Music and Pre-Match Rituals

This episode is brought to you by Fleximize, a multi-award-winning digital business lender dedicated to providing UK SMEs with flexible finance done properly. Welcome back to Portland Road . Burns, trying to find Jackson, it's Cay!den Jackson It's a two-dale! Handed! Well, friendly in Dappo ! Towards Connor Chapo ! Jack Taylor. 25 yards out. Oh my goodness me ! Jack Taylor ! Hello everybody, welcome on to the official Ipswich Sound Podcast powered by FlexerMise. Now this episode has been recorded during the international break, but nonetheless we have a jam-packed show on wood. We have got Leif Davis. He's dropping in to speak to us and he tells us what it's like playing under Kieran McKenna. He was the one that made us settling really, really quick, took us into his office straight away, said it need anything, to tell us a quality will help us or anything. And yeah, he's on the pitch, he's developed us massively. More from Leaf in a minute but first up we are heading over to Burley's Bar and the Hall of Fame for the foundation senior blues session and a bit of a trip down memory lane Hi, I'm Leanne Smith, Health and Wellbeing Manager at Ipswich Town Foundation. We're here in the Hall of Fame. There's sort of like a sensory overload going on. There's so much going on , kind of like mini little zones. Tell us what is actually happening in this morning. Yeah, so it's a bit of um organised chaos today, but um this is our senior blues coffee morning, uh so targeting the older generation of the football club and they come down, they have a coffee, they they look at old memorabilia and they just yeah mingle and have a good time. Today we've got the Heritage Society down with their mobile museum so everyone's having a look around that. We've got our walking footballers as well, they've come down for a coffee. So it's great. How did this all come about? So we got um we realised there was a bit of a gap after COVID that you know the older generation weren't getting out there was loneliness and stuff like that so uh we thought what better way to put a coffee morning on down here um get down to the football club get them out um and just enjoying that again really so yeah we put it together and it's a massive success which, is great. Just tell me your full name. Tony Richardson . Tell us about your relationship with this football club. Well, I see my first match down here, 19 47. That was against Bristol City. I was nine at the time. And that was fascinating because from then onwards, every week, you know, I came down. 1947, I see Ipswich played Charlton in what they called a hospital cup. We weren't in the we weren't in the NHS in those days, you know. That's how they got the money, you know. And yet Charlton had won the FA Cup to two of the weeks before. So that's that was good. Twenty-two thousand down here . T ell me about the first time you came to Portman Road. What was it like? It's fascinating really because that's that's nineteen forty seven. Uh not too long after the war. Because I I was eight and a half when the war finished, you know. And I say it was I was over the moon. What what was the stadium like? Oh a bit Describe it to me. A bit sparse, you know, you had wooden stands for one side and wooden stand over this side which they called the chicken run, you know. And that's you know, that was just well to us, I mean that's marvellous, but I mean in those days that was really antique, you know, you know. Did you fall in love? Oh yes 10, yeah. Who was your first town hero? Uh my first town hero could well I again going back to nineteen forty seven that at the time that was Jackie Brown, he's about 36. And Cus, you know, he was he'd been uh in the forces in the war and that sort of thing. But I never seen a person kick a moving ball like him, you know, he's tremendous. Irish International. And then of course you had Kevin Beacon, you had all them sort of Tommy Parker. They all came through the through the ranks and everything, you know. Marvellous. This club has such a rich history. I mean I could sit here and talk to you for for a long , long time about it. But I mean when you think about some of the greats that have taken to the pitch, but also in the dugout, Sir Ralph, Sir Bobby. Wow. I know. Absolutely marvellous. I mean, I remember uh Robson, you know he came there, I think we were playing Manchester United at the time and we were we weren't doing very well and the crowd was saying Robson out, Robson out . And the next day, next morning he got he got told he's got to come to the club. He thought he'd want to get the sack, you know . Instead of that, John Cobbled, who was the big noise here at the time, he said no, he said we're going to give you a lawyer. He said the only time we were in we were in difficulty is when the the wine cabinet is empty. He said yeah that's marvelous. What are your memories of Swalf . Oh he's tremendous. I mean 1958 or something like that he came here. Tremendous. I mean he has his first club you know in the Gaza management. And he his football was marvellous. A great team and of course 1962 we won the division one. There must have been a lot of pride when England won the World Cup under him. Oh cry foot in this in this part of town. I mean everyone must have just been so so proud of their man. Absolutely. I mean we were proud of them at the time we won we won the let me think was it the UEFA Cup? I think we won the UEFA Cup as well. And that's a marvelous. I was down here in 196 2 . You say 1966 he came along and he done marvelous the cup for him. That is a cup for World Cup for him, yeah. He done marvelous there, beaten Germany 4-2, you know . But no he's good manager, very good manager. Do you do you have a favourite game that you've seen here at Port Monroe? There is a marvellous game in In might have been sixty-one . Before we won the championship, that was one of our first games. We played Bernie, it was top team and we won six two. And that was a marvelous way because the football was marvelous, absolutely tremendous. It's been a pleasure talking to you, sir. And you I'm joined by Andrew Kerrison. Andrew, what a fantastic morning, what a fantastic programme this is by this football club. Tell us a bit about what you have done today, what you've enjoyed and and what this is all about. Well um I thought I'd come along today because I saw as in one of the programs they're announcing having a museum here. I want to go and see bits of memorabilia, etc. So I thought I'd bring along some bits and pieces and just see what their interest was. Stuff I've brought along has mainly been from the 7 8th FA Cup, a flag that was made, the scarves that I took to the Wembley final , and just really enjoyed chatting to people, talking about memories, etc. etc. I feel like this is kind of like the antiques roadshow really. I really want to see some of this stuff. Are those your newspaper clippings over there? Should go can we have a look? Yeah, because we can go now. Come on, let's let's let's go and have a look at these newspaper climbers. Take me through some of these because genuinely I'm fascinated at the fact that they're still beautifully intact. But I can I I do look after them. I've kept a nice little folder which has been marked up there look. FA Cup winners papers. I did have another, I've got other ones for the other sort of key papers. There's lots of things I haven't I haven't looked at these for a long time. But this one, the main one here is the East Anglian Daily Times. Look at the large. Lovely boardship. Look at it, it is all black and white. All virtually all black and white. This is the one from the 78th Cup final and it's celebrating the victory. And obviously you can see the main picture there as the crowd in the town centre. It's an amazing thing. Got to the cup final obviously um didn't get to this because I was living in London at the time so I never actually got them to see or to raise the cup um at Corn Hill. But uh my parents went and um they at the time they managed to get a copy of the East Anglian which was in very short supply. There was you know there was a massive demand and it was very difficult to get one. They got one they wrapped it up in something else and no one would see it and they stuck it in the posting back down in London so I got this and read this probably a few days um after the event. Tell me about your memories of the actual day. Oh, well, I was living in Wilson Green at the time, so it was a very short journey. As a friend of mine came down to meet us, my brother came down from there, so we all met up Saturday morning, jumped on the underground, went to Wembley . It was a very interesting day. We got there . These were days when there was often quite a bit of trouble. There wasn't I didn't remember much trouble at the cup final at all. And we just walked along Wembley Way, got the We'd had a few beers sort of getting there, went in, and it was a it was quite an incredible day because it was the worst season it's had for a number of years. Arsenal were doing really well. Yet we've got high expectation. There was we knew we were good we're going to win this game. The disappointment from three years earlier. We just thought it was our time. Get into that game. We always sort of thought it was going to work. You know, we were going to win this game. And we had a number of attempts, I don't know how many times we hit the post . It was it was just ridiculous we never got the score. And then obviously right at the end um or towards the end um Oswald managed to get the ball and sort of bounces back to him and he just knocks it in and that was it. And it just went mad. You couldn't really tell anything, you know, it was just like electricity? Oh yeah, it's it was just if I say mental in the most positive way possible. It was absolutely brilliant. You know, the the crowd we just we knew we'd won. And I know there was fair bit of time to play after that, but um I just never felt in danger. And then watching Mick Mills, you know, sort of take going up there, picking up the cup, the steps going up the steps as they were. I mean that it was something I'd watch ased a as you know young child all my life, you know, sort of people going up and raises and turning to the fans . And there it was for real. It was um yeah, it was pretty emotional. Hi, I'm Natasha Thomas. Be at the heart of it by subscribing to Town TV . Leif, great to sit down with you. Thanks for joining us here in the Town TV studio. Firstly, international break. it Is a time for a recharge or is it a case of like just getting straight back into it and and carrying on? Yeah, obviously it was night to have a little break, um 'cause it's been a tough start of the season. But yeah, obviously the the boss give a five days off to go and recharge and like you said get back at it. But nah it was nice to have the five days. We haven't had that many days off before so it was nice to go back home. I went back home seeing my family. And it was good to see everyone. Everyone went different places so it was good to so see h um where everyone else went so. You didn't fancy going to the usual place? You know what I'm talking about by the usual place, don't you? Where's I? Dubai. Nah, I didn't go. I needed to see family to be fair. I haven't seen family in a long time. It's a it's uh it's a good journey for us to to get back up home um to Newcastle, see a lot of my family. Um which I did see, which was nice. Uh people that I haven't seen in a long time. But yeah, it's you've got plenty of time that in in the in the off season. You you said it's been a tough start to the season. Tough but enjoyable? Yeah. Very enjoyable. Um I think everyone's enjoyed it. Look where we are on the table. I think we've had a really, really good start. We've still got a lot more to go as well. I think we couldn't ask for a better start to be fair. Um we're doing really well. We're doing things that we know we need to improve on, that we were doing well last year but we slacked off a little bit this year. Um like keeping the ball out the back and there. But it's it's a it's a more difficult league and it's like better players, better teams, so we just gotta keep working and training and and get everything put right. I can't remember a team that has come out of League One and has been able to flex their muscle in the championship so well, as well as us. Yeah. Because this is what this team does. This is what this club does. Tell me about you being the assist king in League One last season and how you made that step up. I know obviously you've played championship football before. You know what it's like to play championship football. You were a lot younger then. Yeah. But you're a bit older now. You've you've been around the houses a bit more. Yeah. You've done a bit of an apprenticeship in League One. How do you make that jump up again and go, right, I'm Leif Davis, I'm here to stay. This is this is my gig. It's just uh believing in myself and believing that I can do it. Um I know for a fine fact I could do it when I was a bit younger as well but I just needed that experience to go and play as well. Um 'cause it was hard sitting on the bench. Um a a good club as well, you know what I mean? So I thought I I'd done the right decision, I made the best decision I've ever made in my career to come here. Um I know it's all of the early doors but I've enjoyed it every every single minute of it since I've been here. Um but yeah, it's not obviously the assists are nice, but it's not just me, it's the the team helped me get them assist as well. Um everyone works for everyone. The team's one big family, there's no no one individual. A club on a whole. Forget the team. I mean you guys are obviously what everyone focuses on and we we have so many other facets to this football club. The women's the academy. Yes, it's great. Yeah, but it's a family. Yeah, one massive family. Um you c I could feel that as soon as I came here as well. And it's it's getting miles better as well. It's even better than when I first came and I thought when I first came it was everyone was connected in the club. You could go anywhere and you could speak to everyone which which was is the most important thing, talking to everyone. Um but yeah it's I've enjoyed every single minute of it . I always think about the the Geordie boy who is very brave. You are brave. You're a brave footballer as well. being pain off but you're not scared of taking risks. But even in your own personal life, when you look at what you've done to try and make the dream happen, a lot of people won't do that. A lot of people won't go right, okay, I'll swap Leeds for Bournemouth and I'll go all the way down touth, the opposite end of the country and I'll leave live on my own as a young man and I'll try and build myself a career. Not many people would say right Ipswich Town League one mm well I've played championship football and you know I've been part of a club that's got promoted. Yeah. They'll go, eh no, not sure, but you've been brave. Tell me about that mindset and and how you foster that mindset because it's quite a mature thing to have on on a young pair of shoulders. Yeah, obviously you said it's it is a hard decision to make. Um it is a big s it was a big step down at the start. But it was it's one of them where I have I did have to think about it but when I was speaking to obviously people my my age and I spoke But when I when I met with the manager um outside of everything uh I sat down with him, had a good chat and I was like, you know what, I've it's actually ch changed my mind. I said I didn't even have to think of it about it to come here with my agent after that. I said I want to go, I w I really want to go. Then there was an injury at Leeds and I had to go to Australia, I had to go there, and it was just on my mind that I've just why am I here? I wanna be where I was gonna be, you know what I mean, when I came back. Um But yeah, obviously I lived away from home when I was a young like at sixteen anyway, so um I got used to everything like that. Living away from home. I obviously mortgam was not not close to home as well. It was a good three hours from Newcastle. Um living with a family which was which was tough at the start. But then that's when you realize you've got to do stuff for yourself as well. Um then obviously with Leeds I live by myself then and it's just picking it up. It's I've I 've well, now I live with my girlfriend and my dog and I it's just like home. I love being down here, walking around, seeing everyone, seeing people in the city centre. It's it's seeing hello to you. It's beautiful town. Tell me about young Leaf Davis, about Leif Davis as a child, about Walsh and Boys Club, because that is I mean look, it's it's a big part of anyone's career. If you come through there, you're coming through an a an elite sort of it's not an academy, but you're coming through an elite sort of school. Yeah. Like. Yeah, well, it was a lot of players that got away that year on a scholarship at at my age, I think eleven out of the full team got away to do scholarships in in uh in clubs like Wolves, Hartlepool, Carlisle, clubs like that, and I went to Morgan, a few lads went to Newcastle. But yeah, we would even we would walk the league every single year we'd walk the league. Um there would not a team we' getd close to her. And yeah there's uh what was it um one of the seasons we went unbeaten through the full season and it was like we would go and play academies in that as well and it was like well beat academies we'd breeze ac ademies which was you're like, Oh, well we're beating academies like this, then where does that pla put us? Um and we'd still go and beat them and beat them and beat them then at the end of it people like, oh we're gonna have to take players away from me and then obviously I had the opportunity to go to Morgan, which was it was tough. It was very tough. What made it tough? Is it just Morgan as a place? No yeah, but you know at the same time it's obviously I come from a big city, Newcastle it's total opposite. There's not a lot of stuff there, there's not a lot of places around there. Manchester's an hour, I couldn't drive, I couldn't drive back home to see family um and I was a pro uh family man um I'd love see him my mum my dad my brother my grandma when she was here she they done everything for us when I was home so it was it was hard to make that step to go away but I'm glad I'd done it. Any sign of touch and fury while you're up there? You know what I would see him a few times. Um so I didn't live from him and I would see him and in his car show anding it was one one memory that I was having him and I was pulling out with a junction and he was in his uh red Ferrari and I could just see him and it looked like he was sat in the backseat. He was a bit in his head was towering over the s uh over the like the windscreen and he was just driving like I was like nah then there was another time uh Halloween I walk down one aisle and I've looked and I've had I walk back and thinking that's tasty and he's stunned like a grim weap uh grimwick outfit with his daughters and his sons just stood there like that. Just having a right laugh on. It's it's a guy. He's top. Top top. If he's got I think he's got a lot to do with the club now uh at Morgan so he owns the training ground he owns like I think it was a a part of the company that went into administration when I was there so like the Astro Taf at the back got taken away from the club that's where we would used to train um and he I think he's bought it now and done his put his gym and everything in there. Now he sponsors a club with his Fury the drink, I think it is. So Nice. Who'd you sport when you're growing up? Newcastle. Of course. Has to be. Uh is it a silly question to ask who your childhood hero was? To be fair, um I can't rem like obviously everyone says she I don't know. Um But when I first went to go and watch it was the likes of Colic ini, Ryan Taylor, who else, Johan Kabai, Goofra, and Orbit all the players like that. And that was in the Europa League when I remember going to games with my mum uh my dad and my brother. Under Alan Pargey. Uh yeah. It was against uh what team was it? I think it went the Russian League, I think it was. They were in that league and I remember and then we went to the week the next one when we got through to that, it was Benfica at home. Never seen anything like it. When the bus arrived, I've never seen so many fans try and get a bus so close. I was just like, nah. We're letting the team off the bus. It was it was mental . What or who ? Major fullback. Have you always been a fullback? It's different because in Sunday League when I played Sunday League football for Walls End I used to sometimes play left centre back or left wing. And I was mainly left wing. It was just if players went coming like it's on a Sunday I would I'd play left wing as well. And I got quite a few assists um in half the season. I think I had like 16 assists from then. And I just started running the full length of the pitch with the but they just used to give us a ball and just see run. So and used to just run Who'd your credit for that ? Um obviously my managers at the time, um now he's a good mate of mine, um he's he said you're a better fullback. And even my dad, my dad said you're miles better off all by getting the ball deep. You can see the full pitch. You can create stuff from even in in deep positions. Um so yeah, probably my my dad mainly. Um he's he's strict with us when I was playing as well. Tell me more about that. What's your dad's name? Anthony. Anthony, yeah. He um he was very strict with us. Even like he I could see like if I had a bad game and I've I'm walking off the pitch and I look at my dad and I'm thinking like, oh no he',s gonna say something here. I was like I can't I can't be bothered, so I'd walk the other way. Then when I would get in the car, he would just say how bad I was in games. He would tell us straight, he wouldn't he wouldn't say, Oh, you're g good he would alwaysive us like he would give us good feedback when I'd done stuff but when and when I've done something wrong and what I need to do right he would tell us straight away. Did that pressure help you or hinder you? Massively. Uh it made us a better person as well, better player. Um it made us even on the ball and that as well, I say like it would make us more confident with the ball at my feet. Like I would just try and get rid of the ball straight away and that's what he would like tell us not not to do, just keep the ball at your feet and and do what you d what I do best. Um so yeah it's he had a bit he even um used to manage a manage a team as well. Um at the other club I was at Cranton Juniors when I was young like before World's End. He used to manager um so he has an eye in the game to be fair. He he's not like he knows what he's talking about, yeah. And he's watching a lot of football. So go on. He obviously he had a massive part in obviously my development as well. So Leif Davis has gone from being sort of a less sided centre half to a fullback. We've decided right, forget it, we're gonna be a fullback, great. I know what I'm doing. Who do you then look at? Who do you look at in the world game and think right, I want to model my game on X, Yes? Because everyone has heroes, not just Newcastle players but you might have heroes who play for England people that play for Italy whatever I mean there have been some incredible fullbacks over the years maybe looking at Roberto Carlo someone like that who have you looked at and gone right I model my game on There was two players and I remember them straight away. It was Marcelo when he was at Real Madrid. Nice. He still loved the way he was on the ball. He wasn't he wasn't a quick player. And that's why the other half what I I was used to watch was Jordi Alba when he was a Barcelona. I know it's obviously a big rivalry, but two of the best full backs in the in the world at the time when they both played for Real Madrid and um Barcel ona. So it'll be them too, yeah. I'll just say Jamie Clapham is fuming somewhere, isn't he? Absolutely raging. Um tell me about this group of players and and what it's like being in and amongst this group um because yeah we we've met some characters. There is there's some it's you know what it,'s a best change room I've been in. Um like I said before, it's one one big change room. There's no no individuals in a change room that like zone themselves or everyone's together. Um there's a lot of funny lads to be fair. Who's the funniest? You know what, there's a few to be fair. Obviously, you know what uh Clark is like. He's a bit of a clown to be fair. But he's funny, he's a f he's a funny lot. Good energy. Yeah, very good energy. I don't know how he has it in the morning sometimes as well. You look at everyone else and they look like they've just woken up and he's just bombing around everywhere. Uh and where's them two are We kind of you know, when we prep these episodes we talk about players and and Andict Club's always about telling us what players are like because obviously look, sometimes you wouldn't have spoken to them. I wouldn't have spoken to him in my day-to-day job. Sometimes you would have. And you're like, yeah, yeah, don't worry about this person. One thing he talked about and said about you was that you're very you're you're a good lad. You're a good lad. What I'd love to know is you've worked worked under three really interesting head coaches. Biel sa. Yeah. Scott Parker, where you won promotion. And now Kieran McKenna. Wow. I mean to be so young to have done that that's a that's quite the feat. But what the differences between all of them and what what is the gaffer like in comparison to to someone of like the Cutter P. Elsa? Yeah, I've had l I've had this a lot. I've had this loads of times like people asking us what he's uh where he is up and I've he's v like generally up there with one of the best I've worked with. Um I've certainly a lot of people he's like Marcelo , his demands and training, how hard he wants you to work, on the pitch, everything like that. He just he speaks to you a lot more. You can talk to you about anything off the pitch. Anything that's going on on the pitch. He just dragged us, he literally took us into his office straight a way, said uh if you need anything, just tell us, he'll help he'll help us or anything. Um And yeah, he's on the pitch, he's developed us massively since I came here, I think there's a lot of areas that I needed to work on when I came here. And he even said that with us, he said the first day he said, You've got a lot to improve on in areas of my game. D what was that like though, if he said that to you on the first day? I mean again I know you know you've had your dad like you know big Anthony coming up to you and and doing his thing but when someone signs you and you're thinking great fresh start coming to a club I'm gonna go and smash it and then they bring you straight back Nah, I like it. I like it to be fair when someone tells us what I need to do because it it gives us more motivation to to go and kick on. Um like he's the first day he was I say he showed us clips of of my games before I'd be obviously played here and it was a a lot of defending stuff. Um and obviously stuff with the ball at my feet like what am I do 'cause sometimes I'll get the ball at my feet and just look straight away for a pass to get to get rid of the ball as well sometimes. Um and he's helped us with that to like manipulate on the ball to better ideas when I get the ball um obviously my defensive stuff he helped us massively as well and I'm still learning under that as well with with him as well. But yeah that I I still remember that first day. He was like this is what we're gonna work on. Showed us a clip my clip So with hindsight now, when you look back at winning promotion, when you look back at being in this team playing The achievements of this club, the achievements of this team since you've been here. Yeah. It's all paid off, hasn't it? It's all yeah. He was right, wasn't it? Yeah, he was right. He was right from from the day one, yeah. Wh ich which I thank him for as well. Um I don't think I'd be playing as well if it w if it wasn't for him helping us what I was what I was doing wrong. The key word you're looking for there is playing. You were playing. Yeah exactly. That's the main thing. That was that was the main thing for us as well to get my confidence up. It's playing playing games. Um like when I would come on in a game maybe for Bowmer five put on and and s I was just say I wasn't confident at all when I would get the ball at my feet, I would just want to get rid of it straight away. 'Cause I had no confidence in to do what I do best. You are you are a different player. Yeah. Like you are a very different player to what you were then. I I remember watching you and I was like, okay, you can see what he's got, but I mean you had Jordan Zamora in front of you, you're you know fantastic and doing what he's doing and very much sort of like the darling of that football club. Yeah. You need to find home though. It feels that that's what I'm sort of getting from the conversation that you needed someone to put their arm around you and go, right, let's get you a proper football in home. Yeah. And let's give it the opportunity to flourish and do what Leif Davis does best. That's what the club's done. They've they bring us here. Um they didn't bring us here for just to sit and sit around uh they kwne I had potential to go and obviously do what I do and like you say you've seen us play before um there was a good player in front of us, Jordan he was very, very good player. Um but yeah, like I'm just happy I'm I'm playing the games now and and we're doing really well so most creative player in the championship It's nice I know it's nice. It is nice. It is. It's Seven assists. You're halfway there to last season's total, which is which is great. What we aiming for this year? As many as I can Do you do do you enjoy that? Because there are s generally some peop some players who enjoy different elements of the game rather than scoring. I mean scoring it just feels like it's so Yeah. So basic. It's mad because when I when I think what you know when I go into a corner, I'm thinking I'm getting assist, yeah. That's what I think straight . Yeah, I don't think oh, I'm just putting in the box . Whenever I watch our corners here at Portland Road, I just feel like the boxes are so overcrowded. Teams just will stick everyone on the line because they know Wolfie's gonna be in there or George is gonna be in there or someone's gonna get their head on it. Someone will be there to get their head on it. And it's just like it's frustrating for me. So I I I mean look I share that same excitement but yeah but it's not just for me putting the ball in the box to be fair, it's the other lads obviously wanting to go and score the goal as well, you know what I mean? Like like fridge, bridge. They want to go and actually head of the ball uh to score a goal, even if it's uh not of not the best of balls in. They'll wanna go and still attack the ball. 'Cause that just obviously what they're like. They just wanna put their head on it. Is it nice to play in this style of football? How important is that for you? Yeah. It's I mean look it is it's it is nice to play under like to play in the team that wanna keep the ball on the floor um instead of just kicking it. Can you imagine if you're playing diags every week? Uh how bald would you get if you're playing diag diag, diag,, diagonal, diagonal, diagonal. Like you ping, ping, ping. I couldn't. I don't know teams do, but I couldn't. What are your diagonals like? I've got one of me look I like, but I don't I don't want to do it. Nah. I don't enjoy it. I just wanna I'd like to play run play run like overlap. Yeah or just run. I saw a meme on Instagram yesterday, you know, the the typical player that overlaps and it's been shared round so many footballers . It's just the one that's screaming and then pings a ball and it goes out because you just lost it. But I mean you've got the engine for it and it's proven. Yeah to be fair it sounds weird like a lot of players well a lot of players do run but don't say it I like running. But I love running. Don't know why. It's not a it's a good thing, but it's just one name. I just love love to run, got a lot of energy. Who are you enjoying playing with in the squad? Like uh any particular limb cups? But you know from last season as well, Chap was um we've got a good connection this year. Um I just look for him every time. 'Cause when I give the ball to him he'll just do what he does best, put the ball in the back of the net. What's mad though, and I've I've said it so many times on radio is that this team under Kieran it feels like we have a bolt-on bolt-off attack in the sense of like kind of like plug and play. It's like a Formula One team where if come 610 minutes things aren't working, he will go, get the spanners out, pull one section off and go bang, let's have four players in. So you could start a game with four players in front of you, five players and attack in front of you. Come sixty minutes or ninety minutes, it's a completely different di set of players. Yeah, that's and that's why we're such a good team because players that come off the bench make a massive impact as well. As you can see I think we're up there for the most goals from subs I think the season as well. Um they all work hard. They wanna the everyone fights for the place. No one no one comes into training and just goes, I'm not playing, you know what I mean? Everyone wants to play. Which is a good thing 'cause then when they come off the bench, they're going to to show what they can do, which is very important . Tell me about life outside of football. You mentioned your girlfriend, your dog, what's your dog called? Barney. Great name. What's Barney? Labrad le. Oh mate. Winner already. Winner. Softest little thing in the world. Well not little lake, but softest thing in the world. How have you taken to town? 'Cause this is a massive look this. This is football club is the heart of this town. Everywhere you go, people talk about Ipswich Town Ipsy Town, Ipsit Town, everywhere you go. Yeah. And I don't know, does it get overwhelming? Does it is it exciting? Do you enjoy people coming to go oh Leaf, you know, love your work? Yeah, to be fair I love it. I was like that when I was back home in Newcastle when I was younger. I'd be one there and like wanting to go and meet players . I would do everything I could to try and speak to a player that was at Newcastle at the time. Like I would go to the training ground, stand outside the training ground, waiting for them to come out in their cars. And I know how they when I'm driving out, I would always stop. I'll always stop for anyone. Because I know how what it's like when you standing there. You know what I mean? It's like when there I would always stop saying anything. Saying anything for anyone. I'll always respect everyone. What's what's the most craziest thing you've signed? You know what it's there's a few stuff in the um do you know when we done the signing thingy game controls I had a sign. Never signed one in my life. Really? Yeah. It's quite cool though. Yeah. Didn't mind it like shoes as well. Nice. But obviously but he just took his shoes off in front of us and just went sign that. Okay, no problem. Um how do you relax ? When I'm home. Outside of a match day. So okay. You finish a game. Yep. What'd you do? Go home, see my girlfriend, see my dog, sit with them for a little bit, sit and watch a telly. What'd you like to watch? I'm not a big telly fan of people. I never ever watched telly, but I'll watch it when she's watching it. And it's always like YouTube videos, side men, stuff like that. Like videos like you know I'll watch it like. If it's funny I'll watch it. If she's laughing I'll have a watch of it 'cause I know I' Ill'll have a I might have a giggle on about it. But to be fair normally I I'll go up in my games room, chill out, play a bit of Call of Duty with a few of my mates, play uh flight team which relaxes the most just takes mind off everything. We're gonna come onto that in a minute. I promise you we're gonna come onto that in a minute. We'll be back with Leaf in just a minute, but first let's hear more from our sponsors, Fleximize. Funding your business doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't have to take weeks. It doesn't need to involve your bank. At Fleximize, we believe there's a different way to do things. We take the hassle out of finance so you can get on with what you do best, running your business. Think of us as your trusty sidekick with the power to boost your business, with fast, flexible loans built for you. Visit us at fleximize.com or call our Epswitch office on 0147 3 208 108. Fleximize business finance done properly . I tell you what, let's switch and get some questions from supporters. We have uh put the word out that we're speaking to you and I've got a few questions. We haven't got as many this week because we want to focus on something that you just mentioned there. Um but uh yeah, these are Leaf Davis's podcast questions. Eva Parker has asked, What's your favorite chant? Um Um Wolfie at the back with that one attack, I like that one. Always think of Wolfie every day. Uh Harvey Davis has asked, how does your role at Ipswich differ to one at your previous clubs? Good question. Um It's playing if you look at the obviously how we play um we don't really play with an out and out winger in front of us so I'm basically like the left back and the left winger so are more advanced and can start in higher positions um whereas our Brody inside of us in the ten position Where do you like to sit? Like so I look at some players who just like to sit on the half wheel and you watch them literally and I say they're sitting because that's their start in position if you like they will move but they like to sit there. No, I see that's what they're if we're in position you'll the boss would want us to stay quite high and wide. But if we're building off from the back I'll I would like to be in between full back and uh the opposite opposite uh opposition of full back in the in the winger um because it gives more chance to if I get the ball step out with the ball and that's what I would be like when I was playing in obviously Bournemouth they would play like a full uh flat back four which is I would just get it and then play it full but uh the wing in front of me one two maybe and run through. Whereas when I turn out now it's just pitch. I don't have anyone in front of us like down the channel. I've always got players inside of his. So it' its's a big big difference. Jem from Stowmarket has asked why do some players wear wrist tape? Um I think I really couldn't tell you. Actually I've never wore wrist tape in my life. So I know why placebo , is that psychology? I think so. I think I think people think uh it looks good. I think some people might have oh it looks decent, you know what I mean? I might just but I remember Ben White at at um Leeds when he was at Leeds. He used to write his numbers, he used to write who he was marking on corners, 'cause he would forget. But you so you'd write it. But sometimes he would still forget to even check that it's on his wrist. Okay, off the phone questions for two seconds. If someone from this squad had to write who what their instructions were on a bit of tape, who would it be? Brody . Have to be. Yeah. He just forgets everything. I he's not he's not thick. He's just doby. He's very doby. I love him. I love the kid. I love him a bit. Um BP Samkin asks, why do you always wear VIX on your chest? Just helps us breathe. Um I'm always like before game I've always got like a a routine that I'll do is I'll put it on the change room, have like s like two big smells of the Vicks to just try and open. No no I just stick my fingers in the tub, whack it on. You but you need to wash your hands after because you stick that in your eyes by accident. It won't be going in my eyes, it'll be going in a phone for an eye. I like that. I like I've It won't be going in my own eyes. I'll give it a little wipe off and then You never know. But the old residue here and there. Um Carefree Tommy has asked what's one northern food you miss and can't get down south? Four . Um It's hot 'cause I'm at the coast here well, there's coast down here as well. In the where I live back home is on the coast as well . Um God knows . Um that's a tough one though. I'll load it that question to what's one sort of place you go to in in in Newcastle back home where you're like right, I've got to get X from that like fishing chips from this place. Like there's a place I went to as a kid or wherever where you're like, right, I'd just miss it. What would you miss? As a kid, I would always go to this ice cream shop. Best ice cream I'd ever had in my life. Beautiful. Just the vanilla. But the vanilla it was like so creamy. It was it was top like that. Was it from a tub or was it like a machine? Nah nah. So they would the other is like they wouldn't let anyone find out the ingredient. If you work you weren't allowed to tell any ingredients or anything in its ice cream. Yeah. And it would be in like a a big thingy on the desk, but it'll be like right in the thingy. And it'll just scoop it out and then scoop it off best. Nice. Best I would probably that's the thing I miss like ice cream. Go back and and have some? I didn't. I didn't actually have any when I went back up. Got it. It's too cold up there for you scream at a minute late. Um Sarah Lidbetter has asked what would you be doing if you weren't a footballer? Pilot. We're coming on to that. Uh Josh Norman, who's your favourite Newcastle player? You've answered that already. Courtney is asked best moment in a nipswitch shirt. Getting promoted. Standard. That day when we pulled in on the bus. It's the best. Big. Like on the way to games, right? No one's like or everyone's just sitting on the bus headphones and when we were on the game uh on the bus coming everyone was off the seat, trying to video everything. When it was m it was mental. Better promotion than Bournemouth? Yeah. Miles better. As well as Leeds 'cause there was no fans. Yeah as well. Leeds must have been tough. Yeah. There was no fans in that. So obviously fans still turned up at the stadium, fireworks and everything off but being everyone being even fans in the stadium as well, it was and how we done it was top. Lexi Lambert has our favourite game of the season so far . Sun London the way, first game. Tough wasn't it? Tough game board just to beat them. I was like the yeah, I mean well obviously you want to beat him. Yeah. But just what a start. What you know a sort of batters and fire in the championship. It was kind of like a a pressure test though if you like. How well they done as well last year. It was a good obviously good test for um couldn't really got a harder start of the season as well. But did that game not just show you I remember sitting and watching it, did it not just show you how adaptable this team is and how it's not just a group sort of you know, one trick opponent. We don't just go and attack and try and score. Yeah. You can do different things. It shows how much like that game showed how much fight we had as a team, like how much players would fight for each other. Um like they had m ten men, we got a man sent off, but we were still under a bit of pressure. You know it looked like we just wanted a head at everything, tackle anything. Um so uh last one isn't really a question, it's more a statement. Low Le Carey said, Tell Leif I've named my kitten after him. Kitten not fan of Kat y, but thanks Lola. Appreciate that. Okay , so last week, uh sorry, the week before we spoke to um we spoke to two of your colleagues who quite vocal in telling us about you and a game called Microsoft Flight Simulator. Uh I remember playing this game. They said you've got the full kit, you're so big into it. You're the first footballer I've ever known who's wanted to do something like this . Where has this obsession with planes come from? So it was my grandda. Um he used to work obviously in aviation as well. Um he was someone I would spend a lot of time with. Um he would it's hard to say like it's I don't know for him, kind of thing. He loved it. He would take to the airport every day. Every single day. After school I would be at the airport sitting watching planes, everything and he was just like he would just tell us about all the all planes, everything and I was just like, Oh, it's actually really interesting and then we lost him, um which was difficult 'cause I would spend every day with 'em. Mm. It was It was your thing. Yeah. It was your thing to go. Yeah, it was my get away as well. I wasn't the brightest, I wasn't the best of lads in school, so I used to have tough days at school as well. Um and then obviously going out uh with him just took my mind off everything. And that's why I kept it up 'cause I thought if it's take my mind off this, it's gonna take my mind off anything else I'm doing. So when I go out of football, take my mind off it, it takes my mind straight off what I do. Tell me about the setup because I I know this is an intense game. Yeah. It is intense. You've got to know the settings, you've got to know everything. One little thing and p you you could put tell me about your setup, what your favourite flight is. I'm interested, I love this kind of stuff. Yes um obviously it's on my PC and you've got to run it on a PC 'cause it's it's a strict game. Graphic heavy so I've got the best and PC you could probably get at the minute, um best graphics card, best uh I've got all the the York and everything, they've got the throttles, every the p uh the pedals, got everything that I could um that you could get to be fair. Um it's not like the ones where you walk into a like a like a real cockpit and do it in there with the screens. It's it's nothing that thingy but it's it's tough tough stuff like. Faviteour f light? You know, I I actually done a flight two months ago, Newcastle and Melbourne in in America. It was was it in eight hours, nine minutes I think it was On the flight sim, yeah. Did you do it in real time? Real time, yeah. Eight hours, nine minutes. So I'll do a thing where I'll go on flight radar and I'll I'll see what flights have been departed from that airport earlier in the day I'll click it on click all where the routing is of the where the plane's gone what aircraft it was and I'll do exactly the same route. So before we went Austria I didnd' done exactly what we were doing to Vienna and then on the way back when I got when I came home straight away I've jumped on my flight and done the flight from Salzburg straight back to Stansted . I just love love doing it. You are so cool man. That is very cool. That is so cool. It's that is so cool. And it's not like obviously I've been to a I've been in one of them flight sims as well, so you get taught a lot of it as well. Um and there's uh there's a obviously um uh it's like a software thing called Va uh Vats um, mm-hmm and it's a thing where you've got to do a little exam kind of thing to pass it. Uh you've to pass to get on the server, you've got to pass the exam and I pass the exam. Um and th to be fair I I teach myself as well. Like a lot of stuff I'll do a lot of um of see research and everything, how what's this, what's this, you know what I mean kind of thing. I'll always study as well 'cause that's what I want to do. I'll study at home. So when I'm doing a flight, stick it on autopilot, I've got another screen there and I'm just studying it with like having a look at we I'll I'll I'll watch a lad on Twitch as well. London Controller, he's I watch him all the time. And he obviously he's he wants to be at air traffic control . Um and I just listen , like I teach myself as well. I'll obviously learn off other people how to speak to ATC as well, so it's one of the hardest bits. So be it, it will happen. Hopefully. After after for b after a good career, hopefully. One day I wanna be flying somewhere with you know, Captain Leaf Davies. Yeah. It'll be nice, it'll be nice. I'll tell you what, I I was on holiday last week and uh went on Instagram and someone had sent me a message. It was town TV viewer and a podcast listener. His name's Jordan Mitchell. Hello, Jordan. He said, hi Aaron, cracking podcast with Cameron Elkin. I work at RAF Lake and Heath with the US A Air Force near Newmarket. It would be great to get the lads and leaf down to have a look at some fighter jets and meet the pilots. Sure we could squeeze Elkin in a jet easy enough. So there's an invite there from Jordan Mitchell to go and check out some planes if you'd like to. There you go. We we we'll make it happen. Um Wow. I mean look, I everyone has hobbies. I never realized how sort of deeply entrenched your hobby was and and how big it was for you. And do you know what? It''ss very very it sweet to hear actually a footballer. You're probably the realest footballer I've ever heard sort of speak about something like that, about where where it comes from. So No, it's it's a nice thing to to do. Like that's like I said, it takes my mind off everything. So last night I got in from training I know I was tired from training. Um and I'll go in I'll do two flights. I done two flights last night on my flights and it just took my mind off everything. So You're the man. You're the man. Uh okay, we're gonna finish up on a feature that I think is it called Elcome Baggart Bangers now ? We're still seventy five percent of the way there. If you have got an idea for a name for this title, it's a music feature, then let me know. Leaf Davis's disco. Yeah, no? I I I'm still all over Elkham Baggard's bangers. Uh five tracks. I've never heard him listen to any songs as well, by the way. He just still stands around and smiles, doesn't he? Yeah. He's a great guy. He is a great guy. Um Yeah, so five tracks and and we'll just get your thoughts on a few of 'em. Uh hopefully you've done a bit of prep on it. So the first question is, what song pumps you up pre match? It's gotta be the one that we walk out well, three minutes before we go out with train uh for a game, uh I'm a boss I think it is. It's Clarke's on the on the tune, so I think it's uh uh that's what gets a lag that's when we start speaking to each other and everyone's getting ready. So when the boots go on and Who's the hype man? In who's the hype man? Who's the one who's screaming? Um Skip. Skip, yeah. Skip will s he'll speak a lot too. Um before game, which is good, he gets you going. I met so many Egyptian people on holiday and they're obsessed with him. They're obsessed with him. Yeah. He's a good person. But they they don't call him Sam, they call him Sami. Sami Morzi. They love him. Love him. He's one of the one of the best people. Beast. Yeah, he's a he's a good lad. Absolute beast. What song reminds you of Portman Road ? Oof . Um I don't know what I don't know what the song is, but it's um do you know when we got promoted and you hear after games sometimes is it you got me singing the blues or something? Is it that? Is it that? That's what reminds us of singing the blues. Yeah. 'Cause every time like after after a game sometimes it'll come on as well. It must be quite emotional walking round clapping the fans when that's going on, they're singing at you and you're like wow. Yeah, it's it's you know it's weird. I've n I've only had goosebumps in two places where I've played. I'll see Ellen Roaders one number which has got out in here. Portman Droad. Proper club. Yeah. Proper club. What song reminds you of your childhood? Wow. That's a difficult one then . What a song that I would listen to when I was younger or anything that reminds you your childhood that could take you back to a moment in your childhood? It wasn't it wasn't a song that I would listen to. It was a song that my mum my f my mum's favourite song that you would listen to uh is a Fields of Gold. Yeah. Yeah. She loves that song. Nice. It's probably one of her favourite songs. Nice, nice, nice. Sting. I think so. Sting. Good song like. um is it still fields of gold? Okay, I think so. Fields of gold. We'll take fields of gold. Favourite song from a film or favorite music from film. This doesn't have to be an actual song, it could be a score, like a a composition . Oh You know, I'd I I'm not the one that watches a lot of telly. What's your fate film? I like Rambo. I like stuff like that. Love it. Like love stuff like that. Yeah. Um Um uh there's no s really big songs and th stuff like that. No, but I mean come on, some of the some films like that have most unreal tracks . I actually don't know. I really I really don't know. You know, I can't even remember the last time I watched a film. Swear to god. Really? Never sit down and watch a film. I'd rather be on what I do flight. In the corner. Um what's your in flight mov ie ? Rambo. Yeah, I'd probably if it was on the screen, if I was sitting in the I was seeing being a passenger and I was sitting I would watch if it was on the telly, I like American Sniper , um that's probably one of my favourite as well. When you go away uh and like you got say you're gonna hold with your your girlfriend. Do you d are you like fascinated by the play? Do you go like looking around? Do you ask to look around and so when I do you know when I was like when I was younger I was and we would used to go on holiday at Newcastle, big glass windows, not massive terminal as it's all. Um I would try and get I would literally run through duty free, security, everything, try and get through as quick as I could just to sit out the window and watch the planes taken off. Even it was just sat in front of us. Nice. Nice . Um last question on the music. I mean, you didn't really give me the film one, but I'll let you off. What's your guilty pleasure? And let me define what I mean by guilty pleasure. I'm talking say if you are at the training ground, you just jumped in your car, this tracks come on, it's a bit of a secret track. You love it. You secretly love it and Clarky quickly opens your car door and puts his head in and you're like no got change it what track would that be that's your guilty pleasure um Um wow . I've got two. D you know are you gonna say yours? No, this isn't my podcast. It's yours. Um Wow. If you're not gonna see yours, I'm I don't want to see you. I don't know. I'm not the guest. You're the you're the guest . Um do you know what? Anne Marie Yeah two thousand and two big tune nice love that love I love your work leaf big tune love your work mate Um that is pretty much it. Thank you. Thanks for having us. Absolutely smashed it. What a fantastic chat with um you know look we love what you do. We love what you do. Um and I know I speak for sort of the whole fan base here where we're saying like you know, we just wanna see you smash it. Even when you're retired and you're a pilot and taking us on ondo, mate. Keep smashing it, Leaf. Yeah, I'll always give me everything. Thank you. There you go. That's it for this episode of the official Ipswich Town Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to Town TV for all of your town content the minute it lands. All that's left to say though is come on new blues