New signing Luke Chambers says Town may not have the biggest squad in the Championship but believes the "top level" players who are at Portman Road are hungry for success. The 26-year-old joined up with his new team-mates yesterday having signed a three-year deal.
Chambers said: "You look at the squad we’ve got, it’s not the biggest squad, but I think some of the players we’ve got here are of top level. I think the lads all seem really, really hungry having met them all today.
"I’ve obviously known them all from playing against them all, but I think the spirit they’ve got in that dressing room was a major boost for me. I think if we add a few more players, we’re going to be in a strong position.”
The Kettering-born defender promises to add some steel and leadership to the much-maligned Blues backline. Asked to outline what Town fans can expect of him, he said: "Bit of no-nonsense, really. I feel I’m a bit of a leader, I’ve organised teams from my position through my whole career really, even when I was a young lad.
"I can play it out from the back, I can do whatever’s asked of me. I’m one of those guys that will give you the same performance week-in, week-out and hopefully keep as many clean sheets as possible.”
The 6ft 1in tall central defender, who has also played at right-back, says he made up his mind to move on from Forest during the season: "A lot went on, a lot was said over the summer and with me being out of contract and the position Forest were in - not being able to offer contracts with the takeover [yet to take place] and whatever else going on - I think I made a little bit of a decision during the season that maybe I needed a new start and things happened from there.”
He says he was attracted to Town due to the ambition shown by Paul Jewell, Marcus Evans and Simon Clegg: "Once I met the gaffer, Paul, in the summer and he'd told me his plans for the season and what the owner and Simon want to do, to push the team on to the next level, I wanted to be part of that.
"It always takes a while to get the people in that you want to get in. It’s fairly early me coming here, so I think in that respect we’re going to have to be patient. But they have definitely made it clear they’re going to be very ambitious this year and bring some players in.”
Contrary to rumour after he returned to the Midlands having undergone his medical and taken the tour of the club last Tuesday, Chambers says the move to Town was never in any doubt: "My mind was made up once I came down. I wouldn’t travel all this way to mess anyone about.
"I came down, I looked around everywhere, I was taken around the place and it’s a really, really attractive place to come and live.
"All the facilities at the training ground, all the facilities at the stadium are generally for this division second to none.
"That attracted me from minute one. But once I’d been down here, it was only a matter of time before contracts got sorted out after jiggling a few figures, and that’s what happened. These things take time.
"I think being a free transfer it’s pretty easy to get that sorted, but obviously it’s going to take a while to bring other [contracted] players in because you have to agree so much more.
"Once I’d been down here, the decision was made and I think everything got sorted on Friday and it was just a matter of time before we got started.”
He says he sounded out friends who knew and had worked with his new manager before making his decision: "I don’t want to name any names, but Paul’s well-known in the game. He’s been very successful and his record speaks for itself.
"The lads I know who have played with him and played for him, everyone had good things to say about him.
"And I’m a pretty good judge of character, so once I’d met him it was clear in my mind what they wanted to do and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Having been skipper at Forest last season and previously at his first club Northampton, there has already been talk about him wearing the Town armband, however, at the moment he’s in no hurry to take on the role: "It’s always nice to be considered for that sort of honour, especially at a club like Ipswich.
"I did it at Forest. It wasn’t a very successful time when I was captain and it was a very difficult season, but it’s something I wouldn’t shy away from.
"But it’s something that I’ve not really even thought about for this season. I think Carlos did it last season, along with Grant, who has moved on, and I think he did a great job, so it’s nothing I’ll be coming in here demanding.
"If it comes along, then I’ll have a chat with the gaffer about it. It’s nothing I’m really thinking about at the minute, I’ve just got the first day’s training out of the way.”
Like his new signing, chief executive Simon Clegg says there are strong players in the squad but admits that others need to be added between now and the season’s start on August 14th: "We’ve got a solid core of a team. We’ve still got some holes that we need to fill, we need to build on that but the good thing is that we’ve got the basis there of a very strong team and I’m excited about the season ahead of us.
"We’ve got some further work to do and there’s some further work in progress and we’ll finalise it when we can.”