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Episode 52 - Meetings with Howard Webb, Category One academy status & a stadium expansion?
21 Plays1 month ago
It's Wildcard Wednesday! This week Rob & Tom dissect Mark Ashton's interview on BBC Radio Suffolk earlier this week. The lads share their thoughts on some of the big talking points such as infrastructure projects, the January transfer window and Ashton's honest opinions of VAR.
The Daily Ipswich Podcast, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, is the home of all your ITFC. Join us every weekday for the latest news, build-up and reaction in the club's first season back in the Premier League.
Host: Rob Binns
Guests: Tom Crack
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Transcript
Introduction & Wild Card Wednesday
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Ipswich, brought to you by the Global Sports Podcast Network. It is Wild Card Wednesday today, and we have got a fun one for
Significance of Mark Ashton's Interview
00:00:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
you. We're going to be dissecting Mark Ashton's interview he did with Brenner Woolley on BBC Radio of Suffolk earlier this week. Really fascinating interview. It's brilliant that we get someone so high up in the club going and regularly doing sort of interviews like this. It's fantastic to know what's going on. Some big talking points, which I'm going to go through today, alongside Tom. How you doing, mate?
Transparency in Football Clubs
00:00:40
Tom Crack
Yeah, very good, Rob, thank you. It's really interesting stuff from Mark Ashton on BBC Software this week. So yeah, we got to dissect all the major talking points from that interview for sure.
00:00:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, like I said, there's a lot to go through, but which we're going to sort of, we'll break it down for you. But before we get into the actual points, just say how fantastic is it that we actually get that Mark Ashton goes and does these interviews. He does stuff like this fairly regularly. It's brilliant to know that he's given these updates around the really fortunate position. There's not many clubs that have this much sort of transparency come from someone so high up. It's brilliant, isn't it?
Understanding Club Culture
00:01:14
Tom Crack
Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think people have talked about a lot in recent years, especially with the more, I'm not saying foreign ownership or foreign companies ahead of clubs is a bad thing because a lot of owners outside of the UK have done really well for those clubs, but I think they struggle sometimes to identify of the tradition of the club as well as what it means to represent the local area.
00:01:36
Tom Crack
Obviously Mark Ashley is not from Suffolk, he's a Broadway boy, but he very much understands what a town, me a club can mean to a town. We've seen that so much since Game Changer himself came along and just, yeah, like you said, excuse me speaking to the media and stuff, you really don't get that unless I don't understand something horrible like Henry took saying, oh, I did
Fan Engagement & Local Media
00:01:53
Tom Crack
a big sorry after trying to join the Super League of Liverpool, that kind of thing.
00:01:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Hmm.
00:01:57
Tom Crack
That's the only time really the owner speaks or the chairman speaks is to address something bad they've done. So it's great that we get this some action all the time just to go in depth about the good things of the club and even the negative stuff you'll address it head on as well.
00:02:08
Tom Crack
It's really good to get a straight talking chairman.
00:02:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:11
Tom Crack
Absolutely.
00:02:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's brilliant. that That sort of communications there, because obviously it allows questions from supporters as well, which is what the bulk of this interview was.
00:02:18
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:02:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I love that he's done it on local radio as well, because he could, he knows you're going to go these, do go and do these interviews.
00:02:20
Tom Crack
yeah
00:02:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
He could go and do these anywhere, but he's wandered up the road to the local radio station.
Future Infrastructure Developments
00:02:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
And obviously, Brenner Woolley's been covering town for God knows how many years for the radio. So he's got the relationship there with the club with benefit.
00:02:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's fantastic interview. And like I say, we're lucky that we have a hierarchy at the club that's willing to go and do things like this because so it's really fascinating to sort of get these updates and there's a lot to go through.
00:02:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
So should we get straight into it?
00:02:49
Tom Crack
Let's do it.
00:02:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, so let's start with one of the biggest points. So there was sort of two main points, weren't there? It was the whole referees and VAR situations, but we'll leave that for now because we had a good chat about that ourselves yesterday.
00:03:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
The other big talking point is about was infrastructure around the club and web So they all sort of stemmed from a question from a supporter that was sent in that asked about the cobbled stand because we know that's in the works. At some point that will be demolished and the new stand, new, bigger stand will be built. So they asked about Mark Ashton about that. And he said it was on the to-do list, but it's not, it's not the priority at the moment. Cause obviously the issue with the cobbled stand, if you're going to demolish a stand and say the cobbled, I think this,
00:03:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
just under a thousand season tickets in there and obviously the whole away allocation that you then we try to do that mid-season and have no stand there then they obviously all get uprooted and you got to find something else so it's not on the list at the moment but it is something that's still being considered and TWTD reported the other day as well that the club have bought a bit of land where the car park is out at the back of the cobalt stand now or agreement in principle should say it's not over the line yet but
00:03:41
Tom Crack
Yep.
00:04:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
is a whole plan in place or of standards and extension and then the council want to put a hotel on the rest of that bit of land as well and really sort of grow
Stadium Capacity & Expansion Goals
00:04:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Portland Row. So like I said Mark Ashton said that's down that's a down the line thing that's definitely not a this season thing but before we go on into a bit more about what he said might be coming shorter term as we know this project's in the pipeline he also said that this is a project they're looking at regardless of where we are next season that he's not going to shell these sort of things if we get relegated as well, which is fantastic to know. But so the infrastructure spending and commitment, when we've seen it so far we're already with some stuff done. And now this is this would be the biggest one, wouldn I mean, knocking down the oldest stand and replacing a newer, better one is a huge step forward, isn't it?
00:04:49
Tom Crack
Yeah, definitely. I mean, you've looked at the cobalt in the West. I mean, if you compare how the Arthur Amazon Bob Robson look in comparison, there is a clear distinction as to when those stands are built. and you know whilst it is great that a football stadium in 2024 can still look like that, it is kind of like you need to get rolling at the times.
00:05:06
Tom Crack
Obviously, I think Ashton did say, wherever the whenever we do maybe knock down one of those stands, the reallocation for fans wouldn't happen during a Premier League season, that's for sure. So it won't be any time soon, as he said there, Rob.
00:05:17
Tom Crack
But yeah, it'd be interesting what it's going to look like when it eventually happens. I think, you know, you look at the cardboard stand that I do kind of like the
00:05:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's true.
00:05:24
Tom Crack
sort of barrier we have with this little tiny tier, which you see on camera for for match days. But it is going to be interesting how that looks when they move forward and the incapacity increase.
00:05:35
Tom Crack
But I think he did say he wanted to get, was it 40,000? Which would be amazing, wouldn't it?
00:05:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, 40, yeah.
00:05:39
Tom Crack
Regardless, prem or not.
00:05:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, exactly. I mean, so I think he said 40,000 is the sort of dream. But I like the realism as well, because he said that I want to get to 40,000. And then he said straight afterwards, anything more than that's probably a bit much at the moment with the land and everything.
00:05:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's not just like trying to sell the dream that we're going to keep doing this. And Portland Road is going to be 70,000 in 10 years' time.
00:05:58
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:06:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're going to keep improving. He's been realistic. And it is these small little goals. But that's sort of a more long term.
00:06:06
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:06:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
He mentioned, obviously, the West Stand. as Again, another one that's nice and odd. What he did, what he did say is that there's a train, again, nothing confirmed, that there's a train of thought there that the idea is to do up the West stand first and an extra tier on there, which creates you around 4,000 more seats.
00:06:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a lot easier to do. You don't have to shut the stand. You can do it in the off season before we go again in August, whatever division that's in.
00:06:30
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:06:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then also then those 4,000 seats can then house the 3,000 away fans. and the sort of thousand or so season ticket get holders. So effectively you're building a brand new area to to move all of those people in so they don't lose their seats.
00:06:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Then you can knock the cobbles down during the season because that would take a year plus that project. Nobody loses their seat and then they come back and then they will go back across.
00:06:52
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:06:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
If they've got a bigger stand there, more seats and those 4,000 seats then open up again. So they've really, like every, like unsurprisingly, they've really sat and thought this through and they know exactly what
Balancing Renovation with Tradition
00:07:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
they're doing.
00:07:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're doing the best for supporters again. And it's just brilliant, isn't it? like Most people wouldn't, you'd never consider that idea. A lot of clubs would just think, oh, more money, right? We'll take the short term here. We'll not stand down. We'll go again. But the club, of they've not so they're effectively, this West End extension, if they move ahead of it, is effectively being built to house people who sit in the cobalt stand while that stand gets redone, which is incredible already.
00:07:30
Tom Crack
Yeah, definitely. I think it shows the size of a club that we can accommodate. almost two stands in one and sort of shows where we are moving forward. Yeah, I loved i haven i love cobalt stand. It's not the one I usually go sit in when I do go to games. I did go a few times when I was younger, but you sit there and you feel like you're in a historic part of the ground. So it will be very sad when it does go down, but I'm sure architecturally speaking, they will honor the previous design, no matter how big they go, shall we say, and however many years it does get made. But obviously, like you said, there's more important things that play for the immediate future, design-wise and infrastructure-wise for club, isn't there?
Investing in Training Facilities
00:08:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Yeah, like I said, I think it's great as well, like you just said about Cobalt Sand, like you said about the original design and stuff. I was reading a piece in the Affleck this week that was talking about, that they basically went to all all three of those relegation six pointers this weekend.
00:08:15
Tom Crack
it
00:08:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they described Portland Road as traditional and fantastically bolus as a stadium.
00:08:18
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:08:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it makes a good point that how many modern stadiums are just circles.
00:08:24
Tom Crack
Yes.
00:08:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
There's no sort of, it's not it might it's not even four stands, it's just one big bull.
00:08:29
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:08:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
So hopefully they don't go down that, they start don't start moving down that route, because I agree with that point, but it's reminded me of that.
00:08:32
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:08:35
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:08:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, like you were saying before, us off course. They are long-term projects. Like I say, you're looking at the summer at the absolute earliest. The next big project, which Mark Aston said, is the training ground, which I know I mentioned this time last week on Wildcard Wednesday.
00:08:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's now offered a bit more detail and added in that that planning is going to be sent off for that in the next 10 to 14 days, which is obviously
00:09:02
Tom Crack
wow
00:09:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
so It's going to be a very, I think from previous interviews, he said that it's going to be millions of pounds investment into the training ground that is going to obviously benefit the club at all levels as well.
00:09:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
ma Most notably the academy, which we can get onto to academy a bit later as well, the plans for that. but he said marto Ashton said that obviously they spent the last three years or so, particularly this summer, doing a lot to Portman Road and the surrounding area and the training grounds have sort of been sat there waiting.
00:09:29
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:09:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
And he he previously described it as the worst in the Premier League through sort through no fault of our own, really just lack of money or whatever.
00:09:37
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:09:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so that is, it's going to be massive, isn't it? Like I said, I so ah spoke about it a bit last week, didn't I? How important it is to have the top end facilities, particularly for your academy players.
00:09:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's it's a product it's something that needed doing, isn't it? Definitely.
00:09:53
Tom Crack
Yeah, definitely just looking at Playford Road here and like this deep amount of development that's happened for it in recent years, like just going through some stats and facts about it like but the state of the art gym or the latest gym just be built for the covers in 2018 so about six years ago there. And in 2019 the big grandiose improvement was a new big fence build being built around.
00:10:13
Tom Crack
the yeah the facility, which, you know, keep the paps out, I guess, but not the most sort of like important thing, shall we say, for improving the quality of the players and and the other members, of other teams within Ipswich as well.
00:10:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:26
Tom Crack
Yeah, you're right with facilities as well. We've seen it with so many clubs and that you have that infrastructure there, not just for the first team, but for guys and girls coming up and it really can build you as a player, both physically, mentally. just it's If you feel more at home there, you're going to be feeling more at home on the pitch when it comes to match day. So I think it's really important. It's one of those parts you don't necessarily consider that's key to improving because you think, the stuff I see as a fan is getting improved and everything's all great, but the players need it as well. And this is this is really important for them to improve further down the line, like you said, prem or not, but hopefully prem.
00:11:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
It offers a good selling point for players as well, doesn't it? If you know you're coming to, again, particularly, like I was saying last week, particularly at academy level, that there's a reason why clubs that are sort of level will raise these top top youngsters and then they will get poached.
00:11:06
Tom Crack
Yes, definitely.
00:11:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like there's one, I've forgotten his name now, that a few years ago we had a really promising lad coming through and City poached him and then I've never heard about him again. Cause he's just been another one, another one coming through at City where he was sort of star there that
00:11:26
Tom Crack
go.
00:11:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
That is especially the big club city, probably the primary example. They do just go and snatch these players at sort of 15, 16 from other clubs, academies, and then they come through.
00:11:40
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:11:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're they're there for enough years to count as their own player for PSR and stuff like that.
00:11:43
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:11:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then they can sell them on for big money that you
Long-term Club Infrastructure Plans
00:11:48
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:11:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
got to have the best of the best facilities to help keep hold of these players and stop those sort of things from happening.
00:11:52
Tom Crack
yeah
00:11:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it's a huge investment. And that is, I say think you said the timeframe of that is 12 months.
00:11:55
Tom Crack
Wow.
00:11:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
so by the end of 2025, we'd have this nice new expansion to the training ground or an improvement went on the facilities. And they fingers crossed we're halfway through our second Premier League season at that point as well.
00:12:11
Tom Crack
Yeah, that would be interesting, though, if it's like getting done up during this season, if I don't know, just building work gets in the way. I don't know.
00:12:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
if
00:12:19
Tom Crack
I just hopefully don't get the nuisance of the players, but that's interesting that it's getting done during the majority of the season.
00:12:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's fantastic to know that the plan is there, the infrastructure. and for like Obviously, the training ground and Portland Road as well. So we could be, say, sort of five years' time if all these plans come to fruition.
00:12:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're going to have packed out new cobble stand, an extra tier on the west end, new hotel to try and draw more people. I think the council want an aquatic center as well on what that car park used to be as well.
00:12:47
Tom Crack
Yes, I saw that as well.
00:12:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think so that a whole little sort of football village around Portland Road in a few years' time and hopefully competing even higher in the Premier League at that point as well. but It's fantastic to know that these plans are in place and we're starting to act on it.
00:12:59
Tom Crack
Yeah.
Sponsor Messages Break
00:13:02
Tom Crack
Yeah, definitely.
00:13:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
All right, we will take a break now and let you hear from one of our sponsors and then we'll dive into all the sort of refereeing drama that Ashton's come out very honestly about. But like I said, let's hear from the sponsors first.
Refereeing Controversies & Communications
00:13:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
All right, and welcome back to part two of today's Wild Card Wednesday here on the Daily Ipswich. So the next thing we're going to dive into from Mark Ashton's interview with Brenna Woolley on BBC Radio Suffolk is he obviously went into much more detail than I was expecting regarding referees and his reaction to the controversial incidents on Saturday, which by his own admission could get him in trouble, but he wanted to sort of stress that point that he will will defend the club and the fans to his last breath and he's not really bothered that he might get fined from this that he'd rather speak openly and honestly to the fans and take the punishment later than try and sit there and keep his nails shut and not say what he honestly thinks and which is again another fantastic thing we'll see that we haven't been fortunate that we have hierarchy like that compared to a lot of other clubs but the big word he used which obviously
00:14:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
may well bring about a fine is he used the word injustice to describe the penalty incident, which is going in very strong. And he also revealed that he text Howard Webb straight after the sort of penalty and red card incidents and just went, we need to have a chat after the game because he said in his own words, Ashton said he had a feeling the way the game was going to go from that point onwards once that red card and that penalty was missed. And then then yeah, so to see,
00:15:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
say texting the head of referees effectively. And what I can't remember the official job title of Howard Webb, but effectively head of refereeing at period MLL. He sent him a text. I've had a chat afterwards and he said, but, and basically you say to summarize what Ashton said, I won't read you the full sort of paragraph he put together with Brenner on the, and and during the interview, but effectively it was, he referenced the vote from before the start of the season where obviously every club walls tabled the notion to scrap VAR and the clubs voted to ultimately vote to keep it. He referenced that vote and said that, and said he said to Howard Webb that he'd listened to everybody over the summer and ultimately he voted to keep it. But he couldn't honestly tell him that if they held that vote again tomorrow that he wouldn't change his mind and vote to scrap it.
VAR's Impact on the Game
00:15:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Which is a bold thing to say to effectively say that the man in charge of operating VAR effectively but
00:16:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's very open and honest in the end of the year, fair to say.
00:16:12
Tom Crack
Yeah, I mean, star just look at VAR from the basis of it. you know as As a fan, you hate it when it's against to you. Sometimes you love it when it's for you. we are Unfortunately, this is our first season this is our first season dealing with VAR as town fans. And there's the moments when we think, oh, maybe this could go our way. But obviously, there's been a lot of moments this season where it's hindered us and it didn't even appear like we saw a city where we should have definitely had a penalty for a challenge on us. I can't believe the challenge on the player was, but that was a stone ball penalty. And a lot of this past weekend as well was, was the ticket. I know what we said on Monday show how there is an argument for being up for debate, but I think it's just the feeling you have as a fan now, like whether it's celebrating a goal or
00:17:00
Tom Crack
penalty decision goes either for or against you you're kind of just pausing to decide whether you can celebrate or not and I know like technology is is is good in some aspects of sport i I'm a big NFL fan and things like that and basketball fan and it's important to have those in certain sports I think because it does help the game but it's it's just it's just some methods here that really aren't helping emotionally I think as well it's such a key thing as ah as a fan's experience because it's not doing its job so clearly. I'm all for technology. Don't get me wrong. I really am. I think it's helpful. But just you as Ashton said, you you just know something's going to happen. There's going to be one of the AIs in the game. There always is. And there was. Or there wasn't really. There should have been for the penalty. There was obviously for Phillips, but not for us. And yeah I get where he's coming from. Where do you stand in it? Are you in agreement with Ashton? like it's ah ah It's a weird bit of ground, isn't it, I think.
00:17:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I like that he's, like I say, been open and honest. The whole interview was really, he's not tried to cover anything up apart from the obvious things he can't answer. Like when he's been asked about contracts and stuff, he's obviously not going to turn around.
00:18:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, yes, we're negotiating with so and so and it's all going really well. He's not going to, he can't answer things like that.
00:18:08
Tom Crack
yeah
00:18:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
But stuff like this, he was very open about and it's fair enough.
00:18:13
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:18:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, to be honest, what listen to what he said. He always, was obviously sort of shares the general view of the fans because I was going to joke and say he listens to the podcast but he'd done the interview the day before the podcast came out that when we made the same points but so the points he's made is incredibly similar to what me rich and james were saying yesterday that with with experience we had a long time in the championship with no var we've come up and you honestly feel like the game is worse as you could have i think that's near enough word for word what rich had said yesterday so it shows that he was sort of
00:18:28
Tom Crack
Got it. Hmm.
00:18:42
Tom Crack
Yep.
00:18:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
in that fan mentality. So he shares those same points. Like he said as well, we mentioned obviously referees may be sticking up for each other despite what they may actually think. And a reference to sort of the difference in referee mindset to ex pro mindset, like I was saying on them the clip from Sky
Improving Referee Transparency
00:19:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sports I saw. And but Ashton said that as well. if he said He's now seen former referees coming out and saying it's not a penalty. And he actually said, don't just back before my colleagues, which is what he feels that they are all doing. and The main thing he wants, like I said, he said, he he doesn't see consistency, which again, is a really common point, not just relating to Ipswich.
00:19:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And he just wants answers, because apart from Howard Webb sitting there with Michael Owen once a month and Owen not asking him any real challenging questions about decisions, we don't really hear the reasoning behind him, unless it andnessa is a really bad mistake and they have to go and drag the tapes out, but that's because they know they've got it wrong.
00:19:26
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:19:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
you don't They don't just come out and like do a post-match interview or something and explain the decision. Because sometimes that might, I don't think it sometimes will make the whole how outrage worse, but sometimes it will actually make it better if you can sit there and honestly give the thing and maybe admit if it was a mistake and apologize. But Ashton said, if he he wants answers, but he wants it not just for himself, but for the fan base. Because like he said, like he made his original point that he will, he has his job is effectively to fight there, fight the point of the town fans across compared
00:20:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
in all these sort of meetings and everything he does and and he would say we need answers and hopefully he's going to get them because he also revealed that Howard Webb is coming to Portland Road this week to have a meeting with him so I don't know whether we'll hear any updates about that I'd assume not but at least he's going to get the answers that can then get spread around internally at the club even if they're not made available to fans as I imagine that Howard Webb wouldn't want that going around especially if it is to admit there was a mistake but
00:20:27
Tom Crack
Oh.
00:20:32
Tom Crack
No.
00:20:42
Tom Crack
know
00:20:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Interesting, interesting stuff, definitely.
00:20:46
Tom Crack
Yeah. Do you agree?
00:20:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's nice to say it's nice to hear someone.
00:20:48
Tom Crack
Sorry, if we, we jump ahead. Do you agree? Do you, did you see this notion? Sorry to interrupt you there, but I saw people saying like, if this happened at at the car port of Stratford end, it would have been a pen, like that big club bias.
00:20:58
Tom Crack
I'm i'm not sure if I'd buy that so much because it wasn't too, we went against a quite and quite big club, primarily club den.
00:21:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, that's i i sent we were saying this yesterday.
00:21:05
Tom Crack
It was too.
00:21:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
i don't I don't like that whole argument.
00:21:07
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:21:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't like that big class bias.
00:21:09
Tom Crack
No, me neither.
00:21:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't like the corruption argument because but people try and throw it about that when they get that decision they go oh I mean I mean I say people but we were literally the Portland Rovers chanting Premier League corruptors I can't finish that but I don't like that I don't like that argument that I don't understand the mindset where you can generally think there's a room a big wig sat around a table going got on it
00:21:29
Tom Crack
and many of
00:21:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Go on, let's pick on Ipswich Town, that'd be funny. let's Let's make less to stay up. Let's give let's not give a penalty, because then Lester might go and get go win the game still. Let's make sure Ipswich Town go down. Let's make sure we always, we want them to go down.
00:21:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
I can't imagine, like that's just so unrealistic that everyone gets bad decisions. There's more of an argument for the big clubs getting decisions than there is for just general corruption, but still, like it's just, yeah.
00:22:00
Tom Crack
Yeah, we look at Liverpool last season. That was crazy, wasn't it?
00:22:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so you can't fathom it really, can you, that there is literally people sit around a room and go, oh yeah, they that back club's got a lot of money, we better not get in trouble with them, let's just give it to them. That's not an argument I like, definitely, but like I was saying, it's nice that Ashton, like I was saying, he comes out and is he just speaks like a fan, doesn't he, which again, keep re repeating the point how many times that other people and clubs come out and if they do, they like you said, they probably just apologize for something, but it does, like,
00:22:25
Tom Crack
Yeah, goes into bat for us.
00:22:33
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:22:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
he said he literally had to get stopped, he had to get pulled back by some of the other members of the board and his security guards because he wanted to go in the referee's room at full time. It is like when you see these sort of things like it's like having a fan in the board room even though he's not from here and that's how you know that that's why the club is are going in the right direction and you have that so much faith in the board and martin in Ashton himself because when you see things like that to just show they are really like a fan in all sort of areas rather than a
00:22:44
Tom Crack
Hmm.
00:23:03
Tom Crack
yeah
00:23:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
like Robin and the CEO and Ashton's case, that sort of fills you with confidence, don't it? And even in this case, it's quite a sort of funny option to be looking at. I don't think, and he shares my views on this.
00:23:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
He shares the supporters' views, but it's nice that he does, and he doesn't hide behind it. Like he said, you're probably going to get fined for it, let's be honest. You can't come out and speak your way like that.
00:23:25
Tom Crack
Yeah. Maybe that's why Howard Webb's talking to him.
00:23:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Harold Webb's not going to be happy when he turns up at Portland Road, but yeah, it would get in a talking to him at least.
00:23:29
Tom Crack
Yeah. Slap on the wrist and he leaves straight away.
00:23:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah But say it's nice for us, anyway, that he backs, like I say, backs the fans corner and the club's corner. It doesn't just curl away. i got them so Not many people can like to come out and criticize Peter Jimmerwell this year.
00:23:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know why that is compared to last year. There's not much debate on these decisions as much as there used to be anymore. I don't know why that is. I don't want to start another conspiracy after I was just saying I don't like them in some
Defending the Club Against Decisions
00:23:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
cases.
00:23:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it's nice to hear someone come out and say it as it is sometimes. It's particularly when they're defending your club's honor in a way.
00:23:57
Tom Crack
good
00:24:05
Tom Crack
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:24:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, I think we've pretty much covered that now, so I think we'll hear it we'll have another break from one of our sponsors, and then we'll come back and we'll pick up the pieces around some of the other points that Ashton brought up.
00:24:09
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:24:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
and welcome back to Daily Ipswich Wildcard Wednesday. And we've covered the two main in-depth talking points from Mark Ashton's interview on the Blue Hour on BBC Radio Suffolk earlier this week. So let's just run over a couple of the smaller points which sets things up. So we'll start with the fun one, January. He didn't give too much away as he's he's not obviously not gonna come out and say, oh yeah, we're actively gonna go and make five signings or whatever.
January Transfer Window Expectations
00:25:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
but He did say that we're not disappointed in any January window so far, and i don't and I don't want to be starting now for it near pretty much, didn't he?
00:25:13
Tom Crack
Mm.
00:25:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
So weeks what we sort of expect in January it sounds is they're going to be sort of the key issues tar sort of targeted now in the next couple of months, and we go and recruit that in January.
00:25:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sounds like they have a plan in place already.
00:25:30
Tom Crack
Yeah, I mean, there's theres there's surely a list of players who they weren't able to get this past summer, maybe just because we spent a fair amount and they couldn't really be admit ridiculous to just bulk the entire squad that way. We've we've seen the injuries recently, especially defensively. I mean, we had a few guys come back this week and look quite good, but we definitely do need to bolster up some areas of the pitch. That just comes with every side as the season goes on. But, you know, I think that's one of the things that's impressed me the most since McKenna and Ashton and Game Changer have been at the club is being aggressive in January, you know, you saw those years ago, like Luongo and Hearst coming through then last year of like, and Broadhead and then like the likes of Keith Moore and people like that in the last stages of last season, Ahamedy as well, Sami and so just those sort of moves, whether they're loans or permanents.
00:26:16
Tom Crack
they're they're important to have and it can really motivate a squad whether that person comes in and starts or not just to have someone come in to maybe slightly breathe down your neck can motivate the guys who are already there and build that camaraderie as well because those guys who came in especially like I said Samiento last season two huge goals individually for both of them to help us be in a position we're in now.
00:26:33
Tom Crack
So I think we're going to be aggressive in January as well. We need to be because but I mean, hopefully just come to Sanville early January in a better spot than we are. But if we're not, I think it's important to bolster the squad. But he did say didn't need that money wasn't necessarily the issue or cash would be the issue.
00:26:49
Tom Crack
It's more their moves would be dictated by financial fair play, which I understand that's the case for every club because we spent a lot this this window.
00:26:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah yeah guys yeah was i i like yeah that's another thing he was very honest about didn't it look obviously the other two clubs have come up i was see 17 teams in this league were here last season i have premier league money for minimum one season most of them have had been here many years now but obviously the two other clubs have come up but still on their parachute payments from last time they went down and
00:26:58
Tom Crack
So maybe maybe predominantly loans. I don't know.
00:27:03
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:27:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
crucially as well like Ashton said they've got 50% of the same squad so they're not they're not in need of loads of players whereas we were and we were so there's no surprise that we needed by players because there were players there naturally when you come up two divisions as quickly as we did there's players aren't ready for this level that have to either be moved on or loaned out like we have done with a lot of them and also we were in that position where we had to go and do that and
00:27:25
Tom Crack
yeah
00:27:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because we haven't had the parachute payments and stuff, we have a tighter margin on financial fair play. So, combined the fact of how much we had to go and spend in the summer, there's not much room to maneuver, but there have not been let down in January so far.
00:28:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like you said, you've listed the signings there that there's nobody, there's nobody sort of not made an impact. So, we expect particularly the sort of the league one year, there's a little hearse coming in and obviously we're so good, we ended up signing in permanently and then he's started again in the Premier League now.
00:28:06
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:28:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
that I don't think anyone was expecting when we just nabbed him on alone for six months and leaked one. and say it I'm not expecting big things like we say because of FFP and PSR and all that, but they've shown previously that a drowning window can be one or two signers and it have a huge impact on the team, so I'm full of confidence on that side of things.
00:28:27
Tom Crack
No.
00:28:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
The other thing, player related was it did hint that a couple of ongoing discussions for new contracts as well didn't name the players obviously but obviously we've got we've had leaf come through last week or the week before now which was a big one they were trying to get because he was in his last 18 months and we were in danger of losing him in the summer for a minimal fee really before a lot if he didn't sign so that was a good one and there's a few other players that sort of not quite running down the contract but they're getting to that point where starting
00:28:39
Tom Crack
Yeah, definitely.
00:29:02
Tom Crack
Mm.
Developing the Academy & Women's Team
00:29:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
but they're starting to get near the end and you need to act quickly to show them that they're still valued and make them want to commit again. So it's good to know that it's an there's an ongoing process there and hopefully we'll get some announcements before the end of the season and we'll get some more key players tied down, which is obviously that's the other side of things. You want to sign players. You want to make sure that you're not letting players go as well. So and that's nice to hear.
00:29:33
Tom Crack
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. We saw also as it burns and Mosey both re-sign this season as well. Two key players.
00:29:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:29:39
Tom Crack
It's just, you know, you got to get that balance, right? Isn't it?
00:29:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, definitely. um um And then to wrap up then, so the other, we spent obviously the whole time so far talking about the club generally and focused a bit on the first team, but he also offered some insight into the academy and the women's setups. Obviously they're going to get the benefit off the training ground as well, when's particularly the academy, but also that revealed that obviously it's been on the back burner for a while that debating about moving between, trying to move up to category one academy status. yeah ah and and Ashton has confirmed that is the plan and he's called it strategic decision for sort of the points we made earlier about, you know, investing in facilities and coaches and making sure your players don't get poached when they get to that top, top level. And so the recruitment plan is effectively to stay local because we are, we've got one professional club in the county, so there's not really any competition to go and hoover up the best young talents on the clubs around us and
00:30:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
and things like that. That's the aim to start with, make sure we have all the best talent and Suffolk proper homegrown players given the opportunity here. And then the plan will be to sort of build out from there, it so Norfolk, London, Essex, and said the aim again for this sort of, they want, again, like like it was the training ground, the Cat 1 status, they want it in the next year. Whether that's achievable or not, we'll see as it plays out, but it does make a big difference. like mentioned it last week that It's one of them things, it's not just dependent on you being in the Premier League as well. that if That is something that we could get relegated and right and earn Cat 1 status and then retain it. It's not a link with the first team. Redding, for example, had their nightmare year in the championship with all their money problem and stuff. They were Cat 2 that year. They got promoted back to Cat 1 when they were red it and then we relegated and then down into League 1.
00:31:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's one of them things that is it makes a big difference that you can, if you can maintain that level and it is something we could do, it doesn't get bookended because we, if we get relegated from the season, it's not like, oh, we have to hold that now. We can't, the academy is that's a set as marked separately. So you can be lower league like Derby have been in league one for a few years with us and had cat one status the whole time. So it's a big move for the academy and hopefully it helps us scout these top young talents and keep hold of them crucially as well, which may be something we,
00:31:34
Tom Crack
Right.
00:32:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
maybe it wouldn't do as well at the moment with some of the money around at lower levels.
00:32:10
Tom Crack
Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think, like you said, the good point there was back when we were at one club county, that's the right phrasing of it. I think it's very key as well. And you're going to get a lot now of kids growing up seeing us in the prem. It's only going to want them to be part of a club even more. We haven't had many academy players come for a meeting. Obviously, Humphreys is one of the few exceptions, but the better facilities, the better players you're going to have and the the passion they have for playing for the club. I think going local is the best way to do that because you're going to proper up for it.
00:32:38
Tom Crack
Harry Clarke is a good example, but not obviously an academy player, but someone who's from the area, you can see their passion when they're on when they're playing on the pitch and putting that shirt on. So you'd like to think being from the area, then playing for the academy, then hope for being on the first team. That's a good good model of doing things for sure.
00:32:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yep. And then on the women's side of things, ah obviously they've increased the budget heavily going into this season, that the plan is to continue that support and development into the women's team over the years to come.
00:33:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
And he made it quite clear for Joshi and the manager and his players what the aim is.
Ambitious Goals for Women's Team
00:33:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
He went, we want promotion this season to the championship. And that is, they say sue runner he wants it this season, whether whether they do that or not, that the aim is championship this season, settle for
00:33:15
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:33:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
at least a year, probably a bit longer and then make that push for WSL and really has helped to grow that low. He put up, he put up brilliantly. I think Mark Ashton, he said that we have that responsibility to with the academy and everything we've got to listen. It's not just about the first team with women's level as well as development. He said, if we do that with the academy, we want to help the lads come through, be the next leaf Davis or Sam Morsy.
00:33:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
then we have to do the same for the women's team. There has to be a pathway for young girls in the county to work their way through the club if we want to be the next Natasha Thomas, for example.
00:33:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's a good way it's a good mindset. And there's some really good work they've done since Game Chasers come in. they They have invested a lot of time and money into the women's setup at the club.
00:33:56
Tom Crack
Yeah.
00:34:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it is paying dividends with some fantastic football being played by the tractor girls. And hopefully, we'll see them in the second tier of women's football next season.
00:34:11
Tom Crack
Have you seen...
00:34:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
and Yeah.
00:34:14
Tom Crack
Have you seen their last two results, Ipswich women? but Both against MK Dons, 13-0 and 12-0.
00:34:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah yeah yeah jamaica yeah yeah
00:34:20
Tom Crack
One in the league, one in the Cup. So they're definitely playing him well on a pitch. I think... Was it and an attached Thomas Reese? Oh, I think it was her. She recently got a call up as well or for Jamaica as well. So yeah, got so got some good players there as well. It's looking good. Hmm. Yeah.
00:34:44
Tom Crack
Yeah.
Long-term Growth Strategy
00:34:46
Tom Crack
Definitely.
00:34:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think that's sort of main points coming up. The other fun, a couple of fun things you mentioned as well is that there's ongoing talks of both a Fabio Wardley fight and an egg shearing gig at Portland Road in the near future, which is a bit fun for outside of things. And to end as well, I just wanted to, one particular quote you picked out, which I absolutely loved when you discussed the project so far and where it heads, whether that's Premier League again or relegation, he summed it up with,
00:35:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, to start with, we've been working our way up. The aim was the Premier League, which we we were hit ahead of schedule, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the project. It's just the end of the beginning stage, which is fantastic. love I love the way he's put that. I love the fact he's gone and done this interview. It's so really, really fascinating. Listen, make sure we just want to pick the bones out of here. Go and listen to the full thing with on the blue hour. BBC Radio suffered with Brennan Woolley. Fantastic interview.
00:35:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
and has given us a lot to talk about today. And like we said at the start, it's fantastic that Ashton does these interviews and he does them with local media as well. So just so to wrap up today's episode, Mark Ashton, if you ever want to come on the podcast for your next one, you are more than welcome.
00:35:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
We'll have the exclusive rather than reacting to it. Thank you very much. Lovely stuff. That'd be a dream, wouldn't it?
00:36:02
Tom Crack
Come
00:36:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Had to add to f throw that in right at the end.
00:36:05
Tom Crack
on.
00:36:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Who knows, maybe one day we'll have Mark Ashton on the given map and we'll be talking about all these points with him on the other end of it rather than each other. Who knows? Anyway, that is the end of today's episode. We're having a slight change in schedule for the rest of this week. Tomorrow's episode will be our own preview and the crossover switching to Friday this week. So make sure you tune in to both of them episodes remaining this week. But that is the end of today. So from me and Tom, thank you for listening and we will catch you later.