Kieran McKenna walked into the press conference room before the match, shook everyone’s hands and then sat in his chair.
Before the questioning begins though, an item on the table catches his eye.
‘Whose are these?’ says the Blues boss, picking up a pair of socks. Blank looks all round.
Asked if the culprit might be facing a fun Sean Dyche-style fines wheel, the Northern Irishman said: “No, I’ve seen that done before, but the leadership group manage that side of things very, very well. It’s self-policed so I don’t have to get involved, which is always the best way.”
That exchange leads on to a more formal chat about this ‘leadership group’ at Ipswich Town.
It feels like an ideal moment to discuss given that captain Sam Morsy will be serve a one-game suspension for tomorrow’s trip to Huddersfield.
“It’s something that the players vote for,” explains the Blues boss.
“It’s a set-up that I like. We implemented it last season where we got the players to vote for, I think, four players to join Samy in a leadership group.
“I won’t name the players, if that’s okay, because I think that’s private between the players.”
On the broader thinking behind the system, he explains: “Samy is a terrific captain and, as we all can see, drives standards on the pitch in the games and in training.
“I like to have a bit of a broader leadership base though, with people there to support him so that the captain isn’t handling every single thing in the dressing room. He’s got the support of others around him.
“The players selected four players from the dressing room that they thought would represent them well. That’s run really, really well.
“I sit in on those meetings pretty irregularly. The leadership group tends to meet with (assistant manager) Martyn Pert and (first team coach) Lee Grant to discuss everything around the squad. They’ll then come back to me with anything I need to know.