Town boss Mick McCarthy will be looking for the Blues to continue their progress and improve upon last season’s sixth place finish during 2015/16. The squad was back at Playford Road yesterday for the start of pre-season training.

“We set off every time to do as well as we can and if as well as we can is winning the division, that’s great and we’ll take whatever comes,” he said.

“We set off every year and we want to try and win it. There’s no point in not doing that. Whether that’s realistic or not when teams come down with a hundred-odd million and they’ll be splashing the cash, and I see Derby doing it again.

“But we’ve made progress. It was 14th, it was ninth, it was sixth in the three finishes that we’ve had.

“I’d like to think we could finish above that, but that’s going to be tough because there are still teams that got relegated from the Premier League the year before and three have come down this season with chunks of money and already it appears they’re throwing money around, some of them.

“But we finished above a load of teams who spent shedloads and I’ll be hoping we can do the same again.”

The Blues boss says the play-off defeat to Norwich is now behind him and admits that over the summer he became fed up with being told his side were unlucky to miss out on promotion to the Premier League.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” he added. “I was getting to the stage that if anybody else mentioned it to me while I was on holiday I was going to flatten them.

‘You were unlucky…’, no, we weren’t good enough in the end because we didn’t go up. Such is life, we crack on again, we start again. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Town boss, now 56, says his enthusiasm remains the same at the start of yet another season: “It hasn’t dwindled, no. I came back in this morning and instantly the lads started coming in I’m excited and relishing the prospect of getting back to it.

“I’ll be honest, two days ago I was still in Portugal in the sunshine and I wasn’t feeling that, but this morning I am.

“I’m back in manager mode. I’ve had a growl at a couple of things already, so it comes back fairly quickly.”

He says the players have returned in great condition having followed the programmes laid out for them by fitness coach Andy Liddell.

Liddell

“I don’t think that’s revolutionary by any stretch of the imagination,” he continued. “I’d imagine all clubs give them.

“What’s great is the players do it, they have to be professional and diligent in how they do the work and prepare themselves.

“But I wouldn’t expect anything different from this group of players. They’re really good characters. If you’ve got good people you’re working with, you’ve got every chance they’ll come back all right.”

Photo: Action Images

TheSelkirk added 07:12 - Jul 1 Hopefully, this season, we WILL be good enough for one of those top two spots - but as MM says, a big ask. If we can turn over Derby, and p off that miserable sour faced old trout McClaren, that would be an added bonus. Can't stand that whining little man - always has a face like someone who has put their finger through the toilet paper.
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Len_Brennan added 07:19 - Jul 1 McClaren won't be bothering you this season.
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ian_marshall added 07:25 - Jul 1 Newcastle are in the prem!
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TheSelkirk added 07:31 - Jul 1 Doh! Good point well made! :( - Sure I was quite bright once - clearly not any more. Oh well, perhaps we'll draw the old git in the Cup.....
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MeenoITFC added 07:50 - Jul 1 I honestly believe we can go all the way this season. Why not? If we dont loose any more key players and add to the squad we have a real chance. Buzzing for the season to start!!
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KiwiBlue2 added 05:09 - Jul 2 This is the most optimistic I have been at the beginning of a season in many years. I hope Murph stays and if we can make a few additions we will hopefully be off to a flying start. I will certainly be getting a decent bet on us to roll Brentford on opening day ..... cyob
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