PLAIN-speaking Paul Jewell has admitted that Ipswich Town have not shown enough “desire,” when and where it matters most.

PLAIN-speaking Paul Jewell has admitted that Ipswich Town have not shown enough “desire,” when and where it matters most.

To that end, Jewell has revealed a four-pronged wish-list for next season, and DESIRE tops the agenda.

Town still need to secure a couple of wins, during their last nine fixtures, to guarantee Championship football at Portman Road for next season.

That fact is not lost on Jewell, especially following a recent slump that has yielded just one victory in seven games.

But the Town boss spent time yesterday earmarking the areas that he wants to improve, within his squad, for next season.

“Of course we have got to make sure we are in this league next year, but I’m sure we will,” explained Jewell.

“I’m not knocking the players, but this team needs more belief and, I have to be brutally honest, this team needs more desire in certain areas, there is no doubt about that.

“That’s a desire to score goals, a desire to stop goals, a desire to cut out crosses, and a desire to work hard without the ball.

“We are lacking that belief. We have just been a little bit weak at times this season,” added Jewell.

Jewell then went on to list the four specific areas he is targeting for 2011-12, in terms of character traits:

“We need more aggression and desire (No.1) where it matters, in both boxes,” insisted Jewell.

“We need good energy (No.2) throughout the team, and we also lack a bit of pace in the team. We need more pace (No.3).

“And we desperately need at least one goalscorer (No.4). We will be trying to improve this situation in the coming months. We are actively trying to do that now, for next season.

“We’ve already started the process for improving the squad for next season. We’ve put some feelers out, and some lists together of players we would like to bring in.”

Retaining possession is not a problem. Jewell admits that his team have enough of the ball, and that players of the calibre of Jimmy Bullard and Grant Leadbitter are comfortable in possession.

But it is that desire, energy, pace and killer instinct that is sadly lacking at the moment.

“I think we keep the ball enough, without getting forward,” said Jewell.

“We don’t get the ball behind teams enough with quality, and we don’t get enough men in the box at times. Sometimes maybe the runs from the strikers are not clever enough.”