Town boss Paul Hurst admits it may take a little while for his signings from the lower leagues to adjust to the Championship but knows he can’t afford too many of them to take their time to find their feet.
Five of Hurst's signings - Jon Nolan, Toto Nsiala, Ellis Harrison, Gwion Edwards and Jordan Roberts - were playing in League One last season, while Kayden Jackson and Janoi Donacien helped Accrington to the League Two title.
In addition, on-loan Chelsea youngster Trevoh Chalobah made his senior debut in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Blackburn, while Tayo Edun, who netted the late equaliser having come on as a sub a day after joining on loan from Fulham, was playing in his eighth senior match.
Hurst says it’s inevitable that there will be a period of acclimatisation for the players as they step up to the Championship and also for the team to gel given the changes which have taken place over the summer.
"I think so, just in terms of getting the message across,” he said. "Sometimes you feel they’ve got it already, whether it’s in training, whether it’s like the game last Saturday. Some bits I’m thinking, ‘Yes, that’s it’ and then they kind of go away from that slightly.
"To get a team to play exactly as you want, you’re very, very fortunate if it suddenly clicks. It can happen. It probably happened last season [at Shrewsbury] where we went on an unbelievable run at the start.
"But here, a level up, against I think probably more clinical opposition, better quality opposition, it might take a bit of time.
"But while ever I feel that the players are giving everything, and that includes out on the training pitch, I’m certainly willing to give them a little bit of time - but not too much - to put on performances and take us where I want us to be.”
Hurst made the same step up as a player when Rotherham climbed from what’s now League Two to the Championship in successive seasons in the early 2000s.
"A lot of that team which got promoted started the Championship season and played quite a few games,” he recalled.
"And I know at the time the manager [Ronnie Moore] was thinking, ‘We need players’ and again maybe, particularly there due to finance, he couldn’t make too many changes and had to go with what he’d got and we managed to do OK.
Posted by TWTD on Thursday, 9 August 2018
"We were never going to win the league or anything like that but a lot of those players, myself included, in League Two if you’d have told fans and probably managers or even team-mates that you’re good enough to play in the Championship, you’d have been laughed out of there.
"But it just shows that with a determination, a desire what can sometimes be achieved. And these players, like I said, don’t write them off just yet, let’s give them an opportunity.
"Chances are one or two might struggle a little bit and while I want them to perform right now, sometimes it takes players a year, almost two years sometimes.
"That’s OK with one or two, providing everyone else is up to speed. Where we clearly would struggle if all of those are taking a year or two years to get up to speed and chances are I then won’t be here speaking to you. Like I said, I can’t afford for them all to take that time.”
Can he understand some people feeling it might have been too much change too soon?
"Maybe it is, but at the same time if it all goes wrong and maybe I hadn’t instigated those changes and tried to make them happen, I’d have been kicking myself thinking, ‘I’d rather have made those changes’,” he reflected.
"I’m a big believer in that, don’t have any regrets at the end of anything. Go with what you feel is right. If it doesn’t quite work out I’ll probably sit at home drown my sorrows and think and evaluate what I could have done differently. I’m hoping that that’s not for a long time.
"We’ll see. Time will tell and there’s no guarantees either way, that’s what I would say. A bit like one of those situations, hindsight is always a wonderful thing. But fingers crossed, the players that we’ve brought in, added to what was already here, can be competitive and get some good results for us.”
Hurst has taken a very different approach to recruitment from former manager Mick McCarthy which has evidently had the firm backing of owner Marcus Evans.
"You’d have to ask him, if you can get hold of him,” Hurst joked. "In terms of maybe starting with myself and Chris coming in, while it was only a league below, we clearly hadn’t managed in the Championship before.
"And maybe it’s followed suit [with recruitment]. I bring in my thoughts and views of how best to move forward with what we’ve got to work with and I know that there might be some concerns out there. I can’t say that they might not come to fruition, but I want to give it a go doing it a certain way
"And that’s what we’re doing rather than going for maybe the same old names, the tried and tested.
"I want to try and add some value to this squad and I think we’ve got - again there’s never, ever a guarantee - but we’ve got a lot of players in the squad now where you could really see in time clubs being interested in them and us perhaps getting some good fees for them again.
"It’s a relatively young squad, quite fresh and a lot of them are unproven, they’ve got to prove their worth.
"But, from my point of view, it’s going to be exciting working with them and trying to help them develop, trying to give them the confidence to compete in the league against some good clubs and not be overawed by the name of the club or maybe a name that they’re directly against. And let’s have a go is all we’re going to ask of them.”
He says the players he has sought to bring in are the cream of the divisions in which he has operated prior to his move to Town.
"Yes, I think that’s fair comment,” he said. "I did something similar at my previous club, giving players an opportunity to play at the highest level that they have.
"Kayden’s slightly different [having previously had a spell at Barnsley] but I don’t think in truth he would be a player that says, ‘I’ve been a Championship player before’. He was put into the development team really
"But overall I speak about hunger, a little bit of potential but a lot of players I truly believe can make the step up. I wouldn’t have brought them here if not.
"And again, I don’t think I’m being rude to ourselves, we know we have to shop in a certain market. Some of the players that are getting moves I would love to have brought here, but it was never, ever going to happen.
"The more money you’ve got, the easier it is to get exactly what you want. But at the same time I am pleased with the players that we’ve brought in and hopefully the fans will like them as well given a bit of time and seeing them pull the Ipswich Town shirt on.”