Town have announced that chief executive Simon Clegg is to leave Portman Road after four years at the club. A press release from Town says that owner Marcus Evans and the rest of the club’s board will take a more active role in the running of the club.

Owner Marcus Evans said: “Following a review of the club’s management structure and the Financial Fair Play budgeting requirements, it became clear that we would need to operate differently going forward and Simon and I mutually agreed that it was time for him to seek new opportunities.

“I would like to place on record my huge appreciation for all of Simon’s hard work, loyalty and professionalism. Over the last four years he has done an outstanding job as the public face of the club.”

Clegg added: “As a result of the strategic review, it is clear that moving towards break-even will challenge all clubs, not just Ipswich Town.

“At the top of our agenda, and quite rightly, has been the priority to protect the playing budget. This, coupled with the owner’s intention to play a more hands-on role, has led me to the decision that now is the right time to seek a new challenge.

“Whilst we have been discussing this for some time, we agreed to leave any final decision until nearer the time when the rules are due to take effect, at the end of this season, and after the end of this last transfer window.

“I will be returning to my family in Surrey and over the coming months will be looking for my next professional challenge in international or domestic sport.”

The club statement announcing Clegg's departure says owner Evans will have a greater involvement in the running of the club: "As part of a strategy to meet the financial challenges of the Financial Fair Play rules, Marcus Evans, the club’s owner, and other members of the board will be taking a more hands-on approach to the day-to-day management of the club."

We understand that with no direct replacement for Clegg being lined-up, current board members Ian Milne, Jonathan Symonds and Martin Pitcher will now take on many of Clegg's duties - liaising with the departing chief executive - but with Evans himself set to be directly in charge at Portman Road in the longer term.

However, it is not yet known whether Evans will be more publicly visible despite the change of role.

Former British Olympic Association chief executive Clegg joined the Blues in April 2009, taking over from Derek Bowden, who yesterday joined Essex Cricket.

Photo: Action Images

Returnofthemac added 11:32 - Feb 5 This has made my day.
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Keaneish added 11:33 - Feb 5 Didn't see that coming! Very interesting! I doubt ME will become the public face but who will? I doubt any of us know much of the board members but i think some comments on here are right, ME can clearly see good times ahead under MM and TC which is evident from the points haul. I imagine MM and TC will be very hands-on with transfer dealings and policies alongside ME which has to be a good thing. I think this is an investment in MM and TC as well as making SC a bit of a scapegoat but clearly the right move! Perhaps he's learning from mistakes made with Keane and Jewell. How much does Clegg take home a year? Would be good to know how this salary will be shared out, if it's going to go into the player wage budget or if its a cost saving. All in all, the right move and a positive move. Phil - can you publish some information on Milne, Symonds and Pitcher?

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Blaine96 added 11:50 - Feb 5 Apparently Clegg was on £150,000 a year.
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spanish_archer added 11:51 - Feb 5 Mick wised up the clown on day one. DAVID DEIN!!!
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spanish_archer added 11:51 - Feb 5 I don't like to see a man lose his job though..
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Tractastic added 11:51 - Feb 5 Great news.From the number of failed potential signings over the years,the constant relegation battles and the appointment of two of the worst managers in the clubs history his tenure can hardly be described as a successful one. Today is a good day for Ipswich Town.
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ArnieMsBigToe added 11:52 - Feb 5 I'm worried. Who is going to ensure that the stands get a lick of paint?
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Chicago_Blue added 11:58 - Feb 5 Maybe we'll secure a loan Chief Exec till the end of the season, but with a 24-hour recall clause. ;-)
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Pessimistic added 11:59 - Feb 5 This is the best bit of transfer dealing all season! Finally, Marcus Evans has seen the light and disposed of the most inappropriate Chief Executive we have ever had! This will come as wonderful news to most long suffering Town supporters who have suffered the man for what seems like an eternity. Let's face it, football was not his domain and to use an athletics term it has come as a great relief that with the help of Marcus Evans he has finally decided to take a running jump!

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ArnieMsBigToe added 12:00 - Feb 5 I have only had the sack once in my life; it was quite a long time ago so I can't remember what my boss said . . . but I'm pretty sure he didn't say it was a chance to seek new opportunities!! Bl%dy priceless!!
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wkj added 12:02 - Feb 5 on face value I was fist pumping an celebrating but when the dust settled I got to thinking... Evans says after looking at Simon's FFP plan not working... does this mean ME thinks Clegg is not right enough? if so this actually might be bad... I hope not but I suspect this might not be as possitive as I had hoped.
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BlueVelvet added 12:07 - Feb 5 Thank hevens - he was only hired for his Olympics connections and now thats over he's an expensive luxury. No neeed for CEO's in football at PR - the other ME flunkies can do his job at no cost. I wonder how much the golden (hopefully bronze) goodbye will be. Good ridence
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Strikes added 12:09 - Feb 5 Whilst initially greeting this as unalloyed good news, there is an element of ME dissolving the Senate and declaring himself Emperor. Are we seeing the beginning of a new dictatorship at PR? At least we won't have to worry about fifty foot portraits of ME adorning the Sir Bob stand.
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portman23 added 12:14 - Feb 5 POW!!!!!!
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ip5w1ch added 12:14 - Feb 5 I'm sure Marcus Evans' involvement in sports hospitality had no bearing on the appointment of (Former British Olympic Association Chief Executive) Simon Clegg three years before the London Olympics. Or his subsequent departure some six months after the Olympics finished…it's all just a coincidence. It makes sense that a businessman of ME's apparent calibre would appoint a CEO, to one of his newly acquired companies, with bugger all experience of that particular industry. Its got nothing to do with budget the ‘strategic review' is that Clegg has served his purpose so there's the door.

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Help added 12:15 - Feb 5 I did say in a previous post that the last players deals were done by ME & Martin Pitcher so I guess it had been agreed in advance and thats why SC had nothing to do with them. I guess Martin might be the new face for a while, but I understand that there is hardly anyone at PR at board level anymore. Like a ghost town.
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TractorBoy added 12:16 - Feb 5 Cheers for the effort.
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andygizmo added 12:21 - Feb 5 So sad that people under anonymity feel the need to make venomous comments about an individual who, whilst he may have been CEO, will undoubtedly been taking instruction from the man who ultimately makes the decisions with the club he owns. I wish SC no ill will and no doubt with 2016 on the horizon will find himself back in the Olympic fold. As for the ill judged comments concerning ME employing SC for his Olympic connections please bear in mind the twitter comments which came back to haunt those who maligned a Tory Peer. There is no factual evidence to support allegations of this nature and to suggest otherwise is folly. ME and his team will look now at the structure of the club and it management and employees so maybe a few more will be finding their way out quite soon. ME will not be standing next to a Box Abramovich style anytime soon if ever, but he will run this as a business and no doubt have a Plan to succeed in a given time period or he will have an exit strategy, Let's hope the latter never comes to pass as, with a lot of other clubs, we are a Portsmouth in waiting. Thankfully the new Management team at least have a plan.

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PinstripeBlue added 12:24 - Feb 5 I do smile reading the posts on here. 3 questions from me to all the Cleggy bashers. When do you believe we will be playing Premiership football now that the only thing holding the club back has gone? I am not saying he was good or bad, however, do you all really believe he was the one and only thing holding us back? Devil's advocate: who is to blame next if we fail to get promoted nest year?

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MVBlue added 12:24 - Feb 5 Positive news. I couldn't see more than a below average future undeer Clegg. Marcus Evans got advice from Paul Jewell on Mick McCarthy and Evans promised him 1mill to stay up, so not sure how much Clegg played in that. Mick's a stand up guy and may have had some involvement. Lets hope Marcus continues to be a steady Owner too.
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BlueVelvet added 12:25 - Feb 5 I suppose its really about what value Oly Clegg adds to the club for a 6 fig salary. ME's 3 flunkies bring legal, financial and comms expertise and MM and TC bring the 'manufacturing' expertise to the business - all areas covered then. Oly was redundant and will leave to look for pastures new in Brazil
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ScottCandage added 12:33 - Feb 5 I'm going to "cleve the baby" as it were. I do think that Clegg was appointed for his Olympic connections. However, had Clegg shown aptitude for the position he would have been retained. Sadly for the club, Clegg didn't. I don't think ME bought the club as a tax offset, although it could be utilized thusly if necessary. I'm getting the feeling that ME is tired of ITFC not challenging for the Premier League, as that is his path to profitability for his investment. Clegg's decisions (fairly or unfairly) can be seen as a large contributor for the failure of ME's investment (so far).

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Tufty added 12:41 - Feb 5 Wonder who.the next scapegoat will be.for the wingers.Hope you get treated with.more respect next time Mr Clegg. Thanks for your efforts.
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whymark4lazio0 added 12:43 - Feb 5 MM must be gutted! He had a "virus" all last week and just when he returns, Clegg is out the door. No chance for Mick to shake his hand, thank him for all his help and wish him all the best.
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Blue041273 added 12:49 - Feb 5 This really makes me laugh. Right from day 1 most of us saw that SC was an ME puppet; he sacked JM 2 days after being appointed. If anyone truly believes that was SC's decision then they need to take a reality check. Thereafter he may have been the face of ITFC but he was always dancing to the ME tune. He has taken some horrendous flak on this forum for various events and outcomes which were almost certainly out of his control but he always performed his duties in a dignified manner upholding the historical traditions of the club and you really couldn't ask for more than that. Few real supporters will feel it appropriate to criticise ME but in this media age we need a savvy person to project an ITFC image to the world. This image should reflect our ambition for progression but also understand our history and traditions. SC may not have been the man best suited to this rolevbut ME needs to find the man (or woman) who is. ME, you may well be the man. If so, please step forward and give us the chance to get to know you, and more importantly, give us the chance to opine on, judge, and possibly criticise your regime. Judging on the preceding posts it would appear few will mourn the passing of SC from the annals of ITFC history but, as some have already implied, we should be careful what we might wish for.

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