Blues boss Paul Jewell says owner Marcus Evans has dismissed claims that owner Marcus Evans is lining up former Charlton and West Ham boss Alan Curbishley as his replacement. The Town manager spoke to Evans yesterday with the owner continuing to give him his support.

Speaking at this morning’s pre-match press conference, Jewell said: “I spoke with Marcus yesterday and he wants me to stay.

“I’ve got a fantastic and open relationship with him and if he wanted to sound out another manager, he wouldn’t have to do it behind my back, he’d tell me, it’s as simple as that. And having spoken to him yesterday [he isn’t].”

The Town boss says Evans wanted to speak to him after he had said he was considering his position in the wake of the 2-1 defeat at Hull City: “He wanted to talk to me, he’d seen the comments and read them and wanted to know what I was thinking.

“It’s great for me to have the support of the owner. It would be nice if we could get a few results and get a smile on everyone’s face.

“But you’re not going to stop rumours and if read the players or I believed everything everyone told me, I don’t sleep at night anyway, but I definitely wouldn’t sleep if I was worrying about who is going to take my job. If Marcus wants to make a change, he’s going to make a change.”

Jewell, who cut a much more upbeat figure this morning, admits to having made the weekend comments as a reaction to the defeat at Hull which stretched Town’s winless run to 10: “It’s been a tough time lately and I was just so fed up after the game and disappointed with our performance.

“I have to go and do press [after the game] and sometimes you say things in the heat of the moment that when you get home you probably regret.

“I said them, so I’m not going to run away from them, that’s the way I felt at that moment in time. But [since then I have] spoken with Marcus at length and have had a lot of support from football — managers and even players who have played here, I had a lovely text from Lee Bowyer on Saturday night.”

He says he talked to the squad at training yesterday: “I spoke with the staff and the players. You know when you’ve lost the dressing room and I definitely haven’t done that.

“Not every player at this club will want me as manager but not every player at Manchester United would want Sir Alex as manager - there are always people who are not happy.

“The large majority of players have come to me and have said ‘I hope you stay’. I just want to try and ensure that in the short-term we get a few results and hopefully we can move on. I do believe we’re in a false position given the team we’ve got.”

He says he doesn’t want to quit and that the situation is very different to the one at Pride Park when he left tomorrow’s opponents Derby County: “I don’t want to resign. I don’t want to walk out. We’re in a battle at the moment.

“I left Derby County and people think I walked out, but I didn’t really. The owners had told me that if they could afford to sack me they would do, so I said they wouldn’t need to worry about the money, if you’ve lost faith in me, I’ll go.

“That’s not the case here, the owner hasn’t lost faith in me, I’m going to keep going. I know I can’t keep going without winning matches, I understand that.

“But in the last four matches we’ve taken the lead in all of those games and we could be sat here with 10 more points, although it would have been fortuitous on Saturday. But the games against Cardiff, Brighton and Barnsley we could easily have won.”

Photo: Action Images

itfcjay added 13:49 - Oct 22 Hes hardly going to tell you we have others lined up . What hes going to do is to see you run out your contract so he doesnt have to pay you off . Unfortunately this may be too late to save this season as we already need a good run just to get clear of the bottom three . I dont want Curbishley here . How about Coyle or Billy Davies ??
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TR11BLU added 13:51 - Oct 22 This is getting boring now, do us all a favour and just go. The comment about the good players we have...but they arent ours are they Paul? Eight belong to other teams and Higginbotham leaves after tomorrows game. Stability????? youre havin a laugh.
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BlackandBlue added 13:52 - Oct 22 We could have won the last four games, I'm as popular as Alex Ferguson. Delusional!
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JimmyJazz added 13:54 - Oct 22 @itfcjay, but if you read the article PJ indicates that if ME wanted him out all he has to do is say so and he'll walk without a pay-off.
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darren added 13:54 - Oct 22 i just give up hes clearly lost the plot and marcus geez what a laughing stock we are
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kerryblue added 13:55 - Oct 22 Just walk Jewell ,you have ruined our club
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Portman51 added 14:00 - Oct 22 Regardless of the rights and wrongs, it would be a step forward if Evans were to give his views on Jewell's future directly to the public rather than having them filtered through the man himself.
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wellhungphil added 14:01 - Oct 22 "if read the players or I believed everything everyone told me" "Papers" I guess you mean, Phil :-) Other than that it's not nice reading about a guy about to lose his job but the situation seems hopeless...
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 14:01 - Oct 22 I just cannot understand what Evans is playing at here. It is totally clear that this is the most serious relegation threat to our club from this division in 50 years. Only dismissing Jewell will avert this I think. I've never known such a high proportion of itfc fans be in agreement over replacing the manager either. Yet Evans seems hypnotised by Jewell (no pun). Did Evans actually make his money in mustard really??

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PutneyBlue added 14:05 - Oct 22 Some people have short memories. This is the same man that people said "You've given us our club back" after he started. Remember the chants of "Robson out" in the early 70s? The guy's trying to take us up a step and assemble a squad for the future at the same time. That sort of thing doesn't happen in a week, and loanees don't meld with the rest of the squad in a week either. Give him time.

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itfc1981 added 14:06 - Oct 22 Oh dear, its all a bit painful to read.
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wrightyblue added 14:08 - Oct 22 Jewell out! More protest's 2morow night please. Jewell out!!!
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RichOBlue added 14:12 - Oct 22 paulo di canio would lighten this place up and show a bit of passion at the same time which will get a few more fans through the gates which would hopefully encourage the owner to get a bit more involved. Cos at the moment the club is stuck in quicksand, I'm sure Curbishley, McArthey,Davies etc would do a job short term and get us mid table but we'd back where we r now in 1 or 2 years, take a gamble and be brave ME I'd gain alot more repect for you if you to a risk or 2.

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otleyp16 added 14:20 - Oct 22 marcus evans giving jewell his backing just proves that he cares nothing for our club or supporters what worries me is once jewell has gone what muppet is going to take his place
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footyblue added 14:20 - Oct 22 more drivel yet again and more contradictions time to say good bye simples............
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 14:20 - Oct 22 PutneyBlue - loanees don't meld with the squad in a month either and 2 of them were taken in for that length of time. And as for taking us up a step I fail to see how you achieve that by refusing to play your youngsters, dismiss your existing squad by bringing in EIGHT loans and a further three month "permanent" signing, and taking us down a division as a result? He has had plenty of time.

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Mr_Jingles added 14:25 - Oct 22 I've heard Bryan Gunn's being lined up... Only joking... it's Gary Megson really
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Sibelius8 added 14:31 - Oct 22 Thank you "Putney Blue" for reminding us of the general enthusiasm that greeted Jewell's appointment. Thank you too for reminding us of the shabby treatment that Bobby Robson received early in his town career. Sir Bob called us fans "morons" in the press I seem to remember. He was, in many respects, quite right. He had a long term plan and he justly berated us fans for only thinking of the short-term. Thankfully his plan, eventually, worked well, as we still celebrate. Although we are now almost at the bottom of the league all is not yet lost. To call for Jewell's dismissal if we continue to under-perform and lose games until Xmas is perhaps justified but to abuse him personally in these website comments is not acceptable. To question his tactics is fair game of course but the level of nastiness that sometimes appears is not helpful. Far better to get behind the team and encourage the players at Portman Road. To have an agenda of booing and negativity will simply make defeat much more likely. Please let us be positive in the crowd tomorrow. On another note, it seems that fans do not remember the quite appalling mess we were in during the 1963-4 season under Jackie Milburn. That season we lost 10-1 to Fulham, 9-0 to Stoke, 6-0 to Bolton and 7-2 at home to Man Utd, for example. So, please remember that we have had far worst crises in the past!

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baconandeggs added 14:36 - Oct 22 This is something akin to a soap opera only...its real. One man writing the script that man has no football brain neither does his manager it seems. Marcus get up tomorrow go to PR and look and listen.
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arc added 14:41 - Oct 22 Here's what I want in the next manager: I want someone I don't have to talk myself into. When Royle (although his time seems like paradise now), Keane, Jewell, and even Jim (for different reasons) were appointed, I was initially dismayed and then spent a while trying to find positives. This time, can we please have someone who makes sense.
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MattinLondon added 14:45 - Oct 22 I would like to see Taricco come here...he loves the club and doesn't mind being unpopular. Whether he will come is another matter all together. On another note I remember reading an article on TWTD in which Arnold Mühren said that he and patrick kluivert would be up for the challenge. Maybe pie in the sky but better than Mick Mills
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eaii added 14:50 - Oct 22 Jewell not gone yet? God help us or should it be God help Mr Evans investment!
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Kesgraveblue57 added 14:55 - Oct 22 I for one was never in favour of Jewell coming to this club, and we have never been in such a crisis at Ipswich, people who say different do not know what crisis is! Since Jewell has been in charge we have gone four times, when his team has not won a game in ten. If this is not a crisis what in hell is!! but as I have said before there is nothing we as fans can do. Mr Evans is the owner, fall stop he can do just as he wants.

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WhoisJimmyJuan added 14:57 - Oct 22 Sibelius8 - totally agree with you about the nastiness. It should never get personal. People are allowed to question his tactics and transfer strategy, and are entitled to get frustrated with him but not in a personal way. I have previously referred to him as a plank, which I should not. That was my frustration. Interesting point about 1963-64. The results were the worst in the club's history. before my time that, but my personal low was 1994-95, which seemed to go on forever. What I would say against your point is that under Milburn we were relegated from the top flight. But this time we are not in the top flight.

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Karlosfandangal added 14:59 - Oct 22 Glad the owner has back Jewell as we have had 4 years of rebuild and with a new manager we start to rebuild again. However is Evans really believes Jewell is the man he should give him a new contract as we are building for the future On paper we have a very good team with some very good players but worry is 8 of them are not ours if these players do turn it around, come Christmas they will be gone and we are back looking for player. Is Jewell the man to take the team forward I don't think so, nice bloke has Ipswich at heart and feel let down by players

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