Town have confirmed the departure of legendary Blues academy coach, former assistant boss and three-time caretaker-manager Bryan Klug.

The 64-year-old has been working as head of coaching and player development since 2016 having previously been in his second stint as academy director.

A Town statement reads: “Ipswich Town can confirm Bryan Klug has made the decision to leave the club this summer in order to pursue other interests.

“Bryan departs with best wishes and thanks, having dedicated much of the last 50 years to the club in both a playing and coaching capacity.”

Coventry-born Klug was a young player at Town during the Bobby Robson era and won England youth caps but moved on before making a senior appearance with injuries having hampered his progress.


Following spells with Wimbledon (loan), Chesterfield, Peterborough and in non-league, he returned to Town as a youth coach in 1987 and was named academy director on its inception in 1998.

During this period, Klug helped the Blues bring through the likes of Richard Wright, Titus Bramble, Kieron Dyer, James Scowcroft, Richard Naylor, players who were key men in George Burley’s squad which eventually went on to win promotion in 1999/00 and then finished fifth in the Premier League the following season, with the likes of Darren Bent, Darren Ambrose, Ian Westlake, Dean Bowditch and Matt Richards following them into the first team.

In 2005, the U18s won the FA Youth Cup, emulating the Town youth sides of the 1970s.

Jim Magilton made him his assistant when he took over as boss in 2006, before he took on a role as head of football development in January 2009.

After being sacked by Roy Keane in January 2010, he joined Tottenham as assistant academy manager before returning to the Blues and his previous position as academy director in June 2012.

In 2016, he moved to the head of coaching and player development role, one which meant he was involved more on the training field, as Lee O’Neill took over the more administrative academy director’s role.

While at Town, Klug served as caretaker-manager following the departures of Jim Magilton, Mick McCarthy and Paul Hurst but had no interest in taking on the position full-time.

Most of the pre-takeover Town academy staff have already moved on and Klug’s departure was not unexpected.

TWTD revealed a month ago that Klug was being targeted by Norwich City and it would be little surprise if he were to join their academy staff in the coming months.

The Canaries’ head of football development Dean Rastrick worked with Klug during his spell at Tottenham’s academy and is believed to be behind the move, which we understand isn’t linked to Liam Manning, who played and coached under Klug in the Town academy, having taken over as manager at Carrow Road.

Photo: Action Images

itfcjoe added 15:40 - Jun 24 Sad day for the club
15

Cookieboy added 15:41 - Jun 24 Why let him go when he has no club to go to ???? Great servant to the Town
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Portman_Pie added 15:41 - Jun 24 End of an era. What a shame....
4

tetchris added 15:48 - Jun 24 Looks like the club is looking to overhaul the back room and academy staff. New training facilities being built, club going for cat 1 academy status. He’s 64 and probably his best days are behind him. There hasn’t been that many decent players coming through the academy for a while so I think his best days are behind him. Great servant to the club, but the club is moving on from the ME era and Ashton and McKenna (who we assume is now staying at the club) have decided to let him go and hopefully we have someone lined up to take over

9

JonDouglas4Ballondor added 15:48 - Jun 24 A lot of people are blinded by nostaliga. Our youth development is poor.
8

Magic8 added 15:51 - Jun 24 Cookieboy....it was his decision to go....the Budgies were after him anyway...and we are clearly reorganising our staff...we wish him well..he owes us nothing..thank you BK.
7

blues1 added 15:51 - Jun 24 Cookieboy. If he wants to go, the club can hardly stop him can they? Of course its sad when a long term member of the staff leaves, and I'm sure we all,wish him well. But let's be honest, how many players have come through our academy to become regular 1st team players, in the past 10 years. Probably only Woolfie. And no, im not suggesting for a minute that that is all down to him. Will be several factors . So maybe a new face will help with that. Of course,that should also become easier when we attain category1 for the academy.

4

johnwarksshorts added 15:59 - Jun 24 All the best BK in whatever role you pursue. Very loyal servant to ITFC.
0

BlueandTruesince82 added 16:03 - Jun 24 Legend but perhaps time, Klug helped produced some of our best young players but over recent years the talent comming through hasn't made much of a dent in the 1st team. Even those that did were during somw of our darkest days. Probably hamstrung by a lack of investment for a long time and no doubt he has been a big part of the club for many many years. A great deal of thanks is owed to him but fresh ideas are due I think and whilst I'd hate to see him rock up to the carrot farm there is no doubt he should leave with nothing but thanks and gratitude.

3

jas0999 added 16:33 - Jun 24 Great servant of the club. Wish him all the very best for the future.
4

Linkboy13 added 16:45 - Jun 24 Gamechanger have stated (remember them) last season that they would not be investing money into our academy. I think this is probably the reason Brian has decided to move on like many others in the academy system he's been a great servant so best of luck to him wherever he goes.
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MVBlue added 16:55 - Jun 24 Thankyou for all you have done Bryan Klug for our club. Noting the 2 year absence is entirely understandable and you returned when the dark lord Keane had departed. Your name will live on for many many years here.
1

Blue_Heath added 17:00 - Jun 24 Thank you for your years of service. Now go do your thing along with agent Manning.
0

victorysquad added 17:08 - Jun 24 Sometimes it is good for a change, but Norwich, really, feels wrong.
3

ArnieM added 17:09 - Jun 24 Interesting scum are after all our old boys in an attempt to reignite their fortunes.... Forever in our shadow.....
4

Dissboyitfc added 17:27 - Jun 24 Linkboy but we are investing in the academy, we are pressing for cat 1. We want to see homegrown talent coming through the system, whether that's from nine years of age right the way through to the first team, like a Woolfy (Luke Woolfenden), or whether that's someone we acquire for the 23s and then develop for a couple of years ready for the first team again. "But the academy is a rock solid pillar that we've got to build on." Quote from Ashton!

1

Monkey_Blue added 17:31 - Jun 24 LinkBoy.. what are you talking about? The investment in the academy is significant and will continue to be. Do you just like trolling? If so, you need to grow up.
3

trueblues78 added 17:48 - Jun 24 Good luck Bryan. Thanks very much for all your hard work and dedication to the club.
2

MK1 added 17:55 - Jun 24 Thanks Brian for all you have done. Now, if you can totally scupper that lot, then a statue is a real possibility.
2

runningout added 17:56 - Jun 24 good luck to Brian Klug wherever you end up (even Norwich)
0

GavITFC added 18:07 - Jun 24 Sad day, was blue through and through. Wishing him all the best in the future (well maybe not too well lol)
0

flykickingbybgunn added 18:12 - Jun 24 Brian has only been here 40 odd years. Can you imagine anybody else with more "Blue Blood". And so he goes off to finish his career with the Budgies. I wish him well and I hope they have to pay a fortune for his services. Clearly they want someone to help them catch us up.
0

armchaircritic59 added 18:15 - Jun 24 I agree with at least one poster above, our youth development has become poor. We were once lauded throughout the country for it, in my younger days. I'm not putting the blame at the feet of BK, after what he's done for the club, it appears to have been a general malaise. I wish him the very best of luck for the future, even if takes him about 40 miles up the road! I'm just hoping that as a club we have been treading water Academy wise, in waiting for Category One status. Well it's arriving very soon, and we need to get back to doing what we were renowned for and as quickly as possible.

3

Linkboy13 added 19:21 - Jun 24 Yes Monkey blue our academy has been really prospering in the last few years with all that investment and people leaving because of this. If you had taken the trouble to read the posts on here last season Keiran McKenna clearly said this instead you have to live in your little dream world. One thing i never do on here that you do regularly is slag off the players.
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Dissboyitfc added 19:50 - Jun 24 Linkboy you do realise that the rate the club has progressed in recent seasons has affected the integration of youth into the first team! In the last couple of weeks we have seen players given their first pro deals, let’s see how some of these progress? But the fact remains that we will continue to invest and in the academy.
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