Martin Lambert 0:00
That's a good start. That's a good start. Again. It's the beer.
Hello, again friends and you are our friends. And welcome back to Talking Town. Your Ipswich Town podcast, a podcast that puts you right in the middle of the circus act known as Ipswich town football club. And we've had an update as we come onto the air this evening and I will read the statement out very shortly but first of all, let's introduce the two gentlemen staring at me with their beaming smiles. The Dream Team is back, you asked for it, you got it? The dynamic duo, the podcasters dream , I've got Richard Moss, Richard 'cruncher' Moss How are we?
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 0:42
I'm good mate. Good. Just a bit warm.
Martin Lambert 0:44
Yeah, it is beautiful weather. Isn't it?
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 0:46
Lovely
Martin Lambert 0:46
Yeah, You're not gonna say that British saying.. there it is. What's inside that, can't be that bad drink. Carlin / Carlsberg.
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 0:56
It's Carlsberg
Martin Lambert 0:57
Okay. Yeah, yeah I don't know, I don't know about that one, anyway, this is a lovely Adnams Ghost Ship, so you know, keeping it local, keeping it real and of course down below, there is the media mogul, the man with many numbers and a little book. We won't say what color it is ..Mr. Matt Phillips. How are we?
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 1:18
A little drink, A little red wine to Carlos Ancelotti. Well done Everton, beating Norwich. Topman, I'm all good
Martin Lambert 1:25
Brilliant. Yeah, of course, Ancelotti in charge of Everton and we'll speak about those a little bit later on in our premier league review and podcast coming up, but first of all, shall I just read this statement out that the...
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 1:37
let's hear it
Martin Lambert 1:37
First. The Circus have put out a statement. One day after telling us there was no news. They've had a little meeting. It's almost like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. Right. So, they've announced yesterday, no news, and today they've announced important information for those who purchase match tickets for the eight games not played in the 19/20 season. Town will refund close on, two and a half thousand match tickets after the 19/20 season was curtailed early. Blues had eight League one games to be be played, five at home against rovers Shrewsbury and Doncaster.
Now they've given us three options, not us because I believe we are all season ticket holders in here, correct?
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 2:20
Yeah,
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 2:21
yeah.
Martin Lambert 2:21
For those that aren't, you've been given three options.
-
receive a full refund back to the payment card.
-
Lave the refund as credit, to the same value, to be added to your online account. Or option three.
-
if you'd rather make Marcus Evans' investment less this year and donate..we're sorry. This doesn't say that. It says.. if you would rather donate the money to the ITFC Community Trust or Academy, then please email the club to confirm that. Any donation will obviously be gratefully received by the club in what we fully appreciate are financially challenging times for us all.
Now season ticket holders. You will not get an update on any compensation options until July. Okay, so those are for the guys that have bought individual tickets.
You've only got until Monday 5pm to decide what you want to do, I don't know why you've only got that limited amount of time.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 3:17
Clock is ticking
Martin Lambert 3:18
But it is yeah, the countdown clock is on. How do you feel about that? First of all, I'll come to Rich as he's looking the most with a chip on his shoulder.. how do you feel about that Rich.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 3:31
Laugh
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 3:32
Bristol Rovers tickets. I've already done that. a month, six weeks ago. Got that back for we're not gonna play it. Yeah, why is it Monday? For season tickets Come on July? It's a joke in it, but they're holding our money and I think ,I think a while ago, I think a lot of people would have probably said, Look, it's tough times. I'm happy for you to keep our money but it's in the academy.
I just think they've lost so much that, they should have known, should know when the day when the season was curtailed. A statement should have gone out that day for me and they should have said, this is what's happening. This, this and this and go forward with that. You know, maybe you get credit in the shop towards a shirt. Yeah, maybe towards your season ticket next season. Oh, you get a full refund fair enough. I was reading I think the EADT and they were saying, there were a lot of people wanting the club to keep it. I don't know where they got the figures from saying a lot of people were happy to the club to keep their money. Not for me. I would have said, back in the day, a few weeks ago. Yeah, I'm quite happy. But now. No, every single penny back please, Marcus, I'm not putting it in your pocket. I'll put enough in your pocket. I'm already putting more money in your pocket for next season. You know, I'm paying already for next season ticket. So why should you be keeping my money from last season? I want it back. I don't know what Matt thinks
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 4:56
Yeah. I mean, strong words Rich. I was expecting that. And that I think you're probably right. I think maybe probably pre-pandemic people would have said maybe keep it but you know, maybe you've been furloughed, maybe you're facing redundancy, maybe you need that money back now so it seems a bit mean spirited Marcus to hold on to it. I do know my brother in law Lee is a West Ham fan and he's been offered club cash. So you can either stick it into their club shop or you can put it forward to see particularly next season's that's what they're doing. I can't see Ipswitch season tickets be much of a departure than that Yeah, about, like, 30, 30 quid ahead. But yeah, it's a difficult one. I mean, a part of me thinks to myself when sustaining a club, maybe going to the Academy. But I'll be thinking about that cashback. Because, you know, as you said the other time when we did last podcast Rich now Marcus Evans has been in what 11 years. It's been a steady decline. So why should we keep that money in the club
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 5:59
They are pulling on your heartstrings a little bit. Oh yeah,
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 6:02
yeah,
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 6:02
we can lose a million. well like I see that you tweeted yesterday morning Martin, where's that figure come from? Nobody knows you know
Martin Lambert 6:10
I've worked in finance all my life and figures don't lie. You don't go anywhere in business by saying about, it's about this, it's about that. Figures don't lie, they are cold hard figures, so you can, you're gonna know at least a ballpark you know nearly a million is that, is that from two grand is that? No, I'm nearly six stone if we are guessing.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 6:34
We were speaking before we came on air weren't we, that they've done almost 350 grand in agents fees at Ipswich over the last two to transfer windows. So they're quite happy for that money to go out of the game though.
Martin Lambert 6:46
Can I ask, do you feel we should even be in this position because the EFL we're flapping and flip flop flip-flopping about. They were meeting, postponement meeting, postponement? Now, us three sat here, you know, we haven't got the football credentials that some would say that, you know, are inside 'knowledge; of the club or what have you. But we knew the season was over. Even the most optimistic of fan would have said, Yeah, the season is over. So why was it simply not a case of blowing the dust off the plan you've written? And going, here we go. This is that this is the plan we've written we knew the season would probably be curtailed and announcing from the get-go, because should we still be waiting? for July? Any amount of time, for two particular updates?
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 7:39
Not for me, it's...They come out of it really poorly, don't know. And it's just, does it surprise you with the people who are running the club? No! like you say it is a circus down there. You know, and you can pull on people's heartstrings for as long as you want but sooner or later, and we probably as well. Definitely, you probably might, I don't know about Matt, but in the end, you just have had enough with all the BS that comes out. You know, and what I want is a local writer, the East Anglian, Andy Warren, someone like that, to ask some proper hard questions. Don't put stuff up about is Luke Garbutt gonna sign? He's not gonna sign it's a non-story like it's what you see is suddenly nonstories coming out of that paper. When you've got people here, who they're owed a lot of money.
Martin Lambert 8:32
Yeah, yeah, its what I said in my tweet, wasn't it? People on their financial bare bones and we're reading about how Lee O'Neil is telling us how it can be really hard this preseason or, you know, Paul Lambert today saying how recruitment will have to be from within and, and all these different things I would like to know first and foremost, you know, have our senior officials, our senior players, our captain Colossus have they joined the boat with us or is it us just being pushed out? And so it's gonna be really hard out there. But you're gonna be the ones rowing and picking up the slack. And all of that, because, you know, we heard in the star, players will be speaking with agents, Matt, about you know, about negotiations to defer or have a wage cut. Where's that gone?
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 9:20
Yeah, that's gone be quiet, hasn't it? Yes, come quietly. This is where I think Marcus Evans' model of running the club. The company Ipswich Town Football club limited or whatever it's called. It's where it falls down a little bit because we never used to have these issues when we had Sheepshanks there who was always on the front foot when it came to speaking to the media and some respect Derek Bowden whose now at Essex cricket club. He was good to speak with the local media. Now we don't have that figure that comes between the footballing side and the chairman. We don't have that figure to speak on behalf so this is where the confusion lies. And that comes from evidence because he was very cloak and dagger with probably the majority of his ownership. We didn't even know what he looked like for a good few years. And so, that's where it falls down a little bit. I don't think they've ever recovered from that communication not being that great, really. So we do need more of that kind of figure.
Maybe when Simon Milton was at a club, he was almost like an unofficial spokesman a little bit. So we don't have that anymore. So we don't have that kind of, like that two-way communication between the fans, the media, the club. That's where it all falls down and that's where the confusion starts to reign. Hence the reason why we're asking all these questions, you know, have players taking the wage cut, for example, deferral? So staff, we know were furloughed, I understand coming back on a part-time basis quite soon. Maybe, that's maybe, one of the reasons for the delay in the tickets. But we don't really know because we don't have that Sheepshanks , Bowden , Milton style character to speak to us.
Martin Lambert 10:49
But do we need it? Rich? That figure, now I totally agree with Matt, that figure is definitely missing. This is new, but in this situation Do we need that to treat season ticket holders with the respect and almost endearment that they deserve like any other sports Chicago Bears, the top I'm wearing right now, your lifeblood is your season ticket holders. You look after them first and everybody else comes second because you make that the holy grail of being a fan. You don't make that the dog's body of being a fan and least important. Why is it season ticket holders are treated like there anything else
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 11:25
You just hit the nail on the head there, RESPECT. There's no respect, we just take for granted that we're going to keep coming, we're going to be there, even when Lambert gave some interview after the season, saying - yeah the fans like they've been fantastic. Stick with us for next season. And you think, it's all false words for me, stuff like that, you know, like you say, how much money do we put in the club each season? You buy your season ticket, you buy your shirts, you know, stuff like that season on season. It's a lot of money. But what do we really get back at the end of the day?
Martin Lambert 12:05
You get nothing
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 12:06
don't get success
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 12:07
On what's, what's it going to be when they actually come out? Is it- Are you going to get your money back , which I think a lot of people will do. Or will it be a credit in the shop? Could it go to the academy? Yeah, it could go to the academy. You know, I've paid- I was a blue foundation member for a lot of years but a lot of money in there and look, the Academy is our lifeblood you hear Lambert today saying we've got a lot of good 15 and 16-year-olds you know, they could play and the first time the young players we're that last season how many young boys did we really fight on a consistent basis? Well,
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 12:39
Not many
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 12:40
that was it. You know, that was a myth.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 12:42
the figures were elaborate. You are absolutely right Rich, the figures were elaborate because I think they said nine kids made their debut, but I would say at least five or six made their debut in those Peterborough Colchester leasing.com, competition. Only Brett McGavin made that first half appearance against someone I can't remember who it was against
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 13:03
Fleetwood.
Martin Lambert 13:04
Yeah. That was it, definitely some massaging of the numbers there, because or not massaging in the sense of overinflation, but it's definitely not the full story behind the figures...
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 13:19
engineering I'd say.
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 13:21
It's not, It's not even come out how many season tickets that we sold for next season. They're happy with the figures. They said, it's
Martin Lambert 13:28
No one is working there that's why
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 13:31
what are the figures? Someone must know. Come on.
Martin Lambert 13:33
No one's there rich, they've all been furloughed. That's, you know, the only reason why we put back this kit launch business. No one knows what's going on. Yeah, if they're statements and we go by yesterday for example, no news and 12 hours later, suddenly the full shebang, but only by Monday (five days time). Why couldn't you say that yesterday?
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 13:58
Yeah, they are surviving on the goodwill of the supporters and our loyalty.
But I mean, the last two years we've been relegated and in last season, we've gone from top to 11. It's a hard sell on tickets in it. Okay then, they're doing the matchday tickets first because it's easier admin, must be the administration must be easier.
I mean, I'm amazed, amazed that even fans were buying away tickets. I remember saying on kings of Anglia, I tweeted saying, you know, I think the fan should stay away if we were in Europe fans would stay away because that's the only way you could actually make a stand to the ownership in this day and age. It is not to go to the games, you see in like Lazio or Fiorentina and see, which is kind of hardcore ultras right? I get that's not Ipswich fans but they make a stand by not going in for the first half or they won't go to an away game or something like that. That's the only way that people can really make stand as a supporter. I think if there is not a way fans there, you know, in there for the first 20 minutes of the of game oat Portman Road right it's the only way you can make a stand-up thing.
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 14:56
Quick question for you my what happened to the five-point protests. Where's that gone?
Martin Lambert 15:00
Well, I think the organizer behind that Mr. Beck decided that as football wasn't happening, it's probably best to postpone that, not to cancel it, not stop it. Just postpone it until the football was back. But you are right. You know, there is stuff to be said and happened here. But then again, I think the whole, the whole group behind it have now stopped being Ipswich town orientated. haven't they?
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 15:29
I think so. Yeah. I think they've got a new channel, I see some of it the other day yes, some quite good stuff on there.
Martin Lambert 15:33
But, you know, so I, I don't know. But just to finish this, but often, before we welcome Mr.Robbie D into the room and do our premier league predictions and locks. If you can choose which option, maybe one of the options that have already stated, maybe not, maybe a new option you'll bring to the table. If you could choose your own option of what will happen next.
I'll start with Matt as I kind of know what Rich is gonna say what would you...
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 16:03
in terms of how I get my money back.
Martin Lambert 16:04
Yeah,
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 16:05
what do I do with my money?
That's a difficult one, isn't it? I mean, two minds. Part of me wants it back.
Martin Lambert 16:13
Yeah.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 16:15
I put it towards next season ticket because the payments coming out already. I think it's unbelievable, isn't it? And it could only happen to Ipswich fans, couldn't it? We've gone from 3rd to 11. And now, we're paying for football that we're not even watching. And then maybe I'd go the option of maybe club merch. I'd put it towards my ticket for next season. I mean, already, I've already gone to payments already. I'll take that. I'll go forward to next season. Now. I'm in now, I'm in
Martin Lambert 16:43
Like the mafia.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 16:46
the door is shut
Martin Lambert 16:48
Mr. Moss
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 16:51
I probably agree with Matt, you know, I paid two payments. I wouldn't mind having it towards a shirt like that. Got 3 to buy. Well, hang on. 6 for the kids' Kids home and away So yeah, I wouldn't mind but I just think it's poor how they have handled it as they're pulling on your heartstrings you know, poor old us, you know?
Martin Lambert 17:12
Yeah
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 17:16
Yeah, exactly. Where hard up. Oh, Marcus, where are you on the Rich List
Martin Lambert 17:20
Don't start me on that rich list do not stop me on that
Richard 'Cruncher' Moss 17:24
he's on it
Martin Lambert 17:25
so many digits after his, you know, his bank account you can barely keep up with how much he got. Me personally, I I liked the idea of option three Academy/ Community Trust. Which by the way, Community Trust for me should never be a separate entity from the club. Because Marcus Evans should want the community to feel proud of his football club. That's almost like the neighbors walking past, seeing my house, and not wanting to have me on their street. It's like, it's a one-way street. I want my street to see that I'm proud of my house and not..you get so many stories from that community trust about how we haven't got half the stuff they need. But I only want that to happen if, IF Marcus Evans is going to keep his investment up, if my money coming back makes him put even a shred, even 10 pence less than he needs to, then I'm out, so I'm sorry Marcus.
No, if you won't do your investment and it's your football club, you own the bricks and the mortar and yes the fans own it emotionally but he owes the bricks and the mortar then he needs to step forward. And I think he needs to come out and speak more publicly with the fans and I don't mean with the lovely media guys at Portman Road with their predetermined questions.
I mean, actually come in, very similar to I'm gonna go Sunderland here, the Sunderland Chairman did on you know, on fan podcasts, on radio and actually sit and face some heat and some real questions about why, the whats and it instead has you had this question for six months now give us a lovely PR A buzz answer because I'm sick and tired of that. I think you guys are as well.
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I totally agree with you there. But is that gonna happen?
No. So my, my, my money in my back pocket, please.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 19:13
I long for the days that figurehead, long for the days of that figurehead I think. I'm told like one of the conditions lambert put on the job was to get that Community Trust back. So maybe he was one of the drivers around that. That's why I've been so yeah,
Martin Lambert 19:25
it's amazing
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 19:26
if that's true. I
Martin Lambert 19:26
t's amazing to have it back. It's amazing. We've got it. But last year, like last year, for example, we've got a multimillionaire in charge of our football club and we've got people rattling, coin tins outside the turnstiles. What' s that about
​
Richard Moss 19:41
when you get people like Simon Milton who've been in the club for 30 years leaving and if you read in between the lines with some of his tweets, you know, he's not going to come out and publicly diss the owner, but you can tell that he's not happy. You know, when people like him are leaving, who's been there a long time and he was, you went to a lot of events, he is There is a mouthpiece. You know someone like him that would be ideal. I think he's that link. And you've got Le O'Neil, bless him. He might be a lovely guy, but he's a PE teacher, not for me.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 20:11
Yeah 100%
Martin Lambert 20:13
Well, there we go, guys. Let us know what you feel in the comment section. Of course, if you're listening on Apple podcasts, leave a review but some lovely reviews on that recently. So thank you for those. But we'll be back very shortly. It will fly around again soon. But for now, thank you and take care.
Matt 'Media Mogul' Phillips 20:33
Cheers Catch you later.