IPSWICH have confirmed that their search for a successor to Roy Keane is ‘‘at an advanced stage’’.

Keane became the latest npower Championship manager to lose his job after a 20- month tenure at Portman Road was ended yesterday.

Like Gordon Strachan at Middlesbrough, Brian Laws at Burnley, Darren Ferguson at Preston and George Burley at Crystal Palace, Keane has paid the price for a run of poor results which have left Ipswich in 19th place.

The Tractor Boys have a Carling Cup semi-final against Arsenal to look forward to next Wednesday, but seven defeats in nine outings mean Keane’s place in the dugout for tomorrow’s FA Cup third round clash with Chelsea will be taken by firstteam coach and caretaker boss Ian McParland.

Ipswich chief executive Simon Clegg confirmed the club’s search for a permanent successor is gathering pace, although he refused to comment on speculation linking Paul Jewell with the post after the former Bradford, Wigan and Derby boss was installed as the favourite to replace Keane.

‘‘We are in the process of looking for a new manager and that is at an advanced stage,’’ said Clegg.

‘‘I’m not going to speculate on who the manager might be or fuel the speculation.’’ Clegg confirmed that the new manager will be saddled with the same high expectations which dogged Keane’s reign.

He added: ‘‘We know the type of manager we are looking for. The brief will be to take Ipswich Town back into the Premier League.’’ Keane arrived in East Anglia to great fanfare in April 2009 and Ipswich beat Cardiff 3-0 in his first game at the helm.

However, despite spending £8m in the transfer market thanks to the backing of multi-millionaire owner Marcus Evans, Keane failed to deliver the results required.

His first full season began disastrously, with no win in the first 14 games before rallying to finish 15th, while the current slump leaves Town three points above the relegation zone.

‘‘I’m hugely disappointed to be leaving Portman Road,’’ said Keane in a statement released through the League Managers Association.

‘‘Results haven’t been as good as I’d have hoped so far this season and when results aren’t good the manager gets the sack, that’s the game.

‘‘However, I have a genuine belief we were making progress and that the players have what it takes to turn this season around.”