TWTD understands first-team coach Matt Gill and academy head of coaching and player development Bryan Klug will take caretaker charge of the Blues following Paul Lambert and Stuart Taylor’s departure last night.

Gill, 40, has become increasingly prominent over recent weeks, while club stalwart Klug, 60, has previously been caretaker following the exit of other managers.

The pair are set to lead training today ahead of Tuesday's game at Accrington Stanley.

General manager of football operations Lee O'Neill is set to speak to the media regarding the situation at lunchtime.

It’s understood that Paul Cook, 54, is in advanced talks with the Blues with claims that he may be at Tuesday’s game at Accrington - one of his former clubs - ahead of his appointment at Town, although that is as yet unconfirmed.

TWTD revealed in January that the former Portsmouth, Wigan and Chesterfield boss had been sounded out by owner Marcus Evans with Paul Lambert’s departure looking increasingly on the cards even at that stage.

On Friday, Cook was linked with Town as part of the US-backed takeover which is still a number of weeks away from being concluded.

TWTD understands former Blues forward Noel Hunt may be part of Cook’s staff, which it’s anticipated could also include existing members of staff, Gill perhaps among them.

Hunt, 38, played for Cook at Portsmouth and Wigan and was a member of the coaching staff at Swindon until December last year.

The former Irish international was a popular figure with the Blues in a spell which ran between November 2014 and the end of that season, most notably due to his last-gasp debut goal at Charlton.

As reported yesterday, another ex-Blue, Gary Roberts, 36, is also understood to be in Cook's thoughts for a role on his backroom staff.

Meanwhile, Saturday's opponents Doncaster are also now without a boss after manager Darren Moore departed to take over of Sheffield Wednesday this morning.

Coincidentally, Moore's last game in charge of his previous club, West Brom, was also against Town, a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns in March 2019.

Photo: TWTD

19781981twtd added 11:20 - Mar 1 CAUTION!!! Paul Hurst ! New owners great Paul Cook not sure."be careful what you wish for" exciting or depressing times ahead ever hopeful of glory days returning👍45 years a town fan and still living in hope COYB
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1psw1ch added 11:29 - Mar 1 Cook out 🤣
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BlueForYou added 11:32 - Mar 1 If its true that Gill has been running things for a while & there has been a significant upturn due to him, then I would hope Cook has the sense to see this & keep him on. Clearly the players are responding to Gill.
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Europablue added 11:36 - Mar 1 I don't know anything about Cook either really, apart from he has had more success than Paul Hurst and I hope that he hasn't played at too many big clubs, or if he does he keeps it to himself. Paul Hurst was my top choice when he was appointed. He definitely fit the profile on paper, but that was all I had to go on (without doing a lot of research) and most people were happy with the appointment. ME should have been the one to do his due dilligence and actually interview Paul Hurst to get a feel for his character. I am happy with Paul Cook, I wanted Danny Cowley, but I'm not pretending to know that much about them. From his the track record, I don't have much faith in ME's recruitment. Having said that he has a long list of traits to watch out for based on his previous hires. Could we please just hire a manager who isn't antagonistic towards the fans and the press when they are asking legitimate questions?

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johnwarksshorts added 11:38 - Mar 1 I like paul Cook, but why rush into this we should spread the net far and wide and advertise the job like Mick Mills has suggested on numerous occasions. COYB!
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blueboy1981 added 11:53 - Mar 1 As usual some bizarre comments on here from people who obviously do not know anything about ITFC at all. Oh Well - it takes all sorts, and we seem to find them !!
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1psw1ch added 12:10 - Mar 1 Blueboy thinks he knows it all about ipswich,, the one and only true fan,,,grow up and stop moaning all the time
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Gcon added 12:14 - Mar 1 I am intrigued and puzzled by the Paul Cook appointment, as it seems to be very driven by Marcus Evans. Are the prospective new owners part of this decision? They either are involved with this decision or a takeover is really a more remote possibility, something that might happen further down the line. Whilst a new manger is good news, it is only a change of ownership that will lead to a resurrection of this club. Fingers crossed.

7

blues1 added 12:15 - Mar 1 Arc. That days everything about you as a so called fan, that you dont know who gill is. Hes only been here 2.5 years.
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Linkboy13 added 12:18 - Mar 1 Would liked to have seen a continental coach appointed we've tried everything else. Most of the best coaches in this country are foreign plus they can bring in players who dont demand big wages it's worked well at Norwich, Brentford and Huddersfield done well under Wagner. I fear things might carry on as they are with basically the same bunch of underachieving players we've got at the moment.

1

htb added 12:38 - Mar 1 Link boy I am not sure that is as easy as it was post Brexit. My understanding to bring in foreign players you would need to show they have played a number of games in the relevant countries top league. So not so easy to pick up bargain basement buys.
1

istanblue added 13:05 - Mar 1 Shame that Dyer and Butcher aren't given a go.
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TimmyH added 13:05 - Mar 1 Linkboy - yes can partly agree with your post, an avenue Town have never gone down but if we get Cook I won't be too disappointed at this moment in time where we are in League one.
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tempzzzz added 13:14 - Mar 1 Anyone follow the club on Instagram? A friend of mine pointed out yesterday that when they announced the news of Lambert leaving on there Kayden Jackson liked the post 🤣
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ChrisFelix added 13:47 - Mar 1 Jackson has to come back into the team to compliment Norwood.
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Ipswichbusiness added 13:54 - Mar 1 Blues1; please remember that not all fans can get to watch matches, even in “normal” times, perhaps due to work commitments, or they live too far away (not all supporters live in this country). ARC was only asking a question.
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TractorFrog added 14:11 - Mar 1 Come on everyone, give Paul Cook a chance. He won League 1 with Wigan only a few years ago, and then made them a mid-table championship side - going on a brilliant run at the end of last year that made them seem like potential promotion contenders this year if it weren't for the administration. Isn't that exactly what we need in a manager? Saying Cook out when he hasn't even managed us for one match (or even signed) yet is just ridiculous.

1

dubblue added 14:16 - Mar 1 Whatever happened Maurice Steijn, was he approached after MM left or was not just interested?
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Orraman added 14:50 - Mar 1 Another Paul!!!! Sounds like a load of Paullocks
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Linkboy13 added 15:57 - Mar 1 This always happens a caretaker manager and coaches are appointed the team starts playing as we did under Klug and then they appoint a new manager. It must be unsettling for the players.
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therein61 added 17:30 - Mar 1 At 39 "bryanplug" stephen hunt is quicker than 4&8 combined.
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Marinermagic added 17:33 - Mar 1 britanniaman I thought Norwood was missing the Fleetwood game NOT Accrington tomorrow night. I can't believe even the EADT and Brenda Wally got that wrong, did they ?
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