Goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky has hailed the connection between manager Kieran McKenna and skipper Sam Morsy as “unique” as Town travel to take on Stoke City in their first fixture of 2024 today.
Hladky, who has played 50 times for the Blues and been ever-present during 2023/24, is in no doubt as to the twin impact of both individuals on performances this season as the club looks to reinforce their grip on second place in the league table after a disappointing run of four games without a win.
Draws with arch-rivals Norwich, league leaders Leicester and QPR, along with a 4-0 defeat at Leeds – a haul of three points from the 12 available – leave Town eight points adrift of the pacesetting Foxes, while in-form Southampton have won four on the bounce to climb to within three points of McKenna’s men.
But the news that midfield general Morsy, absent against the Hoops while he served a one-game suspension, is not going to be away on international duty with Egypt at the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations has been welcomed in the dressing room as well as with supporters.
Hladky, 33, admitted: "I think it’s brilliant. Sam is our leader on the pitch and a key player for us. We are always happy when he can be available for our games and the news that he is going to be here makes us all happy.
"Both the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup, I would say, are really dangerous for teams because they lose key players to them, like we are losing Cameron Burgess as well, while he goes to represent Australia. That Sam will be staying here is great news for us.”
Asked how good a captain Morsy has been since he arrived from Middlesbrough just before the 2021 summer transfer window closed, Hladky replied: "That’s a good question because I haven’t been asked it before and I have been thinking a lot about the culture within the club and the team here at Ipswich.
"I can say that the connection between the manager and the captain is something unique and they give us great confidence. Sam is a pure leader and he is pushing us every day in every training session. He can be ruthless but it is something we all need.
"If you accept it and don’t take it personally, you can go and deliver a lot more, which is something we are pushing every day. The same with the manager as well, of course, and the connection between those two leaders is just great.”
It is nothing new for a manager and captain to have a strong understanding, with the example of boss Bobby Robson appointing Mick Mills as his on-the-pitch commander a fruitful one as they led the club ton success in the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, as well as continually finishing high enough in the top flight to ensure European football at Portman Road eight times between 1973 and 1982.
The McKenna-Morsy relationship has also blossomed in their time together, primarily with last season’s promotion from League One and the way in which the Blues performed during the first half of the Championship campaign prior to their recent lapse in form.
There were plenty of mitigating circumstances for Friday’s goalless draw, the first time in 2023 that Town had failed to score at home in a league fixture. Not only was Morsy forced to sit it out, but first-team regulars including Leif Davis, Wes Burns, George Hirst and Nathan Broadhead were also missing through injury and illness.
Hladky added: "We have been talking a lot about the fact that we have a great squad of 25 players who are all capable of delivering the same level of performance as each other.
"We’ve been pretty much in good shape, all of us, in the first half of the season. But suddenly, the last game just hit us in a bad way and we missed seven players, just like that.
"So, while it is great that we have the 25 players, when you have to make loads of changes in the one game, it is always hard to find a tempo, intensity and the connections. We are pleased that lads are coming back and we hope that we will be stronger.
"We want to start the new year with a win and that is something we are focused on. Stoke away is always a tough one, so we have to be prepared and we will be prepared.
"We have looked at our opponents and I think we will have players coming back into the squad after the sickness bug, so I think we are going to be really strong.”