IPSWICH Town are close to appointing their international scout with the former occupant of the role Simon Hunt vying with former Town star David Geddis for the job.

Derek Davis

IPSWICH Town are close to appointing their international scout with the former occupant of the role Simon Hunt vying with former Town star David Geddis for the job.

While Dutch duo Luuk Balkestein and Romeo Zondervan have both been linked with the role, neither is expected take up the position.

At least three other people are understood to have been interviewed with two having Ipswich Town links from the past.

Geddis worked as a coach at Middlesbrough and was then assistant first-team coach to Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle for three-and-a-half years.

Apart from a six-month spell as reserve team coach at Leeds United, Geddis has worked full-time for the Football Association since December 2004. He is employed as one of a select handful of FA analysts, filing international match reports and also analysing players under consideration for senior and under-21 selection.

Hunt would fit the bill as Magilton continues to rebuild the team and backroom staff in the mould that proved so successful, but ultimately failed, for George Burley.

Hunt was a close confidant of Burley and worked as the overseas scout, firstly part-time but then full-time, for the Scot.

With Malcolm Webster strongly tipped to return as goalkeeping coach and ex-Burley signings Tommy Miller and Pablo Counago brought back to link up with their old team-mates, Portman Road has a retro look of 2000 about it.

The signing of an international scout was insisted upon by owner Marcus Evans, who is happy to see Magilton go back in time for staff and players but has made changes in the boardroom.

Evans has already seen the departure of finance director Anna Hughes and, after stripping chairman David Sheepshanks of his position and giving him a figurehead role at the club as a non-executive director, he could make other changes in the management structure.