Town have confirmed that Chris Hutchings has joined the club as Paul Jewell’s number two. The 53-year-old was Jewell’s assistant at Bradford, Derby and Wigan and was always expected to take a similar role at Portman Road, having been sacked as manager at Walsall early this month.

The new Blues boss all but confirmed the appointment last week: “I’m going to bring in a senior coach to work alongside me. That will happen next week.

“Chris is a terrific coach and we’ve enjoyed success both at Bradford and at Wigan. Chris is most certainly well in the frame.

“I’ve got a couple of people to speak to and hopefully I want to get it nailed down no later than Tuesday if I can.”

During his playing days Hutchings was a defender with Chelsea, Brighton, Huddersfield, Walsall and Rotherham, where he started his coaching career.

In addition to his roles working under Jewell, Winchester-born Hutchings also succeeded him as manager at Bradford and Wigan where he failed to match the former boss's success and briefly as caretaker-manager at Derby. He had been at Walsall for two years prior to his recent dismissal.

Last week Jewell added his former Bradford strike partner Sean McCarthy to his coaching staff.

Photo: Action Images

dobbie73 added 12:01 - Jan 17 Welcome aboard! Let's hope this is the start of a new era ... COYB!!
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JetaimePeters added 12:02 - Jan 17 OK
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Gerryrg added 12:06 - Jan 17 Cool that's that sorted then! Can we get on with the job of getting us up the league now please? Seriously good luck Mr Jewell we needed a manager that can do the job and I think that may well be you!
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Strider added 12:12 - Jan 17 It will be interesting to see if he still tries for Wally Downes - assuming he was trying
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BlooooCD added 12:16 - Jan 17 A great appointment, welcome aboard squire! Blooooooooooo Army!
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Smithy added 12:18 - Jan 17 Ah a manager who is prepared to listen to someone elses opinion!! Perhaps he'll tell him to go back to Walsall for Matt Richards, or again perhaps not!
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itfc1981 added 12:20 - Jan 17 rock on!
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imalwayswrong added 12:23 - Jan 17 Joe royle to the coaching team?
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BlueBoots added 12:26 - Jan 17 Welcome aboard - I'm guessing Downes will be a free agent in a few days time, so we just need to bring in BFJ to take over from Clegg for the dream team...
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Lightningboy added 12:32 - Jan 17 That was a no-brainer. Good luck guys.
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BlueVelvet added 12:33 - Jan 17 What is it with 'new brooms' that they always feel the need to sweep out the old and bring in the new. Its a classic insecurity thing which unsettles everyone for a while and is often totally unecessary - but hey ho, if it settles PJ quickly and gets results, who can crow. Pity PJ doesn't have a call on the CEO position - the dithering antics of Oly(mpics) Clegg and ME have cost ITFC dearly - who'd have thought or wished that we would be a couple of points of the releg. zone by mid Jan 11 - Oly should have stopped the rot months ago.

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dirtydingusmagee added 12:34 - Jan 17 Wheres Wally ?
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Mark added 12:55 - Jan 17 That is very good news, as it is important Jewell is able to get his first-choice team around him. The manager's job can't be easy, so it must make all the difference to be surrounded by experienced people who can help out and offer an alternative point of view when needed. Welcome Chris!
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Garv added 12:59 - Jan 17 Like the fact everything is moving along nice and quickly- unlike keane 'I don't know whether ill be getting in an assistant, we'll have to wait and see blah blah blah'!
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imalwayswrong added 12:59 - Jan 17 Bluevelet - how can ME actions have cost us? He saved the club from bankruptcy! There was not a long line of wealthy business people to buy Ipswich . I Agee clegg does not inspire confidence, kind of 'jolly hockey sticks' to me. But the investment from ME has been made, he has given RK his chance and failed. Still think BFJ knows lots about Ipswich , should be in the coaching team, at least he was able to get team score from set pieces!

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big_gaz67 added 13:12 - Jan 17 I'm always wrong As a club is it better to owe the bank £ 30 million or an individual £ 30 million. If Evans had turned that investment into shares I would be more confident as he would have to sell the club to recoup his debt but at anytime he could withdraw his backing of the debt (it is guaranteed not repayed) and then walk away. I would prefer to go into administraton, lose the ten points, have football people solely interested in ITFC and maximising it's potential rather that publise Evan's name. Is anyone going to by a Marcus Evans (whatever that is) because it is on the teams shirts, adverts and ground glads or could vital revenue be earned by selling these sponsorship oppotunities?

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bluelady added 13:33 - Jan 17 big_gaz67, welcome to football of the twenty first century. Things have moved a long way from family owned clubs. Marcus Evans is actually a football fan, his biggest problem is his lack of identity at the club, he needs speak out more as he did last week.
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StowTractorBoy added 13:36 - Jan 17 Not inspired at all by this appointment. As far as I'm concerned its jobs for the boys. Hutchings clearly has no clue how to manage a team just hope he can coach. I will reserve further judgement but I doubt we will see Downes now who would have been my first choice. Big Gaz how can you as a town fan prefer to lose 10 points. Look what happened when we were run by people interested in ITFC we went down the pan. Sorry but you have no argument and your opening sentence says it all really. Only my opinion mind and you are entitled to yours which I respect.

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stringtheory added 13:44 - Jan 17 I totally believe in free speech but have to say that there's an awful lot of rubbish spouted on here. big_gaz67 'I would prefer to go into administraton, lose the ten points, have football people solely interested in ITFC and maximising it's potential' - what planet are you on? Wherever that is, there was a long queue of very rich (remember we lost 17 million last year) footballing experts who were totally obsessed with buying ITFC but big bad ME muscled his way passed them because he wanted his highly sucessful brand to be associated with with a debt-ridden brand that has underachieved for years and bloody years! haha

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exeterblu added 13:46 - Jan 17 big_gaz67 , I dont think Evans would be able to remove his backing of the debt as you envisige. My understanding is that he could walk from the club, but would forgo his debt - in effect he is actually bound to the vclub for many many years. I think it is areal shame that the money that Evans allowed to Keane for transfers, which at £8m is alot for the Championship, didnt have the impact that was hoped for. Still, Evans hasnt built up an empire by making bad deals and spending all his cash at once, so im sure that Jewell will be given a similar amount over the next 18mths, which I must admnit i'm rather excited about!

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imalwayswrong added 14:00 - Jan 17 Big_gaz67 To owe £30mil to a bank when the banks became in need of hand outs from government would have been alot more problems than 10 points! ME is cash rich, his wealth ment no bailiffs at the door. Advertising aside of the ME brand I think bluelady is right, the lack of identity with the owner is a problem to lots of fans. But then again man city fans hardly see their owner and don't mind. To me it's about the players, they are paid well under contracts organised by RK and cleggy. Going back to coaches, BFJ gets my vote

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alex12345 added 14:15 - Jan 17 Finally a manager who can stick to deadlines about getting people into the club,, Jewell said it will be by tuesday, hutchings is here on monday Everything seems to be coming together
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legoman added 14:18 - Jan 17 Big Gaz... Dear dear dear. It's just a shame you cant appreciate and feel proud to be under Marcus's wing. We would have been looking at conference by now cos all the best players would have been force sold.
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katemoss added 14:59 - Jan 17 If he's so good why did Walsall have to sack him. It's faith and hope over facts
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big_gaz67 added 15:38 - Jan 17 Proud to be under Marcus's wing? This is the same Marcus who appointed a thug in Roy Keane and sacked a loyal and proven town employee like Brian Klug?
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