B B C Sports: Ipswich Town: Sam Morsy on keeping belief and art of leadership.
Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy has discussed the team’s confidence and his leadership approach. Mark Heath reports… Ipswich Town are fighting for relegation little over halfway through their first Premier League season in over 25 years. That, unfortunately, was entirely predictable. The rise to the top table, where mega-money and world-class athletes reign supreme, has never been higher. Especially for a team that was playing in League One only two years ago. But, after a rough start, Town are back in the fight. They are doing better than Southampton, who are at the bottom of the league and appear to be doomed, and former Premier League champions Leicester City, both of whom they created and have more resources.
Already, they’re outperforming what may – and should – be called fair expectations. And for inspirational skipper Sam Morsy, belief is essential. Even in those early games, when Town struggled to find a way to win, he says that the club never gave up on itself. “No, not really, because we’ve all been in football long enough to know that you have good spells and bad spells, plus indifferent spells,” he told reporters. “The key thing we’ve always had is the belief that if we can continue to improve and get better, we’ll be in a position to win huge games, possibly back-to-back wins, and all of the other things we’ll need.
“But we won’t get there if we don’t believe and work as hard as possible. “So the mantra’s always been to keep improving and keep growing as a team – and if we do that, we’ll have opportunities to put wins together.” Town, of course, is now three games unbeaten across all competitions. The 3-0 FA Cup success over outclassed Bristol Rovers on Sunday came after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Fulham and their finest result of the season so far, a memorable 2-0 victory over Chelsea in Suffolk.
But, just as the Blues never got too low when things were going against them, Morsy stressed that there’s also a danger in getting too carried away when you are winning.
Sam Morsy comes to grips with Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer in Town’s memorable victory. (Image: PA.)”Yeah, that’s important,” he said, referring to being calm. “After a win, you get a day free before returning to the training ground, where it is critical to focus on the following steps. “You enjoy it, debrief it, and that’s it. You then continue the conversation on how we are going to get better. “We know the position we are in the division, so we won’t be getting too high off any win.” One of the fundamental pillars in Town’s rise through the tiers has been the persistent and continuing culture of consistent improvement across the entire club- and Morsy says that need to prove themselves is still a major driver for the players.
Sam Morsy has guided Town to two promotions, and he thinks that the need to prove themselves still motivates the Blues.”Yes, definitely,” he exclaimed. “Chelsea seemed like a special night since they are doing so well and have so many talented players. Roy Keane once observed that when players believe they don’t need to prove themselves, they lose motivation. Every game presents an opportunity to prove oneself, and I believe he is correct. “It’s about us proving to ourselves really that we can compete and ultimately get points on the board.” Morsy, together with great coach Kieran McKenna, drives the preoccupation with improving as a player and captain.
Leadership is clearly a role and responsibility he relishes. So, what does that term – leadership – mean to him?
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