LEE Bowyer is finally ready to show Ipswich Town fans what he’s all about.

Blues boss Paul Jewell beat a host of other Championship clubs to the experienced midfielder’s signature back in the summer, but his form has been largely underwhelming in the first half of the campaign.

Hailed as the man that would bring some much-needed grit and winning mentality to the Blues team, the Premier League’s most booked player instead looked off the pace in the early stages of the campaign.

However, getting fitter by the game, the former Champions League semi-finalist (Leeds) and Carling Cup winner (Birmingham) has shown glimpses of his pedigree in recent weeks.

And he puts that largely down to manager Paul Jewell’s switch from a narrow diamond midfield – in which he had to fulfil a wide role at times – to a more traditional 4-4-2.

“I know I haven’t really shown my best at Ipswich yet,” admits the 34-year-old, ahead of today’s Boxing Day match at Leicester City.

“Now I am in the middle though, so hopefully I can bring a lot more and show what I am capable of still doing.

“I do prefer playing there as it is my favourite position; I feel that I am at my most effective there and am able to give more to the team.

“I will always try my hardest wherever I am playing, but hopefully now that I have played the last two or three games in the middle I can keep doing that.”

With wins over Barnsley and Derby having steadied the ship following a run of seven straight defeats, Bowyer says the Blues have nothing to fear against big-spending Leicester today.

He said: “Leicester are a step-up in class, but we’ve beaten West Ham and should have won at the likes of Middlesbrough and Cardiff remember.

“They have got to come and attack us and I think that could work in our favour. If we can stay strong, we know we are capable of nicking something on the break.”

– For full match preview of Leicester v Ipswich, see today’s EADT. Follow @Stuart_Watson and @davegoods on Twitter for live match updates.