Essex County Cricket coach Graham Gooch is seeking Town's advice on team spirit. The former England captain is a West Ham fan, but felt that Ipswich's team spirit was well worthy of investigation. Last season the Essex dressing room was not a harmonious place.
Gooch said: "I am interested in finding out as much as I can about how a professional club handles a squad of players. I know football and cricket are completely different sports, but the principles of bonding a group of players are pretty much the same. I am delighted Ipswich agreed to let me visit them and take a few pointers away with me. It is not just the training methods I am interested in, but the man-management side of things and also nutrition."
George Burley was happy to welcome Gooch: "We are very happy to have Graham with us and I hope he finds the visit beneficial. He will be speaking to one or two people to get a full picture of how we do things. But he's wasting his time if he asks me anything about cricket, I'm afraid. It's not a sport I'm into."