10 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

He’s done another media interview today with the local East Anglian press.

Starts off with saying he went after Bersant Celina earlier this summer….before he’d spoken to Paul Cook.  It fell through due to Celina having a heart issue which subsequently was resolved prior to deadline day deal.

More talk about going after certain players because he knew the agents well.  ICM Stellar Sports are a big agency, but  - Celina, Burns, Coulson, Chaplin, 

plus non-Ipswich players Woodrow, Burke and Whatmough (who we were allegedly interested in), Wickham, Dozzell (who they just sold), Morrell (who they tried to sign), Maenpaa.  I suspect some of our press might have their contacts in this agency?

Then talk of Wes Burns and how he knew him from when he was consultant here, and how he did Wes’s first pro deal, took him to Oxford on loan and how he gets on so well with Wes’s family and “representatives”.

Then talks about Kyle Edwards and how the Chairman (O’Leary- ex WBA) said they should sign Edwards….so they did.

Both the press guys blowing smoke up his arse….about the hours he works, how many calls he took in a day, etc.

Having said that, if you didn’t know his previous form you might think it was all fantastic.

I begin to wonder how Paul Cook passes the time since Ashton seems to do at least half his job! When does Ashton get his coaching badges I wonder?

[SE23Red]

10 hours ago, Davefevs said:

He’s done another media interview today with the local East Anglian press.

Both the press guys blowing smoke up his arse….about the hours he works, how many calls he took in a day, etc.

Having said that, if you didn’t know his previous form you might think it was all fantastic.

It seems like the majority of their fans are going with a very simplistic view that he"s done an amazing job in the transfer window and all the pressure is on Cook to deliver the promotion they believe this squad deserves.

So the quality of the recruitment won't get the scrutiny it deserves. I can't see this changing for at least a couple of years.

Edited September 8, 2021 by SE23Red

[1960maaan]

11 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Starts off with saying he went after Bersant Celina earlier this summer….before he’d spoken to Paul Cook.

That bodes well for the Manger - Ego relationship. Always tell the man in charge of the main part of the Club that you didn't "really" want him 

11 hours ago, Davefevs said:

More talk about going after certain players because he knew the agents well.

I did wonder about this. IMO it's not a great way to build a squad. Bit like only shopping at Lidl when they first opened. Had similar things you wanted, but not the exact one. But , hey, you're there so might as well shop there.

The fans will be a little like young kids at Xmas. Just opened one present, throws it to one side and wants the next.
We were the same, at least to start. They made such a show of the "New Man" , focus was taken off of the fact we weren't building a team. IMO he stayed so long because Steve was a mate, and loyal . The new owners won't be so forgiving, probably why .........

11 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Then talks about Kyle Edwards and how the Chairman (O’Leary- ex WBA) said they should sign Edwards….so they did.

He's a bluffer. 

 

29 minutes ago, SE23Red said:

So the quality of the recruitment won't get the scrutiny it deserves. I can't see this changing for at least a couple of years.

They will be so desperate for success, you're probably right. The squad is about 30 first team players deep as far as I can see. 19 new signings? That doesn't usually lead to a happy and functioning squad . Oh how we'll laugh.

[CyderInACan]

3 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

He's a bluffer

Well, that's one word for it . . . 

[1960maaan]

8 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

Well, that's one word for it . . . 

I was being polite / avoiding a ban 

[The Bard]

2 hours ago, SE23Red said:

It seems like the majority of their fans are going with a very simplistic view

Ever been to Ipswich?  It's not going to be highly finessed and well-thought out.

[alexukhc]

@djb6162 friends with Mark are ya?

[Richard Head]

57 minutes ago, The Bard said:

Ever been to Ipswich?  It's not going to be highly finessed and well-thought out.

Oi Bard, I’m from round there. We take it in turns to be the village idiot.

[Kodjias Wrist]

5 hours ago, SE23Red said:

It seems like the majority of their fans are going with a very simplistic view that he"s done an amazing job in the transfer window and all the pressure is on Cook to deliver the promotion they believe this squad deserves.

So the quality of the recruitment won't get the scrutiny it deserves. I can't see this changing for at least a couple of years.

He gets credit for signing 19 players yet there is no inside information on whether they over or underpaid them. Whats funny is ours, Oxford and Watford fans have all expressed disdain for Ashton. But we should be thankful because he left us in a better position!?! hahaha....What scrapping to stay up ? Some of their fans are doughnuts.

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, Richard Head said:

Oi Bard, I’m from round there. We take it in turns to be the village idiot.

As David Lee Roth sang -

“They say two fools born a minute
Guess that makes me three”

[Royz]

5 hours ago, CyderInACan said:

Well, that's one word for it . . . 

I remember a Watford fan described him as a "schmoozer"

[Davefevs]

5 minutes ago, Kodjias Wrist said:

He gets credit for signing 19 players yet there is no inside information on whether they over or underpaid them. Whats funny is ours, Oxford and Watford fans have all expressed disdain for Ashton. But we should be thankful because he left us in a better position!?! hahaha....What scrapping to stay up ? Some of their fans are doughnuts.

I still can’t correlate how “all” of these players turned down Championship clubs (some of them top Champ clubs) to sign for Ipswich, AND…

how they all took wage cuts, or accepted less from Ipswich than elsewhere, YET…

all the 20+ players that left were big earners.

I suggest some poetic license, otherwise known as BS don’t you?

He knows that they can use the US investment to cover wages in Lg1 SCMP.  He can’t do that in the Champ where different rules apply.  Should they get promoted, wiggle room for new recruits is gonna be hard.  He’s built an expectation, I think he will find it tough next summer.

[1960maaan]

53 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I still can’t correlate how “all” of these players turned down Championship clubs (some of them top Champ clubs) to sign for Ipswich, AND…

how they all took wage cuts, or accepted less from Ipswich than elsewhere, YET…

all the 20+ players that left were big earners.

I suggest some poetic license, otherwise known as BS don’t you?

He knows that they can use the US investment to cover wages in Lg1 SCMP.  He can’t do that in the Champ where different rules apply.  Should they get promoted, wiggle room for new recruits is gonna be hard.  He’s built an expectation, I think he will find it tough next summer.

Big promotion bonuses in all the contracts ? 

[Davefevs]

29 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

Big promotion bonuses in all the contracts ? 

Promotion bonus is a squad level / club thing….which of course could be large.

But you wonder what promotion wage increases might be, don’t you.

[1960maaan]

17 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Promotion bonus is a squad level / club thing….which of course could be large.

But you wonder what promotion wage increases might be, don’t you.

Yep, to turn down Championship wages (if they did and it's not spin) for a year is big for a player. Then 19 players, all promised a pay rise , with all the inevitable new signings ? 

He may be lucky, but it does feel familiar doesn't it.

[Ska Junkie]

18 hours ago, Davefevs said:

He’s done another media interview today with the local East Anglian press.

Starts off with saying he went after Bersant Celina earlier this summer….before he’d spoken to Paul Cook.  It fell through due to Celina having a heart issue which subsequently was resolved prior to deadline day deal.

More talk about going after certain players because he knew the agents well.  ICM Stellar Sports are a big agency, but  - Celina, Burns, Coulson, Chaplin, 

plus non-Ipswich players Woodrow, Burke and Whatmough (who we were allegedly interested in), Wickham, Dozzell (who they just sold), Morrell (who they tried to sign), Maenpaa.  I suspect some of our press might have their contacts in this agency?

Then talk of Wes Burns and how he knew him from when he was consultant here, and how he did Wes’s first pro deal, took him to Oxford on loan and how he gets on so well with Wes’s family and “representatives”.

Then talks about Kyle Edwards and how the Chairman (O’Leary- ex WBA) said they should sign Edwards….so they did.

Both the press guys blowing smoke up his arse….about the hours he works, how many calls he took in a day, etc.

Having said that, if you didn’t know his previous form you might think it was all fantastic.

From Barnsley? Wouldn't have minded bringing him back here TBH. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Ska Junkie

[Davefevs]

[chinapig]

5 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Only 49 in total? Bet Ashton can't wait for the January transfer window to open.

[SE23Red]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

So MA has gone into a club with 27 youngsters deemed good enough for a pro contract and has seen the need to pack the first team squad with senior players who won't even make the bench.

I'm so glad his ideas of what a healthy football club looks like are long gone.

[Northern Red]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

That faint sound you can hear is a penny starting to drop.

[The Bard]

1 hour ago, chinapig said:

Only 49 in total? Bet Ashton can't wait for the January transfer window to open.

He's like someone who's nicked a credit card.

[Midlands Robin]

Regarding the relationship with agents thing. When it comes to Ashton there's always this nagging feeling in the back of your mind that there's something dodgy or inappropriate going on when of course there's absolutely no suggestion there is.

When my mum and dad have replaced their car, on the last two occasions they've gone to the same garage and dealt with the same salesman. In all likelihood they'll go there again as a first choice when it comes to replacing their current one. Why? They tell the chap what they want and he finds the right car and gives them a competitive price. All parties are happy.

At face value, that would explain why Ashton uses the same agent / agencies on a regular basis.

Here's the thing however, Ashton is not buying a complete outfit but parts of one. So, instead of replacing a Ford Fiesta for a Ford Focus, he's buying new tyres, then a new body kit, then a new fuel filter and so on.

The way he does his upgrades is by going to the same parts shop every time and by buying parts that look great but may not even fit the car he's buying it for. Of course, he doesn't bother talking to his mechanic about this but relies on Google for his research.

He may have a Ford Fiesta but he'll buy a sports exhaust for a Mondeo because Google says its brilliant, then ask his mechanic (Paul Cook) to make the thing fit and get it working. 

The parts shop (agents( aren't going to question what Ashton's doing because why on earth would you want to stop someone from spending a fortune with you and, after all, it's none of your business why he needs those parts or where they are going to be used.

When you find out you can't fit the part or its not working properly it wil just sit in the garage and rust unless you can persuade someone to buy it off you. Sometimes you can't and end up giving them away. Sounds familiar.

A Mark Ashton assembled squad:

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by Midlands Robin

[Bristol Rob]

8 minutes ago, Midlands Robin said:

Regarding the relationship with agents thing. When it comes to Ashton there's always this nagging feeling in the back of your mind that there's something dodgy or inappropriate going on when of course there's absolutely no suggestion there is.

When my mum and dad have replaced their car, on the last two occasions they've gone to the same garage and dealt with the same salesman. In all likelihood they'll go there again as a first choice when it comes to replacing their current one. Why? They tell the chap what they want and he finds the right car and gives them a competitive price. All parties are happy.

At face value, that would explain why Ashton uses the same agent / agencies on a regular basis.

Here's the thing however, Ashton is not buying a complete outfit but parts of one. So, instead of replacing a Ford Fiesta for a Ford Focus, he's buying new tyres, then a new body kit, then a new fuel filter and so on.

The way he does his upgrades is by going to the same parts shop every time and by buying parts that look great but may not even fit the car he's buying it for. Of course, he doesn't bother talking to his mechanic about this but relies on Google for his research.

He may have a Ford Fiesta but he'll buy a sports exhaust for a Mondeo because Google says its brilliant, then ask his mechanic (Paul Cook) to make the thing fit and get it working. 

The parts shop (agents( aren't going to question what Ashton's doing because why on earth would you want to stop someone from spending a fortune with you and, after all, it's none of your business why he needs those parts or where they are going to be used.

When you find out you can't fit the part or its not working properly it wil just sit in the garage and rust unless you can persuade someone to buy it off you. Sometimes you can't and end up giving them away. Sounds familiar.

A Mark Ashton assembled squad:

 

 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Midlands Robin said:

Regarding the relationship with agents thing. When it comes to Ashton there's always this nagging feeling in the back of your mind that there's something dodgy or inappropriate going on when of course there's absolutely no suggestion there is.

When my mum and dad have replaced their car, on the last two occasions they've gone to the same garage and dealt with the same salesman. In all likelihood they'll go there again as a first choice when it comes to replacing their current one. Why? They tell the chap what they want and he finds the right car and gives them a competitive price. All parties are happy.

At face value, that would explain why Ashton uses the same agent / agencies on a regular basis.

Here's the thing however, Ashton is not buying a complete outfit but parts of one. So, instead of replacing a Ford Fiesta for a Ford Focus, he's buying new tyres, then a new body kit, then a new fuel filter and so on.

The way he does his upgrades is by going to the same parts shop every time and by buying parts that look great but may not even fit the car he's buying it for. Of course, he doesn't bother talking to his mechanic about this but relies on Google for his research.

He may have a Ford Fiesta but he'll buy a sports exhaust for a Mondeo because Google says its brilliant, then ask his mechanic (Paul Cook) to make the thing fit and get it working. 

The parts shop (agents( aren't going to question what Ashton's doing because why on earth would you want to stop someone from spending a fortune with you and, after all, it's none of your business why he needs those parts or where they are going to be used.

When you find out you can't fit the part or its not working properly it wil just sit in the garage and rust unless you can persuade someone to buy it off you. Sometimes you can't and end up giving them away. Sounds familiar.

A Mark Ashton assembled squad:

 

Was gonna write something, then thought better of it!!!!

All I would say is that beyond his own salary, his various business interests have taken money out of football clubs in one way or another, from consultancy fees to providing “hospitality / services” to the world of football.  Nothing wrong with that per se, but a lot of nepotism in his world.

[Midlands Robin]

@Davefevsthese are the type of people who seemingly walk through the rain without ever getting wet.

 

 

[redysteadygo]

5 hours ago, Midlands Robin said:

Regarding the relationship with agents thing. When it comes to Ashton there's always this nagging feeling in the back of your mind that there's something dodgy or inappropriate going on when of course there's absolutely no suggestion there is.

When my mum and dad have replaced their car, on the last two occasions they've gone to the same garage and dealt with the same salesman. In all likelihood they'll go there again as a first choice when it comes to replacing their current one. Why? They tell the chap what they want and he finds the right car and gives them a competitive price. All parties are happy.

At face value, that would explain why Ashton uses the same agent / agencies on a regular basis.

Here's the thing however, Ashton is not buying a complete outfit but parts of one. So, instead of replacing a Ford Fiesta for a Ford Focus, he's buying new tyres, then a new body kit, then a new fuel filter and so on.

The way he does his upgrades is by going to the same parts shop every time and by buying parts that look great but may not even fit the car he's buying it for. Of course, he doesn't bother talking to his mechanic about this but relies on Google for his research.

He may have a Ford Fiesta but he'll buy a sports exhaust for a Mondeo because Google says its brilliant, then ask his mechanic (Paul Cook) to make the thing fit and get it working. 

The parts shop (agents( aren't going to question what Ashton's doing because why on earth would you want to stop someone from spending a fortune with you and, after all, it's none of your business why he needs those parts or where they are going to be used.

When you find out you can't fit the part or its not working properly it wil just sit in the garage and rust unless you can persuade someone to buy it off you. Sometimes you can't and end up giving them away. Sounds familiar.

A Mark Ashton assembled squad:

 

Why not, Johnny Cash did it "One piece at a time"

[Northern Cider Ed]

Conceding 5 at home to Bolton. Its soon going to be time for a rigorous recuitment process. 

[Unan]

Preston are just cheating bastards aren’t they, shameless 

[The Original OTIB]

Just now, TomF said:

He’ll be retreating to the bunker shortly 

Hilarious, one an own goal as well.

[BetterRedthanBlue]

13 minutes ago, Northern Cider Ed said:

Conceding 5 at home to Bolton. Its soon going to be time for a rigorous recuitment process. 

Yup I imagine another 20 signings in January and then an entire new squad next summer. But everyone will be on big contracts that will put them on trouble.

[Waffleflap]

I really hope it goes horribly wrong.  It kind of is at the moment 

[Bazooka Joe]

That's what you get when you only sign 19 new players.

Ashton's plan for the January window?  Sign another 30 new players ! (and earn bucketloads of commission £££ ! )

£pswich.

[cidercity1987]

Funny as f

Down with the Rovers next season I reckon

 

 

 

 

[chinapig]

3 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

Funny as f

Down with the Rovers next season I reckon

 

 

 

 

You can't drop 2 divisions in 1 season can you?

Anyway the Gas are definitely going up according to Innocent Joey Barton.

[chinapig]

At what point will Paul Cook be sacked and replaced by Dean Holden?

[Red Exile]

Just now, chinapig said:

At what point will Paul Cook be sacked and replaced by Dean Holden?

...or Michael Appleton...

[BetterRedthanBlue]

6 minutes ago, chinapig said:

At what point will Paul Cook be sacked and replaced by Dean Holden?

After 6-8 weeks of "rigorous" searching only to find out that the best person for the job is himself.

[Loosey Boy]

Couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke!

Long may it continue 

[slartibartfast]

1 hour ago, Bazooka Joe said:

That's what you get when you only sign 19 new players.

Ashton's plan for the January window?  Sign another 30 new players ! (and earn bucketloads of commission £££ ! )

 

You beat me to it, .it's almost like he gets a back hander for every transfer..........but THAT would be unethical to say the least !

[Davefevs]

Their forum is all Cook Out tonigh.

[Gazred]

9 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Their forum is all Cook Out tonigh.

It's clearly all his fault Dave. Ashton walks on water.

[CyderInACan]

31 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Their forum is all Cook Out tonigh.

I misread that and thought you were on the wrong forum again @Davefevs 

[Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan]

They love him don’t they?

Bless them, thick ******* nuggets. 

 

[pl00peh91]

42 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Their forum is all Cook Out tonigh.

What kind of food are they making?

[Bristol Oil Services]

Time to try running away from adversity, I reckon. What's the worst that can happen? They bump into mediocrity?

[glynriley]

42 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Their forum is all Cook Out tonigh.

Music to the slippery one's ears I suspect. 

[Pezo]

12 minutes ago, Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan said:

They love him don’t they?

Bless them, thick ******* nuggets. 

 

You don't find the problem with snake oil until you try to use it. 

[The dastardly red]

17 minutes ago, Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan said:

They love him don’t they?

Bless them, thick ******* nuggets. 

 

"Obviously classic bitter fan comments" 

[redsquirrel]

we were shit last season and ok this season. they were ok last season and shit this season. common denominator,(another manual manipulator expression) MA

[Atticus]

24 minutes ago, Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan said:

They love him don’t they?

Bless them, thick ******* nuggets. 

 

Deary me. How far in the sand are their heads buried?

It doesn't take too much research to see everyone wanted him gone way before he buggered off to Ipswich

[Davefevs]

I haven’t heard Cook’s interview but reading their fans quotes he seems less enamoured with the signings….apart from Morsy, who he is now looking to save him.

Edited September 11, 2021 by Davefevs

[GrahamC]

3 hours ago, Red Exile said:

...or Michael Appleton...

To be fair to Appleton his record at Lincoln is good, chalk & cheese with what we based appointing Holden on, which was 5 bloody games.

[Loosey Boy]

1 hour ago, glynriley said:

Music to the slippery one's ears I suspect. 

Time to bring in Appleton

[richyy66]

Paul Cook trying to pick a team of 19 new players signed by Ashton....Joey Barton trying to pick a team of 19 new players signed by himself.

Neither can get it right !!!!

[Olé]

 

[TomThumb84]

Ipswich Town. My favourite sub-plot this season is developing perfectly.

Who knew that bunging together 19 expensive players, with no cohesion or knowledge on if they can play together, signed by a CEO, who has a narcissism complex, would result in this?

Oh yes, we did, Oxford did, Watford did.

Watch the cracks start to appear between him and Cook. Not sure Paul Cook will toe the party line like Johnson/Holden did here.

[Davefevs]

6 minutes ago, TomThumb84 said:

Ipswich Town. My favourite sub-plot this season is developing perfectly.

Who knew that bunging together 19 expensive players, with no cohesion or knowledge on if they can play together, signed by a CEO, who has a narcissism complex, would result in this?

Oh yes, we did, Oxford did, Watford did.

Watch the cracks start to appear between him and Cook. Not sure Paul Cook will toe the party line like Johnson/Holden did here.

If you recruit based on being mates with the agent, then you are taking a big gamble.

The Celina transfer really interested me.

Ashton initially tried to get him early in the summer before he’d spoken to Cook about it (from MA’s lips, not conjecture on my part).  Celina’s agent - ICM Stellar Sport, have several Ipswich players, especially new signings with them.  Why would you go after a player without speaking to the manager?  Trying to get onside with the fans early on, the fans liked Celina when he was here, many fans anti-Mick McCarthy because MM thought he didn’t do the basics so didn’t play him.  Fans are a sucker for a flair player.

It fell through over a heart issue (now resolved).

When he did sign on deadline day, surely they’d already recruited plan B?  Just like Szmodics and Palmer all over again!

But then, again from MA’s lips, Cook had to really convince Celina he could fit into Cook’s playing style.  So a vanity signing for the CEO who they didn’t scout (if they scouted at all - they have no recruitment Dept) to a specific manager system requirement.

But, I have no sympathy for Paul Cook for allowing this to happen, just like I didn’t with Lee Johnson.  You just have to say no, and be prepared to stand up to the CEO even if it means leaving your job. LJ had enough credit in the bank to force the issue with SL, and if not backed could go and get a job elsewhere.  I don’t think any recruiting clubs would look badly on a manager saying he left because the CEO tried to force players on him.  Most would think it showed prudence.

I don’t think Cook will have any credit in the bank with Ipswich’s new owners, especially as the CEO and Chairman are mates and the Chairman and CEO worked to get the new Owners to invest.  But Cook still has a lot of credit in football, and I’m sure prospective employers would look on him favourably if he called out Ashton.

However, in both Johnson and Cook’s position, who turns down a player?  That’s their downfall.

[ciderwithtommy]

Not sure if covered before, but was Ashton at all involved in us bringing Nige in? Just cannot see how Nige would’ve worked under the conditions that Johnson and Cook have.

[LondonBristolian]

5 minutes ago, ciderwithtommy said:

Not sure if covered before, but was Ashton at all involved in us bringing Nige in? Just cannot see how Nige would’ve worked under the conditions that Johnson and Cook have.

He was involved to at least an extent and I think he did the initial approach. However I wonder if it was known that he was leaving at that point. At the very least Pearson seems to have joined knowing the spending limitations that were likely to be in place meant the transfer policy would be very different.

That said, Pearson obviously joined until the end of the season and at a point when the transfer market was closed so there was no real risk of players being signed without his knowledge.

[Davefevs]

Pretty sure SL did the Sunday morning zoom with Nige.  Can’t believe MA wasn’t involved though.

But there’s no way SL wasn’t aware MA was off at that point either.  I get the impression that SL was getting much more hands-on early in 2021…probably once Maggie had read Kid’s post on here.

He seemed to be back running the show at the point of Nige’s appointment