Blues manager Paul Lambert has reiterated his praise for striker Freddie Sears and midfielder Cole Skuse, the two standout performers during his time at Town so far.
Sears, who was 29 on Tuesday, has netted four goals in Lambert’s four games, while Skuse has dictated play from central midfield.
Former West Ham and Colchester man Sears twice went for spells of 38 games without scoring under Mick McCarthy and hadn’t found the net this season prior to Lambert taking over from Paul Hurst.
Is the new boss surprised by Sears’s form given his previous lack of goals? "I can only comment on what I’ve seen from Freddie in the four games I’ve been here and he’s been brilliant.
"I think he looks a different player. I don’t know why, what’s happened, you’re probably better asking him that but [he has a great] level of understanding the game that we’re trying to coach them, and coming in from the left-hand side he’s definitely a goal threat.
"The way he’s playing at the minute, he looks very, very good, a really accomplished player at the minute and an absolute handful.”
He added: "I think he’s been excellent, I really do. I think the position suits him because he can come in on his right side.
"He’s a very intelligent footballer, it’s not just his goalscoring but he’s a really clever footballer, he picks things up in training really quickly the way I ask of him, the movements and the angles we want him to receive the ball and I think that’s really important.
"And he’s on top of his game, Freddie, he really is. He doesn’t say too much but he’s been absolutely terrific for us.”
Regarding Skuse, 32, who is playing a more forward-thinking role under Lambert having been more of an out and out central midfield sitter under McCarthy, he said: "He’s played in the way I want the midfielders to play.
"I don’t want somebody just to be destructive or not get on the ball. In that area of the pitch you’ve got to have people who are comfortable with the ball.
"Like Freddie, I can only go by the four games I’ve been here and his passing is really, really intelligent and I think the way we’re playing at the minute the range of passing is exceptional.
"Both feet, it’s not just his stronger right foot, both feet. He’s dictating the game and, as I said before, you wish he was a little bit younger, but he’s not.
"But his actually performances have been unbelievably high, dictating games for us and his range of passing is exceptional. He’s another one who is on top of his game.
"The lads who have been here the longest [have been brilliant], we’ve got a lot of lads here who haven’t even played in this division before.
"Sears, Skuse, Chambers, Bart, they’ve played in the league, a lot of the lads haven’t played in the league.
"Those lads have been brilliant, I’m just unfortunate that those lads, apart from Freddie, but Bart, Cole and Luke are in their 30s.”