Judge: I'm a Number Ten Thursday, 17th Jan 2019 16:05 New recruit Alan Judge is ready to fill the number ten role for Town as they look to build on last week’s home win over relegation rivals Rotherham when they travel to take on mid-table Blackburn on Saturday. Judge was signed this week from Brentford for a nominal fee and will be at Portman Road at least until the end of the season, although there is an option to extend his short-term stay for a further 12 months. Asked where he envisaged playing, the 30-year-old Dubliner replied: “Number ten. I think Paul [Lambert] knows that but, of course, if he asks me to play somewhere else I will do that. I was being used as a winger at Brentford and that’s not really my position. “They used me as a winger, trying to take people on, and that’s not really my game. I’m more of a passer and mover, and I think I showed that a few years ago in the number ten position. If I get into the spaces I’m hoping I can do a little bit of damage. “I think Paul has brought me in for my experience. He tried to sign me for Aston Villa the season I was doing really well so I knew of his interest and that he was aware of me as a player. It’s quite easy when someone wants you because it’s nice to be wanted. “We’ll see how it goes. My family are in London until the summer but you never know. When I do things I do them right and if I come here in the summer my family will be coming with me. “I was happy with a deal through to the summer. I know I have to prove I can still do it and I’m pretty confident I can. I have to earn my next contract. I’m in a position where I won’t just be given it. “There are a lot of good players here but you need competition for places. That’s what drives the squad on. “I’ve come here to play Championship football and because of how the manager spoke to me. He was very enthusiastic straight away. “There were one or two other Championship clubs who wanted to get in on the deal but I gave my word to Paul that I would be coming here. “I wasn’t really surprised that Brentford let me go because I wasn’t playing there and I was looking for an opportunity to play. “I’ve had long enough out and I want to be playing regularly so that I can prove to myself that I can still do it.” The Republic of Ireland international midfielder suffered a double leg fracture in April 2016 after a collision with Town counterpart Luke Hyam. The Bees won 3-1 that day and it took him until January last year to return to action for them. But despite that being an obvious low point in his career, Judge added: “If I keep referring back to the injury I’ll never move on and that’s not me. “Maybe I was thinking for the first week or two ‘That’s my chance gone’ but the way I am as a person I just go for it and keep going. “I wasn’t really worried that I might never play again because I know I’ve seen players come back from injuries. “It might have gone through my mind for about five seconds or something but that was it really. Once I was in the gym I was working hard and that was it. “I’ve never really blamed Luke Hyam. It happens in football and that’s the way it goes. “Have I felt bitter about it as it’s gone on? Probably, because of my Premier League dream, but I’ve never held him responsible. It’s football and things like that happen. Anything can happen every time you go out onto the pitch. “Just two or three days before the injury happened I had agreed a move with a Premier League club, to join them in the summer of 2016. “But I’m only 30 and it might still happen but right now I’m just concentrating on trying to keep Ipswich up. “Just two or three weeks ago I played three 90-minute games in about eight days so fitness-wise I’m there. I just want to add a little bit of sharpness, which hopefully will come with games. “It’s up to me to get myself into the team and then stay in the team. Can I be as good as ever? Time will tell.” Judge also admitted it was a case of third time lucky after twice coming close to joining Town during former manager Mick McCarthy’s time at the helm. He said: “The first time I came here my wife was very heavily pregnant and for some reason the deal wasn’t done at the time, so I ended up going back to Blackburn. “I came to the training ground, met Mick and we went down to the stadium to have a look round. “The second time was last year and Mick wanted to know how fit I was. I was honest with him and said I was only really doing my pre-season training, so it wouldn’t have been fair to him or me to come then. I wasn’t properly fit.” Ex-Town midfielder Jonathan Douglas, a team-mate of Judge at Griffin Park, played a part in him deciding to make the switch to Suffolk. “He loved it here,” said Judge. “He said how good the lads were and how easy it was to get along with them. “He mentioned the likes of Chambo and Skusey, said how good the people around here are and the club in general. You do your homework and everyone I spoke to said it was a good place.”
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