Boss Mick McCarthy is delighted with the start striker Brett Pitman has made to his time with the Blues. The 27-year-old joined Town on a free transfer from AFC Bournemouth last month and has scored four goals in the Blues’ first three pre-season games.

“Eddie Howe said what a great finisher he was and somebody else said he was the best finisher he ever played with, one of the lads,” McCarthy said.

“Looking at him, he’s got all sorts in him. He’s very good in the air, he uses his right foot, his left foot, he gets good goals. That was a good goal today [at Cambridge], he was in there just poaching and tapping it in, which was nice.”

He added: “He’s a goalscorer, there’s no doubt about that. You’ve seen that already.

“I’ve not worked with anybody that gets as many shots in or tries to get to shoot when he gets his opportunity on the edge of the box, he wants to work the defenders or the keeper."

Last season Pitman scored 14 goals - including a first-half hat-trick against Blackpool in March - in 21 starts and 18 sub appearances as the Cherries topped the Championship and reached the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Overall Pitman, who won promotion from all three Football League divisions while with Bournemouth and is their fourth-highest all-time goalscorer, netted 102 goals in 174 starts and 127 sub appearances in two spells with the Dorset club.

For Bristol City - where he spent two and a half years following an August 2010 £600,000 move - he scored 20 goals in starts 36 and 45 games from the bench.

Town announced Pitman’s signing - on a three-year deal with an option for a further season - on the same day that Tyrone Mings joined Bournemouth for £8 million with Cherries winger Ryan Fraser moving in the opposite direction, although the striker’s switch was a separate deal.

McCarthy confirmed that Pitman didn’t cost the Blues a penny, as reported by TWTD at the time of the deal: “He was a free transfer, there was no remuneration at all for him. We got the money [and Fraser on a season-long loan] for Ty and we took him.

“Because Brett was at Bournemouth when they almost went out of existence, I think that part of not asking for a fee was being good to Brett as much as anything.”

He added: “It was a good deal all-round. And they’ve got a good left-back as well!”

Meanwhile, former Blues loan keeper Alex McCarthy, 25, has joined Crystal Palace from QPR for a fee of £3.5 million, signing a four-year deal.

Photo: Action Images

PortmanTerrorist added 06:27 - Jul 24 The Mings deal looks better by the day. And assuming MM gets in the 2-3 new faces he has mentioned he is still looking at, then perhaps some of the doubters on here will calm down and acknowledge that the Club is still on the up, has best management team in years (v much including ME), and maybe the strongest squad since relegation. Obviously only time will tell but surely we have to trust MM/ME by now?!

29

muhrensleftfoot added 06:53 - Jul 24 An amazing deal with Bournemouth - selling Mings for at least double his value and getting a top top striker with a better than 1 in 2 ratio for free, plus a year loan of a young star winger. MM should be locked up for burglary. Eddie Howe is a good man manager, he's done a brilliant job at Bournemouth, but I'd question his business acumen.
7

flashblue added 07:51 - Jul 24 Free apart from on his £1.5m signing on fee.
-2

BlueKush added 08:58 - Jul 24 So far then we've swapped Mings for Fraser. The best leftback in the division has left permanently and we've got a half decent little winger on loan. We'd have got Pitman anyway because he was separate. Maitland-Niles looks like our best signing so far, only a loan signing and again totally unrelated to the Mings deal. Whether selling Mings was a good move, only time will tell. I'm not spraying my shorts over £8 million. Especially when we don't appear to be using it. Yet.

-3

TR11BLU added 09:40 - Jul 24 He's quality.
3

cooper4england added 10:12 - Jul 24 Apologies if I'm stupid but someone is going to have to try and spell this out to me in very simple terms. Had did we manage to get Pitman on a free?! If I read the above right Eddie Howe has said to his chairman "I like the bloke, think he is great finisher, can play with both feet. Gets up and heads well. Has a record of scoring in every other game. .... I think the best thing to do is give him away to a likely competitor in a couple of seasons time" Chairman: "How about we squeeze a million off the Mings deal?" EH: "Hmmmm....... nah lets not bother, we're already giving them Fraser for a year and 8 million. Lets not take the P***" Is it just me?

5

NW10_Tractor added 10:23 - Jul 24 I always used to see Brett Pitman's name pop up on Gilette Soccer Saturday - It Seems like he will be doing it for us now!
10

runningout added 11:04 - Jul 24 have to wait and see come next may...
1

brian_a_mul added 11:05 - Jul 24 Bournmouth did Brett a favor by releasing him, that way he gets a good signing on fee. I think it was in gratitude for his outstanding service to Bournemouth. It was probably an incentive for Town to give first preference to Bournmouth with Mings, to get the deal done quick to prevent other scavangers making last ditch bids. In fairness all 4 strikers are potentially Premier League standard! Who wouldnt want to play in a team with this attacking potential!

9

SouperJim added 11:08 - Jul 24 If you read what Howe said about Pitman, it was basically that he couldn't guarantee him any time on the pitch in the Prem, so was happy to let him go on a free as a goodwill gesture (for everything he has done at Bournemouth). They say there is no sentiment in football... clearly they're wrong. Maybe Howe isn't such an arrogant twonk after all.
8

siralfstrackie added 11:26 - Jul 24 I'm concerned. The distinct and complete lack of beard and tattoos... I dunno... Seriously, though, he's a great player. I don't think we'll be short of goals this season with the incredible strike force MM has built. Just need a few goals from midfield and a touch more strength at the back and we're in line for one of our most exciting and (hopefully) successful seasons in far too long

6

rexron added 13:48 - Jul 24 Murphy must deliver early on or he might not be playing regularly. McG and Pitman can be the New striking pair. Anything can happen and competition is very healthy.
4

cooper4england added 13:55 - Jul 24 Cheers Brian and Souperjim. Does seem that sentiment is alive and well.
1

essextractorboy93 added 13:55 - Jul 24 For the first time in years we have a group of strikers who are all capable of 15 goals or more this season. In past seasons we have been too reliant on one or two to get the goals but now we have 4 and hopefully the midfield will chip in with more this season.
2

dude added 14:08 - Jul 24 Now how about a free RB and Jonny Williams on loan?
4

runningout added 15:06 - Jul 24 think Williams is injured already
0

Seasider added 16:40 - Jul 24 Running Out,not sure he is injured again;but struggling to get over the injury presumably he got whilst with us.Certainly seems a sick note. However as we have yet to spend any of the Mings money on transfer fees,could do worse than having a punt on this little chap who Mick could probably pick up relatively cheap(not loan) considering previous problems,and he could turn out to be a real gem. Just a thought;but like many on here are excited about new season,however aren't we all like this most years as we look forward to the coming months of footy.

0

Bluebongo added 16:48 - Jul 24 To me the picture of Brett Pitman bears a resemblence to Marcus Stewart. no it couldn,t happen again could it.
1

Ipswich58 added 17:32 - Jul 24 Please Mick give us something to get excited about. Monitor TWTD hourly and would love to read at least something about fresh faves. Know it's not his style but the odd scrap of info? Not too much to ask surely
0

shortmarine1969 added 18:16 - Jul 24 I have read in a few posts that J.Williams is a sick note , tend to disagree to be honest , the bloke was put out for ages by a thug , he gets no protection and what happened was a disgrace it was assault pure and simple..and they guy has just not been right since..not him being a sick note , but a skillfull player that was / is targeted time and again with refs doing bugger all..as for Pitman will be a quality player for us it,s going to be tough on the strikers that dont get in , but for me and in the name of being fair if you want to call it that i would go with Murphs and Sear,s they were doing the job well so let them continue

1

topguy added 19:54 - Jul 24 and with the pace and skill from the wings, and by the looks of the friendlies up to now we seem to be playing it on the deck out from the bk instead of hoofing it, so bodes well.
0

FJBlue added 12:14 - Jul 25 I've got a good feeling about the forthcoming season. We've got plenty of firepower but can see us leaking goals. The priority is to sort out the right back position first and get Chambers into central defence. Another quality midfielder is a must.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls