Town owner Marcus Evans has written a column for Saturday’s match programme, which the club has given TWTD permission to reproduce in full.

The Season Ahead

As we all look forward with excitement to this season, the team at Portman Road and at the training ground have been hard at work since the final whistle against Leeds in preparation for a year where quite rightly our goal is for a return to the Championship.

It’s been a difficult summer at the club with a re-organisation taking place to meet the financial repercussions of relegation; however these challenges have been met with professionalism right throughout the club.

I am pleased to say that the reorganisation is complete and we are now set to go with the structure required to support the team’s promotion push.

Last year’s relegation, as I am sure all fans realise, has had economic consequences for the club and the effects add considerable strain to our finances and bring to the fore decisions relating to balancing short-term and long-term investment decisions.

At the top of my list of long-term priorities has been, despite the considerable drop in revenues which is close on £9 million, a determination to maintain and in fact grow the club’s investment in the academy.

This runs to multi-millions every year and not just for one year. So I have looked to ensure that these funds remain available year on year going forwards and are not risked by overspend on other long-term contract commitments.

Cash Made Available to Improve Fans’ Matchday Experience at Portman Road

I also put cash aside for some much-needed investment at Portman Road to improve your matchday experience. There has been a substantial outlay on a new CCTV security system to increase supporter safety; plans are in place to improve the speed of service across all bars in the concourse area; we are looking at upgrading the PA system; the North Stand roof will be the first to get a clean up with the other stands to follow and even the ticket office has had a makeover!

Other improvements around the stadium are at the planning stage. These range from simple painting and decorating to much more substantial and long-term projects - and significant financial outlay.

The training ground also required a number of planned infrastructure improvements to meet the requirements of an elite Academy and first-team environment.

The Money Game

The cost of running a football club isn’t exactly a sexy subject for most fans. However it’s a fact of life for those of us in that position and who are looking to run a club on a secure and sustainable basis.

I have to make sure that we can meet our commitments not just this year but for the next two, three and four years with many contracts having long-term implications.

The hard facts are that a trickle of cash from the Premier League and the club’s normal revenues aren’t enough, on their own, to enable us to compete in this league let alone the Championship. Hence the need for my additional investment each year.

There is annually a big hole in our finances (and most non-Premier League clubs) which has to be plugged by me in order to support the wage policy and provide transfer funds. This year has been more difficult than when we were in the Championship with my annual support going mainly - despite player wage reductions due to relegation - to support the club’s core financial requirements.

One of the questions I am asked all the time is where does all the money go from our transfer sales? The short answer is back into the club and you would be surprised at how far a large amount of money DOESN’T go in the football world.

So when balancing the club’s budgets, I have many issues to consider. I have an amount of money I put into the club each year and I have been consistent with that support every season.

This results in a budget being available through the club’s own income plus my annual support which has to be spread across a number of areas including wages; stadium and training ground infrastructure; improved contracts to existing players; academy costs and transfer fees to name some of the bigger areas. There are plenty more.

In most seasons I have been able to organise the club’s finances so that with the benefit of my annual support we have been able to invest, to a certain extent, in the transfer market.

Income from transfer sales and sell-ons in that time have helped to boost the overall budget which has mainly gone into the squad by way of additional wages or transfer fees. When you sell a player though, or get a sell-on fee, that rarely comes in one hit. It is spread over two, three, sometimes four years.

This year, with relegation costing the club up to £9 million, any income from player sales/sell-ons has been swallowed up by the financial gap caused by the drop into League One.

That said we do have funds available for a further two or three new players the manager and I would like to secure before the end of the window, to bring that bit extra to the squad and I hope that those we are targeting can be secured on terms that work for Ipswich.

I also want to ensure that, going forwards, we have funds to strengthen in January if we see gaps or injuries appear in the first half of the season.

Every fan, including me, can see how money could be spent but I have the task of matching desire with reality and whatever the pressures I will never do anything to risk the club’s financial security.

As always, I can assure every supporter not a penny is coming out of the club into my pocket. It never has. It goes back into the club’s budget and yes, as I have already said, that does include funds for transfers and additional wages when we find the right players at prices we can live with.

A Healthy Mix of Players at Different Stages in Their Career

On the pitch our plan remains the same - to play attractive, winning football supported by a stable management team with a healthy squad mix of some young players, some highly experienced and some still developing but with a large number of appearances under their belt.

I feel, with the players we have added in the summer, as well as agreeing longer-term contracts with existing players - Freddie Sears being the latest - we now have an exciting mix of talent ready for the challenges ahead.

Most of the players coming back from injury will be ready to go in weeks, not months, which will further strengthen our options.

Last season was a difficult time for some of the 2018 additions to flourish but having had a year to settle in, this is the year they can really get going.

For the first team, this summer has been as much about keeping our best as bringing in new additions. We have worked hard to keep all of our key players and while every player has a price at which monies can be reinvested for the benefit of the squad overall, I have wanted to do everything I can to avoid making the same mistake as last year by letting key players go when I could not replace them.

In terms of strengthening, as well as bringing in James [Norwood] and Tomas [Holy] on permanent deals, we have added Luke Garbutt from Everton. He is in the last year of his contract and could be looking for a new club next year. So there is a long-term plan behind some of our loans.

That long-term plan also includes having the cover to allow some of our younger players to go out on loan and get valuable experience playing first-team football elsewhere. We have seen the benefits of that with Luke Woolfenden for instance, who played over 30 games for Swindon last season. He has returned to us far better for the experience and ready to compete for a place in our first-team.

Will Norris has also joined us on loan from Wolves, which has freed up Bart to go out on loan to the Championship. He remains an Ipswich player though and will return to Portman Road at the end of the season.

I am pleased that we have signed new contracts with Freddie and Myles Kenlock. Again, that is all about the long-term.

Looking at the squad from front to back. James Norwood is an exciting addition, Jordan Roberts has played up there, Kayden has looked good in pre-season and we are all excited to see what he can do with a run of games in front of him. Of course, we have Freddie to come back in and we are still on the look out for another additional striker.

The Midfield is Awash With Talent

In the middle of the park we have so many options, giving the manager an enviable task of picking who to start. We have a great mix of experience and developing players in that area and it’s great to see Alan [Judge] in the squad, despite approaches from elsewhere.

I fully understand why a move to QPR would have appealed to Alan for personal and professional reasons but I must point out that he has always been totally professional in the way that he dealt with a difficult, personal situation and I know that he will be giving everything to the team this season as always.

I am looking forward to seeing Luke [Woolfenden], after his year on loan, challenging Toto [Nsiala] and Chambo [Luke Chambers]. We have also added James Wilson on a short term contract to add competition in the middle of defence.

In goal we have a huge prospect in Tomas challenged by the highly-thought of Will so there is real competition in that department.

Judge the Manager on the Cards He Has Been Dealt

And one final point I want to make is that I hope everyone will judge the manager on the cards he has been dealt by me and not just on our expectations.

I know that expectations quite rightly are high and that due to Premier League parachute payments and big spenders in the Championship, we have gone from a team with a budget in the bottom 10 of the Championship to a team with a budget in the top 10 of League One.

However, please reflect on the fact that I have asked Paul, along with his coaching staff to accept the challenge of developing a team, not just for this year - which absent any player sales will be without the benefit of any significant transfer budget - but for the years ahead as well.

He will be giving our younger players a chance and they will need time and support along the way. This league has some big teams and experienced squads to pit against our developing talent. We are not the only club aiming for a top two position.

That said, be assured that everyone is working at full throttle to get the most out of the group and have a season we can be proud of.

Let’s have a great season and if your support is even half as good as last year (but let’s crank it up a notch) then you will be more than doing your part to push us over the line.

Photo: Action Images

Cloddyseedbed added 08:02 - Aug 8 Lack of investment has killed the club for years and will continue to do so. ME goes on about catering updates, painting and general upkeep this season. These are things that have been grossly neglected over the years. It always costs more once things have been neglected to get them back to speed or look presentable. The playing staff has been neglected too more importantly. Managers recently have been starved of funds and the type of player we are forced to by are the cheapest end of cheap. We may get lucky once in a while but generally the type of player we are using don't! Evans could let the manager have a little more but chooses not to. This approach will leave us struggling whichever league we are in. I seem to be in a minority of supporters that do not think Evans is our saviour. We are where we are because of him and further progress will be hampered because of him. I think we have an excellent manager in PL but even he will be pushed too far at some stage by the limits Evans puts on him!!

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Tractorboy1985 added 08:46 - Aug 8 Sadly @ cloddy that is the problem.. we are a minority.. the rest are easily pleased and happy to watch our demise! The same ol drivel will come out his mouth season upon season and no investment will continue to happen!
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 08:58 - Aug 8 Washbrook- the fact you think the whole statement is "spin" says more about you than him in my opinion. To the majority it makes sense and a lot of it is fact . What annoys me most , and this isn't necessarily see at you is that if you stick up for Evans about anything some on here label you an Evans "lover". A lot of us on here can take or leave the bloke but dislike people criticising unfairly. Criticise his choice of managers, his lack of transparency , but those who keep saying throw money at it are being totally irresponsible and clearly just choose to ignore the facts .

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Northstandveteran added 09:04 - Aug 8 Reading through the posts on here does make me have a little giggle to myself. Evans is deemed the anti Christ, he delivers a well choreographed interview and he's a good old boy. Following the team's demise, every pro Evans post is down voted, every anti Evans post up voted. A carefully written piece ( undoubtedly with assistance from his P.R men ) and he's a thoroughly decent chap again. I don't wish to be the .merchant of doom but should we end up losing to Sunderland and Peterborough with a cup exit sandwiched in between, I'm expecting him to be public enemy number 1 again.

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thechangingman added 09:56 - Aug 8 Found myself smiling along to your post Northstandveteran (not for the first time...), and I agree with everything you said. I guess that's the nature of having a senior role at Ipswich isn't it? We're not exactly the most demanding set of fans, and are happy to tolerate ineptitude and non-engagement long beyond what most clubs would find acceptable. Let's face it - whether we like it or not, we're stuck with ME until he decides otherwise. In the meantime, we'll 'feast' on very slim pickings, whilst slowly, but inevitably, watching our club slide into utter obscurity. I've loved ITFC my whole life, and I'll do so till I die, but I can't pretend I am happy with these miserable times. Thanks, however, Northstandveteran, for raising a smile amidst the ashes. #topbloke

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TractorClarke added 10:01 - Aug 8 Some of these comments really do highlight how fickle football fans ca n be. Firstly thank you Marcus for speaking up, its a shame that it took the manager calling you out for you to do it bu appreciate it none the less. Also with your points i get it, and any sensible thinking person would understand all of that too, i appreciate you are keeping us stable and will not play with the future of the club on a what if we spent loads of money. However it seems people have quickly forgotten why we are in this mess in the first place. You speak about learning lessons from last season and not selling our better players when we cant replace, im sorry but this has happened more than once over the course of you being here, i am glad that the penny has finally dropped but it took a while. Also chucking money at Keane and Paul Jewell was a mistake. I know why we went for Keane, it was status, it would raise our profile and what not, but inexperience and a hot temper proved an issue when all the signs were there berfore hand, but i get why that happened. Paul Jewell i mean come on did any one expect that to work, i cant be the only one that thought it wouldnt and yet got a few quid to spend. And then come Mcarthy, whilst it didnt end well he is a manager with a very good record of signings, the players he brought in on limited bidget were mostly good with only a few duds thrown in, if he had money we wouldnt be where we are now. Inevitably he had to go though if only for the brand of football, to play not to lose at home is not acceptable and the way he came back at the fans cant be tolerated, very stubborn and set in his ways. Hurst is what it is, no one expected the car crash that it was but Marcus you let him sell experience to just bring in lower league players who on paper had something to prove at a higher level, but almost an entire new squad, why would any one think thats ok, and i get it may have been Hursts choice but you have a responisbility as owner to think, do you know what maybe this is not the right thing to do. We now have a manager who has brought the fans back, or at least bringing back, he is honest and he is building our confidence, he also has an eye for a decent player too, but yet he has no money because of the above, and that is only some of the story. So in conclusion i do appreciate the statement but just because it has been worded well you wont pull the wool over my eyes, you have some way to go to gain my trust again.

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Northstandveteran added 10:08 - Aug 8 Nice one changingman. Very decent of you. Thanks 😊
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BeattiesBackPocket added 10:33 - Aug 8 So even Coventry who don't even own their own ground and don't get the gates we do can afford to sign a proven league striker Godden but we can't!? But keep falling for all of Evans spin people. Answer me how clubs smaller with smaller gates so less income can afford to sign players and I'm talking the past five years. He says bottom ten wages in championship that sums him up past two seasons we were bottom THREE wages and that why we ended up there! See more spin!

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Razor added 10:35 - Aug 8 A fair and honest statement. Good to see the 2 or 3 players in this window have not been forgotten plus allowances made for purchases in the January window. Nice planning on Garbutt and Bart as well for when we get back to the championship next season. One question and nobody has ever given me an answer on this----do we pay interest on the debts/loans and if so who to?
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 11:17 - Aug 8 Has anyone actually thought that PL may have prompted M.E. to explain things because he realised that a lot of people would understand the situation better rather than just come up with theories ? Lambert has twice now said they get on well. He seems a strong character, I don't think he would say it if he didn't mean it .
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madmouse1959 added 13:54 - Aug 8 It is funny to see how gullible people are these days.
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BeattiesBackPocket added 16:13 - Aug 8 Dozzels bobblehat I would say your right it's obvious it's PL that's prompted a response from ME but why should that be the case before we get anything from him? We are paying fans and customers as he's called us before so most customers want to know what they're buying before they buy? Fact is PL isn't going to say he doesn't get on with him is he?? Most of the truth doesn't come out till people leave like Mick. Under kicks whole tenure Evans spoke about challenging for promotion when he was giving mick no funds, no competitive wage budget selling our best players just before deadline day replacing them with loans when mocks whole remit was to stay up what is that unless that's lies from the owner or SPIN as people call it. Same here he's talked about a bottom ten budget NO it was bottom three again exaggerated facts from Evans! What does it take for people to start giving up with him another relegation?? Will you guys still stick up for him then?? Probably! He talks of mistakes we have the majority of our debt because of the players we bought initially for millions let go for nothing, the knock on effect of poor football and not challenging, and no relegation don't moan about having a bruise on your face if you've punched yourself. I have no sympathy for Evans at all now he's made this from many MANY mistakes not one of two but you guys still stick up for him because there's no other option or people can't name a name or because we are now not a fantastic investment due to the debts HES MADE! He still managed to pay mick £1000,000 a season and pay himself £500,000 and charge is interest on the debt! But you still stick up for him. We see teams with smaller gates in the championship spending money having decent wage budgets while we continue to offer the third lowest wage budget in that league then he moans were losing more well yes we will that's because you didn't invest in wages in the first place! I don't need an owner to spend millions on players just make us competitive wages wise so we can pick up quality frees like norwich and sheff Utd did now look at them! His debt his league one club don't go on about how much more he's losing now.

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BeattiesBackPocket added 16:18 - Aug 8 This interview is basically a carbon copy of the past five years interviews just changed a little. Unless Lambert pulls off a miracle with the lack of support he's getting we'll be getting the same speech again next year which you guys will no doubt again fall for!
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rabbit added 19:20 - Aug 8 BBP, as always you make some very interesting points, fair play to you. You do make highly relevant points that I have searched everywhere for but can't find. Help me out on this one, firstly you say the ITFC budget was bottom three last season, I can't find any info on either our specific budget or other teams, where can I find this info? you also say that ME charges interest on the debt but I can't find anything in the accounts to show this or that he is paid £500k pa by ITFC, are these in the notes or somewhere else in the balance sheet? You also have info on the current wage budgets in league one which proves ITFC are in the bottom third, where can I find this info please.

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senduntd added 11:45 - Aug 11 Town Boy don't judge others by yourself, most people don't tell lies.
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