 Friday, 16th Oct 2009 10:21 It seems that wherever Jaime Peters goes Asmir Begovic follows, with the keeper’s loan move to Town seeing the pair team up for by no means the first time. Peters and Begovic have previously played together at various youth international levels with Canada and at Yeovil during their loan spells at Huish Park in 2007/08. The 6ft 5in tall glovesman, who has signed a three-month loan deal from Portsmouth, joked that he has sinister motives for always following the diminutive wideman: “I’m stalking him! “Jaime is a very good friend of mine. I’ve known him for a very long time. We played every age group there was on the international scene with Canada. We know each other well, which will be very helpful here. “I was at Yeovil with him as well, “ said the Trebinje-born stopper. “That was a fantastic experience because I was playing first team football and that developed me a lot. “We used to speak a lot and he used to say how great Ipswich is and about the facilities at the club and the people here. You always keep that sort of thing in mind.” The 22-year-old says Town made their approach while he was away with Bosnia, for whom he made his full international debut on Saturday: “I first heard about the move last week when contact was made. I spoke to the manager here when I was away on international duty, which was why I couldn’t come here any earlier.” He says he had spoken to Pompey boss Paul Hart regarding a loan switch in the summer because he wanted to play more first team football with David James firmly established ahead of him at Fratton Park. Begovic says the chance to join the Blues was one not to be missed, despite the side’s current lowly standing: “This opportunity came up and it was too good to turn down. “I know the club’s in a difficult position at the moment, but Ipswich Town speaks for itself.” The switch also got the stamp of approval from a former Town player now plying his trade on the south coast: “I had a word with Hermann Hreidarsson and he said to go for it as he enjoyed his time here. “Would he fancy coming back here? He’s injured at the moment, but maybe I’ll put a word in with him!” Begovic, who was on the bench for Pompey when they beat the Blues in the FA Cup in 2008, was left Bosnia prior to the war in the Balkans, moving on to Germany, where he first started playing football and where his family again now live, and then Canada when he was 10. He joined Portsmouth as a 16-year-old. He progressed through the Canadian international ranks alongside Peters until last summer when he made the decision to commit to playing for the country of his birth after a FIFA rule change meant players could switch allegiance at any age as long as they hadn’t played competitive full internationals. This rule change would also allow Town central defender Tommy Smith to play for New Zealand, where he was brought up, having been capped by England at U18 level. Begovic says it wasn’t a move he took lightly: “It was a big decision. When it came down to it, my family is Bosnian, I was born there and that was an important factor, as is the footballing side. “There’s the travel and the level of football [in North America] is not as good as it is in Europe. There are games every month here, World Cup qualifiers this time, next time European qualifiers. The level of football is higher, that’s what I have to look out for.” The keeper hopes his spell with Town will enhance his chances of winning further caps and of playing in the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer: “We qualified for the play-offs on Saturday and the game with Spain on Wednesday night wasn’t of any meaning to anyone, so I had a word with the manager and he was happy for me to come back and get sorted here. “Playing games here can only help my international status and make the decision of who to play difficult for the Bosnian manager. “As I see it, there isn’t really a clear cut number one at the present time. It’s a bit like the situation with England. “One guy plays in Romania [Nemanja Supić of FC Timişoara], one in Turkey [Kenan Hasagić of Istanbul BB]. They’re a bit older than me which means they have the experience, but if I can play at this level then I can give them a few headaches and hopefully push my way into the side.” Begovic says the Town squad have welcomed him since he made his temporary move on Wednesday: “The players were really nice and friendly. I’ve got to know some of them already. “I think there’s good quality in the side. I’m surprised at where the team is but I can sympathise at the situation because at Portsmouth we have the same thing where we have very good players but we’re not getting the luck.” He says he enjoyed his first contact with new boss Roy Keane: “It was really nice to meet him. He’s got a really good presence about him. People respect what he’s done in the game and what he’s doing now, so he’s a great manager to play for.” The move seems very firmly to be seen as a short-term deal at the present time: “In the long-term I really don’t know, I’m just concentrating on the immediate future ahead of me and helping the team get out of the position they’re in. What happens long-term, we’ll have to see.” However, taking over from David James as Pompey’s number one very much appears to be a target: “The reality is that he’s getting on a little bit. Hopefully, if I can play well in games here, I can make him think about where the future lies.” Begovic’s first opportunity to impress could come against Swansea tomorrow, with Jaime Peters alongside him as usual.
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