Boss Mick McCarthy believes new striker Leon Best has something to prove with Town, his career having stalled in recent seasons. The 29-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with an option for a further season having impressed while on trial, is likely to be among the subs as the Blues take on Reading in this evening’s live Sky game at the Madejski Stadium.
"In and around the club I think he is a confident lad, but being confident around the dressing room is one thing, doing it on the pitch and enjoying it, that’s where you get your real confidence from,” McCarthy said
"And he has done it, he’s had a good career. It’s stalled a bit, he’s 29, he’s 30 this month, that’s a really good age, particularly for somebody who’s got something to prove.”
Speaking to the media yesterday, Best said he was grateful to McCarthy for giving him his chance at Town.
"I hope I’m appreciative of me giving him the opportunity at the end of it,” the Blues manager said. "That’s the reciprocal agreement, isn’t it? I’ve given him the opportunity and he’s thankful for that.
"I’m hoping I’m just as thankful for doing it for the rest of the season. He’s a good player, technically good and I’m looking forward to working with him.
"I spoke to Neil Warnock, who was glowing in his praise for him for the job he did at Rotherham.
"Warney’s a bit like me, he doesn’t suffer fools gladly or easily and he expects people to work and run and work hard and do their jobs properly. It was good that he got a glowing reference from him.”
Asked whether he was disappointed not to have signed a replacement for Daryl Murphy in the days between the Irishman’s exit and the transfer window closing, after making made bids to Barnsley for Marley Watkins and to QPR for Conor Washington, McCarthy responded. "That is the replacement.
"You asked whether I was disappointed at not getting a replacement, but that is the replacement, so I’m not disappointed because I have got a player in.
"But I was looking and we bid for a number of other players that were knocked back for various reasons. It’s always very difficult if something happens near the end [of the transfer window].
"But Leon’s got the bug, he’s got the bit between his teeth because I think he’s been written off, and he’s a very good player.
"He might not be exactly the same as Murph, but I like players who have got something to prove, and he has.
"And I think Murph had as well four years ago, I can’t remember anybody dancing in the streets when I signed him. There was complete apathy towards that signing, I seem to remember.
"Four years on, he’s been our leading scorer, he’s scored for Ireland, all the things that he’s done and he’s achieved. He’s moved on, so good luck to him.
"Let’s hope we can get something like that out of Leon Best. But that’s down to him as well, he’s got to put the effort in like Murph did.”
McCarthy says Best isn’t an entirely different type of player to Murphy: "He’s got similar sorts of strengths. He’s a very good player, he’s just had his troubles with injuries, but he seems to be over them.
"And let’s hope we can reap the benefit of somebody that is a good player, he’s had injuries, he played I think 16 games on the bounce towards the end of last season for Rotherham, scored against us, played well against us.
"It is difficult when you’ve got those niggly injuries, you never get to your full potential, so let’s hope we get him there.”