New Town signing Chris Bart-Williams says he had no hesitation in deciding to join the Blues for the rest of the season from Charlton Athletic. Bart-Williams has been a great success since moving to Portman Road on a three-month loan in September.
The 29-year-old said he had no doubts despite later interest in him from West Brom: "It was quite a complex move in the end. What it boiled down to is that Ipswich came in for me at a time when my career was static, and I didn't want to move anywhere else.
"They showed faith in me and I wanted to repeat that towards them. There are not many times in your career that you get the opportunity to come somewhere and show what you can do, so I didn't want to move, I just wanted to show a bit of loyalty.”
Bart-Williams says that Town have what it takes to get promoted: "From what I've seen up to now, they've got facilities, the staff and the players to get back into the Premiership.
The former Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday man has spent most of his career in the top division and a number of Town's youngsters have quizzed him about football at the higher level: "I've had conversations with some of the young lads and they've asked me what the Premiership is like.
"I told them that when I started at Charlton there was a certain type of car park and a year or so later it was very different. What the Charlton lads have done is stick together, they've done everything together, they've had good times and bad times and that's what I'll try to bring to this bunch of players.”
Bart-Williams revealed that a move to West Brom would have been a move closer to his home in the Midlands but didn't seriously consider a switch to anywhere other than Portman Road.
While his contract is initially until the end of the season, a longer stay may we'll be on the cards: "If we get into the Premiership then everything will take care of itself. That's my one and only focus right now, to help get this team into the Premiership.”
The majority of his football has been played in midfield but he wasn't fazed by having to move to centre-half against Derby last week: "It was difficult but enjoyable. It was quite different from playing midfield and I've been told I did more running at centre-half than I did at centre midfield. And that's not good!”
The ex-Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday man is particularly pleased to get back to first team football after a disappointing time at The Valley: "It's a pleasure for me to move here.
”Imagine not being part of a Premiership side for two years, even when I felt I was worthy of a place. To come here and having the chance to play is fantastic.”
Nine bookings have come his way in his time at Town, a total he says is unusually high: "I've never been booked so often in my life! The Crystal Palace booking, I got booked when it was somebody else.
"Most of them have been my fault, but some have been through not quite credible refereeing, let's put it that way!
"I like to set an example, I'm not talking about being booked, but I do like to put my foot in, and I think this team needs someone like that.”
The Sierra Leone-born player says he has been surprised by training at Town: "I have got to say it's the only place I've been where training is at a match pace. I've never had that before. When I first arrived I was finding myself getting tired.”
Bart-Williams' relationship with the management at Charlton was not always harmonious, but he has had no such problems with Joe Royle: "I can be quite a character, at Charlton it was fine with the players but I think the management were a bit surprised at how about how outspoken I can be. I tell it how it is, and vice versa, you can tell me the same.
"Here the boss just lets me be myself, and that's important to me, whereas at Charlton I wasn't able to express myself. But I did!”
He has been particularly impressed with the youngsters at Town and has been proffering advice: "They don't like me shouting in their ears, that's for sure! To be honest I've learnt from them as well as the other way round.
"Some of the young talent we have here is immense. It's a bright future for Ipswich Town, that's for certain.”