I have just read this article on the EADT and I just felt so proud for this kid he is going to be our talisman for many years to come. A great down to earth kid who has a brilliant future and he's an Ipswich boy through and through! I'm sure even the great SBR would have picked this boy to play in his great teams. Luke Hyam hopes he Guirane N’Daw can forge a fearsome midfield partnership for Ipswich Town. The pair both scored their first goals for the club in Tuesday night’s impressive 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest, also providing a potent mix of power and tenacity in the middle of the pitch. Senegalese powerhouse N’Daw – brought in on a season-loan by former manager Paul Jewell but then head-scratchingly marginalised after an impressive display at Brighton – has been a revelation under new boss Mick McCarthy. And with Nigel Reo-Coker out of action with a hamstring injury, Hyam – whose crunching tackle in the early moments set the tone – took his chance with both hands with a typically tenacious display. Town’s record when Hyam starts reads W13 D6 L8, but the 21-year-old former Northgate High School pupil has never started more than seven matches in a row since breaking into the team under Roy Keane at the start of the 2010/11 season. “All I want to do is cement my place in the team,” said the midfielder, whose attitude and professionalism has been praised by a string of managers now. “I want to play more than I have in previous seasons. “Managers have always told me to just keep working hard and to be ready to prove myself when my chance came around. I’ve always said that once I’m in I’ll show what I can do and hopefully that’s what I’ve done. Hopefully that’s what I did and hopefully I can play more games now.” Speaking of N’Daw – who played with heavy bandaging around the head wound he suffered against Peterborough – Hyam said: “I enjoyed playing alongside him. He’s a quiet lad, his English isn’t the best, but he works so hard. He’s got great passing ability as well. “I thought all the boys worked extremely hard, you could tell we were working for each other and that showed in the result.” With Town fans joyously chanting ‘he’s one of our own’ following Hyam’s goal, the midfielder said: “It was incredible. You could see by my celebrations that I lost my head a little bit! “I grew up watching Ipswich Town from the stands and always dreamt of playing for this club. I had my mum, my dad, my brother and a few friends come to see my first goal and the fact that it came in a win made it even better. “The support I’ve had from the fans has been amazing. I’ve got so much respect for them and I’d like to thank them all for making me feel so welcome. I just want to do them all proud.”
I have to say that putting on that pedestal of 'talisman' is a bit premature and something I remember some of ours were doing with Connor and neither are ready for that kind of adulation as of yet. However with Hyam he has a far more mature head on his shoulders and I think something that I have always liked about him is his attitude, he doesn't hide away and is always fully although occasionally over committed (even if his best isn't always as great as some fans think) I genuinely think he is worth the praise albeit it needs to be in moderation however I think he is the kind of lad who can actually deal with it. He's been around the 1st team for a while so has had to cope with the rough and smooth and if he can go on and prove his ability (that we all have the faith in him to show) for the rest of the season he could well be the 'poster boy' for ITFC for the coming years and with the right guidance could be a fantastic influence on his team mates also, although it's clear he has a lot to learn (and prove) to be able to be consistent over 40+ games a season, something that the likes of Drury can't do (capable of great things on their day but very prone to the bad days) What I will say is on the occasions I've seen us this season both Hyam and N'Diaw have shown 100% commitment and desire to play for this club which is why I was calling for them to play in the middle together as we finally have an engine room will that never say die attitude and it's clearly a lot more difficult to break us down with that shear tenacity and work ethic in the heart of the team
Hyam has a bright future at Ipswich. I hope he has done enough to warrant a starting place for at least a few games to be able to show Mick what he's all about. There's no doubt this boy will run through walls for the cause and that's what we need right now. I think Mick got it slightly wrong with his 'we need older players right now' philosophy as it is actually these players who have shown the least desire. He can only get better with a run of games and I think it would give him a serious boost in confidence to be a regular starter. He's a long way from talisman/legend status but he is already a hero and has the making of being a true fans favourite for years to come. Well done Luke for always making the best of your minutes on the pitch, a shining star in an otherwise pitch black night.
Can't see that happening, or at least I hope not. Mick's not known for always selling his best players and I don't think we would have sold Wickham if it wasn't for the fee we received. If Marcus wants to tighten the belt a bit in terms of spending then it makes no sense to sell Hyam and then have to buy a replacement.
I agree with all thats been said about Luke and another thing i liked was when he went head to head with Billy Sharpe, he didnt give a toss about reputation he just wasnt going to give an inch when Sharpe started throwing his weight about. Sharpe didnt go anywhere near him again all night, ok they both got yellow cards but as RK used to say good, competitive mid fielders should get a few yellows if theyre doing their job properly.
