New boss Paul Jewell said the chance to manage Town was too good an opportunity turn down after signing on at Portman Road until 2013. The new Blues manager says the opportunity with Town ticked all the boxes.

Jewell said: “It’s great being back in the managerial hotseat. I’ve been out of work for two years but you’re never out of football, you’re either working in the media or travelling watching to Spain or Italy and watching other teams and trying to improve your knowledge for when you do get back into the game.

“I’ve had a few opportunities to come back in, but this one ticked all the boxes and I’m really excited and looking forward to getting going.”

The 46-year-old says he was attracted by Town’s lack of short-term thinking: “We’ve got a lot of hard work to do, we’re involved in a bit of a battle at the moment and confidence is at a low ebb.

"Every league game’s going to be a cup final and hopefully we can build for the future, get the confidence back with the players and get smiles back on faces. Everyone will start with a clean slate.

“Hopefully, we can consolidate and who knows that’s going to happen this season. One of the reasons this appealed to me is that it’s not a quick fix, it’s long-term objective, trying to build the club ultimately to the Premier League.”

Jewell, who is yet to finalise his backroom staff with his usual right-hand man Chris Hutchings having been sacked by Walsall last week and West Ham coach Wally Downes linked on Saturday, says he is yet to meet his players: “The deal was only signed last night after dinner, incidentally I paid the bill, which I think was what swung it!

“It’s been a whirlwind, I got the phone call on Thursday evening from the owner, I met him in Ireland on Friday and I had more meetings with Simon Clegg on Friday and Saturday. It’s gone really, really quick.”

With that mind, Jewell says he won’t be picking the team for Wednesday’s Carling Cup semi-final at home to Arsenal: “I think it would be in the best interests of the team to let the two lads who are running it at the moment, Tony and Charlie, who are fine professionals, run the game on Wednesday because they know the players better than I do. And come Thursday morning, we’ll be taking over. “I’ve got a lot of DVDs of the team to watch this afternoon and tomorrow. The less distraction the players have the better, they can just get on with the job of playing on Wednesday.

“I don’t want them to feel as if people are looking over their shoulders, so I’ll watch the game from the stand and start work on Thursday morning.”

Jewell outlined what he wants from his players, having spent the last couple of years assessing where he got things right and wrong at his previous clubs: “I want people to give everything they’ve got every day and while out of the game for two years I’ve studied myself and where I’ve made mistakes, trying to improve as a manager and as a coach.

“Hopefully, the good experiences and the bad experiences I’ve had in football will help me become a better manager. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’ve had some ups and I’ve had some downs and I’m really looking forward to taking this battle on.

“As a manager, I want my players to enjoy training, to enjoy playing and if we’re doing that we’ll be doing OK.”

The ex-Bradford, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan and Derby boss has been promised money to spend by chief executive Simon Clegg, but doesn't appear to be in a too much of a hurry to spend it: “Sometimes if you’re busy in the transfer market in January, you can be desperate buyers. I think it’s important that we take our time and obviously the loan market is there to be exploited.

“I’m not trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes here and say I don’t know how much I’ve got to spend, but if there’s somebody out there that I think can improve our team, then I will do it.”

A product of Liverpool’s famous youth system, the former striker says his aim as Town boss is clear — to get them back in the Premier League: “That’s the goal, that’s what we’re hoping for. There are a lot of things in place here can give us an opportunity to do that.

“But looking at the division, there are an awful lot of big clubs in the Championship with the same expectations as Ipswich.

“It’s a very tough league to get out of, but I think we’ve got a lot of good players here, we just need to try and get them to believe in themselves, that’s the first objective.

"If we can do that, hopefully in two-and-a-half years’ time we’ll be talking about moving out of this league.”

Photo: Action Images

KenDubZ added 23:35 - Jan 10 Good luck !!
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adamisablue added 01:00 - Jan 11 mr jewel. it has just dawned on me that you owe us town fans 2 years of play-off hurt with bradford and wigan respectivly. i expect you to break into the top four of the premiership within 4 seasons as re-payment (just kidding!) welcome to town. may your reign be long and succesfull :)
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TractorRoyNo1 added 01:07 - Jan 11 PJ - the very best of luck! To the moaners and groaners, please give the guy a chance, there will be many ups and down's on the way to the promised land. So please get behind him (and not with a knife this time) and turn-up and support the club again.
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Ryorry added 01:41 - Jan 11 Have been reading and listening to find out as much as poss about our new Mgr over past 24 hrs, and the more I read & heard (esp from his own lips) the more I liked and the happier I got; for the first time for 18 months I'm actually LOOKING FORWARD to our next game. We ticked all the boxes for him - well he ticks all the boxes for me too - a great track record with B'fd and Wigan (there were inbuilt problems at the other 2 clubs which I think PJ cd do little about); a good man-manager (lord, how long is it since we had one of those? you'd have to go back to BFJ days); a good wheeler-dealer in the transfer market; someone who wants width across the pitch (prob have to go back 10 years+ since we last had that); players playing in their correct positions and thus maximising their strengths (ditto as per last comment); someone open-minded and honest enough to learn from his past mistakes - seriously peeps, what's NOT to like?? And if he's able to put such a big smile on my face already, I imagine he'll have no probs doing the same with the players. As for all the prejudiced (literally pre-judging PJ before he's had so much as one game in charge) fools spouting their negative nonsense, they've simply highlighted their non-supporter status and can shove off somewhere else.

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blue_floyd added 02:00 - Jan 11 I think the club is in good managerial hands now. I like the cut of his jib.
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Taricco_Fan added 02:49 - Jan 11 I think Paul Jewell is an excellent choice given the circumstances. Look at who else is realistically available - we could have ended up with the likes Darren Ferguson or Phil Brown (before PNE came in). What we have is a very experienced, yet still comparatively young manager, with a track record for playing decent football and being quite savvy in the transfer market. Seems like a good person as well and I'm sure he build a good relationship with the players, quite the opposite of Keane. All things considered I think we're lucky to have someone like Jewell. An experienced, safe pair of hands at last. People expecting the likes of Curbishley, Hodgson, Allardyce or O'Neill are just dreamers.

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BrettenhamBlue added 05:30 - Jan 11 Pleased with this appointment. Lets all get behind him, he has a lot to do in the next few months. Lets also be realistic guys,- avoiding relegation this year is more than fine as an objective. It will take time for him to build a team. Lets give him that time.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 07:39 - Jan 11 ITFC Sweden welcomes Paul Jewell to PR! Now we know who our new manager is, it's pointless going on about who else might have got the job. And why do we need to? PJ comes over as genuine, hard-working and keen to make a fresh start. It's reassuring he has been "involved in the game" over the past two years. I think he seems an excellent choice. I am sorry for RK in some ways, as I had quite grown to like his moody yet straightforward approach, but on the pitch and (I suspect) in the dressing room it just wasn't working. And I don't think it ever would have. The RK approach may just work for RK, but it doesn't work for many others, which is probably why he is such a unique individual. Miracles are not going to happen overnight with our new manager, so give PJ time. But now we can at least dream of someone who is interested in the following: 1)decent attacking football (get rid of the time-wasting mentality if we happen to have a 1-0 lead with 5 minutes to go), 2) getting the scouting system to function again, 3) talking to the fans, 4) encouraging the team to cross the halfway line, 5) getting some crosses in, 6) getting a passing game going. If all this happens, the missing crowds may come back. If not, they only have themselves to blame. COYB

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bluelady added 08:22 - Jan 11 Ryorry ditto! totally agree with all you have said, and like you the more i read and learn the more i actually like this guy. I always wanted to like Roy Keane but it always felt just a little awkward, you never knew what he might do or say next. I think PJ coming in has made me realise why, he is the kind of manager this club has been missing over recent years, savvy, a tough cookie yet a really nice approachable kind of guy. Certainly thats my feeling thus far. Also as a striker he knows what those guys need to score - service!

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SinghyITFC added 08:34 - Jan 11 At last, a safe pair of hands in charge!!! I'd like to know how much he has to spend? First thing i'd do is sell Wickham, if clubs are willing to pay over 5mil for an unproven striker i'd bite thier hands off!!! We don't really have to spend big, i'd spend the money on the once great youth and scouting system we had before Keane came along. Big Fat Jewell's...
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bluelady added 09:39 - Jan 11 singhy or maybe he is the guy to bring the best out in wickham?
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radiogaga added 13:44 - Jan 11 jas0999 - in response to your comment back on page 4, shut up you prat...
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radiogaga added 13:53 - Jan 11 The aim for ITFC and most fans is for:
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radiogaga added 13:56 - Jan 11 A) Promotion to the premiership B) Establish ourselves in the premiership Why the hell are people on here moaning, because we've got a manager who has done exactly that twice being a bad appointment?! I dispair with some of our fans, what they are expecting...
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