This is surely beyond belief. Former Blues boss Joe Royle is looking for another managerial position and rumour has it that owner Marcus Evans has been alerted. Harry Redknapp has apparently been at it again. Evans respects his football knowledge and expertise and although he failed to get Frank Lampard installed as the new Town manager prior to the appointment of Paul Hurst, he is still eager to pull some strings from behind the scenes at Portman Road.
Joe Royle managed Ipswich Town between 2002 and 2006 and did wonderfully well, although the loss of leading players and a restriction of transfer and wage funds seriously thwarted his efforts, BFJ took Town twice to the play-offs, in 2004 and 2005, only to lose lost on both occasions to West Ham United. This was, however, a remarkable achievement given his very limited resources and his inability to buy players, and as a consequence of not making it to the Premier League, Royle was forced to sell some of his most talented squad members.
But this was a long time ago. Big Joe is now 71 and although he is three years younger than Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace, he has not managed a club since Oldham in 2009. More recently he was a director at crisis club Wigan Athletic, but when they went into administration earlier this month he lost his position.
What might appeal to Evans is that Royle is not driven by money but for his love of the game. Royle explained,” It would have to be a good offer and not financially driven because it would not be about money. It is because I love the game and have been involved from making my first-team debut aged 16 for Everton, to still being so.”
Current Town manager Paul Lambert is contracted to Ipswich for another four years, so it seems highly unlikely that Evans would be seriously tempted by Royle’s sudden availability. Yet, having resisted Rednapp’s overtures once before, would Evans be willing to do so again and risk their football friendship being permanently tarnished?
