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Clegg and Evans Spending Weekend Interviewing Candidates
Clegg and Evans Spending Weekend Interviewing Candidates
Friday, 7th Jan 2011 23:22

Chief executive Simon Clegg and Town owner and chairman Marcus Evans will spend the weekend interviewing potential new bosses. The duo have a number of prospective candidates to speak to with the process already ongoing.

Clegg says he and Evans will spend the next few days working on securing Town’s new manager with an appointment unlikely until Monday at the earliest: “The process is ongoing and we’ll be looking to bring it to a head this weekend. Both Marcus and myself will be involved in the [interview] process. We’ll probably do it separately, then we’ll probably then do it together.”

The Town chiefs know what they are after in a new boss but Clegg was giving little away at Friday’s press conference: “We’ve drawn up a whole list of criteria in terms of what we want for our new manager but I’m not going to put any emphasis on any particular quality.

“We have started the process and we are speaking to a number of people. That process is in train and as soon as I am in a position to announce a new manager I will do so.”

Clegg is well aware that some bookies stopped taking bets on Paul Jewell becoming the Blues boss earlier in the week: “There are a number of names which have been mentioned and I have followed the betting odds with great interest.”

While Jewell is a strong early favourite and Doncaster boss Sean O’Driscoll is another name we understand to be interesting the club, Chris Hughton, Gary Megson, Steve Cotterill, Alan Curbishley, Chris Coleman, Gareth Southgate and Darren Ferguson are all claimed to amongst the other potential candidates.

Jewell's Wigan, Bradford and Derby assistant Chris Hutchings was sacked by Walsall earlier in the week, while one report claims that West Ham coach Wally Downes is being lined up as the Liverpudlian's right-hand man at Town.

The former British Olympic Association chief says he and owner Evans have been assessing Town’s progress, or lack of it, under Roy Keane for a while: “Marcus and I have been discussing the run of form and this has been a fluid and evolving situation. Marcus and I have been discussing the situation for a period of time now and this all came to a head on Thursday.


“Decisions of this nature should not revolve around one particular game. I think we were sixth in the table after we beat Sheffield United at the beginning of November and since then the performance of the team has been very disappointing.

“We’d always said we were going to review the situation at the halfway point of the season. We needed to give the new manager the opportunity to come in and not only have the second half of the season but have the opportunity of the remainder of the transfer window.”

Clegg says he got on well with Keane and dismissed suggestions that the Irishman’s spiky nature led to his exit: “On a personal level, I’ve greatly enjoyed working with him and it’s been a very easy relationship.

“In terms of personality, every manager has their own management style. Having spoken to the players today, a lot of them have benefited from the huge strengths that he brought to the football club.

“This is a hard game and we need to prepare people for the conflict of a football game. Roy has a particular management style. We bought into that, we accepted that, but with the benefit of hindsight it’s not delivered what we hoped it would deliver.”

Clegg refuted accusations that appointing Keane was a mistake: “I certainly don’t accept that it was the wrong decision. With the benefit of hindsight it’s disappointing that he has not been able to achieve the very high standards and the expectations that he demands of himself.

“He’s an awesome individual, someone who I have a huge amount of respect for and have grown to like over the last 20 months. It is disappointing that he wasn’t able to achieve what we set out to achieve.”

Keane regularly bemoaned the lack of support he received in the transfer market, particularly last summer, but Clegg says that with some exceptions deals were done: “He did get the backing of myself and the owner, you only need to look at the track record in terms of the players that were brought in.

“I do accept that there were one or two individuals that we weren’t able to bring in, for whatever reason, primarily driven by the wages they wanted to receive, but that’s history and we move on.”

The 51-year-old promised that the incoming boss would have money to spend: “The new manager will be given assurances that he will have the support and resources to achieve the objectives we have for the club.

“If you look at our track record, every transfer window that Roy’s been here we’ve made some fairly significant signings and we will continue to support the new manager in the way we supported Roy Keane.

“The new manager will face the challenge of getting himself up to speed with the current players and seeing whether he can get more out of the current players than Roy Keane was able to. Look at the squad, identify what the weaknesses are and look to fill those.”

Clegg still sees the play-offs as a realistic target but concedes that the top six is a big ask: “I recognise it’s a huge task and I’m not suggesting that’s an objective we will be setting the new manager, but certainly we need to improve our position in the table and take this club forward. Certainly we should be aspiring for success this season and hoping we can get into the play-offs.”

The chief executive says that unlike when Sir Alex Ferguson recalled his Manchester United players from Preston in the wake of his son Darren’s sacking, Jack Colback’s return to Sunderland was purely down to injuries at the Stadium of Light rather than having anything to do with Keane’s friendship with Steve Bruce: “I spoke to Jack in my office before he got on the road to get back to Sunderland.

“Steve Bruce has called him back and I’m sorry to see him go, I think he’s made a great contribution to this club, both this season and last and he’s the type of player that I’d like to see back here in the future.”

The Harlington-born former Para says that despite the current position and Keane’s sacking, the basis of a decent side is at the club he joined two days before the departed boss: “I’m confident that with the ongoing commitment and support of the owner, the drive and determination of the players and the staff we have the nucleus of a good team and that we can move this club forward.”

Clegg also reaffirmed Evans’s commitment to Town: “He remains absolutely firm behind this football club and will continue to support it.”


Photo: Action Images



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oddball added 13:38 - Jan 8
Agree with bertschin that someone already in place, it is however fun to speculate who that someone is.
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NITFC added 14:54 - Jan 8
Jewell will be ok for me. Megson? God help us!!!
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farquinell added 15:23 - Jan 8
what about burley, love the town did great when last in charge knows the type of football the fans expect!
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 15:39 - Jan 8
Drop everything and persuade Roy Hodgson to come to Ipswich! Dream candidate: vast and impressive pedigree, international experience and connections (a legend already in the 90s in Malmö, Sweden, for example), great tactician, great team-builder, gives an honest assessment, and doesn't say "the boy done good" every second sentence.
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_Mhs_ added 16:05 - Jan 8
'i've been following the odds with great interest' - maybe cleggs planning a cheeky little bet once they've decided!
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hollywoodginge added 16:44 - Jan 8
Hodgson sacked!!!
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heavenlyblue added 18:03 - Jan 8
I'm for conspiracy theory! I understand that Roy Hodgson is a friend of Marcus Evans (???). Therefore could the timing of the 'amicable split' between Liverpool and Hodgson be significant ???????????
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heavenlyblue added 18:05 - Jan 8
I'm for conspiracy theory! I understand that Roy Hodgson is a friend of Marcus Evans (???). Therefore could the timing of the 'amicable split' between Liverpool and Hodgson and Keane's sacking be significant ???????????
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brogansnose added 18:12 - Jan 8
Evans and Clegg know so much about football............can you imagine the questions ?
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ITFCspudd added 18:33 - Jan 8
O'Driscoll!
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Saxonblue added 20:21 - Jan 8
What price Curbishly? Fits perfectly with a club like ours and a great track record.
He should have been appointed last time.

Last time we went for the glamour and fame of Keane's name. This was a big mistake- now we need a man who can instill confidence in the club from the players, fans and from the whole Town.

I'm not a fan of Clegg- seems a nice guy but doesn't appear to be a football man. I hope he gets it right this time or we could be in the wilderness for a generation.

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TractorRoyNo1 added 21:07 - Jan 8
don't understand this, surely they have had weeks / months to have lined up their new-duck before shooting their lame-duck
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TractorRoyNo1 added 21:10 - Jan 8
what only 20 names being suggested, good to see the 'anyone but keane' gang know what they want next
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TractorRoyNo1 added 21:13 - Jan 8
perfikkk, left Charlton in the dirt, sacked by West Ham, been out of work for 3 years so no one else has wanted him, ideal choice! - what are you on?



Saxonblue added 20:21 - Jan 8
What price Curbishly? Fits perfectly with a club like ours and a great track record.
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Keaneish added 21:47 - Jan 8
Moisha - Ah yeah, fair shout forgot about BFJ.
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Keaneish added 21:52 - Jan 8
Tractor Roy - that's not right about Curbs. He hardly stitched Charlton up did he considering the success he gave them and he saved West Ham before resigning. Contractual settlement in the courts meant he couldn't work until the dispute was resolved which explains part of the absence in the last few years.
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bluelady added 22:24 - Jan 8
Hodgson!!!! Said it before will say it again, jewell a smoke screen!!
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bluelady added 08:42 - Jan 9
Hodgson!!!! Said it before will say it again, jewell a smoke screen!!
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4dy added 20:59 - Jan 9
lets have poyet,he'd get us playing football
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4dy added 21:02 - Jan 9
lets have poyet,he'd get us playing football
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warwickblue added 12:04 - Jan 10
So will we ever to get to hear who the other candidates were that were interviewed over the weekend? And why did the book close on Jewell three days ago?
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BlueVelvet added 17:37 - Jan 10
Did we believe Oly(mpics) Clegg at the time, No. It was all stitched up on Friday and PJ wasn't going to take the reigns with the Chelsea match on the cards - who would want a 7-0 drobbing on their CV, and equally PJ thinks that Weds game will be a similar affair so let McP take the can for that.

Oly needs to think about his future at the club - he allowed good talent to walk out the door - Rhodes, David Wright, Stead, Walters etc etc. Learn ya trade and then come back - 2012 will come and go and then you'll be on the post Olympics gravy train again.
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