Boss Paul Jewell slammed his big name players for talking the talk but not walking the walk after their disastrous 4-0 hammering at Burnley, but conceded that ultimately he carries the can for the Blues' run of six successive defeats which has seen them drop to 21st in the Championship.
Jewell says his players simply aren’t performing to the required standard: "I feel physically sick. For 35 minutes there was nothing in the game but then there’s the old Achilles’ heel — we concede from a set play.
"There are a lot of people with big reputations in that team and people keep on talking about what an experienced team we have and what good players we have, but they’re not putting out, that’s for sure.
"I don’t see anyone making a tackle, they can all talk the talk but at the minute they’re not doing it and it’s unbelievable from a team which not so long ago was looking like a decent side. Now we look like we can’t win a 50/50 tackle or even 60/40 in our favour.
"Their third goal the kid runs from midfield right through the heart of our defence. The first goal was a set play.”
The Blues manager says his team capitulated after the first goal went in: "I think in the Forest and Reading games, we were in those matches without playing well, but tonight the white flag came out.
"I think Mark Kennedy and Lee Bowyer were unlucky to come off because it could have been anybody.
"I understand that confidence at a low ebb but there’s no excuse for not making it difficult for the opponents and we aren’t making it difficult.
"We just want to play on the ball and look pretty, but we don’t want to do the ugly things in football that make teams winning teams.
"I know what it’s like to have a good team. At 2-0 down I’ve had teams where I’m thinking that we can still get something out of games.
"I’m looking round the dressing room tonight and thinking it’s a case of damage limitation, I can see it in their eyes. We’ve got to change that very, very quickly.”
Jewell felt for the 319 Town supporters who made the trip to Turf Moor, accepting that the buck ultimately stops with him whether the players do what they're told to or otherwise: "At the end of the day I’m the manager, I carry the can, but some of the stuff that I’m seeing going on on the pitch, I don’t know where it’s coming from. I expect tons better, it’s just not good enough.
"We use all these words - unacceptable, not good enough, this, that and the other, but I’m embarrassed coming to see you guys [in the media]. I’m embarrassed walking past those supporters of ours who have travelled all that way to watch absolute garbage.
"Ultimately, it’s my responsibility, but some of the stuff that’s going on out there is not what we’re preaching, in fact none of it is.”
He feels some of his players are taking matches too lightly: "It isn’t just another game, it’s people’s livelihoods. People have been on a 500-mile round trip tonight, probably have had a day off work, and then have to put up with something like that.
"Supporters will put up with anything, so will managers by the way, but they can’t put up with gutless, spineless efforts like that.”
Jewell knows that as the defeats mount up the pressure on him grows: "I’m not stupid. I know that if you lose six games on the bounce you’re not going to be flavour of the month, I understand that.
"I want what’s best for Ipswich. As I said when I first came, it’s a long-term job. It’s a massive job, a huge job and we’re nowhere near moving forward at this moment in time.
"But I’ll keep going, I’ll keep fighting and I think that’s all you can you can do. You can only ever do your best but ultimately I want what’s best for Ipswich.”
He believes that club owner Marcus Evans is still backing him: "I think so, but if he thinks it’s best to make a change, that’s entirely up to him. I want what’s best for Ipswich and that isn’t good enough for Ipswich Town. That ain’t good enough for anybody, never mind a team of this great tradition.
"Ultimately I have to lead the team out on to the pitch and it reflects on me and that doesn’t reflect me.”
Jewell now has to lift his players for Saturday’s visit by Watford, the Blues’ bogey side: "That’s the difficult thing. There’s always another game of football and the longer you go without winning, the harder it becomes.
"I said before the game that we need men at this moment in time and there are a lot of people with big careers, international players out there and they’re not doing enough.”
Conversely Burnley boss Eddie Howe had an excellent 34th birthday: "It was a good night, a really good night. The second half was enjoyable, I don’t think I’ve had many second halves in my short reign at Turf Moor which have been as enjoyable as that. I thought we were excellent.
"I think it was a strange game in that we created so many chances that we could have scored double the four that we did.
"Jay Rodriguez had chance after chance and to be fair to him kept going and got his reward in the end for an excellent individual performance. But what pleases me more was the team effort, I thought we were very good in the second half.”
Howe was also delighted that his side didn’t concede against a Blues team he feels is better than their current performances: "It wasn’t just the clean sheet for me, it was the manner of it.
"Although they’re on a disappointing run, they are a good side, they’ve got a lot of quality in their team. We kept them very quiet and I don’t think Lee Grant had a save to make.”