Paul Lambert will be confirmed as Town’s new manager within the 48 hours, TWTD understands.

Paul Hurst’s short spell as Blues boss ended this afternoon with the former Shrewsbury manager, his assistant Chris Doig, fitness coach Nathan Winder and physio Chris Skitt also leaving the club.

Hurst's stint of 149 days and 15 games is the shortest in the club's professional history.

Owner Marcus Evans has sounded out a number of potential new managers over the last couple of weeks - ex-Millwall boss Ian Holloway, former Villa boss Tim Sherwood and Leicester assistant manager Michael Appleton among them - following Town’s disastrous start to the season.

Evans relieved Hurst of his duties this afternoon with the players, who had been given the day off, called to Playford Road to be given the news.

We understand Lambert, 49, is expected at the club tomorrow with the loose ends relating to his recruitment expected to be tied up in time for confirmation of his appointment either tomorrow or Saturday. It's believed he will sign a three-year deal.

In the meantime, Bryan Klug has been reappointed caretaker-manager and will be in charge at the Den. The academy head of coaching and player development will take tomorrow's press conference, which won't be shown on Facebook Live.

Lambert’s assistant is likely to be former Norwich defender Ian Culverhouse, who resigned from his position as manager of Grantham Town last week. Culverhouse, 54, previously worked alongside Lambert at Colchester United, Norwich City and Aston Villa.

Lambert was last in a job earlier this year, taking charge of Stoke City in January but leaving in May following the Potters’ relegation to the Championship.

Previously he was in charge at Wolves, Blackburn and Villa, but is most remembered in East Anglia for his stint in charge at Norwich between 2009 and 2012 during which he took them from League One to the Premier League in successive seasons.

The Scot had joined the Canaries from Colchester United where he had spent just under a year. The U's had defeated Norwich 7-1 on the opening day of 2009/10.

His managerial career started at Livingston, where he finished his playing days, before he moved on to Wycombe.

A midfielder, he played for St Mirren, Motherwell, Borussia Dortmund - with whom he won the Champions League - and Celtic as well as Livingston and won 40 caps for Scotland, scoring once.

Photo: Action Images

rupertscores added 00:55 - Oct 26 Paul Lambert was a paid employee of ncfc. Now he may become a paid employee of ITFC. Good luck to him, hope he does a great job. COYB.
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OliveR16 added 01:08 - Oct 26 Whereas Hurst was a gamble that might have paid off but he proved a failure at this level, Lambert has a track record and it isn't good. He knits together hardworking teams and cares little about owners, fans or clubs. He's a team coach, and moderate at that, not a club manager and this is going to end in tears.
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TomIpswich added 01:17 - Oct 26 Bring back Mick
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Morgan added 01:27 - Oct 26 Fans should be held accountable for what's happened so quickly. Chasing mick out, delighted with ‘hungry' lower league signings. Best of luck to the next man.
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supertam added 01:36 - Oct 26 Impossible job, were down
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Lord_Mac added 03:28 - Oct 26 Don't forget that Lambert fell out big time with the Norwich board and the departure was acrimonious. He hates them more than we do!!
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Lord_Mac added 03:29 - Oct 26 Holloway, Sherwood and Appleton? Where were Burley, Bruce and Warburton?
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TonyHumesIpswich added 04:03 - Oct 26 Good move to appoint Lambert. Hurst simply had to go. If you just take into account the win percentage of recent managers, the stats speak for themselves; Magilton: 37.8 Keane: 34.6 Jewell: 34.1 McCarthy: 37.6 Hurst: 6.6 Hurst seems like a nice bloke and I'm sure he still has a future in football, but things couldn't really have gone worse for him (except if we had lost at Swansea which we should have done). If Lambert could bring us back into those high 30's for the rest of the season, we should be alright. It's going to be weird if people start singing the "Ian, Ian Culverhouse" song at PR though.

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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 04:33 - Oct 26 Hmmm.... hasn't Lambert in recent years been very synonymous with "Boredom" & "Safety First"??? And if still so doesn't football-clueless Ebeneezer Evans take an enormous risk of Lambert possibly soon developing into an unexciting partly fan-deterring "Defend First... Attack Later, MAYBE! clone of good ol' Muck (just without the delusional & antagonistic arrogance and foulmouthed lingo mind you!)??? Not saying him & his anything BUT daring style these days is thoroughly incapable of saving us from the drop -- Lambertism might just be what the good doctor "ordered". Although WITHOUT proven-at-this-level striker reinforcements Hurst's biggest problem will still persist in that I simply just can't see where the goals, and enough of them to get 3-pointers are coming from??? -- and as such I very much doubt it's gonna be "pretty" with Lambert in the process folks!, Ehhh most likely just boringly akin to year one with Muck The One & Only *True* Messiah in fact. So honestly, In my book there were thus and still are a "truckload" of seasoned to veteran managers at this level I would rather have picked INSTEAD, Carlos Carvalhal being very near the top of that list, but since it looks to be Lambert for certain within a day or two... Well then head my advice please: Let's ALL put behind our possible reservations and get behind him while giving the man a fair chance & run! Thank You!

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braveblue added 04:41 - Oct 26 Grow up people. This is a professional game. If someone was once associated with Norwich what difference does it make? Give them support.
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FrankMarshall added 07:14 - Oct 26 Anyone know how to change our username but keep the same account?
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Butcherboy added 07:17 - Oct 26 Well said braveblue. I think some fans are deluded. We aren't exactly an attractive proposition right now and I don't imagine that managers were knocking down Evans' door to apply for the role. Beggars can't be choosers as they say. It is a sad state of affairs but it's how it is unfortunately. It's going to be a struggle that's for sure. Hurst has done so much damage in his few months. He dismantled the team and behind the scenes it seems like he and his cronies made everyone unhappy. If Lambert can bring back the unity with players and staff then he's half way there. It's a tough job that's for sure especially with the players he has at his disposal thanks to Hurst. It's certainly going to be interesting times ahead. Survival is obviously paramount so that we don't become another statistic in the ‘every team MM has left has been relegated the following season'.

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Fatboy added 07:35 - Oct 26 Joe Royle was a canary too.
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Chondzoresk added 07:35 - Oct 26 I don't care if it's a three headed alien from the Planet Niburu. If they can keep us up then I will give them my backing. So should the rest of you.
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KiwiTractor added 07:40 - Oct 26 I remember shuddering at the thought of Joe Royle taking over, but I loved BFJ by the end and he did a great job. So if it is to be Lambert then I wish him all the best - he will need it. I don't even think Pep or Klopp would be able to keep this group of players up. The fact that our 3 worst players over the past few years are still in the side sum it up. Hopefully we can pick up some points between now and January and at least be in touch. But I can't imagine who we can bring into the club in January that will be good enough to get us to 4th from bottom... I'll keep hoping and cheering though.

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chorltonskylineblue added 07:43 - Oct 26 A win percentage of 37% for the remaining games this season - this is what McCarthy and Magilton averaged in their tenures - would give us around 45 points at the end of the season. 45 points would have kept a team up last season (just), but comfortably relegated the season before that. We better hope that there are at least three other teams struggling throughout the season.

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Kirbmeister added 07:45 - Oct 26 We all moaned incessantly about McCarthy. After the brief honeymoon period we did the same about Hurst. Let's not do the same about Lambert before he even bloody starts. And who cares about the Norwich connection. After all they're not really local rivals, That tag applies when there are two teams in the same town or city not 50 miles away! Good luck Paul if you do sign.

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Dissboyitfc added 08:04 - Oct 26 Cheshire..give it a rest man, mm would play the same way if you gave him a 100 million to spend!!! MM has gone and a dam good job!!!!!! Anybody not getting behind the new manager who ever that is, in mind my mind is not a true supporter, we need to be together! Think how much fun it would be if Lambert turns this around? if he doesn't then nothing lost!!!
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BlueandTruesince82 added 08:26 - Oct 26 Let's be fair. Villa had suffered chronic under investment for years before he got there, it was a miracle he kept them up for 2 years. Blackburn, kept them up and chose to leave. Wolves kept them up and the moved on when the new mega money owners wanted names and faces (much like big Jim) Now I don't know how this will pan out, was he a name I would have gone too? Probably not, but he's here, we need to accept it, back him, back the players and prey we can say thanks at the end of it all. I doubt we will ever see the risk of appointing "the most talented young manager of his generation again" We signed every target Hirst wanted bar Tilt so I don't think he can have any complaints. Your club needs you so back them to the end and if needs be, close season we make our feelings clear.

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WABlue added 08:31 - Oct 26 First post after reading TWTD for years so please be gentle. Supported Town since early 70's when my Dad stood me in Churchmans on my stool and have been lucky enough to have witnessed the real highs and some real lows. This is now probably the very lowest I have seen us and something had to be done. Can't say I would have had Lambert at the top of my list but he certainly would not be at the bottom. If he can get us out of this mess, then any green and yellow connection can be forgiven.

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thechangingman added 08:33 - Oct 26 Having had a brief look through the responses it seems that the groundswell of opinion is: 'desperate times = desperate measures'; 'we must all get behind the new manager'; 'all "true fans" will be positive' and 'it doesn't matter if he's ex-Norwich'. I totally understand these sentiments and, like every other Town fan, I just want to see some stability and progress. I admit it's probably childish and doesn't put me in the best light but I am afraid I am finding it difficult to express any joy at seeing an ex-Norwich man take the job. It just doesn't sit well with me at all. I am not someone who describes Norwich fans as 'scummers' and I am even able to admit they are and have been a better team than us for some time now. On the other hand, football is football and rivalries are important. Every team needs a nemesis and Norwich are ours. In an era when teams are more and more seperated from their fan-base with no sense of loyalty or understanding of history this, for me, is a step too far. I'll NEVER wish Town ill and I'll ALWAYS support us and long for us success, come hell or high water. I nonetheless have to confess that this, for me, demonstrates yet another layer of indifference and oblivious ignorance from Marcus Evans. He is the problem with our club and until he leaves or is removed I envisage us stumbling from one problem to the next at the hands of a disconnected 'owner' who not only doesn't understand football but, more chillingly, doesn't understand anything about Ipswich Town Football Club and its history and traditions. ME is the disease and the managers he's appointed merely the symptoms. I wish PH well in whatever he does next but this morning I feel unable to express delight about what, for me, is this strange new detour into a farcical appointment. At best, it will displease and ostracise at least half our fans and at worst it'll tumble us further into the abyss of being perceived as a 'Joke-Club'. Sorry for writing such an essay but I just needed an outlet for my feelings today. I.T.I.D.

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TomIpswich added 08:39 - Oct 26 100% reglegated with Lambert in charge!
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GiveusaWave added 08:44 - Oct 26 Main issue right now is service to strikers and people with the capability of putting the ball in the back of the net. Just took a look at the PFA free agents list. Some risky signings (in terms of age and/or injuries) there but I see no alternative. Our strikers to date have failed to deliver and if we continue with this strike force we are not going to get very far. According to what I have found out so far about Lambert...he likes to switch his formations throughout games. He is known for 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 and 4-2-1-3. If he intends to switch it up with this bunch...he hasn't got many options. If he decides on the 4-2-1-3 we haven't exactly got huge firepower to bring on when the front 3 get tired.

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martin587 added 08:46 - Oct 26 Let's not forget Joe Royle was a Norwich man once and just look how we all loved him here.For once we should forget the animosity between the two clubs and think of The stability this club requires now. As others have said PL should he get the job is an experienced manager and knows this league.We cannot afford to be relegated and I think he has the capabilities to succeed at Ipswich.Should he get the job we need to support him for the sake of our club. It is a big gamble due to him being ex Norwich,but then so is life.I say give the man a chance,I will.Three points Saturday. Remember today is a very sad day for the club.God bless you Kevin,my sincere thoughts will be with his family and friends today.

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GiveusaWave added 08:46 - Oct 26 To add to above...I'm not even sure who that front 3 would be right now....
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