Midfielder Teddy Bishop hopes a first full week’s training under Paul Cook will pay dividends when the Blues travel to face another of their new manager’s former clubs Wigan Athletic next Saturday, this weekend’s visit to Portsmouth having ended in a 2-1 defeat.
Town were the better side in the first half and deservedly went in front via James Norwood in the 32nd minute before Pompey skipper Tom Naylor headed a leveller on 42 and Marcus Harness grabbed the winner 18 minutes from full-time.
"Really disappointing, the fact that they weren’t really in the game for the first 42, 43 minutes means it’s very tough to take,” Bishop said after the game.
"We conceded a soft goal just before half-time and then in the second half it’s not really enough.
"You can play well for 40 minutes but it’s not good enough. It’s 90 minutes. There were some positives to take in the first half.
"Everyone’s still getting to know the way the manager likes to play and I thought we showed that in the first half but ultimately we’ve come away with nothing, so it was very disappointing.”
Bishop says new boss Cook has looked for something different from him since he took charge just over a fortnight ago.
"There are definitely adjustments,” he considered. "The gaffer’s come in and he’s not tried to shove too much information in on everyone but there are little changes everywhere and we have to buy into that.
"The game has changed a little bit but the more we work on the training ground, the more we’ll get better.
"It’s just maybe a little bit more discipline, whereas when you play with a three in midfield you’ve more licence to get forward and join the attack, whereas if you’re playing with two sitters then you do have to be more disciplined, just that really.”
He added: "The last few games before the new gaffer came in was similar, it was more disciplined and was me and [Andre] Dozzell sitting in front of the back four screening and protecting and I think that did work really well, so we just need to try and find a balance now.”
"Like I said, we’re still learning what we’re going to get from each other and what we want from each other. We’ll find out more in the next few weeks.”
Asked whether the role he’s being asked to play suits him, he reflected: "Maybe, I don’t really know yet, we’ll have to wait and see. What I would say is that we haven’t had many training sessions with the gaffer.
"When you play Saturday-Tuesday you literally maybe get one session in a week, so he hasn’t been able to get all his ideas across yet.
"We haven’t been able to learn everything he wants from us, so the more training we can do, the more that will come.”
Town have no midweek game for the first time in six weeks in the days ahead and have another free week following Saturday’s trip to Wigan with Cook having already outlined that it will be a period of intense training.
"He said, ‘In Monday to work hard’,” Bishop continued. "We’ll have a good week of training next week for the first time under the new manager and hopefully that will see us well into next weekend.”
The 24-year-old has welcomed Cook’s enthusiasm on the touchline: "That’s what we need. We need someone who is going to back us and that’s what he’s done so far so, yes, it’s been good.”
Cook in particular was constantly on at his players in first half on Saturday, urging them to press and get forward. Bishop felt that had a positive impact.
"It just gives us a little lift, I suppose,” he said. "I suppose he does it when he thinks we’ve gone a bit flat or we need a lift and need to get up the pitch, so it’s good for us.”
Despite Saturday’s setback, the Blues remain in the hunt for the play-offs, sitting ninth, two points from the top six with 11 games to go and a couple of matches in hand on a couple of sides above them.
"Definitely,” Bishop insisted. "But we need to start winning games. Ultimately we can’t get three or four games down the line and run out of games, so we need to start picking up wins, we need to start doing that next week.”
The midfielder is one of 27 players who are out of contract in the summer* with a significant exodus likely with Cook having already said on a number of occasions that the squad is too large.
Quizzed on whether that is adding to the pressure, Bishop said: "There’s a lot of pressure but that comes with playing for such a great club like Ipswich Town. Everyone I’m sure feels that but at the same time we need to all step up.
"I’ve played a lot of minutes this season, bar one injury, so that’s been a positive for me and I just need to take that into the end of the season and keep going.”
Bishop, who has been involved in all Cook’s games in charge, three starts and two sub appearances, has been utilised as a number 10 on a couple of occasions by the new manager.
"I played against Lincoln at home in the number 10 role and I thought I did OK,” he said. "I thought I did well. I think he’s maybe trying to find out what position he finds me best in.”
He says it’s a position he played on occasion when coming through the ranks at Playford Road but feels he needs to learn more about how to play there.
"When you’re growing up and you play you’re running everywhere like a headless chicken,” he recalled. "It’s definitely a role I enjoy, but if I was going to play there more regularly I’d have to be coached at how to play as a number 10. It’s not an easy position.”
And, like all areas at Town at present, he knows there is plenty of competition, and not just for places but for contracts in the summer: "We’ve got a good squad, we’ve got a big squad so obviously the gaffer will look at who he wants to keep and who he doesn’t, so we’ll see what happens.”
*Luke Chambers, Cole Skuse, Stephen Ward, Emyr Huws, Freddie Sears, Kayden Jackson, Teddy Bishop, Alan Judge, Toto Nsiala, Janoi Donacien, James Wilson, Gwion Edwards, Aaron Drinan, Tristan Nydam, Barry Cotter, Ben Morris, Ben Folami, Harry Wright, Idris El Mizouni, Liam Gibbs, Bailey Clements, Levi Andoh, Adam Przybek, Bert White, Kai Brown, Zak Brown and Tommy Hughes.
Town have previously confirmed they have options to keep Skuse, Ward, Sears, Bishop, Judge, Nsiala, Donacien, Wilson, Nydam, Morris, Folami, El Mizouni, Clements, Andoh, Przybek, White, Kai Brown, Zak Brown and Hughes.
As previously reported, Town have offered a new extended contract to Gibbs, who doesn’t have a year’s option on his current deal.