Boss Paul Jewell says he feels his squad is still too quiet, despite the addition of feisty campaigners such as midfielder Lee Bowyer this summer. But the Blues manager believes that this is not unusual with players generally quieter these days.
Jewell says Bowyer isn’t particularly loud off the field: "You’ll be surprised how quiet he is. Not on the pitch, but off the pitch. I think it’s a growing trait in football.
"I think going back a few years ago everyone was loud and gregarious, but I think with the introduction of foreign players they’re less loud and less vociferous than British players.
"But it’s something I want us to get better at. I want us to be nice guys but when the game starts, we’ve got to be ruthless with each other and with the opposition, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a horrible person.
"When we’re working, we’ve got to have that aggression, not just that physicality but think aggressively as well.”
The Town boss is yet to name his new captain, former skipper David Norris having left for Portsmouth, but Grant Leadbitter appears to be a shoo-in having skippered throughout most of pre-season.
Jewell believes the armband is something which is sometimes given too much importance: "It’s something that I haven’t thought about.
"It’s something I think other people give greater credence to than I do, although I know it’s a great honour to captain any football club.
"I know who the captain is but it’s not as important to me as some people might think. I’ve heard people say they want 11 captains on the pitch, and we want 11 leaders. That’s something that we’re working on because, as I say, we are quite a quiet bunch of players.
"We’d like more leaders on the pitch but the captain isn’t something that means a great deal and isn’t as important to me as it is for some people.”