Ipswich aim for hat-trick

Thursday, 09/02/2012

by Sam Broadley, Shoot's Ipswich Town blogger

Ipswich Town have again been linked with Portsmouth’s ’keeper Stephen Henderson and defenders Jason Pearce and Joel Ward.

Manager Paul Jewell had made several bids for the trio during the January transfer window, but having finally agreed fees, they failed to agree personal terms.

The window for emergency loans, however, opened today and troubled Pompey are expecting approaches.

Jewell himself last week refused to rule out a further move for the players on loan with a view to signing permanently in the summer. They would, however, have to reduce their apparently excessive contract demands.

The club’s finances to June 2011 showed 98.8% of turnover was spent on wages – a figure not taken lightly by the manager. Whilst transfer fees have not been particularly sizeable, the salaries of some of the former Premier League players, such as Jimmy Bullard and Lee Bowyer, are reported to be among the highest in the Championship.

Jewell and owner Marcus Evans are keen to reduce this statistic, especially with the Financial Fair Play regulation coming in next season whereby clubs can only spend what they generate. With no fewer than 11 players’ contracts up at the end of this campaign, we can expect the spending to drop.

Meanwhile, Town have stated that they are expecting Saturday’s match at home to Middlesbrough to go ahead as planned, despite the adverse weather. The Portman Road pitch – famous for its consistent quality – has been covered up for a week to protect it from the elements. The only question mark will be over the safety of the fans around the ground if the icy conditions continue.

Jewell and his men will be praying the game goes ahead on the back of outstanding victories in the last two outings, first a famous 5-1 win against top-of-the-table West Ham and then 3-2 away to Coventry. Town will be looking to record three wins on the bounce for the first time this season.

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