Blues midfielder Cole Skuse believes there are exciting times ahead at Portman Road under new manager Paul Hurst, Town having announced that the 43-year-old had signed a three-year deal along with his Shrewsbury assistant Chris Doig earlier today.

“It’s a great appointment, brilliant for the club,” Skuse told BBC Radio Suffolk at the Suffolk Show this morning seconds after being told Hurst was his new boss by MD Ian Milne. “It’s been doing the rounds for a couple of weeks but nice to get it done.

“I’ve not come across him, but his CV speaks for itself, I think. He’s very highly thought of within the football world, he’s had three or four promotions.

“I saw the Shrewsbury game at the weekend, they were unlucky not to get a result and he seems as if he conducts himself very well. He comes across very well, so exciting times ahead.”

Skuse, 32, admits it’s been an unsettling spell for the squad since the March announcement that former boss Mick McCarthy would be moving on in the summer and then his earlier than anticipated exit last month.

“The air of uncertainty, not just among players but also among fans is a strange situation to be in,” the Bristolian reflected.

“So to get something confirmed today is good for everyone, to know who is in charge, to try and figure out what he’s about and it’ll be interesting to see what he’s like in pre-season.”

He added: “It is a fresh start. Mick did a great job for five years at the club and a lot of players would thank him massively for that, and he did do a fantastic job.

“But, like I say, it’s a fresh start, it’s a clean slate for everyone. He’s inherited what’s definitely not a broken squad, he’s inherited a very, very good squad. Once everyone’s back fit and fully flying it’s a great squad.

“So, it’s exciting times, pre-season is going to be interesting, it’s a different pre-season for everyone, we’ve had the same pre-season for five years, it’s going to be a fresh start for everyone.”

Skuse says the squad which is currently due to return to Playford Road for the start of pre-season training on June 22nd is very united.

“When Mick left, we had Bryan [Klug], Chris [Hogg] and Nashy [Gerard Nash] in charge and you could see a real togetherness there, the group really came together, it was really tight.

“We’ve got some very good characters in the dressing room, that’s a credit to the previous gaffer, he signed the right personnel.

“Obviously, you had to be very good at football, but you had to be a very good character to fit into the dressing room.

“[A bad apple] can upset everyone. We’ve got a great dressing room, great personnel and the new manager is inheriting a very good squad and a very good dressing room.”

Photo: TWTD

Mark added 12:49 - May 30 Definitely exciting times. The League One Manager of the Year joining us, young and ambitious but with proven success on his CV at more than one club previously. Let's all get behind Paul and the team and see where they can take us. COYB!
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Miles added 12:53 - May 30 Have to say the squad does seem very together. The previous regime had many faults but this is something we did well under Mick. Makes the transition to Hurst a smoother one. Hurst was my number one choice from the start and I for one am very excited about the coming season now!
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NoCanariesAllowed added 12:54 - May 30 Genuinely believe we've acquired one of the most exciting young managers in the league here. It's no guarantee it'll work out, but you cannot do better as a gamble than to pick a guy like Hurst. His win percentage alone is enough to warrant a shot, never mind his record on a budget and the history of promotions.
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CraigEdwards added 12:55 - May 30 Fantastic appointment. Nows the time to get behind the new manager and stop the negativity. The management need time with this great bunch of youngsters coming through. Exiting Times again for the great football club.
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SaigonTractor added 13:00 - May 30 "...you could see a real togetherness there, the group really came together, it was really tight." Really good to hear that the team spirit didn't leave with McCarthy. Exciting times ahead
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ArnieMsBigToe added 13:25 - May 30 Well this gives me a whole new sense of optimism. It will be interesting to see who goes (if anyone) and who comes in.
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bedsitfc added 13:31 - May 30 PAul hurst's s first 2 signings will be very interesting. An indication of playing style.
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SimonCleggsNeck added 13:41 - May 30 I bet exciting times for Cole Skuse is watching 8 out of 10 cats does Countdown on a Friday night with a shandy in hand.
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goat_man added 13:51 - May 30 What MM did was make the squad believe that they were no good and that without him and his tactics they would have gone down. Klug obviously didn't manage to completely eradicate that feeling as the players are still praising MM at times, but hopefully Hurst will be able to truly "Clean the state" and give these players their pride back.
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pennblue added 13:53 - May 30 They may be a nice bunch but we need some hungry leaders who have the desire to win a football match and get us out of this league
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Jonaldo added 13:54 - May 30 I actually think Mick made some great signings and we do have a great squad that is punching below it's weight! Introduce some youth and a little competition in a few places and PH has every reason to be optimistic about the coming season. But remember, football can be cruel. We won our first 5 games last season and were top of the league. If we lose the first 5 this time out, it can all change very quickly!

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marco007 added 14:16 - May 30 You also detect the staleness in the pre-season, with the regular jaunts to Ireland that MM seemed to love. It's just a shame that the new man has had no say regarding our pre-season opponents as they look pretty stale too. Still, onwards and upwards, and if he can develop our youth and and pick up some lower league stars in the making and mould this into our existing core of decent players then it should be an entertaining season. Think full-backs are a definite weakness and not a fan of Knudson or Chambers, midfielders are abundant if we can get them fit and strikers can be worked on.

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baxter7 added 14:26 - May 30 I wonder if you will be still first on the team sheet like you was with mcarthy let's hope he can discover a defensive midfielder who can pass a ball forward and score a few goals welcome to portman rd Paul and bring back the good times
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itsonlyme added 15:26 - May 30 Craigedwards - I think the negativity went the day MMc left the premises!
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timspencero added 15:27 - May 30 @goat_man - v interesting thought, that.
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dusty added 15:52 - May 30 For the first in a long time I am looking forward to the announcement of the fixture list. As other posts have commented, McCarthy did leave the nucleus of a reasonable squad, and to give him credit, some of his loan signings were exceptional. On the other hand, there were a few who, for sometime, were, clearly, not up to the job. It is not the time to name these individuals because we all have differing opinions, but it is fair to say that those fitting this category were consistently identified. One assumes that Brian Klug and his team will have an input in briefing Paul Hurst when he arrives, so hopefully those potential weaknesses will be dealt with.

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Surco72 added 15:52 - May 30 I agree with Goatman .. really think MM made the players under perform rather than improve with his coaching , especially going forward . Personally think Skuse 's game time will be limited next season as for me he offers very little and cheats in his position to make out he is doing more with the odd interception due to him not marking in the first place . Hopefully the likes of Bish , Dozzell , Ward will be allowed to play a more natural game

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ChrisFelix added 16:28 - May 30 The end of the proper blokes & hopefully the silly nicknames !!!!
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Daleyitfc added 17:10 - May 30 Here's hoping one of the first things Hurst does is tell mediocre journeymen like Skuse to sling his hook and go and drag some other team down to his level. All this stuff about Hurst inheriting a good squad? Twaddle : there is not one player in our current squad that is good enough, and the whole lot of them need to be got rid of and replaced by fresh blood, mainly from our own academy.

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floridaboy added 17:29 - May 30 Daleyitfc, what planet are you coming from or are you one of our six fingered friends from up the A140. Bart, not good enough Waghorn, not good enough Webster, not good enough Dozzell, not good enough Nydam, not good enough Chambers, not good enough Knudsen, not good enough Huws, not good enough Need I go on. Play the bulk of the side from the academy and we will start next saeason in Division One!!

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Swn98 added 17:41 - May 30 What a silly statement Goatman!
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Swn98 added 17:43 - May 30 and Daley itfc
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1RWR added 17:58 - May 30 Daleyitfc Berk!
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blueboy1981 added 18:11 - May 30 Swn98 ............ Can we eventually expect to see a logical, factual, and (at least partially) sensible post from you. Or are you still suffering the effect os Sunstroke ? - or alternatively, the effects of Carrot Road ?
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pazzy added 18:35 - May 30 now is the time to get behind the club the manager and the players let the manager pick the team and get behind every player we have some very good players at the club lets all show that we are behind them as we did at the end of last season COME ON YOU BLUES
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