Joe: Westy Will Captain Town

By Aston
January 1 2005

Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle today hailed Town midfielder Ian Westlake as a future captain of Ipswich Town.

Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle today hailed Town midfielder Ian Westlake as a future captain of Ipswich Town.

The 21-year-old midfielder has featured n every game this season starting all but two of them and Royle believes he has some of the same attributes as former Town captain Matt Holland although he may have a wait awhile to wear the black and white armband currently occupied by Jim Magilton.

Royle: “Ian has all the qualities of Matt Holland, it may be a while yet as Ian will have to see off a 'young' Jim Magilton and Jason De Vos will hopefully be around for some time as well, but Ian has the right leadership qualities and has committed himself to Ipswich Town. He has stressed that he has no interest in moving anywhere else.

“Ian's character is typified in his performances, he may not always have his best game, but he always gives his best.

“Like Matt, Ian is a very intelligent lad and you would not expect either of them to get involved in any sort of shenanigans.

“They both look after themselves, are wholehearted trainers and lead by example. I hope I am not tempting fate, but neither suffers injuries and are always available.

“Ian's rise has been phenomenal and he has developed into a very good player who never stops running.

“And the nice thing is that he is still improving. It would not surprise me one bit if Ian was to captain the club he loves for a considerable period of time.”

Source: Evening Star

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