Exiting Blues skipper Luke Chambers says his time at Town has been a fantastic journey and one that he’s proud of but admits that it's still to fully sink in that he's moving on and wasn't expecting to leave this summer.

Chambers, 35, joined the Blues on a free transfer from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2012 during Paul Jewell’s time as boss and went on to make 395 start and one sub appearance for Town, most of them wearing the captain’s armband.

“It's been a surreal few days, but everything in football comes to an end and there are rarely fairytales,” the Kettering-born centre-half told iFollow Ipswich in a lengthy interview.

“The way it's happened is a little bit disappointing, but it's only really when you leave a role or a place of work that people show their appreciation.

“The messages and phone calls I have received from not just friends and family but people in football that you wouldn't even think of has been pretty overwhelming.

“It probably hasn't sunk in that I've worked my last day here, but my time at the club has been a fantastic journey and it's one that I am very proud of. I'm proud of my contribution to the football club and I think most people you speak to would echo that.”

He admits he wasn’t anticipating his time at Town ending at this point.

“To be brutally honest I didn't think I would be leaving the club this summer,” he continued. “We'd had conversations in the past and I don't feel it's the right time for me to leave but that is out of my hands.

“You can't dwell on it, though, otherwise it'll eat you away inside. I'm sure I have unfinished at the football club so potentially in the future, who knows what is around the corner.

“For now I want to continue playing but the feeling I have in me is that this club and place is going to be very difficult to beat. I have to be excited about whatever is next for me.

“My wife and parents and children say 'you must be so sad' and I say 'yeah I am, but football goes on’.

“The club will continue without me and in a couple of months fans will be excited about new signings and by that point I will have started my new chapter.

“I could have been playing in front of the fans on the last day of the season and it would have been great, but that's not the case and behind the scenes I have still had a really positive reception.

“My love for the club has grown from day one to where it is now, and now it's time for me to take my experiences into my next chapter.”

Like his friend Cole Skuse, also leaving the club this summer after a long spell at Town, Chambers cites the 2014/15 play-off season as the most memorable of his nine years at Portman Road.

“The play-offs season was fantastic when you look at the players we had in that squad and what the manager was able to put together with the resources he had.

“If we had been able to capitalise on our position at Christmas time then things might have been very different, and we probably wouldn't be sitting where we are now.

“The Charlton game was brilliant when Noel [Hunt] came on and scored. They [Sky] stuck a camera in our faces 30 seconds after we had just won the game in injury time with 4,000 proper Ipswich fans in the away end so that was a good moment and what a day that was. It's unfortunate that we missed out to that lot up the road.”

Chambers, who has been tipped to move to Colchester United this summer, thanked fans for making him feel at home and sharing so many post-match celebrations.

“Just thank you for taking to me from day one really,” the one-time Northampton defender added. “They demanded the fist pump which became quite iconic and it's a shame we didn't see it on better occasions sometimes.

“But it's been a hell of a ride and I thank everyone that has been a part of it and everyone that has supported me.

“Yes, in football you always have your critics and sometimes you don't appreciate what you've got until it's gone, but thanks to everyone for making me feel at home and allowing me to live my life so well in the area.

“I hope I've been a good guy at this football club and a good player and thank you to everyone because it's something I will never forget.”

Photo: Matchday Images

YorkshireBlue1967 added 16:56 - May 15 Thanks Luke - a true servant of our club. Good luck in whatever you do in the future and I for one would love to see you back at Portman Road one day, to give you the round of applause that you richly deserve!
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 17:01 - May 15 I'm certainly happy for Cook to have a huge clear out but really feel we may be missing a beat by not keeping him and Skuse at the club in some capacity. Best of luck to both.
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USA added 18:03 - May 15 I liked Chambers overall. Seemed like a very good Captain and leader. The fact that he thought he was safe though is perhaps part of the problem. Too much apathy in and around the team and not enough fight to ensure you stay in the team. I guess the lack of competition comes from lack of quality.
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pennblue added 18:17 - May 15 I know it has been said already, but Luke has been a great servant to this club. He has stood up and taken responsibility whilst the club has been run on a thread by Evans, and for that he should be applauded. Playing wise, he has been a reliable player, it is just unfortunate he has played during a poor period for the club. As Captain how much responsibility should he take for that is really the question, and we can sit here and say maybe he should have expected more from the team, and not accepted anything less than 150% every game, but we have to take into consideration the overall state of the club during this period too. There have been a lot of unproven youngsters coming through during the last 2 seasons, and before that, there has been a lot of negativity, so not the easiest backdrop to work with. I wish Luke well for the future, he needs to go and get his coaching badges if he does not have them already, and I am sure he will be welcomed back in a couple of years time when the dust has settled, and we have moved beyond the current period.

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warwickblueboy added 18:23 - May 15 Totally agree with those who say he should've gone 2 or 3 seasons ago and again, the fact he thought he should stay is part of our problem. Look where we've just finished in league 1!! We need to improve and that means getting better players everywhere. Maybe only when we've got a winning team and a decent captain that can actually play will we look back on this period differently. I'm not interested in players being “decent blokes” and constantly doing a PR job with the press telling us how much they care about the club. We should expect that anyway from any captain of itfc.

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SickParrot added 19:26 - May 15 Luke is a good professional who has blue blood and has always given his all for the club. Unfortunately, time has caught up with him and he has been unable to lead by example for the last 2 seasons. It's a shame if PC misled him to believe he would be still be here next season but PC may have felt that it was necessary (whilst promotion was still a mathematical possibility) because of the influence that Luke has on the rest of the squad. I thank Luke for his loyalty and commitment but believe it will be easier for PC to deliver the change in mentality that is needed without him.

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Monkey_Blue added 19:33 - May 15 Who really thinks Wigan's kit man would be a better first team coach/player than chambo.... oh that's right he's not a scouser or Cooks mate. Seems that's the tick boxes. Disgraceful way to treat Chambers who's been honest but it appears the manager wasn't with him. I don't like the manner of the changes or the standard of coaching appointments. I worry this is going to end in a relegation fight next season. The players left at the club won't respect Cook and the ones he can afford could be no better or worse than the ones let go. When a manager states how rigid he is in terms of formation and also thinks claiming fitness is a principal, thinking it's a new concept, I am not optimistic.

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senduntd added 13:29 - May 17 Paul Cook maybe a good manager but I will never forgive him for what he has done to Luke Chambers.
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