Town owner Marcus Evans says it’s unlikely that the new Blues boss will be appointed before the end of the season. Last night Mick McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor left the club with Bryan Klug put in temporary charge for the final four matches.

“Appointing a manager is one of the most important - if not the most important - decision an owner of a football club will make,” Evans told the club site.

“I have started the process but I will take all the time I need to find the right person.

“A lot can happen around the end of the season with managers so I want to be in the best position I can be before making an appointment.

“I can’t rule it out completely but I don’t envisage confirming our next manager until the season is finished.”

A number of the potential candidates for the job - including former skipper and coach Tony Mowbray - are currently in work and are unlikely to be in a position to decide on their futures before the end of the season.

Lincoln boss Danny Cowley remains the bookies' favourite, 5-2 with Bet Victor, ahead of Blackburn manager Mowbray at 10-1, while other possible contenders such as Shrewsbury's Paul Hurst and Wigan's Paul Cook, both 16-1, also still have something riding on their seasons with their current clubs, as have Luton's Nathan Jones and St Mirren's Jack Ross, both 25-1.

Following the departure of Mick McCarthy, Ipswich Town owner Marcus Evans will be speaking on-camera for the very first time in an interview that will be made available to all #itfc supporters. pic.twitter.com/JTAyvk529B

— Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) April 11, 2018

Former Blues striker Shefki Kuqi, currently without a club and at 12-1, is among those to have formally applied for the job, while it's understood ex-Reading manager Jaap Stam, 33-1, is also one of those in the running. Another Dutchman, VVV-Venlo's Maurice Steijn, has been repeatedly linked.

It's understood Town are keen to look at recruiting from the younger crop of up and coming managers rather than a more senior figure.

Former England manager Steve McClaren, 10-1, and ex-Rangers, Brentford and Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton, 14-1, have been linked by the tabloids.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was at Griffin Park to watch Saturday's game against Brentford, is also believed to be interested but appears very much an outsider having been sacked by Northampton recently, while Leicester City assistant boss Michael Appleton, 25-1, is another who could apply to become only the 16th full-time manager in the club's history.

Ex-loanee David Unsworth, 25-1, is also said to be keen but again would be a surprise choice given his lack of first-team management experience.

Portuguese boss José Gomes claimed he was in "early negotiations" with Town earlier in the week but again seems very unlikely to be in contention.

Photo: Action Images

vanmunt added 09:11 - Apr 11 Take your time, get someone for the future not a yesterday man is all I ask.
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blueboy1981 added 09:14 - Apr 11 Absolutely right decision.
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DanFord added 09:15 - Apr 11 This is as good a window into Evans thoughts as we can possibly hope for at this time. While it doesn't rule out taking the latest uninspiring manager from the merrygoround like Pardew, Pearson or McClaren, it does suggest Evans is not just going to appoint the best manager that's available now and may well have a target or targets in mind that are doing good things at another club.

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iaintaylorx added 09:20 - Apr 11 Have a punt on Steijn!
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jocasaja added 09:22 - Apr 11 The Dutch guy could also be interesting...also why not consider Bryan Klug as he is Ipswich through and through and has a great knowledge of the club and the youngsters coming through
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Cloddyseedbed added 09:26 - Apr 11 Please take your time. No idea what is going through your mind at the minute though. You most certainly are not a football man with a football brain. Keep running the club like you have been on a shoestring and letting the club and entertainment continue to be shoddy and you won't have a club or supporter base left. Your decision to keep yourself out of the limelight and distance yourself from what is going on is wrong and so is putting no football people as your voice in the club. Fans want to feel a connection to the club, a sense of belonging and know we are part of something being built and getting better and stronger, this is continuing not to happen. Change your philosophy of how you are doing things man. To continue to do things as you are when they are proving to not be in the clubs interests as we are not moving forwards is wrong. If you can't see that you are as deluded as MM was. Get some football people around you and give them responsibility, give your staff responsibility, don't make everything go through muppet Milne!

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Gazelle added 09:31 - Apr 11 Judging by the remarks on here whoever we get isn't going to please everybody but whether it's your choice or not let's get behind the new man in the job and cease the vitriolic comments as soon as we have a defeat or fail to score.
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GiveusaWave added 09:46 - Apr 11 Klug will be a good interim-manager. Good appointment IMO.I think last time he was caretaker-manager he didn't get to lead the team? This time he has four games. Hopefully four back-to-back wins.
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Karlosfandangal added 09:47 - Apr 11 Jocasaja I feel that the club need fresh eyes, some new ideas. Klug will have some of McCarthy,s ideas and approach and if it did not work out we would lose a very good coach for the youngsters. Having said that will he throw the youngsters in and being Ipswich through and through he may be just what the club need. Exciting times ahead
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BlueandTruesince82 added 09:49 - Apr 11 Steijn, Cook, Jones, Hurst, Cowley Mogga is how my list would read. Potter would be there to if I thought he would be at all gettable
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bahri added 09:52 - Apr 11 David Unsworth
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BlueBlood90 added 09:52 - Apr 11 "It's understood Town are keen to look at recruiting from the younger crop of up and coming managers rather than a more senior figure." Very happy to see this. I'd hate for us to appoint a Steve McClaren, Simon Grayson or Alan Pardew type. I'd like to see someone like Nathan Jones or Danny Cowley personally. People seem to be slating Cowley's style of football but he's been very successful in his short time in management and we hardly have a squad capable of playing total passing football anyway so his style might suit us better.

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bedsitfc added 09:52 - Apr 11 It is very important to get the right person in! It's the biggest appointment Marcus will make in his time as owner more so than other appointments. Crowds dwindling etc. Get a manager for the future And we supporters need to accept there may well be choppy water ahead.
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bluerico added 09:52 - Apr 11 Hopefully this means it will be someone currently employed who will want to see the season out with his current club. This is better than getting someone now just because they are available.
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TrumptonBlue added 09:53 - Apr 11 "It's understood Town are keen to look at recruiting from the younger crop of up and coming managers rather than a more senior figure." That's encouraging.
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Seasider added 10:16 - Apr 11 This is quite heartening to hear from Marcus again. Things are moving slowly;but in the EADT it also said that he had to wait to get rid of Mick until the play offs were not possible.A clause in his contract ? So us fans do not always have the full facts on wish to base our assumptions. It is also good that we now have caretakers in place which means Marcus can deliberate at length to bring in the right man who could still be in post with another club;hopefully. Bringing in a younger man,could also rule out the likes of Pardew and McClaren I hope. A new dawn for ITFC,and the dark clouds have lifted;so time for us all to unite behind the new regime.

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christiand added 10:16 - Apr 11 A good decision, the daft thing is this should've be done in the first place a couple of weeks ago once MM's future had been decided. I'm really intrigued if we'll see much change in the way we approach games and play over the last couple of weeks of this season. Got my fingers crossed we will. We've got some decent players in that squad that can perform better than what they have shown so far. Hopefully, a positive finish to the season will reinvigorate many of us for the start of next campaign!

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ArnieM added 10:27 - Apr 11 Klug would be an ideal manager for Town. Sadly he doesn't not seek the front role, and is happier in his coaching role. The quaility of his coaching abilities evident for all to see in the latest youngsters to hit the senior team in the last two weeks. Young Cotter needs to practice his “ fist pump” end of game celebration though bless him! He was so excited and rightly so for his outstanding debut display.

13

cunning_stunt added 10:31 - Apr 11 I don't know that this appointment is any more, or less, important than Evans' last two, given the league positions the club were in at those points. Steijn or Paul Tisdale of Exeter City are top of my wish list.
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Duly38 added 10:32 - Apr 11 Good decision made. Cowley would be the ideal replacement I think. Young, experience with lower league players and knowing quality when he sees it. We can get someone who's been from club to club and loan deals for players who used to be quality (with a high pay package) or bring someone in who knows how to work with minimal budget and find a way to make it work.
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BlueandTruesince82 added 10:37 - Apr 11 I think Mick had a juicy bonus clause for making the playoffs and if the playoffs were possible at point of departure it could be argued that Mick could ask for it. Given that we were never making them O think Evans is right not pay it as that would be (further) rewarding failure. Hence the decision is taken now. Can't blame the club on that one especially when we can't talk to most of our (hopefully) prepared candidates until summer

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slaughteredskipper added 10:37 - Apr 11 So it would seem that Evans is playing his part in taking the club positively forward, Klug and Williams will do the same in this interim period. Let's hope the new manager, whoever that might be will take the club to the next level. However the group that really needs to think about their role is the supporters. This board is full of negativity even after the exit of McCarthy - time to get our mojo back as a group and bring the joy back to being an ITFC supporter. COYB!

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TonyHumesIpswich added 10:38 - Apr 11 It gives us a good opportunity to see what's out there rather than making a rushed decision. Plenty of contracts finishing and a few that will likely leave (Chris Coleman and co). We will be able to draw up a strong shortlist.
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dirtydingusmagee added 10:39 - Apr 11 Well its something that Evans has put his head up over the wall and made a statement,and one that seems promising.I really hope he has seen the light now . Jocasaja, I think Klug has already stated he would not be interested in managing first team ,he is happy with his role .
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Taricco_Fan added 10:49 - Apr 11 Fine. I didn't expect an appointment before the end of the season. Better to take the time to get this one right. My personal wishlist is Cook, Hurst or Jones. All doing very good jobs in the lower leagues, whose careers are on an upward trajectory and would relish the chance to make the step up to a club like Town. I do find the prospect of Steijn quite exciting, though. A massive gamble but then any new manager is to varying extents.

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