Town CEO Mark Ashton has paid tribute to the Blues’ “really smart owners” and they way they have allowed him and his management team to run the club without interference.

Ashton was appointed to run Town by the club’s US owners Gamechanger 20 Ltd in June 2021, shortly after the takeover.

Quizzed on how that relationship works in a wide-ranging interview with The Price of Football podcast, Ashton says they haven’t made the mistakes many other owners have in the past.

“Firstly, we’re really fortunate here because they’re very bright people, who have come into football and where for me they’ve been different to most is that they understand business, they understand sport, but when they entered this it was a new business to them,” he said.

“So, rather than try and run this business themselves, they appointed me and a management team to write a business team and deliver against that business plan. And where I’m so fortunate is that they’ve given me the oxygen to deliver the plan.

“They don’t actively get involved in the selection of a manager or player recruitment etc, they let us write the plan, they sign the plan off, they sign the money off that needs to be put into the business to deliver that plan and then they challenge against key performance indicators on the way through. They’re fantastic.

“Where we as an industry have seen challenges at times is, and I say this very simply. I’ve been doing this a long time and let’s be really clear. I learn every single day, 30 to 40 years I’ve been in this industry, you don’t stop learning.

“If I jumped into an aeroplane tomorrow and tried to fly that plane, the one thing I can promise you that I’m going to do is crash it because I haven’t got the expertise to fly it.

“And yet people come from outside football into our industry, emotionally led at times and then wonder why they can’t straight away run the football clubs because these are very unique organisations.

“We’ve seen that happen time and time again, so I’m really fortunate to have really smart owners, who back the management team, challenge the management team, support the management team, but don’t interfere in the nuances of running the business.

“And I think that’s a real advantage for us because if you look at this football club compared with a lot of football clubs in the pyramid at the moment, we have stability.

“We’re not going to chop and change our manager every five minutes, we’re going to grow, we have a plan to move forward and we’ll stick to the plan.

“There is not erratic decision-making, it’s calm, it’s considered, it’s focused and it’s progressive. So we’re really, really fortunate with regard to that.”

And Ashton says sticking to the plan is the key to avoiding coming a cropper in the Championship.

“The problem with the Championship is really simple,” he added. “It’s emotion. You’re in a division which is one step away from the golden ticket, one step away from the Premier League where everyone wants to be, and it’s one step away from that huge financial gain of getting across the line and into the Premier League.

“And what happens is, you have a plan and a lot of clubs don’t stick to the plan in the Championship because they start to get close to either the play-offs or automatic promotion.

“And then the model changes because they overstretch and overreach, and I can understand that and I’ve been guilty of that in the past.

“But you’ve got to stick to your plan. That obsession with trying to get to the Premier League causes logical, sensible people with a lot of money in their own businesses in their own right, to make emotionally led decisions, which can be very dangerous. It’s a tough place to be.”

Photo: Matchday Images

itsonlyme added 10:49 - Jun 30 Agreed 100%! Everything is measured from top to bottom! I've said it a hundred times we have fantastic owners who know how to run a business properly! We can't thank them enough for saving us from the mediocrity of the previous regime! Always upwards and onwards!
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RegencyBlue added 10:58 - Jun 30 Still find it hard to believe there remain fans who, to this day, defend Evans and how he ran the club. This is what proper ownership looks like. The contrast is incredible!
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Europablue added 11:20 - Jun 30 There are plenty of arrogant American owners who think because they are successful in their chosen field or American sport, they can just spend their way to success. The funny thing is that there are probably about 5 or 6 of them each demanding to win the league and Champions League. When I heard that we were going to be taken over by Americans, I was very concerned, but our owners actually know about football, and where they aren't experts they defer to people like Mark Ashton and empower them to make those calls.

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Broadbent23 added 11:26 - Jun 30 Game changer is a totally a different kettle of fish compared to Marcus Evans where the club was being run into the ground. Where now we are raising like a Phoenix (sorry about the pun, referring to their other team). We now have a team to be proud of and the club structure is being rebuilt. It will take time. Maybe the play offs within 2-3 years. Any improvement year by year will be good. The Burley years were good to a point but we were badly managed by the owners. I just hope all this planning is not effected by world economic conditions. . Eagerly awaiting the new season, but we still need a few more additions.

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LooksLikeChaplin added 11:35 - Jun 30 I think he's learned a lot from the mistakes he made at Bristol City. Let's hope so anyway!
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trncbluearmy added 11:38 - Jun 30 Broadbent23 ITFC did not have owners in the Burley years, we had a board of directors and a very good CEO who ran the club
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Suffolkboy added 11:45 - Jun 30 The absolute key to success at ITFC is the dedicated ,disciplined forethought and planning that has preceded all that has taken place ,and which continues to be effected . Structure ,proper teams throughout , belief and confidence in each and a defined sense of purpose epitomise all that's going on at ITFC . With hindsight it's always tempting to lay blame ( with accuracy ) but NOT a useful exercise ; mistakes occur , circumstances prevail upon the best laid plans, and outside factors bring unexpected influence . What we now benefit from is the solidity and stability which the new owners have brought - with apparent sensible financial backing. - and which is enabling exciting but careful determined progress , aided by having the most enthusiastic and capable management team ! ITFC currently epitomises positivity and we should delight in them and the progress they bring ! Terrific to see our Club brimming with promise and expecting a much brighter future ! COYB

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WhoisJimmyJuan added 12:09 - Jun 30 Indeed is Ashton alluding to Evans and his poor ownership of our club I'm wondering? Those days look so much worse now when you look at where we are now.
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Bluearmy_81 added 12:41 - Jun 30 Regency, all I hope is that Ipswich fans never again put up with such degeneration of THEIR club. Drinan and Hawkins?!!! Wtf?! If they had two feet they were good enough to play for Ipswich Town Football club under Evans. Hopefully never ever again. Supporting failure and a club getting run into the ground is not good support. In such times standing up for your club is!!

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Bluearmy_81 added 12:41 - Jun 30 JJ of course he is yes
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ImAbeliever added 12:52 - Jun 30 I believe, and always have, that the real demise started before the ME era. All part of our ongoing brilliant history….can't wait for the next chapter.
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ImAbeliever added 12:56 - Jun 30 Just to clarify, things only got worse and worse for the next decade.
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Bluearmy_81 added 14:15 - Jun 30 And town fans watched and said nothing as we first stagnated and then sank for over 10 years plus. Shameful
1

rugbytomc added 14:27 - Jun 30 I think we got really lucky (after having been extremely unlucky). Our downfall is a long story but we were unlucky along the way (ntl tv deal collapse, timing of north stand redevelopment) and we also got bought by a fraud. But now we've gotten really lucky to have these owners, who, as Ashton says aren't football men-but they've managed to take on good advice to bring in Ashton and O'Leary above him. We're also lucky that we got Ashton at a time when he's had plenty of experience. We're lucky we got McKenna when we did. Then the rest is down to the astute brains of our owners and management staff. We can all love this as it's been a long time coming. 21k season ticket holders in the championship compared to about 15k at most last time around. The future is BLUE!

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parhamblue added 14:48 - Jun 30 He is probably also thinking about Sheffield Wednesday, given the latest chapter in their upheaval, among several others Much more of a hands-on owner there, and a promotion-winning manager departed.We deserve to have what we have now, getting practically everything right, good consistent finance and owners, having suffered for far too long.
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BurleysGloryDays added 15:48 - Jun 30 A wee bit of introspection, directed at some commenters. Evans oversaw the demise of our club. He did so at great personal expense and despite a failed tenure, sold us not to *anyone*, but carefully to the current owners - whom we are all so grateful for. Evans got it tragically wrong. But still deserves respect. Just a call for a little reasoned thinking. World isn't black and white. It is stark to see the difference in a club run so, so well by so many hard working, determined and talented people. I'm stunned and grateful for it all, and the fans have responded brilliantly. And shown what we can be, which is way bigger than we are even now. Exciting times!

3

bakerblue added 15:53 - Jun 30 The podcast is well worth listening to in full - a fascinating half hour.
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Bazza8564 added 16:07 - Jun 30 Sorry but how can anyone think we didn't have owners in the Burley era? Of course we did, Evans didn't jus come along and buy the club off the shelf. The Cobbold family had owned the club through generations and eventually Evans bought it. To say we had a good CEO and Chairman is debatable too, I'm sorry that board took us into administration (which DS tried to disguise as "partial") and sowed the seeds of financial decline that Evans tried and failed to reverse. This is with out doubt the first proper structure and strategy we've had financially during a period of footballing growth since the late 70s. Ashton is a very astute guy, he will want to finish his career he and we are exceptionally lucky to have both him and gameChanger involved. This is the chance of a lifetime, let's make sure we don't cock it up!

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trncbluearmy added 16:17 - Jun 30 why should we be grateful to evans, apart from nearly destroying the club he sold to whoever would give him a decent deal i.e. 5% shareholding and land. But don`t think for one moment think he sold to the best buyer for ITFC, he sold to the best buyer for him. But just for a change ITFC got lucky and ended up with Gamechanger who in turn employed Ashton, who in turn employed Mckenna

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trncbluearmy added 16:29 - Jun 30 Bazza Owners have control of the shares issued, in other words they have a majority share holding. Something the Cobbolds or anyone else never had until Evans bought enough shares to become the owner. The description Owner is misleading, the correct term is majority share holder. As I said, previous to Evans, the Club was run by the directors who appointed a CEO. Not one of these people had a majority shareholding.

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trncbluearmy added 16:32 - Jun 30 At the risk of boring everbody to death, as part of the share holders action group I saw the share register it was surprising how few shares the the directors inc. the Cobbolds actually owned
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Bluearmy_81 added 17:10 - Jun 30 Deserves respect?!! How many Ipswich fans died in the last 15 years, especially during Covid while Ipswich were a laughing stock and an absolute joke of a club of because the harm that man did to our club. You literally blow my mind with such lickspittle thinking.
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ImAbeliever added 17:30 - Jun 30 Totally agree with your appraisal Bazza.
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PhuketPete added 18:20 - Jun 30 Just on the ME thing. Yes many many things went downhill under him BUT the fact is that prior to him buying us, we had got things so badly wrong and were going broke. Without ME money we could easily have ceased to exist as (correct me if I'm wrong) i don't recall at the time that anyone else with deeper pockets and more football nouse was queuing up to buy us? Subsequently ME tripled his £ exposure. Finally the fact is he did sell to an absolutely brilliant new ownership group after having received numerous enquiries. And in making it happen he did write off a huge loss to get the deal over the line. We will always look back on the ME era as dismal but we need also recognise that thanks to him we did survive and live to rise again.

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PhuketPete added 18:20 - Jun 30 Just on the ME thing. Yes many many things went downhill under him BUT the fact is that prior to him buying us, we had got things so badly wrong and were going broke. Without ME money we could easily have ceased to exist as (correct me if I'm wrong) i don't recall at the time that anyone else with deeper pockets and more football nouse was queuing up to buy us? Subsequently ME tripled his £ exposure. Finally the fact is he did sell to an absolutely brilliant new ownership group after having received numerous enquiries. And in making it happen he did write off a huge loss to get the deal over the line. We will always look back on the ME era as dismal but we need also recognise that thanks to him we did survive and live to rise again.

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