Town have confirmed former Bradford, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan and Derby boss Paul Jewell as their new manager. The 46-year-old has signed a two-and-a half-year contract.

Chief executive Simon Clegg welcomed the new Town boss at a lunchtime press conference at Portman Road: “I’m absolutely delighted to confirm Paul Jewell as our new Ipswich Town manager. The last few days have been long and eventful and we have considered and spoken to a number of people who were interested in the job.

“However, the owner Marcus Evans and I, including being one of only three managers to achieve promotion to the Premier League with two different clubs [along with Steve Coppell and Mick McCarthy], will ensure that we can achieve the goals we have set for this club.

“It’s interesting that on these two occasions promotion to the Premier League cost Ipswich Town automatic promotion and we look forward to Paul giving us automatic promotion in years to come.

“Paul respects the traditions and history of this great club, but we as a club need to be looking forwards and not backwards and I’m sure under Paul under his regime the club will achieve his own history.

“He also recognises the huge importance of the community links that we as a club enjoy, and the owner and I will fully support Paul to ensure that he can achieve the objectives that we have set for this club.”

Owner Marcus Evans added his reasons for employing his new manager: "I wanted to appoint a manager with several years of experience behind them who also had a history of promotion and then staying up.

"I have been lucky enough to find a manager in Paul who has done that twice and pertinently with two clubs who had never been in the Premier League.

"It was also important to bring someone to the club who could play the way Ipswich expect the game to be played and who will embrace the club's role in the community."

Jewell signed his contract with the Blues last night having met with Evans at his company's offices in Dublin on Friday, after he says he was contacted by the Town owner and chairman in the wake of Roy Keane's sacking on Thursday.

The new boss says current coaches Ian McParland and Tony Loughlan will pick the team for Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final against Arsenal with the Jewell years starting in earnest from Thursday.

Photo: Action Images

borge added 14:04 - Jan 10 Great appointment. An amiable bloke with a decent man-management style, with a history of getting teams promoted playing the right way. Actually glad that he didn't suggest he was going to go wild in the transfer market - after 4 and a half years listening to the last two managers constantly say they need to reinforce and chopping and changing line-ups, it will do the players good to have someone tell them that they should just enjoy their football rather than worry about playing in an entirely different team each week.

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blueherts added 14:04 - Jan 10 Feel positive - Right attitude , gonna get players on side rather than intimidate and punish - a true Man manager who I think will really get the best out of players Start of a new era .........
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Martus added 14:04 - Jan 10 Watched his press conference and was very impressed. He's not going to bombard the team with new signings but he is going to gradually enhance the sqaud, and get a TEAM together. This is very prmoising and if he gets Ipswich to play anything like his Wigan team, then the next two years are looking good. Like some one stated earlier, i hope he gets Town to play some passing attractive football. I also like how he said it is a long term push for promotion, lets be honest if we went up with our current team then we would be destroyed in the Prem. So he said he is going to get this team together and improve where it needs improving. This looks a good apointment and I hope we give him enough time like we did with Keane to sort out Keanes mess.

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statto72 added 14:05 - Jan 10 Welcome to ITFC PJ. I'm starting to wish we'd appointed you in April 2009 instead of that Irish bloke. Just one other point - Can you imagine if the internet and this website existed in 1969, it would be full of people moaning "Bloody hell, why have we hired Bobby Robson? He's only just got the sack from Fulham!"
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depressed added 14:07 - Jan 10 Good luck PJ, hopefully you will bring the good times back to portman road. Curious now to know who you will bring in as your assistant and when it will be announced
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whoppit added 14:08 - Jan 10 Frank Bough for ass.istant?
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Suffolk_n_Good added 14:09 - Jan 10 LOL! A great point statto72!!
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trueblue added 14:10 - Jan 10 Good luck Paul 100% positive apointment, now we need 100% from the players and fans, bring back the good times ps. can we have a decent striker or two
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depressed added 14:10 - Jan 10 Now Now !! Whoppit
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BlooooCD added 14:10 - Jan 10 Already made me smile! iN ON EBREATH Promised not to make any guarantee's - Next sentence I guarantee I will be trying! ha ha! BIG Paul Jewells BARMY ARMY!!! COYB's!
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woodpecker added 14:11 - Jan 10 Good luck Paul Jewell i hope your appointment turns out to be a successful one
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Smithy added 14:12 - Jan 10 All the best Paul, heres to a succesful, enjoyable and entertaining tenure
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elmswellblue added 14:15 - Jan 10 Wish Paul Jewell all the the very best, it is down to the fans to get togeather and support the man. All very well saying this and that should have got the job, let us get behind the team because in the past few months Portman Road has been like a library.
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MarkG76 added 14:16 - Jan 10 I am looking forward to a new start as much as the players! Keane obviously was respected by the older players but not so much the younger ones. In any company the 'boss' is going to have those who don't like them - for whatever reasons. The trick is making sure that more are on your side than aren't. Keane's biggest failing was his man management skills with those players who needed a confidence boost. Let's hope Jewell is able to bring the squad together.

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itfc1981 added 14:18 - Jan 10 Paul Jewell's Blue and White Army!
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whoppit added 14:19 - Jan 10 Jewell is taking all the players for a bonding session tomorrow. A little assless chaps hot-tubbing works wonders for morale !!!
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dirtydingusmagee added 14:24 - Jan 10 so despite Clegg trying to it keep all a guessing game ,it is PJ after all.Welcome to Town PJ, keep us afloat this term will do, we are far from being a Prem team ,so two and a half years to sort out the Keane Legacy, good luck.Now hope we can see some football. The post appointment interview was very ''vague'' but at least you didnt follow Keanes entrance .COYB

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jpsmith added 14:24 - Jan 10 Google Paul Jewel and look at the image section... top lad
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onlybluesandhorses added 14:27 - Jan 10 "having met with Evans at his company's offices in Dublin on Friday" what no UK office? is ME not paying his share of UK tax then?
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foster added 14:28 - Jan 10 hopefully he'll get money to spend and hopefully he'll spend it well unlike keane who just got s**t
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claaarky added 14:29 - Jan 10 Feel like it's another missed opportunity to be honest but feeling more optimistic after hearing the press conference. Sounds quite realistic, talked sense. Not sure about a 'long term' approach - feel we've been down that road a few times now and ended up right where we started. Contract is for a couple of seasons which suggests promotion is the aim in that term. We've had the nucleus of a promotion side for 4 years now. I agree we need to build a team capable of staying up once promoted, but who has the power to choose when they'll be promoted. Any team that can get you promoted is capable of staying there - look at Blackpool. That's all down to the right manager building incredible team spirit. Hopefully Jewell will turn out to be a diamond and get us up with a few additions and some top man management.

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bluesman added 14:31 - Jan 10 I'm a lifelong Town fan who voted with his feet halfway through last season. I'm sorry but I am not going to Portman Road to watch 11 cloggers kick lumps out of people. Me and about 12,000 other regulars. So here's to sweet passing football, Mr Jewell.
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Vic added 14:32 - Jan 10 Welcome Paul and all the best.
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alfromcol added 14:32 - Jan 10 Good luck PJ, bring back some attacking football and some consistency in team selection. We should be able to turn up on a Saturday and more or less know what the team will be (barring injuries). Unlike with RK when the most exciting part of some match days was guessing who would start the game.
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AriesUK added 14:34 - Jan 10 Two and hald years of misery and mediocre rubbish to come..well done the board..so much vision and ambition.
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