The Office (UK): Ipswich Town edition

[Davefevs]

Just now, Super said:

Blame the people whose money he was gambling with. 

You don’t get paid £500k+ a year to absolve yourself of any responsibility and accountability!

[Super]

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

You don’t get paid £500k+ a year to absolve yourself of any responsibility and accountability!

I get that but it's laughable that he gets more blame than Lansdown.

[Davefevs]

4 minutes ago, Super said:

I get that but it's laughable that he gets more blame than Lansdown.

Does he?  Not from me.  Right in the thick of it with SL, JL and LJ.  All culpable in their own way.  But don’t forget that Ashton was brought in specifically to help allow SL to step away (to Guernsey), and to provide expertise to JL.  He royally took the piss.

So I think he’s fair game personally.

[Super]

Just now, Davefevs said:

Does he?  Not from me.  Right in the thick of it with SL, JL and LJ.  All culpable in their own way.  But don’t forget that Ashton was brought in specifically to help allow SL to step away (to Guernsey), and to provide expertise to JL.  He royally took the piss.

So I think he’s fair game personally.

People will always take the piss if they're allowed. 

[Davefevs]

1 minute ago, Super said:

People will always take the piss if they're allowed. 

Glad you’re so chilled about it.  Not everyone is as flawed.

[Bedred31]

5 hours ago, Southend Blue said:

I didn't start it, nothing to do with me.   I just like to talk about football and there's a name here relevant to both club sides that you can add further input to when the time arises.         It's been mentioned at length but once again to reiterate it seems Mark Ashton isn't quite the devil incarnate some would believe.      Some people don't like him, they hold the name in contempt and can see only evil and while can understand those philosophies it's fair to say he's been part of a new major success with us and an integral part of the resurgence since coming over and over the past 2 years.    I suppose he's been kept on a tighter rein at Portman Road, a whole different collection of people to work with or even to be kept in check.     I read only negative reviews when he came over and was sceptical about what we were letting ourselves in for, but fact remains he's proven a key figure in our ability to make it back or in us becoming a recognised club name once again.

So we're promoted, first time at top level since 2002.    Yes it's taken long enough and we've had to endure some pretty horrendous years and seasons and while the entire time spent away and years of decline can't be easily overlooked or never properly redeemed it's just a relief if not pleasing to know we're going to feature at the highest level once again.     Can we stay there or fall back at the first attempt, it's not so easy to answer but the infrastructure is now in place to really make a go of it but should McKenna leave any time soon and some of our most prized players choose to move on we could just as easily fall back into disrepair.       Back in 2000 we were promoted too albeit by way of the play-offs and then went on to finish 5th in the Premier League (a cup semi-final too for good measure) but can that happen this time around.    Somehow I think not.       All depends how we adjust to being a part of it once again for well over 20 years and keeping hold of the most valuable assets within the club set-up, McKenna included.  

Did it not seem a little odd/ uncomfortable to you and Ipswich fans in general that during yesterdays parade Ashton positioned himself right at the front of the lead bus next to McKenna? (I live in the East and local news has had wall to wall coverage). Is that really the behaviour of a normal CEO? I think the rest of the non- playing bigwigs were in the second bus. Many congrats to Ipswich incidentally- I’m old enough to have watched footy in the 70’s when Ipswich epitomised much of what was good about football.

[maxjak]

17 hours ago, Bedred31 said:

Did it not seem a little odd/ uncomfortable to you and Ipswich fans in general that during yesterdays parade Ashton positioned himself right at the front of the lead bus next to McKenna? (I live in the East and local news has had wall to wall coverage). Is that really the behaviour of a normal CEO? I think the rest of the non- playing bigwigs were in the second bus. Many congrats to Ipswich incidentally- I’m old enough to have watched footy in the 70’s when Ipswich epitomised much of what was good about football.

I consider myself fortunate   to have missed out on that particular raving Ego maniac taking personal credit for Ipswich's success....Sod Mckenna, their phenomenal progress  is due to the CEO ...  and i can guarantee that he will be putting forward a proposal to have a statue erected in his honour?       

[Lorenzos Only Goal]

22 hours ago, Super said:

I get that but it's laughable that he gets more blame than Lansdown.

He does from me, he knew hard times were incoming and having made a shit appointment through a vigorous process jumped the sinking ship like a rat.  Leaving us with a 3 year rebuild project and then Brian and father and son Lansdown gets the blame for the Pearson debacle.  Both things can be true, he can be a *** and the Lansdowns can be useless.

[Barrs Court Red]

40 minutes ago, Lorenzos Only Goal said:

He does from me, he knew hard times were incoming and having made a shit appointment through a vigorous process jumped the sinking ship like a rat.  Leaving us with a 3 year rebuild project and then Brian and father and son Lansdown gets the blame for the Pearson debacle.  Both things can be true, he can be a *** and the Lansdowns can be useless.

Fair play to him, he raw dogged the lansdowns like an absolute pro.  

[Mr Popodopolous]

4 hours ago, Lorenzos Only Goal said:

He does from me, he knew hard times were incoming and having made a shit appointment through a vigorous process jumped the sinking ship like a rat.  Leaving us with a 3 year rebuild project and then Brian and father and son Lansdown gets the blame for the Pearson debacle.  Both things can be true, he can be a *** and the Lansdowns can be useless.

Still can't believe the debacle of October, the seeds sown in late Spring to late August (Scott and failure to replace via the bizarre nest egg interview). Oh and the lack of a dedicated CEO.

Even if and I'm stretching here, there was some sort of overhanging restriction due to FFI in Summer 2022, a new contract, backing and some January funds would have resolved many issues.

Good luck to Manning and Hogg- they'll need it with our hierarchy but it still to this day seems a great self-inflicted own goal even now. A self-inflicted blow after in particular Gould and NP steered us out of a storm to calmer waters.

[where's the joy]

So what are our thoughts about Mark Ashton? was he really the bad guy or just misunderstood?

how come he's achieved so much with the tractor boys and left a trail of havoc in the west country, and got a tune out of Wes Burns

personally I couldn't cope with his vanity but 2 promotions in two years makes me very jealous

The game that we played against Ipswich at home (and away at Leicester the other automatic promotion) showed us the speed of thought and skill needed to go up

lets hope we can emulate their success and be glad that the snake oil salesman is not due down our way next season  

[Distortia]

Smarmy businessman who either cannot, or just refuses to, level with the traditionally (though of course not exclusively) working class fans of the sport he works in. Seems the type who might have a mirror above his bed to watch himself in the action.

Fairly effective operator with a decent record of success compared to a number of others in his position within the sport. Resided over the most successful period in Ipswich's recent history as well as our best league finish for a decade.

Edited May 10 by Distortia

[IAmNick]

It's almost an impossible question - he's failed at a few places, and had great success at one. Is that due to the situation matching his skillset, luck, his growing skill as he moves around, the support he has, or what? 

I think he's clearly shown he can pick a decent manager. That's assuming he didn't go for Lee or Holden though. He's got recruitment working well so Ipswich, but it was scattergun at best here. So what conclusions can we draw?

Is he the equivalent of a player having their one good season of their career, or on the start of a brilliant career? Let's see how he gets on in the future, but nobody can deny that he's done a stellar job at Ipswich - it's just how many caveats you then attach.

I don't think we can credit him with Burns, or any other players improvement though - he may have been involved with signing them but he didn't coach or improve them.

In a way, and interestingly, his success may end up telling us more about our club than Ipswich!

[Davefevs]

I’ve said it all on the Ipswich Town thread, and a bit on Ipswich Town’s TWTD forum.

Sorry.

[JAWS]

SL is definitely the common denominator but I'm still glad MA not with us. Slippery character & very cringey. His post match celebrations with the fans for Ipswich away at Lincoln the other season were extremely embarrassing. It's a shame Gould's stay was short lived

[Davefevs]

4 minutes ago, JAWS said:

It's a shame Gould's stay was short lived

Hear, hear.

[slartibartfast]

A stopped clock is right twice a day !  It wasn't just us who didn't have a good word for him (well, I have ,***) but it seemed every other club he's been with didn't like him, so it's not just us !

[joe jordans teeth]

40 minutes ago, where's the joy said:

So what are our thoughts about Mark Ashton? was he really the bad guy or just misunderstood?

how come he's achieved so much with the tractor boys and left a trail of havoc in the west country, and got a tune out of Wes Burns

personally I couldn't cope with his vanity but 2 promotions in two years makes me very jealous

The game that we played against Ipswich at home (and away at Leicester the other automatic promotion) showed us the speed of thought and skill needed to go up

lets hope we can emulate their success and be glad that the snake oil salesman is not due down our way next season  

The stones were set before he got there let’s be honest and he’s just carried it on,while at our place nobody stays long under the lansdowns because they can’t put up with their nonsense

[1960maaan]

1 hour ago, where's the joy said:

So what are our thoughts about Mark Ashton? was he really the bad guy or just misunderstood?

how come he's achieved so much with the tractor boys and left a trail of havoc in the west country, and got a tune out of Wes Burns

I think is good at certain things and at Ipswich they sussed him early and kept him on a leash . Confine him to his strong points, unlike here when he was given the freedom to do what he wanted .

As for Wes , I doubt he had anything to do with it. Burns was more experienced when he went there and had found a position that suits him . 

[cidercity1987]

He's a high risk man. When it's fails he runs off (here and others) When it works he looks like a god (Ipswich).

 

I don't think he did anything differently at Ipswich but stumbled across a great manager. In an alter universal they don't get promoted and face the same financial problems he put us in.

[Ippy_on_tour]

On 10/05/2024 at 19:45, cidercity1987 said:

He's a high risk man. When it's fails he runs off (here and others) When it works he looks like a god (Ipswich).

 

I don't think he did anything differently at Ipswich but stumbled across a great manager. In an alter universal they don't get promoted and face the same financial problems he put us in.

Not a shred of truth in this. There would've been zero financial trouble had we not gone up. None at all. The difference is probably that ITFC are run expertly above Ashton and Ashton only has to worry about football matters. He has done his job almost faultlessly, from building a footballing infrastructure and re-engaging the community. He is very David Brent but but he knows what he's doing and if you don't believe he does - you've never experienced real ineptitude. 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Ippy_on_tour said:

Not a shred of truth in this. There would've been zero financial trouble had we not gone up. None at all. The difference is probably that ITFC are run expertly above Ashton and Ashton only has to worry about football matters. He has done his job almost faultlessly, from building a footballing infrastructure and re-engaging the community. He is very David Brent but but he knows what he's doing and if you don't believe he does - you've never experienced real ineptitude. 

Correct…if you’re talking about things like FFP.

There’s degrees of “financial trouble” though.  Cutting back the budget for some back room staff had you not got promoted from League isn’t financial trouble, but a consequence of not achieving the objectives.  It didn’t come to that.

And this season, promotion wasn’t the be-all and end-all either….plenty of headroom for 24/25 in the Champ too.

[Numero Uno]

4 hours ago, Ippy_on_tour said:

Not a shred of truth in this. There would've been zero financial trouble had we not gone up. None at all. The difference is probably that ITFC are run expertly above Ashton and Ashton only has to worry about football matters. He has done his job almost faultlessly, from building a footballing infrastructure and re-engaging the community. He is very David Brent but but he knows what he's doing and if you don't believe he does - you've never experienced real ineptitude. 

The point I agree with is that your American owners have managed him whereas ours gave him the keys to the building and ****** off. One scenario led to Premier League football, the other saw our mob in serious FFFP trouble for three years, playing counter attacking football with kids and bang average players in order to scrap enough points to stay in the league.