Conor Chaplin says he won't tolerate sulking as Ipswich Town bid to bounce back from relegation (Image: Ross Halls)
Conor Chaplin says he won't tolerate sulking as Ipswich Town bid to bounce back from relegation (Image: Ross Halls)
Ipswich Town's Premier League season didn't go the way anyone wanted it to - but Conor Chaplin says the club's players must move on quickly.
After back-to-back promotions, Town head back to the Championship with something of a whimper, having won just four league games all season - and only one in 2025.
Some may fear the negativity born of those struggles could seep into the start of next season, but Chaplin insists he simply will not allow that.
Town's season has been tough - but Chaplin says they can't afford any hangover
Town's season has been tough - but Chaplin says they can't afford any hangover
(Image: Ross Halls) “I think at a club like ours, with a culture like ours, with individuals in the football club like ours, it’s absolutely null and void," he stressed.
“When you come back in, whenever we do that, the mindset is completely different.
“I think for me, I’ll have a little bit of reflection now from the season, but it has to change straight away.
"You can’t have any hangover (from this season), and that’s clear from the players, from the staff, and we won’t wait for people on that.
“As a senior player I won’t wait for people on that. Come in, no sulking – if you don’t want to be here, you’re not here.
“If you want to be here we’ve all got a common goal – and that’s something I’ll be massive on.”
Already, the Blues have been installed as the favourites to win next season's Championship - and Chaplin concedes that another promotion is the only goal the club can have.
Town are already favourites to make it three promotions in four years
Town are already favourites to make it three promotions in four years
(Image: Ross Halls) “Yeah of course, I don’t think there’s too much to be said about that," he agreed.
"We know it’s an incredibly tough league, especially with the teams that have come down and the teams that have come up, in terms of finances.
“It’s probably going to be one of the hardest Championships for a long, long time, in terms of the stature of the clubs.
“But obviously the goal is the goal.”
READ MORE:North Stander: Back to the Championship - where we can't take anything for granted!
He added: “If you’re not looking forward to that, if you can’t get yourself up for that, then there’s something seriously wrong!”
While Town will be back in the second tier next season, Chaplin and his team-mates are champing at the bit for another pop at the Premier League.
And the 28-year-old, who scored once in 22 top tier games - having had an extended period out with a knee injury - insists the Blues weren't far away from being able to hang at the higher level.
Chaplin says Town weren't that far away from being able to survive in the Premier League
Chaplin says Town weren't that far away from being able to survive in the Premier League (Image: Ross Halls)
Asked what message boss Kieran McKenna had given the players about the season, he shared: “Obviously there are a lot of things that are for us players and no-one else to hear.
“But I think it’s probably similar to the way I described the season – we’re in an awful lot of games and to really bridge that gap is not that far…
“It would be a lot easier if we were second-best football-wise every week, but that’s honestly not been the case and that’s not the feeling within the dressing room.
“It’s moments in games. I think that’s our execution in the final third and then our stifling of top, top players – the best players in the world – at the other end.
“It’s just moments, probably in both boxes, is something that’s been a big learning curve.”
READ MORE: How the bookies expect Ipswich Town to do in the Championship next season
When Town reconvene for pre-season training ahead of a new promotion push later this summer, one man who won't be returning is Massimo Luongo.
The popular Australian midfielder, a lynchpin of the two promotions, is set for pastures new after a remarkable spell in Suffolk.
And Chaplin says the man simply known as 'Mass' will be sorely missed by everyone at the club.
Chaplin says everyone will miss Massimo Luongo
Chaplin says everyone will miss Massimo Luongo
(Image: Ross Halls) “I can’t possibly speak highly enough of Mass," he enthused. "He’s probably one of my closest friends in the group, I’m going to miss him massively.
“The impact that he’s had, not just on myself but on the team as a whole, from when he came in, in that January in League One has been incredible, I think the statistics show that.
“He’s been one of the best team-mates that you could ever wish to have, in terms of driving standards every day, in terms of making other people look better.
“I know he’s loved here a lot, but even with the love he gets, he’s still underappreciated massively.
“That’s not anyone’s fault – you have to play with him to fully appreciate him. He makes every single person better, he’s so clever, knows exactly what to do and when to do it, so much nous in the way he plays.
READ MORE: 'Relegation doesn't change that' - Chaplin's message to fans ahead of big summer
“And as a guy he’s an incredible fella, real family man, and that’ something that we’ve really got in common and have bonded a lot over.
“He’s a credit to his wife and kids in the way he handles himself and the way that he acts every single day.
“I can’t explain how much I’ve enjoyed the last two and a half years with him. I love him to bits.”
Ipswich Town FC
Football
Sport
Ipswich
Share
0 Comments