Town’s recruitment policy is second to none — that’s the view of goalkeeper Dean Gerken, one of many players to enhance their reputations since arriving at Portman Road.
Manager Mick McCarthy has spent little in fees in more than three years in charge, yet still assembling a side who made the play-offs last season and are handily placed right now to repeat the feat this time around.
The latest new arrival at Portman Road is former Luton, Wolves and Republic of Ireland full-back Kevin Foley, who did enough to impress McCarthy, the man who took him to Molineux, in an U21 trial game against Charlton in midweek, to earn a contract through to the end of the season.
Foley, who can also operate in midfield, joins a squad depleted by the departure of Jonny Parr, who returned to his native Norway to join Strømsgodset, and the 31-year-old will provide valuable cover for the remainder of the current campaign.
Gerken said: "Christophe [Berra] played alongside Kevin at Wolves and speaks very highly of him. He’s actually got him staying at his house with him at the moment.
"He’s well known for being a very good player from his Wolves days and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do. His arrival gives a little bit more competition for places in the team.
"The gaffer does a brilliant job the way he does it. He doesn’t bring people in without knowing their background. He does his checks, speaks to people and will never make a move on a whim. He won’t risk someone unsettling the group, no matter how good they are.
"First and foremost you have to be a good personality to get into this group because we’ve got ourselves into a situation where we’ve now become a top-six team.
"People fear us in a way and it’s through our personalities, mental strength and togetherness. If he’s bringing people in they have to fit a certain criteria and he’s been brilliant in recruiting people like that.
"If you asked any manager last year whether they were looking forward to coming to Ipswich I bet you they would have said they weren’t. Fans of other teams may not give us the credit we deserve but people in the game, who know football, know we’re a hard team to play against.
"Anyone who plays against us knows they’ve had a game and I doubt if it comes as any sort of shock to them.
"We’re doing well and it doesn’t matter what the result is, every opposition team will come off the pitch after 90 minutes knowing they had to earn that result.
"It’s about the way we are, the way we play and the way the manager drills it into us to be at it for every minute of every game.
"It’s no secret within football but maybe people on the outside will have been surprised by what we can do. They might be going ‘Bloody hell, Ipswich have done it again’ but in the game we’ll be known as a good team who do the basics well.
"Every time I come up against a player I know — like Johnnie Jackson of Charlton, who was with me at Colchester, for example — they admit they don’t look forward to coming to Ipswich. I’m talking about last year so those people won’t be shocked to see us going along so well this season.
"No one really wants to play against us because we’re such a hard team. First and foremost, if you want to beat Ipswich, you have to match our work-rate 100 per cent for 90 minutes and I don’t think there are many teams who can do that.”