Blues midfielder Cole Skuse admits last season’s 11th-place League One finish was “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” but says it now needs to be put to one side as Town go into the new season.

“We all know in-house and out-house that to finish where we finished in the league is unacceptable and it’s embarrassing to talk about it, to be honest,” the 34-year-old told iFollow Ipswich.

“But if we were to carry that on to this year and drag that sort of embarrassment and that sort of negativity on, if that were to carry on into this season you’re off to a bad start already.

“As much as it’s terrible and it shouldn’t have happened, it did happen, but that’s done now, that’s gone, that page as been turned, so now you have to come in and put that to one side, recharge your batteries and try and be as successful and positive as you can.”

Town are expected to confirm the signings of left-back Stephen Ward, striker Oli Hawkins and keeper David Cornell on Monday and Skuse says he has been impressed with what he’s seen of Ward, who spent last week training at Playford Road, both in terms of his ability and his character.

Manager Paul Lambert is understood to have been looking to add more leaders to his squad, with former Derby captain Richard Keogh having been targeted prior to his move to the MK Dons, and Ward appears to have made his mark on that front already.

“Fantastic guy, I’ve come across Wardy a few times from playing against him,” Skuse said of the 34-year-old former Wolves, Burnley and Stoke man.

“But to have him in the building and to see him up close and personal in terms of how he conducts himself, you’re talking about a player who has played in the Premier League and the top end of the Championship for many years.

“He’s settled in really quickly, he’s very vocal, which has been massive for us. Hopefully he stays a little bit longer and we can get him on board and he settles in quickly. He’ll be a massive coup for us if we get him on board.

“A fantastic addition, not just from a playing point of view because, like I said, his career speaks for itself, his CV is brilliant, his international caps, his Premier League experience, his top-end Championship experience. But as a person he’s a real good guy.”

Skuse, who signed a new one-year contract with the club having an option for a further season in May, spoke earlier in the summer about the importance of safety once football returned with his wife Louisa a type 1 diabetic. He says all is well at home and he is pleased to have returned to training with the players working to the EFL’s Protocol for Return to First Team Training.

“All really good, myself and my family are all really good and in terms of being back with the lads, it’s nice. You can’t quite have the same banter with your wife and kids as you do at a training ground, so that’s been nice.”

He added: “We’ve come back in the small bubbles originally, which was good because my bubble was quite entertaining.

“Emyr Huws is very dry and witty, so he brought a little bit of a spark to our bubble. But in terms of building up to the contact that’s been good because the games have been at a really good tempo.”

Photo: ITFC

Pencilpete added 08:58 - Aug 17 I'll forget about last season if this season is a damn sight better
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ArnieM added 09:35 - Aug 17 Who do people think the Club should bring in to replace the vast experience Chambers and Skuse give the Club? And how much do you think these two replacements would cost the Club in keeping with the new financial constraints ?
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BeattiesBackPocket added 10:03 - Aug 17 ArnieM there are plenty of players out there so please stop with that it's the go to excuse for Evans as well only in this case there plenty of players out there. I don't dislike either but honestly tell us what they offer? I actually like both who have been great servants to the club whether they have the ability or not and was hoping for both that they would and should take league one by storm but chambers struggled in a lot of games and Skuse still doesn't take games by the scruff of the neck. I'm not gonna sit on here and slag them off but they are not our future and there ARE better players out there in this league

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ArnieM added 11:11 - Aug 17 Name the players then ! That's all I've asked , and what fees people think the Club could expect to pay for such experience . It's not an outrageous request . Your anger amuses me and indicates you don't like being put on the spot. For the record , I believe it probably is the last season for both players . What I dont like is the ridiculous witch hunt both players have received and had to endure from a large sector of fans for a number of seasons. This blame culture that exists amongst Town fans is petty, unhelpful and frankly just perpetuates the negativity that exists at ITFC . We are currently a League One Club and all that entails . Not sodding Man City, Liverpool or Barcelona. People need to be realistic in their demands.

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BlueBlood90 added 11:18 - Aug 17 How many pre-seasons in a row have we seen this headline now?
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Orraman added 11:24 - Aug 17 I have never understood the negativity Cole Skuse gets on here. He is not, never has been and never will be an attack minded player. There are players in most teams who never cross the halfway line - that is their game. A lot of people seem to forget Cole's many important blocks and interventions, often potential goal savers and he has on occasion suffered injury by putting his body on the line. His short passing is good and the occasional sublime long pass is not unknown. So what if he has not go on lung bursting surges forward, there are other midfielders to do that. His job is to protect the defence and in my opinion he does that very well.

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istanblue added 11:42 - Aug 17 When Man City won the Premier League for the first time in 2011/12, SAF told his Man Utd players to remember the feeling of pain and disappointment they felt at the end of that season to try and motivate them to go on and win the title next season - which they did. That's what a winning culture looks like. Meanwhile at ITFC, the pain and disappointment should (according to Cole Skuse) be ''put to one side'' (i.e. forgotten). This is what a losing culture looks like.

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Bert added 12:59 - Aug 17 As is often the case, there is so little balance in what some posters have to say. Skuse is spot on when he says that if negativity towards the players and the club carries on it will sour the beginning of the season. He rightly acknowledges how awful last season was by saying it was embarrassing and unacceptable. Is that not good enough ? Would the negative posters only be happy if he "dies in a ditch" ? I'm sure they wouldn't but come on, get off his back. As others have said he never will be an attacking midfielder but he disrupts play, blocks and we need him to allow others to do the sexy things. The keyboard is a wonderful thing but sadly just as it does with social networking it allows people to be unfairly unkind. Skuse in League one is an asset. For good measure, a winning culture is created by effective leadership, ownership of mistakes etc not by constantly looking backwards. Rant over.

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BeattiesBackPocket added 14:41 - Aug 17 ArnieM as I said I'm not getting into a slanging match over those two as I've said both have been good servants to the club however have also been pivotal in our downfall as well same as Evans. If we want and experienced centre half then yeah one example would've been Keogh for me but again we've missed out to MK bloody Dons but you're happy I guess with the fact we're not even attractive enough a club to lose out to teams like that like we did last season as well. We are where we are because the players we have aren't good enough simple as that and that mainly for me comes down to our best players being sold and replaced with lower league players because that's how we've operated past ten seasons from lack of investment. Chambers made a lot of costly mistakes last year and past 4 seasons I felt sorry for him as mick would play him out of position but he shouldn't be struggling in this league neither should Skuse but both more so chambers have done. Where's the 5 point plan? Why are some fans happy seeing us where we are? We have maybe 4 players that could cut it in the championship and that's how far we've fallen. Im not happy about it but would I vent that at the players beginning of the season no I wouldn't but if the mediocrity carries on too many games then yeah I would! I've had a season ticket over 30 years now and go to half the away games each season but I have had enough of the owner now and the same speeches every year

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BeattiesBackPocket added 14:46 - Aug 17 And ArnieM how many interviews did they have last season from chambers and Skuse saying it wasn't good enough?? A hell of a lot and what changed?? Absolutely nothing?? You may be happy with the constant same old same old excuses but I personally want more and better for my club I love. You and I would be out of work if we flagged our employers the same old excuses but you wanna continue tolerating it and Evans poor excuses whilst we languish where we are then good one you. Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. About sums up our club under evans

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therein61 added 17:09 - Aug 17 4&8 run this club(these two who don't deserve to wear the Town shirt)by their own admission they are always talking to Marcus while running rings round the hands tied manager as a result they were instrumental in P.L being awarded a 5 year contract making him the richest ball boy in history.
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RobsonWark added 19:50 - Aug 17 Orraman added 11:24 - Aug 17 "I have never understood the negativity Cole Skuse gets on here. He is not, never has been and never will be an attack minded player. There are players in most teams who never cross the halfway line - that is their game. A lot of people seem to forget Cole's many important blocks and interventions, often potential goal savers and he has on occasion suffered injury by putting his body on the line. His short passing is good and the occasional sublime long pass is not unknown. So what if he has not go on lung bursting surges forward, there are other midfielders to do that. His job is to protect the defence and in my opinion he does that very well." OBVIOUSLY protects the defence really well...That is why we are in League 1 !!!

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RobsonWark added 19:54 - Aug 17 ArnieM added 09:35 - Aug 17 "Who do people think the Club should bring in to replace the vast experience Chambers and Skuse give the Club? And how much do you think these two replacements would cost the Club in keeping with the new financial constraints ?" Are you joking? It doesn't matter how much experience they have if they are VERY poor footballers! We could get Butcher at no.4 and Wark at no.8 - THEY HAVE VAST EXPERIENCE AND HAVE WON MANY TROPHIES!!!

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