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The Office (UK): Ipswich Town edition


LondonBristolian

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 

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15 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

I guess the talking point is whether Pearson would have signed on for the long term if he was going to have to work under Ashton.

My completely uninformed belief is that he wouldn't have and knew the score regarding Ashton's future when he first came in.

Very much suspect you are right NR.

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31 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

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.

I think I remember seeing on net that it was Pearson who approached Lansdown direct. Don't know if my memory is correct but if so his coming did not involve the unmentionable.

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15 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

I guess the talking point is whether Pearson would have signed on for the long term if he was going to have to work under Ashton.

My completely uninformed belief is that he wouldn't have and knew the score regarding Ashton's future when he first came in.

There was only room for one of them at the club. I'm not convinced that was a know issue when he first came in. Maybe I could be persuaded that Steve Lansdown gave some sort of assurance that MA wouldn't be a long term issue, but if I remember correctly SL said he didn't have prior knowledge of MAs resignation and did every thing he could to convince him to stay. Come to think of it, that last bit seems a bit unbelievable.

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2 minutes ago, TomThumb84 said:

Nigel Pearson joined because Mark Ashton had switched off/was asleep at the wheel and allowed the process to happen knowing he was on his toes to Ipswich, and did not care on what terms the new manager joined.

Prior to this, when Holden was appointed, Ashton desperately needed to buy some time and it was important his position was not diluted in order to exact his exit strategy. Hence, any experienced manager that was interviewed could see the problems in our club and surely sought to amend/rectify as part of their vision moving forward which was not acceptable. Hence we ended up with Dean Holden.

The cards fell perfectly for Mark Ashton, during possibly the most conceited and self-serving 12 months any individual has had at our club. Ultimately it set us back 3 years, but we can thank our lucky stars it did not cost us our Championship status as that could have led to 82 repeating itself, and that we ended up with Nigel Pearson at the end of it.

If you think this is over-dramatic it is not. We have been very fortunate.

I'd like to rebutt your assertations. But I can't. Fortunately we were just one of the steps on the ladder to Mr Ashton's world football dominance. And luckily for us he took a lot of his toys with him!

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58 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

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 

Definitely remember reading a NP interview where he said he got the call from SL on a Sunday. IIRC, no mention of MA being involved at that stage. 

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42 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

I guess the talking point is whether Pearson would have signed on for the long term if he was going to have to work under Ashton.

My completely uninformed belief is that he wouldn't have and knew the score regarding Ashton's future when he first came in.

I agree.

19 minutes ago, Sleepy1968 said:

There was only room for one of them at the club. I'm not convinced that was a know issue when he first came in. Maybe I could be persuaded that Steve Lansdown gave some sort of assurance that MA wouldn't be a long term issue, but if I remember correctly SL said he didn't have prior knowledge of MAs resignation and did every thing he could to convince him to stay. Come to think of it, that last bit seems a bit unbelievable.

Think the term is “itchy chin” ???

5 minutes ago, TomThumb84 said:

Nigel Pearson joined because Mark Ashton had switched off/was asleep at the wheel and allowed the process to happen knowing he was on his toes to Ipswich, and did not care on what terms the new manager joined.

Prior to this, when Holden was appointed, Ashton desperately needed to buy some time and it was important his position was not diluted in order to exact his exit strategy. Hence, any experienced manager that was interviewed could see the problems in our club and surely sought to amend/rectify as part of their vision moving forward which was not acceptable. Hence we ended up with Dean Holden.

The cards fell perfectly for Mark Ashton, during possibly the most conceited and self-serving 12 months any individual has had at our club. Injury crisis’ not being dealt with, transfer insanity, contracts being allowed to run down and literally millions of pounds walking out of our door unchecked.


Ultimately it set us back 3 years, but we can thank our lucky stars it did not cost us our Championship status as that could have led to 82 repeating itself, and that we ended up with Nigel Pearson at the end of it.

If you think this is over-dramatic it is not. We have been very fortunate.

I think you’re right too.

Think I’ve posted before that (the story is) Cook tried to talk himself out of the job during the actual interview.  You can just imagine MA giving it the big ‘in - “the club is centred around me, you’ll report into me, etc”.

Just like Cotts in Dec 15, when Ashton returned to do the hatchet job, Cook will know the writing is on the wall for him.  It wouldn’t surprise me if his heart isn’t truly in it (which is poor form on his part).  He’s been really quiet in terms of signings (not easy to grab the limelight from Ashton admittedly), and you wonder if the apathy is rubbing off on the pitch.

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1 minute ago, Southport Red said:

Definitely remember reading a NP interview where he said he got the call from SL on a Sunday. IIRC, no mention of MA being involved at that stage. 

Thats what I remember, he was cooking bacon sandwiches and his misses said 'you better answer that'

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