New Blues first-team coach Lee Grant says he has ambitions to manage in the future and that Town under Kieran McKenna is the ideal place for him to learn his trade.
Grant, 39, joined McKenna's staff in May shortly after hanging up his gloves having been a back-up keeper at Manchester United during the last four years of a lengthy career in which he made most of his appearances for Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley.
Despite having played between the sticks, Grant says it shouldn’t be a surprise that he is coming in to coach the squad as a whole rather than the keepers with Rene Gilmartin having taken that role following Paul Cook’s departure in December.
”For me, the question almost feels irrelevant. My first love, of course, was goalkeeping, and that’s certainly the position I was able to have some success in,” he told iFollow Ipswich.
”For anybody that really enjoys football, studies the game and is dedicated to helping others improve, I don’t think it matters what position they may have played.
”We’ve seen top managers who have barely had a career in the game or haven’t had a career in the game. It’s no secret that there hasn’t been, at this point, a plethora of goalkeepers who have gone on to manage.
”In terms of my understanding of the game and what I want to do going forward, it had already centred around the whole game. For me, it’s the area of the game that I enjoy coaching most and that I have the most passion for going forwards.
”Of course, if you want to manage at some point in the future, coaching outfield will have to be the route. For me, it’s a no-brainer and it’s a journey I am excited to go forward with.”
Although he has long-term management aspirations, Grant, who has studied for a business degree and the LMA Management Diploma, knows he is in the early days of his development as a coach.
”This is a learning period for me,” he added. ”I’ll probably have this down as my PhD in football management under what I would consider to be one of the brightest young managers in England.
”His attention to detail is second to none in terms of my own experiences in the game. Every day is a learning day for me at this stage and actually I’d like to take that attitude with me going forward.
"The best coaches and the best managers are those that don’t stand still and are continually looking to develop.
”Anybody that knows me well or has spent time in my company recently will know that I’ve not made it any secret that I want to go on and manage at some point. What I’m well aware of is that I’ve got lots and lots to learn before that.
”I feel like I’m in a really good place go and do that; at an excellent football club and under a management team of coaches that are vastly experienced.
”Of course, I bring something different which is why I am here. They have lots of experience that I can draw upon and take with me at some stage, but I’m certainly not looking to do that in the short-term.”