Lee Martin believes he is still playing catch-up in his career and admits: “I’m almost 25 and I haven’t played enough football for the age I am.”
A quick glance at his playing statistics shows he has made 139 appearances for the eight clubs he has represented so far, with 52 of them on behalf of Ipswich since his £2 million move from Manchester United in July 2009.
Today’s visit to the Championship’s bottom club, Coventry, will be Martin’s 50th in the league for Town and apart from three games for the Old Trafford giants, his other outings were accumulated in loan spells at Rangers, Stoke, Plymouth, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Charlton.
Martin, buoyed by his recent run in a more central role, said: "I am still learning, not just about the game but about the Championship and how tough it can be, both physically and mentally.
"I would change things that happened earlier in my career if I could. Maybe I missed out on some years developing and I’m trying to catch up.
"I’m keen to learn and I’m hungry to play football on a regular basis. I want to improve — that’s the main thing — and I try to take everything in.”
One area in which Martin has shown considerable improvement is the disciplinary side of his game, no longer confronting officials to dispute decisions and collect cautions.
He has been booked three times since his controversial dismissal in Town’s 7-1 defeat at Peterborough, a marked improvement on last season when he collected 11 yellow cards on top of one red.
Martin added: "I’m very passionate when I play but I have learned that passion can get you into trouble. Sometimes you can go over the top.
"I’m still committed but I’ve tried to calm down and it seems to be working. I’ve lost the angry face and I’ve toned down the feedback to the referees.
"Overall I’m in a much happier place and I’m enjoying myself. It’s all smiles — and my football is benefiting.”