Richard Naylor today confirmed the trust the Ipswich Town players have in Blues boss Joe Royle. Town opened their pre-season tour of Denmark with an unspectacular 0-0 draw with Randers last night.

Richard Naylor today confirmed the trust the Ipswich Town players have in Blues boss Joe Royle.

Town opened their pre-season tour of Denmark with an unspectacular 0-0 draw with Randers last night.

And Naylor admitted: "The gaffer has had to cut the wage bill dramatically and this has made life difficult for him.

"But we trust him and we are sure that we can still enjoy successful times at this club."

Naylor – Ipswich's longest-serving player – can operate either as a centre back or as a striker.

After a number of close-season departures and with Royle restricted in the contract offers he can make, Naylor is expected to be a central figure in the new campaign.

The utility man – sharing a room with skipper Jim Magilton on the six-day trip to Denmark – is looking ahead with confidence.

And he had a message for Ipswich fans concerned at the departures of some of the club's biggest names over the last two years.

Naylor said: "Thanks to the manager we improved our position last season on the previous one, despite losing key performers and we can do it again.

"An automatic promotion place must be our aim and we have to have a desire to do well.

"Teams promoted from the First Division last season were not necessarily the best on the park but they had that drive and desire to get what they wanted."

Naylor thought last night's 90 minutes were a worthwhile exercise, although it was by no means an exciting contest for the fans in the Randers stadium.

He added: "It was an ideal game at this time of the season, with a big pitch and a sandy and heavy surface.

"It was hard to pass the ball around and was certainly not a spectacle, but it was a fine workout and was an excellent pre-season game."

Naylor improved matters when he came on after the interval and went closest to scoring when he struck the post with a header in the 89th minute.

Not bothered whether he plays at the back or up front, Naylor said: "The aim must be to be on the team sheet for the first game and then take it from there.

"We have some decent youngsters coming through and now is the time for them to stand up and be counted.

"We have trust in the manager as I said and he has brought in two good players in Jason De Vos and Kevin Horlock and getting the blend between youth and experience is vital factor in any success."

Ipswich players were swimming today in a pool in the town of Randers and they will train tomorrow before playing what will be tougher opponents at Aalborg on Friday night before returning home the following day.