In this quiet spell I got to think how much our overseas scouting has improved last 6 months. Going back in my Town sporting life (pun intended!) I was lucky to have seen the great Dutch players who crossed the North Sea. Muhren, Van Thijssen, Reuser, Fabian Wilnis and no doubt others. My mind wanders, Blinkenstein? The Dutch schooled such gifted, talented players that naturally lend themselves to the Ipswich McKenna style. From what I have seen, Matusiwa has begun to show his class. Ok, he was spotted in the French league but here he is on our Suffolk turf. And Akpom comes from that once giant of a club, Ajax. I hope we carry on scouting, as this years recruits have really added something special. Kipre, Nunez, Cajuste, and Egele's time will come, such a young talent. How many nationalities is that?
I think our recent season in the Premier League has opened some eyes at the club. If you recall, Mark Ashton originally came into the club and said our emphasis was on signing young British players with potential. Before Ashton and under Marcus Evans, we were a club that seemed to almost ignore the overseas market in favour of cheap, 'proven' British players - who often came with a worrying injury record. Of course, under Ashton, that focus worked wonders to get us to the Premier League where we pretty much signed good Championship talent at League One level. However, once you're in the top division, finding value for money signings in England - that can step up to the tempo and physicality of the Premier League - is a strategy pretty much doomed for failure. Look at Brighton, Bournemouth, and Brentford - 'smaller' clubs that are well-run, punching above their weight, and are now established Premier League sides because they look at the overseas market and continuously find value for money and great players. We can't do that cherry-picking the top Championship talent, as we found out last season. We've got to look at the French, Dutch, Italian, and German leagues. I'm glad we're casting the net wider, and I think Cajuste's ability and reliability last season helped.
Spot on Nuggets, I think we will be too strong for most Champshp teams especially wen we bring our subs on. Lets hope KM can speak some key foreign language footie phrases like Frappe le ballon et tire au but, and dare I say the Dutch for shoot is Schieten! And phrases our good friend will know in Spanish, Fútbol y disparar a la portería!
