Jewell is likely to replace Keane at Ipswich
Ipswich have scheduled a press conference for 11am on Friday morning in which they are almost certain to announce the departure of boss Roy Keane after a run of ten losses in 14 Championship games which has left them three points above the relegation zone.
Keane's two-year promotion plan that he spoke about upon his arrival in April 2009 is looking less achievable than ever, although he has taken the Tractor Boys to the Carling Cup semi-finals, in which they host favourites Arsenal on Wednesday, after an FA Cup third round trip to Chelsea this weekend.
It is not yet clear whether the former Sunderland manager was elbowed or agreed to go, but it appears that whereas an argument existed that he deserved to see out his cup run, the club have decided that giving his replacement the chance to act in the transfer window is more important.
Both the BBC and Sky Sports point to Paul Jewell as the Irishman's most likely successor. The man who took Bradford and Wigan into the Premier League has been out of work since his disastrous spell at Derby came to an end in 2008, yet has an encouraging enough record at this level.
If he is place for Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge and you expect new manager syndrome to strike again - an effect Leonardo benefitted from on Thursday in leading Inter Milan to a 3-1 victory over Napoli - then the struggling champions can be laid at [1.28].
Ipswich are [12.0] to stage an unlikely climb into the play-off spots, with significantly shorter odds of [5.5] offered on them plummeting into League One.
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Published: 7 Jan 2011
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