Former Blues skipper Matt Holland could be part of the new Town management set-up. The 38-year-old watched yesterday’s 3-0 home defeat from the directors’ box and was remaining tight-lipped regarding the Blues’ managerial situation.

Holland is unlikely to be in line for the top job but is understood to be close to Alan Curbishley and was his captain during his time at the Valley and also worked with Mick McCarthy while playing with the Republic of Ireland. A position on the new backroom staff would be a hugely popular move with supporters.

The one-time midfielder, who is the patron of the ITFC Charitable Trust, turned down a request for an interview on Saturday’s Life’s a Pitch and was similarly unwilling to comment on the situation when questioned at the game.

The ex-Bournemouth man started his career under Town owner Marcus Evans's close friend and advisor Harry Redknapp at West Ham. Redknapp's long-term assistant Kevin Bond, like his former boss a one-time manager of the Cherries, was also in the Portman Road directors' box yesterday.

This morning's papers have little new on the Town management situation, aside from last night's link with Ian Holloway, with the process of finding Paul Jewell's successor still ongoing.

You can hear yesterday’s Life’s a Pitch, which includes interviews with former Blues James Scowcroft (1hr 10min 38secs) and Hermann Hreidarsson (1hr 24mins 00secs), as well as ex-Radio Orwell sports editor Peter Slater (6mins 00secs, 39mins 09secs), who is now with Five Live, here.

Photo: Action Images

blue added 14:17 - Oct 28 No matter who comes in at the end of the day its the players letting us down !!! The play topsyturvy and whoever comes will only add a player or 2 which will might change the results. I watched brighton game but only to see in the second half 2 attacks on goal when 1-0 up and had to drink my pint quick and ran down the steps nearly tossing my pie as i see within 1 min of restart a chance go missing. Maybe should of tossed me pie at the goalie we might of scored :)

0

stewartwonderland added 14:19 - Oct 28 I think this is a big clue as to what may happen, Matty Holland is an honest bloke and would have denied any rumours if asked, so there must be something going on. For me he would be a great appointment for assistant manager, would please most fans and he loves the club. So the new manager has to be one of four possibilities who all know Holland very well, either Curbishley, McCarthy, Burley or Rednapp.

0

OrkneyBlue added 14:58 - Oct 28 I don't want to jinx it but McCarthy/Burley/Curbs with Matt Holland as assistant would be the best news ITFC has had for a long long time. Can you please all keep fingers, toes and everything else crossed. Please. COYB
0

Elizabeth added 15:07 - Oct 28 This is the best news that I have heard for a long time !! With the correct choice for number 1 , it could just be what the club needs. There needs to be a complete change of personnel especially players that have no intention of playing for the shirt !! They are just contented to take the money rather than knuckle down and actually put in a decent shift ! There needs to be some discipline instilled into these individuals ! I look forward very much for a new management team to arrive so that we can start to climb the table. I am ever the optimist and I do believe that we can survive this season .COYB .

0

Jewels added 15:54 - Oct 28 Alan Curbishly and Matt Holland for me. Bobby Robson had a lot of respect for Curbishly and really rated him as a manager. I know he hasn't been a manager for a while but with Matt's assistance I am sure that they can pull our team together. Curbishly is a decent bloke who would need to quickly weed out our weak links ie: Lee Martin who does some good stuff but does more bad and can't find the back of the net if his life depended on it. He thinks he's better than he is, I don't rate him at all.

0

BillBlue added 16:02 - Oct 28 If you people really do want Mattie in some role I think he would only be successful if he learned his trade under somebody like Paul Sturrock of Southend and I also think that a lot worse things than that could happen to us. COYB
0

BillBlue added 16:04 - Oct 28 Yes Elizabeth, I agree. COYB
0

50yearsablue added 16:05 - Oct 28 I have seen some crass statements on here over the months/years but TheHighwayman has topped the lot and has received the most appropriate response with a record number of negatives
0

hairbear added 16:15 - Oct 28 Of all the names regularly mentioned on here owen coyle is the only one i can't get my head round. He had 1 really good season at Burnley, then dropped them like a hot stone for a slightly bigger club only to get an established perm team relegated! He would be near bottom of my list. Holland in!!! Holland in!!! Holland in!!!
0

greenkingtone added 16:36 - Oct 28 The incoming manager must have a totally different mind set to Chopra and friends. Hence I am against Shearer and anyone the players would want.
0

ivandeighton added 16:46 - Oct 28 if we could get hollaway brill as for macarthy hes favourite for the palace job he only lives a few miles away so iooks like palace are favourites but davies is the man to save our season hes got the education hope for good news next week
0

1RWR added 16:50 - Oct 28 "The Highwayman" You are a bafoon, yes a BAFOON. Look it up because with comments like that you need to be struck off this forum. Matt Holland = legend......look that up as well......oh & he was a gentleman as well. idiot!
0

stoofer added 17:04 - Oct 28 would be good to see matt in some roll at the club, but for me not under burley,while he brought us some of our best years of late he seems to have lost his way,his current form is pretty poor and i think you can put him in the "nice" category prob not what we need right now . (a totally nice bloke who i`m grateful for what he has done for the club but i just believe we need someone strong in charge at this moment).

0

skankerman added 17:16 - Oct 28 I have total respect for Matt Holland he was great for this club would love him on board some blue blood in the set up would fit well with Curbs always was my choice if it happens
0

Cheshire_Blue added 18:00 - Oct 28 How about Harry Redknapp's dog ? After all, it seems to have been capable of running a bank account so why can't it manage our football club?
0

Whymarktonomarks added 18:20 - Oct 28 Total respect to Matty if he left his safe punditry lifestyle ( as he is one of the best on the box ) to be thrown in at the deep end , in whatever capacity . Just can't help but feel though ,because of the lack of passion e.t.c., that we are putting our longing for a legend ahead of rational thinking and the appointment of possibly more suited candidates . Probably reflects of what a bad space we find ourselves in . Just for the record , just don't get the M'carthy fuss at all . All I ever read on here is that we long for entertainment to return . Yes ,I know we are in a predicament ( to put it mildly ) but M'carthy and entertainment does not fit in the same sentance . I think we do need to gamble . A journeyman ( Megson , blah , blah ,plus all the others ) possibly may save us from the drop , possibly may not , but then what ? Two more seasons of mediocrity and no progression . No thanks , been there ( too often ) , done that . Still would champion Ferguson ,among others ,and I just don't get why he is not favoured more . Boyd went right off the boil when the transfer speculation surrounded him ,and now Fergy Jnr., has got him back playing at his best . How many young Managers could handle that situation as well as that ? Lastly for all you ,' No ex Budgie's please ,' how many would take Lambert ?

0

megamoth added 19:00 - Oct 28 For me, Curbishley/ Holland is perfection. If they can be convinced, make it so
0

muccletonjoe added 19:10 - Oct 28 Holland is the sort of guy we need involved in this football club and leads me to believe we might make the correct choices this time , lets hope so.
0

Lower_North added 19:31 - Oct 28 Bang right The Highwayman Pretty boy never been booked,sent off, blah bla blah.. We need something with a abit more bull to stand up to this present crock of sh"te on th pitch if we are going to get out of this. Step forward Sir Mick McCarthy..
0

mannos6 added 19:33 - Oct 28 Think the highwayman is going for the most negatives to a post!! Holland will be a number to here I think it will be burley or curbs with him being their captain at their respective clubs... Thinking there will be more news tomorrow on who it will be with appointment by Wednesday latest.
0

IvorFeeling added 19:40 - Oct 28 if this is correct and Matty is being lined up to join a manager this has to be great news. it could be Matt, venus, fabian, devos etc but each of these bleed blue, know the club, supporters and can help us get our mojo back. Each team needs an ethos/spirit and that's why we are in this mess as when you look at the team and management structure only Klug knows and breathes the club. Klug should be put in charge until we get the next no 1 as Hutchings is as much to blame as PJ was. No doubt lots of speculation until we get our next manager but can't help but think it will be Curbs. MM turned down Forest with new owners to wait for a prem club, and we are currently a million miles away from that! COYB and Marcus let's put Clegg out of his misery so we can start afresh - interesting that PJ had more of a relationship with ME than Cleggy yet he is around more. What does SC do? Answers on a postcard to 'Sweet FA Cleggy competition, PR, Ipswich'.

0

Talbs77 added 19:48 - Oct 28 I love this story. By the way mannos6, I agree with you we need a long term plan to sort the club out, if that result in PL football great. But I just want to see us challenging again, not dropping into League 1 due to short term PL asperations.
0

jamesmostevens added 19:50 - Oct 28 If Clegg reveals we are after Holland, I will assume it's either Jools or the Beach Boys album.
0

dommyboyblue added 19:56 - Oct 28 The only issue I see with Curbs is what his wage demands are. For that reason I can see Burley, would prefer curbs (same with McCarthy as well) though.
0

matthewharley added 20:35 - Oct 28 well twtd all i can say is Marcus evans cannot be close friends with rednapp because if he was Harry would be at our club until at least xmas to help oversea the club through this difficult time and to help appoint the special one that is needed to transpire the s***t that we are in, good friends my arse as everyone knows friends help each other in very trecherous time i suspect Marcus has done harry numerous favours through his catering business's in all the time they have supposed to of known each other i cant say that conversations over the phone can really help at all, thats just opinions in conversations, so this nonsense about them being good friends is just name dropping and nothing more apart from the odd game of golf absolute b******s

0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls