Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan slammed Ipswich Town owner Marcus Evans on talkSPORT this morning, claiming the Blues could be heading for League Two.
A pre-recorded interview with Paul Lambert was played on Jim White’s mid-morning show, the Blues boss reiterating how well he thinks his rock-bottom team have been playing, how good the supporters have been and how bright he thinks the future is with so many youngsters coming through the system.
He insisted he has never once regretted taking the job at Portman Road.
Following on from that, Jordan was speaking in his role as a pundit on Jim White’s mid-morning show.
“It’s too little too late,” said the 51-year-old. “Marcus Evans, who I know, I never understood why Marcus bought that football club because I don’t think he was hugely invested in it emotionally. I don’t understand what he’s done with it.
“I think there are two words for Ipswich Town fans… Mick McCarthy. I think they will now look back on perhaps some of their outlook and attitude towards the job that Mick did with maybe a different disposition.
“I don’t think they need to prepare themselves for League One, because if they don’t pull themselves together, from ownership structure downwards, they won’t be looking forward to League One, they will be looking forward to League Two because I think this is a club that’s in decline. And there’s no reason for it.
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“The stark reality in that part of the world must be the mirror opposite at Norwich. That’s management appointments, that’s owner engagement... I know Delia (Smith) and her husband and the owners of Norwich very well and their investment and their involvement – both emotional, physical, logistical, financial – is unequivocal.”
Jim White interjects, saying: “So if you know Marcus Evans, why don’t you tell him to get a grip and do something about it?”
Jordan replies: “Well that’s not my job to tell Marcus Evans what to do with his football club.
“I think ultimately the way a football club declines is normally from the top. You make decisions and appointments and you allow things to get away from you. You sell players and assets get disposed of and managers are dispensed of and crowds are disillusioned.
MORE: Signing strikers is a summer priority for Lambert... and he wants to keep Keane at Town permanently
“Now what you’ve got is an unsuccessful football club that quite frankly is a really good football club. When David Sheepshanks was the chairman they had a really good youth development policy, it was running in the right direction, so where the hell has this gone wrong?”
This is not the first time Jordan has been critical of Evans on air. In September last year he claimed that Evans’ frustrations about EPPP - the Elite Player Performance Plan – were ‘ironic’ and ‘hypocrisy’ given Ipswich ‘were among the clubs to vote in the system’. Ipswich were, in fact, one of 22 clubs to vote against the system back in 2011 and Jordan later tweeted an apology.
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