Conor Chaplin says Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna’s demeanour has played a significant role in adjusting the mindset shift of the Blues’ squad as they have stepped up to the Premier League this season.
Following remarkable back-to-back promotions from League One, Town had only lost 10 league matches across the previous two seasons and had become used to winning matches and being on the front foot.
However, since arriving in the Premier League the Blues have lost seven league matches, already more than the entirety of last season in Championship, while only picking up one victory across the opening 14 matches.
Conor Chaplin has made 12 Premier League appearances but is yet to register his first goal, having hit a joint club high 13 last season Picture: Barry Goodwin
Conor Chaplin has made 12 Premier League appearances but is yet to register his first goal, having hit a joint club high 13 last season Picture: Barry Goodwin
Town currently sit 18th in the table with only fellow newly-promoted side Southampton earning fewer points at this stage, but Chaplin says defeats are not affecting the general mood as much having shifted their perspective since their spell in lower divisions.
“It’s a lot easier when you’re winning every week,” he said. “We’re really lucky here that we have a very level-headed manager that isn’t on an emotional rollercoaster who helps and leads incredibly well. He puts everything into perspective when it needs to be put into perspective and brings everything back together and close-knit when it needs to be as well.
“He’s absolutely incredible at doing that and we’ve also got a lot of senior pros that help that and lead that on a day-to-day basis. We’ve got a really good core group that we’ve had for a few years now that help do that.
Conor Chaplin has praised his manager Kieran McKenna for helping the players step up into the Premier League, with a significant portion of the squad having come from League One via back-to-back promotions Picture: Barry Goodwin
Conor Chaplin has praised his manager Kieran McKenna for helping the players step up into the Premier League, with a significant portion of the squad having come from League One via back-to-back promotions Picture: Barry Goodwin
“It’s just about making sure that win, lose or draw, that standard remains the same throughout the week with your behaviours in training and your behaviours around the training ground.
“Everything needs to be the same, if it wasn’t then you’d be told by one of your team-mates before a member of coaching staff or the manager sees it. It’s a very good place to be for things like that.
“It’s similar as well when teammates look at senior players and the manager for things like that, its something that we’re big on. It’s not fake, we genuinely do believe in ourselves so much, we’ve worked too much not to believe in ourselves.
“We’ve proven to ourselves numerous times, not just this season, that as a group we can do special things and we believe we’ve still got that in us. It’s just about keeping on those things and keeping the everyday improvement.”
Chaplin himself is also getting used to playing less matches having become a mainstay in McKenna’s starting XI during the two promotion seasons before being limited to four Premier League starts so far this term.
With the likes of Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap arriving on permanent deals during the summer, Chaplin cited the increased competition in the side as a positive and highlighted how each team selection is made based off a combination of form in training and opposition profiling.
He said: “I don’t think there’s an advanced plan. First and foremost we’ve got some incredibly young talent at the football club that was bought in during the summer and it’s important that we did that.
Anyone who has been to the games or watched highlights can see how exciting the talent is we’ve got here.
“Everyone’s going to have a part to play throughout the season, that’s the same every single season in football, it doesn’t matter what level or what league. There’s a game plan for every single game that’s different and that is definitely dependent on the opposition and the characteristics that we want on the pitch at certain times against certain opposition.
“It’s just about lads being ready, it’s so important for footballers to be ready whether you’re playing or you’re not, you need to be ready for your moment. That’s something that as players we stress to each other a lot, that’s why we train so hard every single day and everyone is dialled in as well as you can because you never know when your moment is going to be.”
With fewer matches in the league this season and fixtures generally more spread out, Chaplin has been heavily focused on ensuring his regime is adapted so that fitness levels are as high as they possibly can be.
“It’s more on recovery,” the 27-year-old said. “That’s probably what I’ve delved into more because there is more time between games there is more time to get your body feeling in the best shape as possible.
“Training takes care of itself, it’s demanding training sessions near enough all the time so you’re never looking for more fitness during the season if you’ve had a full pre-season it’s just training asnormal and there’s not any margins to find there.
“I’m big on recovery and sleep, there’s probably more opportunity throughout the week whereas the EFL schedule is more carnage with more games and Saturday-Tuesday. I’m a big one on recovery and enhancing that as much as you can and the club has helped with that for all the boys who have invested well at the training ground to put different things into place to help the boys as much as possible.”
When the Blues were promoted in May following victory over Huddersfield Town on the final day of the season, Chaplin was quick to speak about his continued desire to improve as a player in every aspect of his game.
When asked what improvement looks like as a collective so far this season, he said: “Day-to-day every single day. It’s probably what we’ve been built on for the success that we’ve had. For improving already this season which we have done ten-fold probably since the start of the season.
“There’s no secret, it’s just hard work and sticking to what you believe in every day. That will definitely bring improvement whether it’s short term or long term. It’s looking to improve each and every day and understanding each other more.”
He added: “I think we’ve proven that [we belong at this level]. As individuals and as a team we can definitely compete, there’s no doubt about that. We’ve competed in pretty much every game bar maybe one or two exceptions.
“For example, the last two have been games that could have gone either way – it could have been 1-0 the other way, 2-0 for one team or 2-0 for us. It’s games that are so tight and in the balance and that’s what we’re finding at this level even more so.
“In the Championship there are tight games all the time and the margins are so small but even more so at this level the margins come even closer.
“That’s something we’ve learned the hard way in the last two in terms of needing to take your chances and not giving the opposition transitional opportunities because that’s what a lot of teams in this league are looking for with counter-attacks with pace and power.
“It’s something that we’re learning each and every time and we know for a fact that we’re competitive in pretty much every game and that gives you a great chance of picking up points.”
Chaplin says the last two matches against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace have been difficult to take due to the nature of both games having few chances and were decided on a single moment.
Prior to that, Town put in an excellent home performance against Manchester United after earning their first victory of the season in a shock win away at Tottenham Hotspur.
Chaplin believes the Spurs result is a perfect example of why it is important to look at each match in isolation and that the Blues are capable of winning matches and picking up points against any team in the division.
Reflecting on the win, he said: “It was a huge moment for the football club. It’s important to enjoy those moments as well, it was a few weeks ago now but it was definitely a big moment for the football club. It was big to get that first win, you can talk about it as much as you want but until you actually get it, it feels a lot easier.
“It’s a bit like winning at home – we’ve been so used to winning at home and probably similar to winning for the first time in the Premier League. As soon as you do it, it makes it a lot easier and takes away the factor of uncertainty, not knowing if you can win away from home or who you can pick up points against.
“It’s a good reminder that you don’t know when your points and your wins are going to come. It can be Tottenham away or it can be Sunday at home to Bournemouth.”
The atmosphere in the home match against Man Utd was electric, something Chaplin hopes can be replicated in all of Town’s matches at Portman Road this season.
“It was one where I thought we were the better team,” he said. “The atmosphere that day was incredible. It’s exactly what we need from the fans every single game, it’s a big thing for us and it really does help.
“That day is one where we probably should have won and I think we were the better team, but we’re confident in getting that win soon.”
Despite coming close in recent weeks, Chaplin is still waiting for his first Premier League goal. While he accepts it will be a special moment, the former Portsmouth man is more focused on the team’s overall performances and results.
He said: “I’m more concerned about picking up points at the moment so it’s not something that I’m thinking about massively. But when chances fall it will be nice to have one soon, definitely.
“It’s obviously something that would be an incredible feeling. It would mean a lot more as well if it was to get the team points, hopefully I can score one that actually matters.”
Much has been said regarding the Blues’ striker options following the news that George Hirst will be out until the New Year with a knee injury, leaving only Ali Al-Hamadi as a recognised centre-forward to support the impactful Delap.
Chaplin has been spoken about as a possible wildcard to play that role along with Broadhead and Sammie Szmodics, but he says he cannot vision himself playing as the central striker anytime soon.
“I think my days are done up front,” he joked. “Ask the boss as well, I don’t think he’ll play me up front as it’s not really the profile that we’ve used over the last three years. We’ve got profiles for positions in our team, I don’t think it’s something that I can play.
“I’d love to play there, I have done for a lot of time but I also haven’t done for a long time so it’s not really a profile match.”
