TWTD understands that chief scout Steve McCall has left the club after 13 years on the staff.

The 53-year-old’s role is understood to have no longer been required with Mick McCarthy bringing in long-time associates Dave Bowman and Ian ‘Taff’ Evans from Wolves to take on scouting duties soon after he took over as boss.

McCall was a member of Sir Bobby Robson’s 1981 UEFA Cup-winning side, having come through the Blues’ youth set-up in the late seventies.

The versatile England U21 international joined Sheffield Wednesday in 1987 and also featured for hometown club Carlisle on loan, Plymouth (twice), Torquay and Workington in a long playing career. He was briefly manager of the Pilgrims and had spells coaching at Home Park and with Torquay.

Following a spell scouting part-time for the Blues in the South-West, McCall returned to Town on a full-time basis in the summer of 2001, initially taking on a role as scouting co-ordinator under his former team-mate George Burley’s management.

He subsequently worked in various coaching and scouting roles before being appointed chief scout by Jim Magilton in 2006.

Photo: Action Images

Marcus added 18:22 - Jul 1 Sad to see him leave, however I'm sure Mick prefers to have his own people around him and hopefully he can unearth more gems from the lower divisions.
4

rayman_10 added 18:24 - Jul 1 A shame to lose a person who has been at Ipswich the majority of his footballing years. However, I trust McCarthy's judgement. Good luck for the future Steve and thanks for the years of loyalty!
6

NoCanariesAllowed added 18:27 - Jul 1 A man who now represents a past era, perhaps. Shame to lose him but the club is moving on under Mick McCarthy of late, and maybe it is time for Steve to move on too.
4

Bluetone added 18:29 - Jul 1 This is not good news.
3

RegencyBlue added 18:37 - Jul 1 Bluetone Why? I have no idea about the goings on behind the scenes at the club but we haven't exactly unearthed quality players over the last few years. Time for a new broom!
2

blueboy1981 added 18:43 - Jul 1 ........ more 'TRUE IPSWICH PEDIGREE' - leaves us, and not by choice. Sad that. Only time will tell how foolhardy, or otherwise, this all proves to be. From a 'true' Ipswich Supporter who has been around this Club for many,many years, coughing up as you do - and having been part of the 'good old days' - THANK YOU STEVE - I wish you well, you deserve a good Club.
6

tractordownsouth added 18:50 - Jul 1 Shame, good luck to him though.
0

Popeye added 18:54 - Jul 1 Mark Kennedy next hopefully!
5

blueboy1981 added 18:57 - Jul 1 ....... I guess I speak for more than just a few others, when I say after Supporting this Club as a Season Ticket holder since 1970 - this is my last intended season as such, unless things change very much for the better. Maybe this happens to all Clubs - but this is becoming far from the Club we once knew - in so many ways. This topic is yet another example. Maybe it has to happen, but not necessarily to move forward - as we have progressively seen over recent seasons / years - equally so maybe a significant sign of the game in general today !!! Now for the minus's - and to be told to go to Norwich - yet another example of change !!! ...........

3

WhoisJimmyJuan added 19:14 - Jul 1 Not at all Blueboy 1981. Why would any of us mark your threat to sever ties with the club with negatives?
1

Whitecaps_Fan added 19:22 - Jul 1 Loyal member of the club for many years. Good luck in the future Steve
2

Steelmonkey added 19:26 - Jul 1 So, can anyone report on who these two "Scouts" have unearthed and brought to the club, and that are pushing for first team places. A deathly silience echos around PR once more, and it's not even a Saturday. All the best Steve. Here, here blueboy1981.
1

Millsey added 19:33 - Jul 1 Will some of you stop living in the past. Years ago it was a different world, things have moved on albeit sometimes not for the better, but hey do some of you lot do the same things everyday, never changing anything for better or worse??? This is a business after all and we've been living in the doldrums for over a decade. Onwards and upwards COYB's
5

SouperJim added 20:00 - Jul 1 There is no football club. The fans are the football club.
1

blueboy1981 added 20:50 - Jul 1 ......... Steelmonkey - absolutely right, who have they unearthed, as yet anyway ? The 'new breed' of Ipswich Supporter (easily self identified!) would choose to conveniently overlook that fact.
0

floridaboy added 20:50 - Jul 1 Don't take much for a few to throw their dummies out of their prams. Come on you few move into the real world. There is not such thing in football as loyalty anymore. The club is now cutting its cloth accordingly. Why do we need 3 scouts. Mick has brought in two of his own trusted scouts. Lets trust in what he does and move on.
2

yorksblue added 21:02 - Jul 1 Anyone old enough to remember Steve's goal away to Coventry in early 80's? Oops sorry for reminiscing. Can't have that, can we!
5

not_a_witty_name added 21:13 - Jul 1 Good luck Steve, ITFC legend. Football has moved on so Ipswich have to else they lag behind. Unfortunately the game isn't the same as it was in the 70's, 80's and even the 90's. The FA and FIFA have chosen to change the rules to overly protect the fancy players at the expense of the honest ones. With the state of the game now, If I were a youngster I think I'd be a rugby fan. COYB

3

Count_Arthur added 21:18 - Jul 1 "I don't know what goes on behind the scenes in the club" well, you said it! I know for a fact that Steve is a fantastic servant to the club and is a link to its glory days and am sad to see him go because of a cost cutting measure. He's done a fantastic job under a host of managers and you must bear in mind he finds some potentially great players but it's not his decision, or his money that say if they get signed or not. Good luck Steve, enjoy the rest of Wimbledon on TV!

3

LWNR2013 added 22:05 - Jul 1 The change that the club has gone through/ is still going through is due to the financial ruination that happened 10/12 years ago and marked the end of the good old days - thankfully we now have businessmen at the helm.
-1

Simonds92 added 22:45 - Jul 1 I don't get all this because 'I've supported itfc for X amount of years it makes me more of a fan because I remember the good times'. Being only 21 I've had a season ticket for the last 14 years, does that mean I don't understand as much about the football club? Steve McCall seems like a good ipswich town bloke, but as someone said previously, what talents have we ever unearthed that have gone on to be successful in the last 13 years? Aaron cresswell and Jon walters? (who was really brought to our attention by our defence against Chester)

1

bluemagic74 added 23:01 - Jul 1 Sad to see u go, thanks for all your work with ITFC over all the years, the best of luck steve.
1

cats_whiskers added 23:25 - Jul 1 I agree with 'Regency Blue' What GEMS have this club brought through to first team standard over the past decade? The club has lost a lot of Millions on players who have come and gone in transfers Even 'Andy Drury' has now gone back to Luton for a lot more than Crawley paid. McCall isn't in the class of Ron Gray who actually did unearth some real talent when Bob by Robson was our manager.

2

bedsitfc added 05:46 - Jul 2 Our scouting has been poor for years not just 1 or 2 years and unfortunately we have a town legend as head scout but his scouting has got us who? We need change end of.
3

bluelady added 07:54 - Jul 2 Dear dear dear some people will always find a negative spin for each and every post.... Blueboy what "gem" has Steve McCall uncovered in the last 13 years? Also just maybe he felt the time was right to leave too - no one said he was being kicked out screaming! I just find some of the posts so depressing at times, if being a town fan is making you so unhappy maybe it is time to find a new past time? Good luck Steve, I remember you as a town player and a very good one at that, hope you are successful in whatever you do next

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