New signing Frazer Richardson has spoken of the team spirit and togetherness in the Town squad and admitted: “It hits you smack bang in the face when you walk through the door.”

Such qualities can be a major plus at any club as right-back Richardson, on loan from Middlesbrough until the end of the season, was quick to confirm

Richardson, who made his debut as a late sub during Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Bolton, said: “My time at Southampton was the best of my career. It’s a fantastic feeling to get promotion from any league and to go from League One to the Championship was just as enjoyable as when we went up to the Premier League.

“It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of discipline to keep you right for that amount of games. Consistency is what’s required and it’s just about keeping going and trying to pick up the three points whenever you can.

“But it wasn’t just about the back-to-back promotions. It was the team spirit at the club. All the lads were really good friends off the field and we used to do a lot together, like going out for meals and going to the cinema, stuff like that. We all seemed to do it as one and I’ve already heard about the players’ cinema club here at Ipswich.”

The Championship is notoriously tight, of course, and Richardson is convinced the right team spirit can take you a long way towards your goal.

Indeed, he added: “It can take you all the way and I’ll stand by that. I’ve said it for a couple of seasons. When you’ve been at a club with such a good camaraderie and team spirit you know what it is worth.

“It’s not just off the field but on the field because you need to work hard for each other — cover your team-mate, work your nuts off, so to speak, to get on the end of a cross or to get a cross in or to get back and slide tackle.

“All these things come together to make team spirit. It’s really important and it can take you all the way. Obviously you have to have the little bits of individual quality to win games but 90 per cent of it is the work ethic of the team.

“So far it’s been really good. You can just see that there is a bit of a buzz about the place at the minute and the lads can’t speak highly enough of Mick and the coaching staff.

“There’s a great feeling around the club and, although it’s still early days, I can liken it to the times we had at Southampton.”

Photo: ITFC

Photo: Action Images

SouperJim added 09:58 - Feb 4 Sums up Town at the moment, the team is much better than the individual components that make it up. We'd all like to see better football, but while we're in and around the play-offs with a side being built on a shoestring, I'm prepared to take the rough with the smooth where the entertainment is concerned. With that said, anyone who hasn't been entertained by some of our recent performances, particularly the second half against Reading, should probably switch allegiances to a "bigger" club. There is a feelgood factor about the place and Portman Road is rocking again in the way we've not seen since the Royle era. Who needs 20k attendances? If the purists staying away means we get an atmosphere like this, I'll settle for 15k every week.

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PeekFreans added 10:17 - Feb 4 very well said SouperJim.......couldn't have put it better myself
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michael99 added 10:36 - Feb 4 I can see mr average tommy smith being dropped for a Berra /chambers partership soon Berra is miles better than tommy ,and chambo is not a great rb but excellent cb maybe as soon as the next time we don't keep a clean sheet he will be dropped but defo will happen this season .tommy is decent back up though
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LowstBlue added 10:51 - Feb 4 michael99 - I hear what you're saying, but if you look at the poll results for MoM on this web-site you will see that Smith has been MoM 6 times. Only McGoldrick has more! Berra has not got 1 (which is harsh IMO). So if Smith is "Mr.Average" but can also be MoM 6 times, surely he will get the nod? Appreciate that MM will have his own ideas, but it can't be that Tommy will be hooped after next goal conceded, can it?

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RaymondovicBlue added 11:00 - Feb 4 I totally get the idea of a smaller crowd where everyone wants to be there
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RaymondovicBlue added 11:02 - Feb 4 BUT .... true supporters will all realise that you have to attend and support the team regardless .... because we live under financial fair play
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RaymondovicBlue added 11:03 - Feb 4 .... and need the income to improve sorry but my phones playing up and only allowed small posts
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bluemikey100 added 11:34 - Feb 4 like tommy always chance he gonna score hope he dont get dropped -----------------------
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MathieandMarshall added 12:24 - Feb 4 simple solution.. 3-5-2 with Richardson and Cresswell as wing backs. keep all 3 of Smith/Chambers and Berra and Mick gets to stick with his tried and trusted Skuse/Hyam partnership with one creative player thrown in to the mix. Hunt or McGoldrick in the hole maybe?
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Garv added 13:07 - Feb 4 Can't help but giggle whenever a player mentions 'cinema club'.
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BlueandTruesince82 added 13:12 - Feb 4 1. "I may not always pick the best players but I ALWAYS pick the best team" Sir Alf Ramsey to Jack Charlton as Englan perpared for the 66 world cup. 2. I would love to attend more town games. Unfortunately I live miles away. Petrol alone makes it prohibatively expensive to get tro more than a couple a year. I suspect the is the case for supporters across most football league clubs. I try to buy merch instead.

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michael99 added 13:19 - Feb 4 only saying tommy is an average championship defender but berra is an excellent championship/premiership defender playing out of position.Berra and Chambers together would be better(just wait and watch it happen)
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michael99 added 13:37 - Feb 4 Mathieandmarshall agree with what you say ive always liked that formation but i dont think mm will go for it as he would have already tried it with either Hewitt or carlos.who poss are good wingbacks cressie could do it the other side,i remember under burley when we played that way with clapham and wilnis if you have the right players at wingback its a brilliant system,smith/chambo marking would be ok marking with berra sweeping up behind getting tommy out of trouble!

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blueboy1981 added 17:50 - Feb 4 Souperjim - agree with most of your post - but yet another one suggesting people go elsewhere - TOTALLY WRONG for any genuineITFC Supporter to do that. Crowds are diminishing as it is - DON'T encourage it - in fact quite the opposite should be the case. Our Club needs people - a half empty ground is no good to this Club at all, and more could / should be done by the people running the Club to swell the numbers. With the entertainment factor not of the highest quality anyway - please don't encourage anymore to stay away.

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blueboy1981 added 17:51 - Feb 4 ...... numbers make noise - and revenue !!
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blueboy1981 added 18:06 - Feb 4 ........ and if you think the atmosphere is currently that good at Portman Road, shame you missed the earlier days / nights . We need that again - and should ALL strive for it - not be satisfied with 15K attendances (and falling).
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Walk_the_Wark added 18:16 - Feb 4 Yep. TRUE supporters want Ipswich to succeed playing good football, not setting up to frustrate the opposition with hard working donkeys!
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