Mick McCarthy dismissed suggestions that today’s game against Burnley is a must-win fixture for his bottom-of-the-table Town side, unlike Blues midfielder or striker Daryl Murphy.
The 53-year-old says a must-win mentality adds unneeded extra pressure: "All it does is heap pressure on everybody.
"What happens if we lose to Burnley? The fans will be unhappy, I’ll be unhappy, you [the media] will all be giving out large portions.
"What happens if we then win the next five games on the bounce? Everyone will be happy.
"We’ve got to try and relax and not have that ‘must-win’ mentality. Everyone wants to win, we’re set up to win.
"Players want to win every week, I want to win every week, fans want to win every week, but just saying it doesn’t make it happen.”
He added: "We haven’t got to beat them, but it would be a good place to start. We’re needing points.
"It’s a home game and home territory has got to count. If we can get a win it’ll be a lot easier to work [with the players in training] next week.”
McCarthy says he’s looking forward to taking control of the Blues at Portman Road for the first time this afternoon: "You always hope you get a good reception. If you get a bad one [at your first game], you’re in serious trouble!”