Striker Daryl Murphy, who left the Blues for Newcastle over the weekend, has thanked fans for their support during his time at Portman Road. The 33-year-old striker, who signed a two-year deal at St James’ Park on Sunday after the clubs agreed at £3 million fee, is currently away with the Republic of Ireland squad ahead of their World Cup qualifier in Serbia on Monday.
"I would like to thank everyone at the club for making me feel so welcome from the very first day I arrived there,” the Waterford-born frontman told the club site.
"I especially want to thank the fans. They were fantastic to me and I’ve got so many great memories from my time at Ipswich. I didn’t get the chance to thank the supporters before I left so I’d like to take that opportunity now.
"I couldn’t have asked for more support from everyone in my time there. It was a wrench to leave, it’s a great club, Ipswich, but opportunities to join a club of a stature of Newcastle don’t come along very often, especially at this stage of my career.
"I want to wish everyone at Ipswich the best and I hope it’s Newcastle and Ipswich that go up this year.”
Murphy, whose first English club was the Magpies' great rivals Sunderland during Mick McCarthy’s time in charge at the Stadium of Light, initially joined the Blues for the first of three loan spells under Roy Keane's management in 2010 before signing permanently from Celtic in the summer of 2013.
In the 2014/15 campaign he topped the Championship scoring charts with 27 goals as the Blues reached the play-offs.
Overall, Murphy, who almost joined the Blues from his hometown club Waterford United in 2004/05 having been on trial before he signed for the Black Cats, scored 67 goals in 207 starts and 18 substitute appearances for Town.
Meanwhile, manager McCarthy says the huge amount of cash now available to Premier League clubs has had a knock-on effect at Championship level.
"Football has lost the plot with money," he said. "It’s the TV revenue going up. Players are now going for £10 million more than they were last year. The have not suddenly become £10 million better footballers.
"In the Premier League it’s now almost a ‘disgrace’ to sell a player for £10 million. It’s got to be £20 million.
"The agents are having a field day and the game has gone bonkers with some of the deals that have gone on.
"I think that has been reflected in the Championship now as well when you see some of the fees that have been paid.
"Villa have paid out big money for players, look at how many players have gone to Newcastle. I suppose that shows their great desire to get back to the Premier League where the riches are.”