In his weekly column, former Town and England star KIERON DYER takes a look Town’s impressive opener, England’s narrow win and tells the story of when he played Soccer Aid
I DID say last week don’t look too deeply into pre-season results.
I felt there was a bit of doom and gloom around from Blues fans as the Ipswich lads went into Saturday’s game with Bristol Rovers.
Flynn Downes’ transfer request, the Cambridge United defeat, injuries to a few players, everyone fearing the worst. I sort of half get it, but it was only pre-season.
But, hey. Three goals and a clean sheet, that was a decent start.
Don’t worry, I know some are already saying it was only a cup game, the real stuff starts on Sunday, etc, etc. I get that. Sometimes, as a player or manager, you just can’t win!
But that result and performance would have been a big boost to the squad, I can assure you.
I was pleased to see Freddie Sears get two goals. He’s going to be an important player for the Blues this season and, if you take away Kayden Jackson, he’s one player who runs in behind the defence so well.
But my biggest joy was to see Andre Dozzell and Teddy Bishop in tandem in the midfield.
Both have had stop-start careers at Town, but both are quality players. I like seeing the role Andre played on Saturday, like a quarterback, getting the ball, looking forward, while Teddy is similar to Armando Dobra, so good at running at defences. They are crucial players.
Teddy can switch play from defence into attack with 60 yard runs, like Dobra. They are great to watch and the fans love that style of football.
Hopefully Teddy can stay fit. Ipswich have some exciting midfielders - many who have come from the Academy.
Credit to the Academy staff for producing the likes of Andre, Teddy and Flynn, as well as Dobs.
Let’s hope the boys keep up the good start against Arsenal U21s. Then of course the League One season starts against Wigan on Sunday. Another three goals and a clean sheet - that would be nice.
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I WAS watching Soccer Aid on Sunday night. I don’t know if you saw it?
I played in Soccer Aid 2016 for England and I really enjoyed it, even having a couple of assists, with Jermaine Defoe.
It was a real eye-opener for me on many levels.
For those who haven’t seen it, the game is England v the Rest of the World, many former top players and plenty of celebrities get involved to raise money for charity. When I played, the Rest of the World included the likes of Cafu, Dimitar Berbatov, Edgar Davids, Fabio Cannavaro and Ronaldinho. This was the only time I was going to get the better of Ronaldinho - that’s for sure!
We trained as separate teams, but then all mixed together socially. It was a real buzz, but it was strange to watch pop stars desperate to speak to the footballers and the footballers desperate to speak to the pop stars.
And if you think footballers are a big noise, they are nothing compared to some pop stars.
Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan from One Direction were involved in the game and they were so popular, it was like having The Beatles with us!
I enjoyed the match, Pele was the special guest on the night, which was even more amazing as he is one of my all-time heroes, so it was great to meet him.
And England won, unlike on Sunday night, where the Rest of the World were victors.
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ENGLAND scraped through against Iceland on Saturday night in the Nations League. You could tell it is still pre-season for many England players, but they got the win and that’s what counts.
I’m glad to see Jack Grealish in the squad. A bit like Teddy Bishop and Armando Dobra, he is a player who runs at others.
Bearing in mind he played in a struggling Premier League team last season, he’s good value and can frighten defenders as he takes them on. He’s a brave player.
Anyhow, I can’t say too much against him - we share the same agent!
I HAVE a few irons in the fire in the coming weeks - on and off the pitch.
After my foray into ‘The Jungle’, I may have something else on the horizon. Watch this space. If you thought ‘The Jungle’ was exciting!
And on the pitch, as regards my coaching and management, there is also something in the offing. More on that in the weeks ahead.
AS TOLD TO MIKE BACON
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