IT might be the January sales, but new Ipswich Town boss Paul Jewell has no immediate plans to embark on a spending spree.

IT might be the January sales, but new Ipswich Town boss Paul Jewell has no immediate plans to embark on a spending spree.

Jewell looked relaxed and contented as he answered questions during yesterday’s press conference, alongside Chief Executive Simon Clegg.

And while the 46-year-old ex-Bradford, Wigan and Derby boss is determined to turn around the fortunes of Town, he is not going to speed down the route of spending fast, and spending big.

Instead, he will be casting his eye over the squad that his predecessor, Roy Keane, has left behind. There will certainly be no knee-jerk reaction from a manager who, by his own admission, has made mistakes in the past.

“I’m not going to just blow everyone out of the water and try and bring in new players all the time,” explained Jewell.

“Slowly, slowly is more of a reasonable plan. I’m here to improve the players that we have here, and to work with them.

“But nothing is set in stone, and I’ve kept my finger on the pulse of the players in this country and abroad.”

Jewell guided both Bradford and Wigan into the Premier League, no mean achievement with two such unfashionable clubs.

On both occasions, promotion was secured at a cost to Ipswich, who narrowly missed out on the t”op two because of the successes of the Bantams (in 1998-99) and Latics (2004-05).

Elsewhere, Jewell’s managerial record has been less triumphant. He only lasted for a torrid eight months at cash-strapped Sheffield Wednesday in 2000-01, and suffered relegation from the Premier League with Derby County, in the process setting a record low of just 11 points.

He finally resigned from the Rams job in December, 2008, after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of his new club Ipswich. But, after a couple of years on the footballing sidelines, working for media outlets and developing his tactical knowledge with trips abroad, Jewell is finally back where he feels most comfortable - on the managerial hot seat.

And he means business.

“I’ve got a lot of people to prove wrong, and a lot of things to prove to myself,” insisted Jewell.

“Sheffield Wednesday and Derby did not go well for me, though I think there were mitigating circumstances.

“Now it feels great to be back. I’ve been out of football work for two years, but you are never really out of football.

“I had started to get itchy feet over the last month, I had been offered four or five jobs over the last two years, but the one that stuck out was this one, and I’m ready for it.

“The owner (Marcus Evans) is very ambitious, and the Ipswich Town public have nothing to worry about with him. He’s 100% committed.”

Jewell revealed that he was not at Stamford Bridge to endure Town’s 7-0 defeat at Chelsea on Sunday.

“I was actually driving down (to Ipswich), because nothing had been confirmed,” said Jewell.

“As I jumped in the car to drive down here, it was 0-0 and I thought - that’s all right! The next thing I took a phone call and it was 3-0!”

Chief Executive Clegg said: “Marcus Evans and I are convinced that Paul’s experience and track record, as being one of only three managers to achieve promotion to the Premier League with two different clubs, will ensure we can achieve the goals set by this club.”