With manager Paul Cook’s nine-month reign ended at the weekend skipper Sam Morsy is anxious to give interim boss John McGreal a winning start when he takes charge for the first time at Charlton tomorrow evening.

A new era commences under the former Blues defender who cut his managerial teeth in a four-year spell along the A12 at Colchester, where he won 76 of his 204 games in charge, and he was introduced to the players at training this morning.

Asked for his first impressions of Birkenhead-born McGreal, who started his playing career with his local club, Tranmere Rovers, Morsy said: “He met the squad today. He’s an Ipswich lad, really keen to get some wins, really enthusiastic and he’s told us how he wants us to play.

“He wants everyone to be a little bit free really — those are his words. He wants everyone to enjoy it and he wants us to give the fans something to be proud of. He lives locally and he wants to get the enthusiasm back in the team.”

How are the other players coping with Cook’s departure as he brought most of them to the club in the summer? Morsy added: “Everyone was shocked and we’ve had our meetings about what’s expected over the next sort of couple of days. It’s one of those — we have to clear our heads, prepare for Charlton and try to get a win really.

“The support has been really, really good but I think the atmosphere wasn’t great Saturday. A few boos in the crowd, things like that, which is never nice to hear really, especially when the lads are 100 per cent committed to the cause.

“The fans had become a little bit impatient but we know they are going to be travelling in their numbers and we know how much they support us. We have to give them something to shout about really and try to get them to fully believe in the team.

“The manager going is massively disappointing for me because he was the reason I came here and he was the reason most of us came to be honest.

“But while it’s really disappointing I’ve been in this position as a player before and it’s never nice. We just have to regroup and go again, and make sure come Tuesday night we’re energetic and we’re ready to go.”

Cook’s coaching staff, all four of whom have also left Portman Road, came in for some criticism from supporters, mainly because of their lack of experience in the role and, if they had coached elsewhere before, it wasn’t at senior level.

Morsy said: “It’s not been fair but it’s what happens. They tried really hard, they put on good sessions and they’ve been close to the lads, everything you could have asked for really.

“Unfortunately, in football you’re always looking for a scapegoat, you’re always looking for ‘yes, that’s the reason’.

“It’s never simple and it’s never just one thing why you’re a success or you’re a failure. But it’s an easy thing to do, isn’t it, because of the inexperience of first team level coaching? They were great, as good as what I’ve worked with, but people have opinions and that’s the way it goes.

“If we were doing better people would be saying how good they are. That’s just football, the nature of it, but again they’re really good guys and that’s why we’ve let them down a little bit to be fair.

“Not for lack of effort, not for lack of commitment, it’s just that in this industry it’s cut-throat, isn’t it? It’s results-based.

“You look at how well we played against Sunderland and we ended up losing 2-0. If we’d won that game…it’s like I said, because of the way we started our season’s been on a knife-edge.

“Oxford and Sunderland, if we’d beaten both of them, which we should have done by the way, we’d be in a completely different situation now. Like I said, the owners have put a lot of money in and they want immediate success, they want success this season and decided to make their decision.”

Asked how unsettling it can be for players when a new manager comes in, Morsy continued: “I think you just have to focus really and try to clear your head, not over-think anything.

“For the new guy, whoever that is, you just have to give your all and that’s all you can do as a professional footballer.

“All I can do is give my all on a daily basis and on Saturday, Tuesday. That’s it, whatever happens is out of my control.

“I think sometimes as footballers we can sort of get a bit ahead of ourselves and start thinking about the future and whatever, but the reality is that you have to stay in the present.

“For someone like me, the message I’ll be giving to the lads is to take it one day at a time. You just have to zoom in, one day at a time, prepare today, prepare tomorrow, play the game.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen and we never know what’s around the corner in football, like who’s going to be the new manager, the style, what personnel he likes?

“All these things are completely out of our control, so the best way you can be and the most focused you can be is just doing your job, just doing the really simple things. Prepare for the game like you would, prepare to play and the rest will take care of itself.”

Photo: Matchday Images

Drifter3012 added 18:10 - Dec 6 "We've let them down a little bit to be fair." A little bit? That might have been aimed at Cook and his team but what about those who contribute to your wages? Some of the inept football that fans have witnessed at times this season is hardly "a little bit" being let down. You all need to get over being Cook's men and start playing for the club.
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Trac70 added 18:13 - Dec 6 #blues1. You posted 6 (six) times and I still can't understand what you're saying!!!
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 18:15 - Dec 6 Bronco. What spout are you rubbishing? What spout are you rubbishing?
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Europablue added 18:20 - Dec 6 SickParrot He's only saying that the players have let Cook down in the context that Cook has been fired because of results. I don't think everyone needs to read so much into every comment. I feel for Morsy, Cook set him up as the messiah, and obviously he wasn't. Unfortunately, we had already set the pattern before Morsy got here. Yes, Morsy came here because of Cook, but everyone knows that it's unlikely that a manager will stay for as long as the contracts of the players that they bring in. It's a strange time of uncertainty and some of the players might fall out of favour just because of the new manager. This is the time for the players to show their worth to the new man coming in. Hopefully a manager who knows how to adapt tactics and who doesn't just okay one formation that everyone works out how to nulify after a while.

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BobbyBell added 18:25 - Dec 6 Managers get paid handsomely even if they fail. Players get paid win or lose. We need desire and passion but how can you tell who is just in it for money and who is in it for the football?
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Marinersnose added 19:00 - Dec 6 Morsy is a decent player but for me he played excellent for the first two games and has then coasted. He's not alone I think many are just going through the motions. Yes many players signed because of Cook but they have to perform. The new manager cannot accept slack performances as the owners want success and so do the fans. Evans has been so poor imo but he keeps his place in the team more often than not. I think Carrol will become a regular starter now that he's fit.

2

Stato added 19:03 - Dec 6 I think Morsy is a good member of the squad but gets a lot of bookings and some of his distribution is woeful. I'd prefer to see Edmundson as Captain and if I was targeting Jan signings then centre midfield would be my priority
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Nobbysnuts added 19:05 - Dec 6 Well morsy I suggest you get out of cooks arse and start being the player you are supposed to be or you can follow him out the f#cking door. As previously said you are employed by Ipswich Town not that mumbling scouse idiot so buck your ideas up matey.
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BluedanW added 19:25 - Dec 6 Well if you say it wasn't the manager or the inexperience of the coaching staff then you and the rest of the team need to hold your hands up and take responsibility for our poor performances this season against some very weak teams.
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dirtydingusmagee added 19:28 - Dec 6 talking of numpties Cheshireblue, how are you,? still pining over McCarthy it seems.
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blue86 added 21:34 - Dec 6 Dirtydingusmagee, my thoughts exactly!! Chesire blue round at big Micks for xmas dinner, with them both getting misty eyed remembering the glory days when Mick was here. Time to move fowards, anyway Mick was at Cardiff wasnt he?...................that went well.
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ArnieM added 22:44 - Dec 6 Can't recall too many glory days under Mr McCarthy tbh …, I spent most of them trying to stay awake!
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Saxonblue74 added 22:44 - Dec 6 Personally feel that these players have to take full responsibility for Cooks dismissal. Too often the manager shoulders blame and ends up losing his job. How can this group of players turn in a performance like they did against Donny, Wycombe, Portsmouth and even Sunderland then follow up with the dross they dished up against Crewe, Oldham and Barrow? They were set up the same. As for motivation, that's surely a major part of the skippers job? I like Morsy and think he is a good signing but it's time for him and many others to take responsibility. It's a shame sometimes that football seems less ruthless for overpaid professional players than it is for the managers and backroom staff. I'm not claiming to be PC's #1 fan but a little of his passion and desire from some of the players most certainly wouldn't go amiss and would go a long way to getting fans back on side.

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TractorBeezer added 22:55 - Dec 6 So another bald scouser! Seriously JM has a very credible reputation in Ipswich and although not the original plan wouldn't it be great if he can inspire and motivate the boys and earn the position of manager on a longer term basis.
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Cheshire_Blue added 11:24 - Dec 7 The only 'bell-ends' are those that forced out the last manager we had who was capable of making the play-offs. A grave error which they do not like to accept. Since the departure of Mick McCarthy we have had a succession of second rate managers who have dragged the Club down to its present level. I think it was Ian Holloway who warned 'be careful what you wish for'. Now look what you've got.

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blueboy1981 added 11:28 - Dec 7 Like it or not - we have reset to Ground Zero !! Next two results CRITICAL for the Club - and direction the Season now goes. Two defeats now, and we know where we are …… !!! In trouble ……. ??
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Michael101 added 12:42 - Dec 7 Cheshire blue,let's get mad Mick back at least we'll get a good 90mins sleep with his excuse for football âš½
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atty added 15:27 - Dec 7 “ if we were doing better everyone would say how good they were” Er yeah but you weren't were you. Jeez.
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atty added 15:36 - Dec 7 Sorry Bossman meant to uptick.
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