After experiencing a difficult start to the season, things have finally clicked into gear for Ipswich and especially for Jonathan Walters.
The 26-year-old has been playing some of the best football of his career over the past two months and his contribution to Roy Keane's side has not gone unnoticed as he was recently handed the captain's armband.
For a perfectionist like Keane to pick Walters out and state that he wants his entire squad to follow the example of the bustling attacker acts as the highest compliment he could from his manager.
He wasn't selected for being the best behaved player on the training ground or for having all of the answers in the video analysis sessions; instead it was the hunger that Walters showed whenever he appeared for the Tractor Boys that convinced Keane of his leadership qualities.
And it is those reasons why Giovanni Trapattoni has reportedly been alerted to the current form of the Ireland B international with a call-up to the senior squad to take on Brazil in March on the cards.
'I've been involved in Ireland squads since Under 16 level, so I'd love to break into the senior team. I'm trying to do as much as I can to get a call-up,' Walters told Sportsmail.
'The only thing that I can do is to play well for Ipswich and hope that someone takes notice of what I'm doing. There have been a few things said in the media, but nothing from the coaching staff.
'It would mean a lot to me and my family if I was to win that first cap. But there is still a lot of football to be played before the next game, so I have to keep playing well if I am to catch the eye of the manager.'
Walters grew up just outside of Liverpool, but qualifies for Ireland through his Dublin-born mother and says that ever since he was a kid he wanted to pull on the green jersey.
Frequent trips and summer holidays were spent a stone's throw away from Croke Park ignited a bond that the powerful forward has kept with him throughout his career, which has taken him from Blackburn Rovers' academy to clubs like Wrexham and Chester City.
Since joining Ipswich in 2007 he has established himself as a firm favourite with the club's fans due to his rampaging style and flurry of important goals - six so far this season.
As he prepares to lead his team out today against Coventry City, Walters won't be looking for Trapattoni in the stands or worrying if the TV cameras catch him at his best angle, he will be thinking back to the start of the season when Ipswich went 14 games without a win.
That winless streak sent them tumbling towards the foot of the table. However, an upturn in fortunes has seen the Tractor Boys lose just once in their last 14 outings. It is this kind of form that Walters believes can help clinch a play-off spot, even if they have a lot of work to do just to pull away from their current position of 20th.
'It has taken time for us to get going this season. A lot of new players have come into the team and it takes time for them to gel in, but we are not using that as an excuse because we know it was the worst start the club has ever made to a season,' he admitted.
'Things have started to pick up now though. The manager is getting us to play the way he wants us to, we have a good base at the back with Damien Delaney and Gareth McAuley, and everyone is chipping in.
'Obviously we would like to win more games at home. That is something we want to do for the fans as much as for our chances of getting up the table and possibly sneaking into the play-off places.
'It might seem crazy to some people talking about the play-offs, but you have to aim high and expect more from yourself. The manager certainly thinks we are capable of it. If we were to win four games in a month then that would get us right in the mix.'
Whether he is asked to play out wide on the wing or up front as a lone striker, Walters plays with the same level of tenacity and commitment. Perhaps that is why Keane sees him as his ideal captain, because he never shirks away from responsibility.
Walters is quick to squash the various rumours and myths that circulate about Keane's style of management, stating he is 'very approachable and treats players well when he sees that they are putting the work in'.
He cites the example of Owen Garvan, who didn't even travel with the squad for away games after his work-rate was called into question but is now a first-team regular, to suggest that hard work and playing with the team in mind can bring the best out in any player.
And those are qualities that Walters has in abundance as well as attributes that Trapattoni looks for in his players. Things are certainly looking up for the Ipswich skipper.