Boss Paul Jewell admitted that fans are entitled to be annoyed after Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Charlton, but vowed to fight on. Town remain in 23rd in the Championship after seven games and are without a win at home since March.

Speaking after Saturday’s loss, Jewell said: “I understand the supporters’ frustrations and they’re well entitled to be annoyed. I’m annoyed and I know I’m not very popular at the moment, but what I’ll do is do my best and work as hard as I can and until I’m told different I’ll not run and hide.

“It’s not nice, it’s a horrendous position to be in at the moment, second bottom of the league, but what can I do? I know what I can do and I know what I will do, and that’s keep on doing my job to the best of my ability until I’m told otherwise.

“You’ve got to face up to challenges in your life and it’s a challenge for me, a challenge for my family as well. They’re a part of it. I shall dust myself down and come in [on Sunday] to prepare for the Barnsley game.”

The Liverpudlian admitted that he was unaware that his side had yet to score a goal in the first half in the league this season, while Jason Scotland’s 57th-minute deflected strike against Charlton was the first before the hour mark.

Jewell conceded that results show his team is currently lacking, even if he had been pleased with their two performances prior to Saturday: “I say the team’s not good enough at the moment because we’ve lost three games on the bounce.

“This time last week I was sat there after the Middlesbrough game saying we were the better team and we should have won the game. I said the same on Wednesday.

“I can’t say the same today because I can only see the game as I see it. I’m not a kidder, I know we should have won the game against Middlesbrough and we certainly should have won the game against Wolves. Today we shouldn’t. The team with a bit more edge and a bit more belief in themselves won the match today.

“Ipswich players are no different to any other players,” he added. “If you lose matches, you lose your confidence, that’s what happens.”

He revealed that Town’s much-reduced wage bill is now well below that of many of the clubs they are up against and not far off the figure that Joe Royle had to work with in the years after the club’s administration: “The Wolves wage bill is £22 million and ours is £6 million. Against Wolves, you wouldn’t have spotted £16 million of difference.

“I don’t think you can talk about today’s performance in the same breath as Wolves. I thought against Wolves we missed gilt-edged opportunities.

“But I know that’s not what people want to hear. They only see that we’ve lost three on the bounce, and I understand that.

“I’ll never shirk away from a press conference or a question, but the answer I’m giving you is my truthful answer. I thought against Middlesbrough and against Wolves, we were good.”

While budget limitations played a role in restricting the recruitment of players in the summer, Jewell acknowledged that few bosses ever have the squads they want: “There aren’t many managers who can put the team on the pitch that they want all the time.

“It’s a terrific, wonderful club with great supporters in a really tough league with about 16 or 18 clubs that thing they should be in the Premier League.

“The team on the pitch at the moment isn’t good enough, and I include myself in that. But until I’m told different, I’m not going to run away. I’m confident in my own ability.”

While he has no intention of walking out, he admits he needs a result or two quickly before the decision is taken out of his hands with rumours regarding Harry Redknapp and the Town job continuing to circulate: “We need something at the moment, we need to score a goal in the first hour, and we need to try and get a result to try and build on in the short-term to look long-term.

“We’re in the results business, I know that, and we need a couple of results quickly before we can look long-term.”

Photo: Action Images

slippery added 06:04 - Sep 24 Yawn
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MattinLondon added 06:24 - Sep 24 “The Wolves wage bill is £22 million and ours is £6 million. Against Wolves, you wouldn't have spotted £17 million of difference. Apart from the fact that they got the three points
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ITFC_Budapest added 06:44 - Sep 24 He was unaware that we haven't scored a first half goal!!! Seriously!! What sort of post match analysis does he do or is he too busy reading his book of match losing clichés to say to the press!!
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bigolconnor added 06:47 - Sep 24 And it's £16 million difference. I guess that we just need to get that extra mil.
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Rentaghost added 06:48 - Sep 24 He knows his time is up. Shame he couldnt improve the club .
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planetblue_2011 added 06:52 - Sep 24 It's just not good enough not completely blaming jewell it is the players who are not performing. There is a couple of players I think we should be seeing a lot more of and it's Hyam and Carson. I really think he needs the 4.4.2 formation back as well. Watching the Charlton game there is no spark in the team, no one at the moment has that cutting edge. I think we can turn things around but when I really don't know. It's gonna be a long season!!!!

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BillBlue added 07:12 - Sep 24 PJ, Remember who turned it round last year? Drury and Hyam, give them a run together and get your formation right, now! COYB
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Surco72 added 07:36 - Sep 24 Get back to Hyam and Luongo in the centre ,we havnt won a game since Drury came back into the side ,he is not up to this level imo
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itfc1981 added 07:39 - Sep 24 Evans and Clegg have made a massive ballls up tryoing to reach for FFP wages before anyone else. I should think the wages table looks quite similar to the league table. Harry Redknapp, would struggle within this budget. but get him in anyway!
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manualthetisfanclub added 07:44 - Sep 24 No sh#t Einstein, most obvious comments I've heard since..................................................................."wait for it ,Saturday!!
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itfcjay added 07:44 - Sep 24 Damn I thought the headline would be “Jewell sacked, Harry in “ . Perhaps that's next monday after we lose to Barnsley. Sorry for the negativity but I cannot see how he will pick the players up and get the win.
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BluedanW added 07:49 - Sep 24 If he seriously thinks we played well on Wednesday he really needs to go!
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buryblue77 added 08:00 - Sep 24 What's the average wage bill of a Championship club? I suspect we're paying well below the average hence our struggles to recruit players. And why are we on a wage bill similar to what Joe had? Maybe Evans has seen what Royle nearly achieved on such limited funds and assumes that every manager is capable of doing so. I don't think those at the top of our club have any ambition, for them it's all about the balance sheet, well have they thought it'll be even tougher to get those figures to balance down in League 1?

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Mark added 08:03 - Sep 24 "Annoyed" is not the word for how I felt coming out of Portman Road on Saturday. Still, at least Jewell is under scrutiny and talking to the press. Where is Mr Clegg? He is the Chief Executive who has been running the club since Evans took over, so let's look at him too? Is he responsible for multiple deals falling through that Jewell tried to do? Didn't he oversee many big money signings under Magilton and Keane who were then allowed to leave for free because we didn't sort their contract out? Have the purse springs been held so tight that realistically avoiding relegation is our target but we have not been told?

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Bob7881 added 08:08 - Sep 24 Would people not agree that the problems we face at the club are symptomatic of football in general. A lot Managers claiming they need a couple of signings to improve the team is all we hear. I know the premiership was a close finish Man city end up champions and this season Mancini wants more players in. I dont live in the past but the liverpool of old Cloughies Forest and even Busby at Man utd replaced players when the time was right and kept winning formulas together. I dont remember Sir bobby buying a shed load of players every season and then moaning he still needs more. All the great and good Managers identify the right players to bring in and mould them into their system its not rocket science. Jewells winning team last season was picked because thats all he had available. All managers are under pressure to get results we all want a winning team fans and owners alike probably the fans for the excitement and glory the owners for the money that the premiership promises. I now realise i was spoilt and took for granted the ipswich of old, thats the past now. All i would like to see now is stabilty and evidence the team and club are moving in the right direction. Its there for all of us to see season after season in recent years we are falling down the league table. I would settle for a mid table finish and thats worrying how low my expectations have become.

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grumpyoldman added 08:08 - Sep 24 Is'nt it nice to know we have his permission to be annoyed, in the past I have defended him, not anymore. Can we ask John Duncan to come back at least we had enough centre backs.
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wkj added 08:08 - Sep 24 “It's not nice, it's a horrendous position to be in at the moment, second bottom of the league, but what can I do?" I think the majority of the fan base has given you a suggestion after the Charlton game Mr Jewell
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Dissboyitfc added 08:09 - Sep 24 BluedanW.... if it wasnt for the absolutely woeful / dreadful finishing / lack of finishing ( players should be ashamed of their efforts in front of goal, when i played, i would have had sleepless nights over a bad miss if it cost us a game) we would have been on the right end of a resounding victory. had those 5( at least) chances been taken we would have left the ground quite pleased, but they werent and we didnt. For all of jewells faults and mistakes he cannot be blamed for professional players missing those type of opportunities in front of goal, they should be able to put those away blindfolded.....i left the ground wednesday fuming, not because of jewell, but because of those wasted opportunities. Still think jewell should go as its just not working.....COYB

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paulcooperisgod added 08:15 - Sep 24 Spineless gutless
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Lombokblue added 08:17 - Sep 24 I don't think working harder is the solution maybe thinking and planning.
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bennyitfc added 08:17 - Sep 24 I've been in Sydney for the past week, still here, and so I've been unable to attend PR which I'm gutted about. Anyway, from what I have read all over this site and every single match report that I could find, it seems that our problem is simply the fact that we can't put the ball in the back of the net at the moment!! Our defensive frailties go without saying, but it just seems strange to me that we seem to be creating "gilt-edged" chances, but simply can't finish them off. It leaves me wondering why exactly this is?? Is it that Chopra doesn't have his scoring boots on or is it a deeper lying issue of terrible morale/no confidence in the team? Surely the fact we're creating chances is good...but we're just being made to look such an average team due to lack of goals. Are we playing the same way as we did against Blackburn and Watford (very well indeed), and simply not scoring? Because according to what I've read we are creating plenty of chances... I'm not criticising nor praising, I'm just confused as to what our problem is exactly! Apologies for the long'un. COYB

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tractorblue added 08:21 - Sep 24 Just read EADT,Evans keeps faith with Jewell for now,that's it for me,can't take this anymore,let's waste another 3 pts,let's play another game we are not going to win. Let's not worry about the supporters,they all pay to get in and watch this tactical s**t,he is simply the worst manager on record,he has no chance of turning it around,he has lost the changing room,complete waste of time. But,Evans and T**t Clegg say we are behind him,i think all 3 have to go chaps before we ever get any chance of challenging in any division. If Jewell was any decent man he would see what he has done,and resign,oh but no,i want my compensation,so i will keep doing a crap job until i'm sacked. Lads and ladies,what a mess we have on our hands

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MickMillsTash added 08:22 - Sep 24 The last 4 years have made be pretty apathetic about it all which annoys me I am disappointed though by this season, last season, the lack of any progress, the number of times we have conceded 4 or more goals, the number of times we have conceded 3 or more goals, the seeming lack of desire, the organisation of the squad, the treatment of young players, the direction of the club, the number of loan players, the transfer poilcy, the number of players we talk to and do not sign for us, the way the club talks to the media, the fact that we have needed a centre back for 2 years and failed to sign one, the dwindling crowds, the atmosphere at the match etc etc etc. It all needs a massive shake up, Jewell and Clegg for the Gunge tank

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finidigeorge88 added 08:40 - Sep 24 500k higher wage bill if you didn't pay chopra off 500k, fans have to be happy with a mid table finish this season as the side is bang and i mean bang average, smallest squad in the champo no quality, not good enough, the fans have to realise this
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howdonblue added 08:43 - Sep 24 Went to the boro match last week and left feeling amazed how we managed to loose the game. Confidence in front of goal was terrible . Absolutely no cutting edge . Experianced players like chopra ,murphy were Woeful !!! Chambers looked good to me as did tommy smith up to a point. But what the hell was he doing forthw wolves first goal. I think now that jewell has well and truly had his chance , he should Do the hone table thing and walk now as he has clearly lost the dressing room.. Once this happens no matter how experienced It's the end!

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