Marcus Evans, the owner of Ipswich Town Football Club, has decided that now is the time to reflect on his journey and give his thoughts on the future.

Almost eight years on from his takeover, the 51-year-old took time out of his holiday to conduct a half hour phone chat – the only stipulation was that the questioning be kept to football.

No doubt there will be many topics that some readers may feel went uncovered, while undoubtedly many of the issues discussed – areas such as Financial Fair Play for example – could have been the subject of a lengthy debate all on their own.

My attempt was to get an overview of the Marcus Evans-Ipswich Town story so far, from his takeover in December 2007, the disappointments of the early years to the current day picture of stability and positivity.

Keen to protect the privacy of his family, we are still honouring his wish for no photographs to be published, other than one taken at a golf tournament in Portugal, which has been in the public domain for several years.

– Follow the link to read part one of the interview, which appeared in Friday’s East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star.