TODAY marks the first anniversary of Paul Jewell’s appointment as Ipswich Town manager – and the statistics do not make for good reading.

With tomorrow night’s match at Birmingham City bringing up his half century of games in charge, Jewell has already overseen 24 defeats – that’s a worrying 49% record.

And taking his disastrous 58-game spell at previous club Derby County into account, he has now lost 55 of his last 107 games as a manager.

Only one of the previous 13 bosses to have been in charge of the Blues for at least 50 games has got a worse loss rate to their name, with Jackie Milburn having lost 33 of his 56 games at the helm during the early 1960s (59%).

Jewell’s defeat percentage is worse than that of Bobby Ferguson (39%), John Duncan (37%), Joe Royle (32%), Jim Magilton (34%) and – most interestingly – Roy Keane (34%).

Indeed, the current Blues bosses’ record of 1.86 goals conceded per game – aided by 17 matches in which three or more goals have been leaked – makes Keane’s series of frustrating draws look far more appealing at present.

The aforementioned Irishman was sacked by owner Marcus Evans on January 7 last year with the team just three points above the Championship relegation zone, the idea being that the new incumbent would have the benefit of the January transfer window

Fast-forward 12 months and Town’s mysterious owner – who remains conspicuous by his continued silence – has a similar call to make.

Once again just three points separates the Blues from the drop zone in the opening month of the year. And the acquisition of Reading reserve team keeper Alex McCarthy on a three-month loan deal yesterday certainly smacks of desperation.

Does the Town owner decide that now is the time for some stability at Portman Road, or does he act quickly, dismissing his fourth manager in as many years, and give a replacement chance to bring in their own reinforcements?

Tomorrow night’s game at Birmingham, followed by Saturday’s visit of Blackpool, could well determine the outcome.