Football: Nick Wells says Ipswich Town fans must be prepared to be patient with their new arrival
IN an economic climate where most businesses are shedding jobs, Ipswich Town have had a vacancy open for years.
The left-hand side of the Blues' midfield has been a black hole that nobody has been able to fill.
Since Marcus Evans' investment last year, Jim Magilton has brought in Alan Quinn and Darren Ambrose, briefly, to give the width and balance we have been crying out for.
But Quinn has never been able to overcome the overriding fact that he is right-footed, while Ambrose, although suffering from the same problem to a lesser degree, was simply too inconsistent.
When you think back further, this has been a long-term problem with previous incumbents hardly cutting the mustard either, ie. Gary Roberts, Darren Currie and Ian Westlake.
Excluding Alan Mahon's loan spell, the last player to give us true potency from this role was Matijn Reuser and even he blowed hot and cold and preferred to switch the ball on to his right peg.
So when Town finally completed the protracted transfer of Luciano Civelli this week, I doubt the Argentinian wideman could have estimated the hunger the Blue Army have for him to succeed.
Also there is the spectre of a certain fellow countryman, which will hang over our new signing throughout his stay.
Mauricio Taricco was one of the most popular players of the 90s for
Town, not just for his skill and trickery but the passion he exuded that hit a note with supporters.
As well as it is easy to remember Taricco's goals against Manchester United and Norwich, I hope fans can also recall his unspectacular start in a blue shirt.
His debut against Bolton Wanderers, in the League Cup, was one of the worst I have seen from a Town player. He was hopelessly off the pace and was constantly caught out of position.
It was nearly a year later that he made his league debut and his star began to rise.
So despite our desire that Civelli could be the missing part of the jigsaw, I am resigned to the fact that it might not be until next season when he makes an impact.
At least he is 6ft 1ins tall and has played in defence, as well as on the wing, so he should be better equipped than many imports for the physical demands of Championship football.
The fact he is left-footed and a natural wideman should give him an advantage over his predecessors in this role.
If he does make a Reuser-esque impact, then a flurry of crosses from the barren left-wing might be just the impetus we need to fuel our late play-off push.
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Weather for Diss
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
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Sunny spells
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