New Blues academy director Bryan Klug says there should be more academy products in or around the first team than there are at present. The 51-year-old, whose return to Playford Road was confirmed yesterday, says there was a target of having five or six in the first team squad towards the end of his previous spell in charge.

Klug said: “When Joe Royle was here we were aiming to get five or six players in the squad most weeks and we were achieving that quite easily.

“I think we’ve probably tailed off a little bit since then. Certainly at Championship level I think a club of this size should be producing more than we have done for whatever reason in the last few years."

Klug says he expects plenty of clubs to try to emulate Barcelona’s philosophy given their recent success but feels Town should have an approach of their own: “I think everyone’s going to try and copy Barcelona and play out ridiculously from the back and have teams all the way through [the age groups] playing the same way, that is the ultimate really. I do like their style, but Ipswich has its own style and you’ve got to have your own identity.”

He says he and Paul Jewell haven’t yet spoken along those lines but is clear what he feels he has to instil in young players: “I’ve not really had that conversation.

“At the end of the day you just want to be practical on the footballing front. What you have to do for your academy, what you have to do, and we always have done, right the way back to Bobby Robson, is to establish good habits.

“Good habits for me are about playing the game in the right way, passing the ball well, good movement. At the end of the day, style with steel is what you’ve got to aim for because the reality of the game is that you’ve got to win.”

Klug represents a link back to Sir Bobby Robson's days at Portman Road, and also to every subsequent Town boss: “I’ve worked for every manager since Sir Bobby Robson, so I’ve seen some really good managers, and one or two not so good!

“Obviously there was Sir Bobby, but when I first started coaching John Lyall was here and was an unbelievable coach, his philosophy and his ability to put things on, get messages over and handle players. He was fantastic.

"Joe Royle was a great manager as well. We’ve had some really good managers here.”

Photo: Action Images

DiamondGezzer added 06:21 - Jun 15 How nice to come on here and read sensible comments. H32 :- Agree. Those really were the days, and times like the Keane period, make me miss them all the more. Still, prospects look a little more balanced now.
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OutofTown added 08:30 - Jun 15 If only we could read a few more stories with quotes from Klug this week...
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Surco72 added 09:45 - Jun 15 Didnt Magilton bring Wickham into the first team fold ? Really grasping at straws to claim Keane aided anything to Wickhams career other than playing an obvious talent ,and Wickham really started producing under Jewell not Keane ,hat rick v Doncaster ,wonder goal at sheff Utd ? I too saw all the glory days ,but am realistic enough not to live in a dream world that those days could ever be achieved again .How many teams have won any big trophy or qualified for the champions league outside the big 6 maybe 7 clubs without almost bankrupting themselves Pompey,Leeds are prime examples of this

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RaymondovicBlue added 09:51 - Jun 15 Comments criticising PJ for lack of youth development bemuse me ... he/the club has been trying to get The Klug back for almost as long as he tried to sign Joel Ward - and this time he was successful! PRESUMABLY this means that the club - including PJ - are putting their money where their mouth is in a determination to re-build the youth policy that served us so well until a certain RK got hold of it and threw it away. SURELY the plan is to continue to develop youth and to take the ones that are good enough (and not all of them will be, despite our desires and favourites) and SLOWLY and SURELY nurture them into our first team squad - OR to cash in by sales. Kluggy will be judged on his own performance, but yes, "luck" or circumstance DOES play a part of it ... Connor Wickham could have been born in Manchester ... or Norwich !! I'm with those who are positive about our future - no longer trying to buy our way up, but looking to do the hard work from grass roots with an excellent coach ... Who knows - some may get their way (NOT my immediate wish!) and PJ goes at end of contract and Klug is in place to take over?!? Funny game Football - just ask Harry about that!

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mattraisin added 14:53 - Jun 15 Connor Wickham wasn't born in Ipswich, his dad was RAF and he used to live up by Reading. Wickham was in the Reading academy until about age 12 I think when his dad was posted somewhere else closer to Ipswich and Wickham joined Ipswich academy, if that isn't luck then I don't know what is. But Klug did a good job bringing him through since then.
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Vic added 14:42 - Jun 16 Keane didn't really bring wickham through though did he. Yes he gave him his first starts but towards the end he never played him - always made some excuse about him having an injury or something. Then PJ came in and played Connor just about every game. The contrast between the two was stark.
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