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Five Point Protest Aims to Focus Frustrations
Tuesday, 10th Mar 2020 09:43

Supporters on Twitter will have seen tweets from a new fans' group called The Five Point Protest in recent days, organiser Mark Beck told TWTD what it’s all about.

The Marcus Evans tenure as Ipswich Town owner started with much expectation and promise, saving the club from the brink of administration, the injection of initial investment and the high profile appointment of manager Roy Keane brought a sense of optimism to Portman Road.

Sadly, apart from one brief season as promotion contenders, the bubble burst seemingly very quickly. A catalogue of failures both on and off the field saw our club stagnate whilst those around us improved and progressed.

The same reoccurring failures has left the club slumped in its lowest position since the 1950s. The Ipswich fanbase has been very tolerant of this plight, although with underlying frustrations throughout, but we cannot accept this situation we are facing any longer. Together, as a united fanbase, we need to offer some resistance and challenge to those responsible for running our great football club.

This is the birth of The Five Point Protest. A name derived in retaliation to our owner's former Five Point Plan launched in January 2017 during the Mick McCarthy era. A plan which seemingly feels like what we have now become accustomed to, a PR stunt aimed to appease our frustrations.

The aim of The Five Point Protest is to focus our frustrations as a fanbase and demand answers from those at the very top overseeing our sleepwalk into the unknown. There are a wide range of views and opinions as to where we feel our football club has faltered in recent years but we, as fans, should not be the ones asking these questions.

Ultimately, this is the responsibility of the owner of our football club and the many people who represent him. We have broken down some of the key frustrations to formulate the five points of our protest: Mentality, Ambition, Investment and Sustainability, Transfer Policy and Transparency.


We appreciate that this doesn't cover every frustration that we feel as a fanbase but the key thing to note is that the vast majority are frustrated, angry and heartbroken at the club's fall from grace. We are not expecting a return to the glory days of the late 70s and 80s. We are expecting a football club that we can be proud of, one that is run correctly with the best interests of its fans both present and future at heart.

We would like to point out that this is NOT a ‘Marcus Evans Out' protest. Most of us will be grateful for the club being saved by the intervention of Marcus Evans over a decade ago. Asking for our owner to leave without a buyer in hand leaves the club in considerable danger and simply isn't realistic at this time. However, as fans and paying customers we have every right to question when we feel that the club is heading in the wrong direction.

We have the right to challenge his commitment to our football club. I feel this is an important step that we need to take as a fanbase, one many clubs could learn from, in not feeling afraid to challenge our ownership in times of consistent and reoccurring failure. It is a common theme in countries on the continent and across the world, albeit different footballing cultures, but something we can take inspiration from.

A number of people have mentioned the absence of the current manager and his playing staff within our protest. Any action that we choose to take going forward will strive to have minimal impact on any match proceedings. We accept that the on-field staff, the past two seasons in particular, are a huge frustration and have contributed heavily to the failings of this football club.

At time of writing, the managerial position is very much hanging in the balance so we do not feel that it is appropriate to base a protest purely on this issue. Moreover, I feel that it is important to target the frustrations at those responsible for selecting, questioning and managing our current manager and his staff. Ultimately, the failings we have seen in previous managerial reigns are still plaguing our current manager and will continue to hamper managers in the future.

As a protest movement, we aim to respect and hear the views of all supporters regarding the issues we have pointed out as well as hear frustrations we may have missed. This is our football club and to launch a successful and constructive protest we must gather the most accurate viewpoint from our fanbase.

I ask all supporters to view this movement, whether on the TWTD site, social media or YouTube with an open mind. I appreciate and understand that this kind of movement won't be to everyone's taste and I cannot guarantee that our protest will work. However, we will strive to provide a well constructed and significant protest which aims to include as many fans as possible. We are aiming to deliver a protest, either static or a march, before one of our final home games this season.

The end goal for the protest would be to have an interview with Mr Evans in a neutral environment, answering questions from us as fans. I cannot promise or guarantee that we will get anywhere close to this and I have to admit that this protest movement will take time, patience and dedication in order for this to grow effectively. I am not prepared to make any promises at this date.

This fanbase has suffered far too many instances of overpromising and under-delivering in recent times. However, I and many others will work hard alongside our normal working lives to try and deliver a protest with the best intentions of bringing about positive change.

For those who don't know me. I am just a 25-year-old man who adores this football club and can't sit by any longer without trying to provoke some change by challenging those responsible for running our club.

I have featured heavily on the YouTube channel Ipswich Fanzone, who have been fundamental in the early stages of this campaign. Once again, I ask you to view this protest with an open mind and judge it on your own principles and feelings towards the football club that we love. I cannot do this without you.

I would like to thank all those who have registered their support to The Five Point Protest in its infancy. I would also like to thank TWTD and the other media platforms for sharing and for giving us the opportunity to further explain our protest. We will continue to provide updates to TWTD regarding any updates and progress. If you would like to join our mailing list then please email IpswichFanzone@gmail.com.

We are holding our Open Forum on Thursday 12th March at 7.30pm at Wiff Waff on the Ipswich Quayside. This is an open event for anyone interested, concerned or has any questions regarding The Five Point Protest. Anyone interested but unable to attend need not worry, an update will be provided to all issues raised.

In the meantime, for any updates or queries you can contact The Five Point Protest via email at IpswichFanzone@gmail.com or our dedicated Twitter account @FPP_ITFC.


Photos: TWTD/Contributed



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TRUE_BLUE123 added 09:52 - Mar 10
He says a lot of words, but doesn't actually say anything that makes me think it will work.

Not a cat in hells chance we would get a fan forum with Marcus Evans.
-12

Wooly74 added 09:58 - Mar 10
25 and loves the club, he couldn't even remember us being in the top flight.

Five point protest, Norwich has a similar strategy a few years ago called the six point protest 🤣😂🤣
-12

runningout added 10:08 - Mar 10
Has my backing. If Marcus Evans and Lee ONeil has anything about them, they should know how depressed we are. Just not so sure they do
28

filobiz added 10:09 - Mar 10
at least he's trying to make something happen. well done mate. ipswich through and through!
46

carlisleaway added 10:10 - Mar 10
Give the lad a chance, I was involved with a group of 3 others in getting John Kerr out of the chair in the early 90s. This started the Sheepshank leadership of the club and involved a 5 year plan which resulted in promotion to the Premiership.
So before you jump on his back, it takes somebody or some group to force changes however uncomfortable it maybe at the time.....no one else has come up with any plan.
41

ElephantintheRoom added 10:13 - Mar 10
Five point protest? Has this buffoon not learnt anything from the Tories..... three words at most is all anyone can understand. How about 'Get Promotion Done'?
-26

Razor added 10:21 - Mar 10
Good luck my friend----at the very least your heart is in the right place-----but will anybody listen to you!?
26

minesapint added 10:24 - Mar 10
He is right to stress that it is not an "Evans out" campaign. In the absence of a potential buyer we have no alternative but to seek a dialogue with the man who puts several million into the club each year. ME is an intelligent man who surely understands that the even the extraordinary tolerance of Town fans is not infinite.
23

r2d2 added 10:30 - Mar 10
Give the guy a chance. Someone has to stand up for this football club. As for saying he hasnt even seen us when we were good, is plain ridiculous. If we arnt careful we will never be anywhere near average again ! Something has to give, we are way too patient/passive as fans. Evans has gotten off way to lightly over the years, no other clubs supporters would have put up with it this long. So, l shall be joining his group, and good luck to him. And anyone who cares about this football club should be doing so as well.
28

cat added 10:39 - Mar 10
Think this is a well balanced protest, keeping an eye on the positives whilst highlighting the negatives. If it shakes the club up then it's all good with me.
30

Northstandveteran added 10:42 - Mar 10
Actions speak louder than words.

When thousands of fans, including myself as a young teenager, sat on the pitch to oust Duncan, the club listened and took action.

Ok, so football and it's supporters have mellowed since those days, for the better might I add.

Good luck to all those making their voices heard through protest and social media but those in power won't take a blind bit of notice.

When Liverpool fans walked out in a protest at ticket prices, the club listened.

If everyone ( including season ticket holders ) were to boycott a particular home game, the club might take notice.

However, Ipswich fans are so nice and have accepted whatever has been served up on the pitch for the last 20 years so it won't happen.




25

rob442 added 10:46 - Mar 10
Wooly74, the fact that he is 25 and 'he couldn't even remember us being in the top flight' is exactly why what he is doing is needed. We should not be accepting what is happening to our great football club. I say well done and keep up the good work, you have my full support.
25

rabbit added 10:49 - Mar 10
I don't think there should ever be a protest on match day inside or outside the ground, however this chap has made his point succinctly and intelligently and I have no doubt he will be gauging the feelings of the supporters who join his group.
What we certainly do not need is the militancy and and derision handed out by a few people on this site and others, I hope he has the strength and management ability to take his point forward in a constructive and business like manner.
He has started well so good luck to him.
3

Saxonblue74 added 10:53 - Mar 10
A well balanced and sensible approach in an attempt to be heard. Correct to clearly state it is not an "Evans out" campaign. Who knows, it may just lead to some answers.
14

SE1blue added 10:54 - Mar 10
Northstandveteran, I agree 100%.

This lad is from a generation who haven't even seen good football, wanting to make a difference. Marcus Evans has never fully understood the kind of club we are; close knit and personal. His distance and apathy towards owning a proud team and disengaging loyal supporters isn't finally coming home to roost.

Best of luck to this guy in making a change.
18

Saxonblue74 added 10:55 - Mar 10
NSV, direct action may give the fans more leverage but first there needs to be an agenda. The powers that be need to know exactly what the thoughts of the fans are.
6

ArnieM added 10:57 - Mar 10
“The end point of this protest is to have a meeting with Marcus Evans, whereby he'd answer question from the fans”


Is this it then? Then what?

Whilst I applaud his efforts , it'll be water off a ducks back putting questions to the owner. It's been done , at length by a reporter several years ago.

If people are really wanting Evans out ( he's unlikely to change his financial commitment for many reasons, FFP being just one of them), then the ONLY way to influence businessman, is to “ speak” to him in a language he understands. Money. Therefore a significant drop in season ticket sales, will be the ONLY thing that grabs his attention.

When Town fans “walked” mid season circa upwards of 4K and they didn't renew, that was what forced Evans' hand regarding McCarthys tenure ship. Not the pathetic, and abusive “ protests”, culminating in a stand off by some London based dick heads at the Brentford away game on the team bus, ( the utter to S S a s) !


So if fans really want Evans gone, don't renew ST' s and don't go to the games.
But beware. If Evans decides “ enough is enough “ and in the absence of any buyer, decides to simply stop funding the Club altogether. He could do this tomorrow. This Club WILL NO LONGER EXIST!
1

midastouch added 11:12 - Mar 10
Good luck to him, his heart is clearly in the right place. He doesn't pretend to have all the answers but at least he's trying to bring people together to apply pressure for things to improve. United we stand divided we fall.
15

PackwoodBlue added 11:13 - Mar 10
Thank you for creating Mark. A lot of effort is no doubt going into this on behalf of the fans (even so some can't seem to grasp that simple fact...) Best of the luck with the campaign, you have my backing. A campaign like this is far more measured, constructive and positive than just hurling abuse from the stands every week and demanding ME/PL out! ME will ultimately act however he wants and hire/fire whoever he wants, but having a formal platform to direct to ME our dissatisfaction, concerns and angst with regard to the running of our club and performance on the pitch, is a good thing in my book.
16

Fenland_Blue added 11:18 - Mar 10
Everybody turn up but stand up and face the other way for 90 minutes, you will get to see the same amount of ITFC goal action as usual.
0

Michael101 added 11:25 - Mar 10
Good for him,at least he is making a effort ,I voted with my feet I will not go to or until Evans is gone.perhaps if a few more stopped going then Evans would stop taking the p##s and talk to us plebs,cos that's what he see us as.
9

braveblue added 11:35 - Mar 10
Good luck. Ignore the happy flappers above. At least you are trying.
17

Horseboy added 11:37 - Mar 10
Must be a liberal reading this, plays right into Evan's hands, Evans needs his arm twisted with more severity IMO
1

Kickingblock added 11:59 - Mar 10
I wish the campaign well and if anything good comes from it then he's done his bit.
At the moment the club is urinating windward.
8

saffers12 added 12:05 - Mar 10
This was one of the guys being rude to members of Town fans when the bus arrived at Accrington...so er not for me
-2


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