IPSWICH Town captain Carlos Edwards admits there have been whispers in the dressing room regarding the future of under-fire manager Paul Jewell.
With the Blues second-bottom of the Championship table following a return of just seven points from their opening 10 games, mysterious owner Marcus Evans reportedly reiterated his ‘full support’ of the Blues boss immediately after Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Cardiff City.
However, with 63 per cent of fans polled by this newspaper now saying the time for a change of manager has arrived, the Blues skipper has echoed the recent thoughts of new loanee DJ Campbell in saying that the players inevitably have their doubts about the security of Jewell’s job.
“We can only do what we can do on the pitch to help his cause,” said the 33-year-old. “It’s then up to the board of directors, the owners and the people in charge to decide whether or not to give him a little bit of extra time. Who’s to say his job is going to be safe? Only they can know.
“I think fair play to the manager. He is big enough to accept whatever is going to come his way. I would love to see him in the job for a little while still, but I’m just one player. Let’s hope for the best really.”
Asked if the players had discussed the prospect of a change in manager, he continued: “It’s not been a topic really. The lads just get on with the job.
“You might hear a little whisper, but it’s not helpful if we’re sat around discussing about whether the manager is going to get sacked.
“Sometimes a change in manager can work in your favour, sometimes it doesn’t. The last thing you want though is guys huddled in the corner saying ‘give him one more game’ and that sort of thing.
“Whatever discussions the players have, I won’t go running to the manager straight away. If he thinks that things are getting a bit out of hand then it’s up to him to stamp his authority.
“If he wants to have a word with me about certain things then I have no choice but to tell him what I hear. If he asks me the question then I will say that the lads are concerned about certain things.”
He added: “Yes, we do have our concerns, but we just get on with it. I’ll continue to give my all for the manager, the club and the fans and see where we go from there.
“The table doesn’t lie, yes we are in the bottom two, but things can only get better if we stick together as a squad and a management unit.”