Blues midfielder Cole Skuse admits last season’s 11th-place League One finish was “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” but says it now needs to be put to one side as Town go into the new season.
"We all know in-house and out-house that to finish where we finished in the league is unacceptable and it’s embarrassing to talk about it, to be honest,” the 34-year-old told iFollow Ipswich.
"But if we were to carry that on to this year and drag that sort of embarrassment and that sort of negativity on, if that were to carry on into this season you’re off to a bad start already.
"As much as it’s terrible and it shouldn’t have happened, it did happen, but that’s done now, that’s gone, that page as been turned, so now you have to come in and put that to one side, recharge your batteries and try and be as successful and positive as you can.”
Town are expected to confirm the signings of left-back Stephen Ward, striker Oli Hawkins and keeper David Cornell on Monday and Skuse says he has been impressed with what he’s seen of Ward, who spent last week training at Playford Road, both in terms of his ability and his character.
Manager Paul Lambert is understood to have been looking to add more leaders to his squad, with former Derby captain Richard Keogh having been targeted prior to his move to the MK Dons, and Ward appears to have made his mark on that front already.
"Fantastic guy, I’ve come across Wardy a few times from playing against him,” Skuse said of the 34-year-old former Wolves, Burnley and Stoke man.
"But to have him in the building and to see him up close and personal in terms of how he conducts himself, you’re talking about a player who has played in the Premier League and the top end of the Championship for many years.
"He’s settled in really quickly, he’s very vocal, which has been massive for us. Hopefully he stays a little bit longer and we can get him on board and he settles in quickly. He’ll be a massive coup for us if we get him on board.
"A fantastic addition, not just from a playing point of view because, like I said, his career speaks for itself, his CV is brilliant, his international caps, his Premier League experience, his top-end Championship experience. But as a person he’s a real good guy.”
Skuse, who signed a new one-year contract with the club having an option for a further season in May, spoke earlier in the summer about the importance of safety once football returned with his wife Louisa a type 1 diabetic. He says all is well at home and he is pleased to have returned to training with the players working to the EFL’s Protocol for Return to First Team Training.
"All really good, myself and my family are all really good and in terms of being back with the lads, it’s nice. You can’t quite have the same banter with your wife and kids as you do at a training ground, so that’s been nice.”
He added: "We’ve come back in the small bubbles originally, which was good because my bubble was quite entertaining.
"Emyr Huws is very dry and witty, so he brought a little bit of a spark to our bubble. But in terms of building up to the contact that’s been good because the games have been at a really good tempo.”