 [Blog] Martin and Co Transforming TownWritten by ThatMuhrenCross on Monday, 6th Feb 2012 17:01 When Lee Martin joined Ipswich back in 2009, it did not seem to be the most inspiring of signings by Roy Keane. Martin had been something of a journeyman, having had loan spells at Royal Antwerp, Rangers, Stoke, Plymouth, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest. Furthermore, he had only managed to make three first team appearances for Manchester United during his six-year spell at the club. Admittedly, it is a tough ask to break into the United first team, but it is not as if they are not a club that do not give their brightest young players a chance. The point is, Lee Martin had a lot to prove to myself and many other Ipswich fans. Shortly after he signed, I did the usual thing with new player, and delved into the YouTube archives to see if there was any footage that would suggest he had a bright future in the game. Sure enough, there was. A stunning 35-yard strike against Guangzhou in a pre-season fixture. Of course, that did little to temper the lingering doubts I had about his ability to hold down a regular place in our team – especially considering he would be competing with the likes of Jon Walters, Luciano Civelli and Jaime Peters for a place in the side. Indeed, his first season at Ipswich probably could be described as disappointing – much like how things were for the entire time he played under the management of Roy Keane. A loan spell at Charlton seemed to be the turning point, though, and since then he seems to have really forced himself under the nose of the manager, Paul Jewell. Now, we find ourselves talking about him as one of our best players. It is remarkable, but should not be, considering this is a young man who was snapped up by Manchester United from Wimbledon in 2003, and expected to be one of the brightest young talents in English football. You can see why now. His goal against Birmingham a couple of weeks ago was particularly memorable – the way he picked up that ball on the halfway line and dribbled to about 25 yards from goal before unleashing a left-footed thunderbolt into the top corner was something you rarely see from the average Championship player. His run against Coventry at the weekend to get into the box and win a penalty was another example of his fantastic dribbling ability. There is no one else quite like him in the Town team – somebody who is prepared to pick the ball up and run at players. He has a raw, unadulterated directness about him that reminds me time and time again of Tottenham and Wales winger Gareth Bale. Today it was announced that Michael Chopra and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas had been included in the Championship Team of the Week, but in truth, they should almost certainly have been joined by Martin and probably even Andy Drury. That midfield five that Paul Jewell is picking at the moment seems to have that desire about it that we have not seen from other players earlier in the season. Daryl Murphy is doing a solid and consistent job as well, which is always good to see. The likes of Martin, Emmanuel-Thomas, Drury, Hyam and Murphy are precisely the reason for our turn around in form. I haven't even mentioned yet how exciting these players can be to watch, but the great thing is, they can all get better and better. It is easy to write about Ipswich Town when things are going well, so long may that trend continue. A convincing win against Middlesbrough next weekend, and all of a sudden we can start looking up the table rather than down it. Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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