Ipswich Town will need ‘winners’ next season - Bullard

The on-loan Premier League-class midfielder from Hull City is certain that manager Paul Jewell can bring success to Portman Road having moved up from League One to the Premier League under his management at Wigan Athletic.

“This is a tough league and you need a big fit squad of winners,” said Bullard.

“Ipswich are a big club and a good club and they have been places - and can do so again under their current manager.”

Bullard’s displays have portrayed his happiness at being working under Jewell again and he again confirmed how pleased he is to be with the Blues.

But his contract with Hull to 2013 on a reported �42,000 a week salary is going to be a big hurdle to cross when it comes to making his Ipswich stay long-term.

“There are a fantastic bunch of boys here and I’m loving it,” added Bullard, who scored his first home Town goal with a trademark free-kick goal in Saturday’s 2-0 home win over Scunthorpe.

“We needed the confidence that the first goal brought and in the end we coasted it really.

“I could see when I lined up the free-kick that their wall was not great and that the keeper was right over the other side of the goal.

“I took one heavy tackle and it was not nice at the time, but it was nothing to do with my previous injuries and I was fine after a couple of minutes.”

The 64,000 dollar question is whether Bullard will stay to next season, and although he loves it at Ipswich he is a professional footballer who cannot be expected to give up the terms of his current contract.

“Yeah, that’s right,“ he said. “I have two years left at Hull and have to respect that.

“At my age I could see out those two years and to play for either Ipswich or Hull would make me a happy man.

“There might be another club involved at some stage and I’d like to play at the highest level I can.

“What I can say is that money is not everything to me and that enjoying my football will be my main consideration.”