Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has been linked with the management vacancy at Portman Road.

According to the Daily Record, the former Northern Ireland international is believed to be on the shortlist at Town and is said to be excited about the role.

The 50-year-old, who has also spent time in charge at Bolton and Hibernian, is said to have spoken about the job with his one-time Bhoys team-mate Paul Lambert, who was in charge at Portman Road until March.

With Town unlikely to have a shortlist at this stage, CEO Mark Ashton having told TWTD on Monday that sifting through the candidates who have made their interest known would take place in the next 48 hours, the story would appear highly speculative.

Elsewhere, Ryan Lowe, who we understand was among the bosses to have caught the eye of the Town hierarchy over recent months, yesterday left Plymouth to join Preston as their new manager.

Betting-wise, former Waterford boss and ex-QPR midfielder Marc Bircham is now the favourite, at 5-4 on with one bookmaker, presumably due to him having been at last night’s game at Charlton. However, it’s understood little should be read into that.

Former Millwall manager Neil Harris, who was interesting Marcus Evans prior to the appointment of Paul Cook, is second at 2-1 with MK Dons head coach Liam Manning third, 8-1, and interim-manager John McGreal fourth at 12-1 alongside former Blues defender Frank Yallop, who is currently sporting director/head coach at USL side Monterey Bay.

Yallop previously worked at Arizona United, now Phoenix Rising, the club in which the Blues’ Three Lions are also investors and where Bircham spent a brief spell as assistant manager.

The former Canadian international is followed in the betting by Sunderland boss Lee Johnson, John Terry, Lincoln manager Michael Appleton, who previously worked with Ashton and Mike O’Leary at West Brom and Oxford, and Frank Lampard, all at 16-1.

Neil Warnock, former Newport boss Michael Flynn, ex-Norwich managers Alex Neil and Chris Hughton, Cambridge manager Mark Bonner, Oxford boss Karl Robinson, ex-Aberdeen and Bristol City manager Derek McInnes, recently sacked Charlton chief Nigel Adkins and Lennon are all at 25-1.

One name yet to appear in the betting but believed to be a potential candidate is Chelsea assistant head coach Anthony Barry, who cut his teeth as assistant to Paul Cook at Wigan before moving to Stamford Bridge in August 2020.

The 35-year-old also works part-time on Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland coaching staff.

Photo: Action Images

blues1 added 11:09 - Dec 8 Tractorboybig. The only joke at this club, is fans like you. In case u missed it, Evans has gone. We have new owners and a ceo who is the best thing to happen to this club for years. Unfortunately fans such as u expect them to turn around 10 years of demise in 5 minutes. They've already done loads but there's a massive job still to be done. And it just sums up some of our fans right now, that those who wanted cook out, now hès gone are turning their attention to slagging everyone else off, at the club . Ridiculous and pathetic.

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TimmyH added 11:14 - Dec 8 Wow!...Ryan Lowe left Plymouth to join Preston!!! that shows just how little loyalty managers now days have with clubs even with the unfinished good work he did there! It's that time again when we all quibble what manager would be good and which one would be bad...something we've been consistently doing for the last decade or so with NO results! I'd take a Warnock type manager only on a temporary basis til' the end of the season, he's not the future of the club and will be just like turning the clock back to 2012 to McCarthy in the Championship but a league lower.

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Monkey_Blue added 11:21 - Dec 8 Limerick…. Not that I'm suggesting Lennon would be my first choice but how is he a dinosaur? He's younger than Cook, had a better and more recent playing career. Cook spent his whole management career kicking around part time leagues and the bottom two in England except for one in the championship…He's been described as “old school” by observers and players.
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NorthLondonBlue2 added 11:23 - Dec 8 Will no-one called ‘Paul' step up? Anybody?
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northernblues added 11:26 - Dec 8 I don't know what or who some fans think we will get, all previous experiments have failed since Evans came on board its a poison challis
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JJ1970 added 11:38 - Dec 8 Some of you need to give ya heads a wobble. If that's the list, so be it. We've gone down the household name before, have we not? It would also be good to remember, we're in League 1.. That's Division 3 in old money. We're not gonna get a Pep, Klopp or any of the like for that matter.. We just gotta wait and stop back biting each other..
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itsonlyme added 11:41 - Dec 8 Karlosfandangle- yep agree with what you say! Need someone prepared to change the system if all not going well! I'm happy with anyone who can change the mindset of the current players.
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:45 - Dec 8 its a dog of a job now ........reckon Paul O'Grady will be on the bookies list, a Liverpudlian Paul , he will inherit a team of soft puppies who think they are the dogs dangly's . Seriously Ashton and co are going to have to make this decision stick, no room for flapping about now Lge 2 awaits , with open arms if this goes plums up .
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TractorViking added 11:46 - Dec 8 Norwegians Kjetil Knutsen! Has brought Bodø-Glimt i to the best club i Norway. This small club have f. ex. beaten Rome 6-1 this autumn, and heading for the second successive champions hip with a 3 pts lead with one match left. He is offensive in his attitude, good at building relations on and off the pitch. Is a 433 man. Have a Go for Kjetil-Wold suit us.
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Orraman added 11:48 - Dec 8 The biggest problem for any incoming manager is that he will inherit a squad of disinterested players most of whom are on lengthy contracts. Will it be possible to change their mindset or will the owners bite the bullet and buy out their contracts? Best we can hope for is that Cook finds another job soon and comes back for all those who think he was so wonderful. As far as I am concerned he can have them all except Edmondson, Burns and Chaplin. From his recent interview and his attitude on the field I would say that Morsy could be a bad apple to poison the squad, so would like to see him first on the move closely followed by Fraser, Evans and Edwards

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Bazza8564 added 11:48 - Dec 8 Warnock is 73, what would that say.? If we had to pick from that list id take Manning or John Terry, none of the others remotely feel like an Ipswich Town guy. Yallop as a GM possibly because of the US links but not running the first team, that would be a dreadful appointment. And im really sorry but after last nigh's selection the very last one i would select would be JM

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martin587 added 11:57 - Dec 8 Never in a million years.Far too volatile and only managed in a Mickey Mouse league.Very uninspiring for me.
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BlueySwede added 12:03 - Dec 8 The big question for me is - do we go for short term or long term success? (of course you always want both, if possible). Warnock coming in and doing his thing could give us a genuine lift. Maybe. Even reaching the playoffs is a big ask now. If we appoint Warnock and we still end up mid table, where do we go next? New manager in the summer, new rebuild? I´m not worried that the owners will lose interest yet, but we really need to make progress soon. My opinion is stil that Cook should have been given a bit more time..This is very uncertain times and I can only hope that we get the next manager appointment right.

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Carberry added 12:07 - Dec 8 blues1,why don't you just give us your opinion like others do and stop slagging off other contributors.They have an opinion, so do you but you seem to be able to start a fight in a phone box. There have been some decent people who have disappeared from here and I'm guessing it's comments like yours that have sent them packing. Personally I can do without it too.
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HappyKitten added 12:19 - Dec 8 I would have him, after all he's won titels and played for a big club...... hang on where have we heard that before. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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aloanagain added 12:30 - Dec 8 Think we better have a vote on here as everyone mentioned has been written off before they start. Manning in top spot but if he was named last April everyone would be having a go at him. As been mentioned we are a club in League 1, who are people expecting to turn up. Who ever is appointed need to have the full support of every supporter no matter what happens. Well done all you who went last night, no it wasn't the best game just a shame the few who vented their anger at the players spoilt it .

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Yorkshire_Townie added 12:58 - Dec 8 Northern blues- Mick Mc didnt faile as such. Took us to the 2nd div play offs and a steady 2nd div position. Not getting into THAT whole debate- it's gone now
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Yorkshire_Townie added 13:05 - Dec 8 NOT thrilled at that list tbh. Lennon? better than some on there. Colin w@nker... NOPE!! personally i wouldnt mind a foreign coach BUT one thing to consider... they have usually wanted to bring players over with them- david wagner at Uddersfld for example. Brexit has scuppered that. Even if they get a work permit they are not gonna be able to bring a load of players in from France, Germany etc. We are not operating at the level where they are star names so CAN get permits... established internationals. I reckon Wagner wouldnt have been able to get his promotion now, with Bundesliga2 players. They couldnt have come over to play in the lower divs here now.

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Juggsy added 13:19 - Dec 8 Logged in especially to type - FML!
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DerehamBlue added 13:53 - Dec 8 I agree with most on here saying that it's not much of a good looking list, but as we've said before cook was out who exactly is there who would take over, but yes it needs someone who is gonna be able to lick this lot up the rear and tell them to do what they have been brought here to do and to make this club great and proud to be a supporter of
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warfarinman69 added 14:26 - Dec 8 Can those dismissing Warnock on age grounds remember that is ageist! I am of similar age and can still manage 20+ people on a onstruction site. A bit of experience helps when things get tough. Personally I am not a fan of Warnock, but to do a job until the end of the season why no? He loves to play strikers so that would be a nice change! I think Frank Yallop as director of football is a good shout.

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Bergholtblue added 15:01 - Dec 8 DerehamBlue...... I don't think a LICK up the rear will do them any good. Need a firmer hand than that,
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dirtydingusmagee added 15:17 - Dec 8 warfarinman, kicking a makeshift ball around on a building site sprang to mind reading your post, we are at that level now , do you fancy the job ?
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LancsBlue added 16:29 - Dec 8 Neil Lennon won 4/37 games when in charge at Bolton - sounds right up our street.
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jas0999 added 17:43 - Dec 8 Uninspiring to say the least.
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