Ladapo: I'm a Better Player Since I Joined Town Monday, 3rd Oct 2022 18:25 Town new boy Freddie Ladapo believes his summer move, when he decided to leave Rotherham after three years and switch to Portman Road, has already made him a better player. Ladapo, who helped the Millers to win promotion to the Championship last season as runners-up to champions Wigan, has been talking about the differences between playing for the respective clubs. He said: “You can see the stats and we’re top in this league for possession, so we’re a footballing team and that possibly means the striker doesn’t get as many direct touches of the ball. “There could be two or three passes before you get a touch and you have to understand the different movements as well because you’re spinning in behind a lot more and getting on the end of different crosses, like the one from Leif [Davis] for my goal on Saturday against Portsmouth. I’m still adjusting and learning how the team likes to play.” Is it exciting to be able to learn to play a different way? “You know what,” he added, “I think that’s what brought me to this club, because I was excited by the challenge. “I didn’t think it was going to be as hard as it proved over the first 10 games but I was definitely excited by the move and my main aim was to come here and do well. Plus, of course, I was looking for the team to do well and achieve big things this year. “I was looking for the experience to improve me and I am definitely a much better player. You know, different challenges make you a lot better because they ask questions and if you can overcome new challenges, you won’t just be a better player, you will also be a better person.” Ladapo is full of praise for his Blues’ colleagues, those who are looking to supply the type of ammunition for him to do what he does best and stick the ball in the back of the net. He added: “There is so much quality on the pitch at this club and I enjoyed how Kyle Edwards played when he came on against Portsmouth. “He was taking on his man and I call him prime Aaron Lennon because when he’s really in his flow there’s nobody that can stop him, I’ll be honest with you. “I’m very happy that we have players who maybe aren’t starting as much as they would like but who can come on and create something out of nothing, like the way he did for our winning goal by Wes [Burns] on Saturday. “If I admit I enjoy watching us when I’m on the bench I don’t want you getting the wrong idea, because I still want to be out on the pitch. “I was very pleased for Marcus [Harness] that he got his goal on Saturday. It’s not easy when you’re playing against your old club and their fans are booing your every touch. “When the chance came along, he kept his head and put it away nicely with a good finish. Ladapo, who netted 11 goals in 31 league appearances for his previous club last season, was asked whether he had set himself a target for the current campaign. He answered: “It’s got to be a lot more than I scored for Rotherham last season when I didn’t play as regularly as I would have liked.” While Ladapo’s contribution was vital to the Millers returning to English football’s second tier, he admitted: “I saw the move as a huge responsibility but any player should thrive in that situation as long as they are meeting the targets. “It does take time. New team, new style of play, that was the biggest transition for me. I was used to getting goals in a certain way and I had to change that to do it another way. I’ve had to learn all that and it has been a good transition. “Any team is going to have some wins and some losses. There are only a couple of teams that can go a whole season without losing a single game and I think we need to show character to come back from defeats or to turn draws into wins, which we did against Portsmouth. “Every player wants to play, score and do well, but at the end of the day it’s all about the team performance and the result. “As much as I’d love to play every minute of every game, the thing that’s going to make me happy is to be involved and scoring goals for a winning team. If my way of helping the team is with a first-touch finish into the top corner, like on Saturday, I’m not going to mind.” Town boss Kieran McKenna has demonstrated on numerous occasions since taking charge in December last year that he is not afraid to make changes from one game to the next, even if it means altering a winning side, but Ladapo confirmed that the boss always explains his thinking. He added: “He does, but as players we must also show our character as well. Just because you’re not playing, or at least starting, it doesn’t mean you have to put your head down. “You could still get on from the bench and you could make a huge impact or other times you’re just running around for the team. It’s just for players to keep focused regardless of whether they are in the team from the start or one of the substitutes.” Like all his teammates, Ladapo is buzzing with the number of fans Town are attracting to their home games, Saturday’s turnout against Pompey boosting the Portman Road average to 24,866, second only to that of Derby County in League One and higher than all but four of the Championship clubs. He added: “It’s huge. You score and everybody is off their seats, from the physios on the bench to the fans right at the back of the stands. I was lucky enough to have my family come and not only watch me on Saturday but to also score. “It’s a great, great feeling to see how much enjoyment it gives so many people. They were watching from a box on Saturday and my two-month-old daughter apparently slept through the whole thing!”
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