DAVID Sheepshanks is determined that Ipswich Town learns from past mistakes as it dips into the international market once more.With the Blues hoping to appoint an overseas scout with the next month or so Sheepshanks admits Town's foray into Europe last time round did not work as well as hoped.

Derek Davis

By Derek Davis

DAVID Sheepshanks is determined that Ipswich Town learns from past mistakes as it dips into the international market once more.

With the Blues hoping to appoint an overseas scout with the next month or so Sheepshanks admits Town's foray into Europe last time round did not work as well as hoped.

Who can forget Ulrich Le Pen?

People will have their own opinions too of Finidi George, Sixto Peralta, Matteo Sereni and Amir Karic, who performed to varying degrees of success but their arrival (and wages) caused disharmony in the dressing room and a factor in subsequent relegation and then administration.

Sheepshanks said: “We had some success but we also had some failures. Candidly, we did not have enough expert intelligence in those days.

“Since then we have not been able to afford to recruit internationally but the quality that we secured with Velice Sumulikoski demonstrates the players and deal that are available outside this country.”

Town are keen to shop abroad to get fresh talent and the search will not be confined to the continent.

Sheepshanks said: “We will buy domestically but prices tend to be higher in the UK than outside as Premier League clubs have already discovered.

“We need to be expert and well positioned so we can take advantage of those deals available abroad.

“One person can't know the whole world and the focus will be on Europe but we will look at places like Argentina.

“We have some very strong candidates and we hope that will be concluded in the next few weeks.”

Town are also determined to carry on growing their own but owner Marcus Evans has insisted on a marked improvement in the raw material being recruited.

Sheepshanks said: “Marcus Evans is very supportive of what we have achieved but we have to raise the bar. There is no doubt that if the first team aspires to the status we despite then we have to develop young players good enough to get into it.

“We have to improve our performance in that field.

“It will about recruiting the best young talent. They have to have the best winning mentality and nuture that so they develop into Premiership players.

“The start and finish in running a football club is how good your recruitment is and how good your coaching is. They are your absolute primary ingredients.”