 Tuesday, 30th Aug 2011 09:39 Loan signing Keith Andrews says he’s enjoyed his first few weeks with the Blues, even if results have largely gone against his new side. The 30-year-old, who is at Portman Road from Blackburn until January, is currently back in Ireland with Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad ahead of their Euro 2012 qualifiers against Slovakia and Russia. Andrews said: “The results haven’t been hectic, but they will come. From a personal point of view it’s been good, but I had a decent pre-season at Blackburn so I feel very sharp. It’s just good to be out on loan, to be honest, and great to be back playing.” The midfielder confirmed that the delay in completing his deal earlier this month was due to Blackburn's unwillingness to allow him to move on loan for the season as he and Town had hoped, Rovers preferring the half-season arrangement now in place with a view to a permanent switch in January. Andrews says he’s pleased to be playing regularly again having been out of favour at Ewood Park last season: "I could quite easily have stayed there, but having not played a lot of football last year, and with Ireland trying to qualify for a major championship, I needed games. "From that point of view it was a no-brainer and I feel I've made the right decision.” The former MK Dons man has won 20 Irish caps, scoring two goals, and manager Giovanni Trapattoni has told him dropping into the Championship won’t adversely affect his chance of winning more: “He spoke to me about it. “He had heard that I might possibly be moving and that I had come home early from a pre-season trip to Hong Kong. I told him what my plans were and he was fine with all that. He just wants me to be playing football and I don’t think it is a big issue in the grand scheme of things. “I’ve always said it’s about playing football regularly. It’s great to have played Premier League football and I hope and expect it not to be my last time playing in the Premier League. Ipswich is certainly the platform for me to bounce back to that.” Andrews, who has scored a goal in each of his three starts for the Blues, is used in a more defensive role for Ireland: "For club and country you play different systems, different formations. The way we set up for Ireland is two players sitting in midfield and it's proved very effective over the last few years. "If we went gung-ho, like we've possibly done at club level, we might get spanked 5-2 and 7-1 like I've been in the last few weeks, so it's a means to an end. "Of course it's nice to get forward but the overall main objective is the team winning games, and the team picking up points, so from that point of view I'm more than happy to do my job for Ireland.” Andrews and Ireland face Slovakia at home on Friday and Russia away the following Tuesday. Also on international this week are David Stockdale, whose chances of winning a first England cap have been enhanced by West Ham’s Robert Green pulling out of the squad, Carlos Edwards, who is with Trinidad and Tobago after a two-year absence having considered quitting playing for his national side, Jaime Peters is with Canada and Josh Carson with the Northern Irish U21s.
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