Town midfielder Teddy Bishop sees Oxford United, tomorrow’s visitors to Portman Road, as a prime example of how a sudden, sustained change of form can go a long way to transforming a club’s season.

Karl Robinson’s men sit three places and three points above the 11th-placed Blues, and only two points adrift of the play-off zone, thanks to a run of nine wins and a draw from a 10-game run — exactly the sort of form Bishop believes Town can replicate.

The 24-year-old admits the 12-point gap to the automatic promotion places means they are likely to be beyond reach, but isn’t ruling it out altogether. “You just never know in this division,” he said.

“Everyone beats everyone. If we could put a run together, say over the next 10 games, and see how many we can win, look at the table after that and see where we are.

“Oxford are a good example of how things can turn around. They have almost come from nowhere after an average start to the season. They have picked themselves up and are doing really well at the moment, so it shows it can be done.

“It’s about consistency. We showed at the start of the season that we can put a consistent run together with five wins and a draw in our first six league games, which got us to the top of the league. We need to rediscover that form and I believe we can do it.”

This would be a great time for Town to turn the corner. Starting tomorrow against Oxford, seven of their next 10 games are against teams above them in League One.

Okay, the Blues have a dismal record against the leading sides, both this season and last, but it has to end sometime and if it does over the next few weeks it could boost their play-off hopes considerably.

Bishop added: “It’s a tough run of games and it looks like being a tough time for the remainder of this month and through March. But at the same time it’s a great opportunity for us to go and nick points off the teams ahead of us. It works both ways really.”

With his contract due to expire in the summer, although the club have the option to trigger a 12-month extension, the Cambridge-born player admits he would like nothing more than to extend a stay at Portman Road that goes back to when he was first recruited to the academy at the age of seven.

Indeed, Bishop has one particular ambition he would like to fulfil, admitting: “I would love to captain Ipswich Town. It would be a real honour after being here since I was just seven. But there’s nothing to report at the moment about a new deal, so we’ll wait and see what happens with that one. Would I like to stay? Yes, of course.

“Along with the likes of Flynn Downes and Andre Dozzell, I want to play my part in driving this club forward. We share the belief that we can help to do that, plus we have friends and family who are close and even involved with the club.

“I suppose that does bring added pressure and responsibility. All of us boys who have come through the academy know where this club should be.

“When I was growing up I used to watch Ipswich all the time, every week nearly, so our aspirations are definitely to try to get the club back to where it was.”

Finally, Bishop agreed that there is a level of anxiety in the squad right now. “I think you could say that,” he added. “When a player or a team has a few bad performances anxiety definitely creeps in.

“But it does only take one good performance, one good result, to get rid of all that and that’s what we need to try to achieve tomorrow against Oxford.

“The manager has made it very clear that our target is still to go up this year. Everyone, the loan players included, knows that is the aim. They have brought added quality to training and I feel sure we’ll see the best of them in the coming weeks.”

Photo: Matchday Images

ITFC_Cotton added 14:11 - Feb 19 “Everyone beats everyone” No Teddy everyone clearly doesn't beat everyone....
4

johnwarksshorts added 14:43 - Feb 19 Pigs might fly!
1

bushhillblue added 14:49 - Feb 19 How many chances do our so called young gifted snowflakes want move aside lads your not up to it
0

raycrawfordswig added 15:45 - Feb 19 No things don't change we are still 5hite
2

multiplescoregasms added 16:28 - Feb 19 Bored now. Anther player wheeled out to fed the fans some more of that good old Ipswich Town b*llsh*t.
2

heathen66 added 16:37 - Feb 19 The difference is Teddy, Oxford have a forward thinking manager, whom it seems is capable of getting more out of lesser players. I am sure Robinson will have watched us play more than once and will have a definitive plan on how they will impose themselves and attempt to win. Is unfortunately will probably put out the same formation and tactics as we always do and hope to scrape some sort of a result...somehow...because we did against Blackpool and Burton !!! I know you have to say these things, I think we all appreciate this is the case, but I think even the players know the reality under Lambert. Would love to be proved wrong as see us really take the bull by the horns and really go for it...and catch Oxford on the hop, but I have not seen this in 2.5 years (in all honesty 7.5 years) so not expecting it this time. Will be online hoping COYB !!!

1

TractorRoyNo1 added 16:46 - Feb 19 Its actually an example of what a tuppeny club can do with a half decent manager
2

dirtydingusmagee added 16:49 - Feb 19 i just think these roll out statements every week are insulting to fans intelligence , we may be country boys but we are not that ###kin stupid.
2

aloanagain added 17:25 - Feb 19 If we were going to put runs together they would have started by now. Other teams seem to do it. Only runs we get together are W1 D1 L6.
0

Devereuxxx added 17:28 - Feb 19 Always love it when players compare us to teams where there are almost 0 similarities in an attempt to make it seem like that winning streak could be replicated here. Out of nowhere. With nothing changing. Imagine if it happened the other way round and an opposition player went 'i mean just look an Ipswich, that shows how a team can become a total shambles rapidly'.

2

Skip73 added 19:13 - Feb 19 What a load of crap once again. Town are totally incapable of going on any sort of good run. Oxford have found form because they are well run, well coached and have players who give their all. The exact opposite of this spineless club with its snowflake players.
0

Dmodeboy added 08:22 - Feb 20 Oh yeah need one good performance. Like Blackpool? Then what happened? Honestly I'm tired of all this absolute nonsense coming out of the club at the moment. I know players have to say certain things but seriously? Do they think we are stupid? The owner does. The manager does. It's all waffle. Nonsense. Lambert should be fired. End of.
0

ChrisFelix added 09:28 - Feb 20 Football is a simple game, its 11v 11. But with the system Lambert continues to use its not surprising that we score few goals. I know we havent had a penalty this year & we all know why. Sadly until we play a target man with someone to play off him the frustrations will continue. Nb looking at Bristol Citys website as im scared that we will lose out on Cook. They showed a match from 2012 when Cole Skuse actually got into the Barnsley box to score a GOAL !!!!

0

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls