Midfielder Cole Skuse is struggling to explain Town’s recent form lapse and admits: “It could be down to a number of things.”
Skuse admitted there was a subdued atmosphere on the bus that carried the players back from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Rotherham, a result that leaves them in fifth position, six points off the Championship summit.
He said: "It’s never easy to put your finger on one thing and it could be a build-up of things.
"But it’s definitely not down to a want of trying because we’re never going to be a team that rolls over and gives in.
"We’re always going to try our utmost but it just hasn’t clicked in the last couple of games.
"As soon as I got on the bus on Saturday I got my headphones on, watched my laptop and cried to myself. It was a very frustrating afternoon.
"The manner in which we lost the game was so frustrating because it wasn’t really us. It wasn’t really an Ipswich Town performance.”
Skuse & Co, who have dropped 11 points in their last five league games, are anxious to reverse the trend when Sheffield Wednesday are the visitors to Portman Road this evening.
He added: "It’s never nice to go a whole week on the back of a defeat so the game against Wednesday is an opportunity to get things moving again.
"It’s always good to have a quick turnaround because you can switch off from the previous one and focus straight away on the next game.
"But it will still be tough, as they have spent a bit of money on new players and have definitely improved since last season. They are on the cusp, just below the play-offs, and they are one of several teams still looking at a top-six place as achievable.”
Skuse also believes manager Mick McCarthy’s healthy approach, never overreacting irrespective of the result, can be a useful weapon in the weeks ahead as Town seek breathe new life into their promotion challenge.
He said: "I’m sure many players have said it before but he’s unbelievable, both him and TC.
"They sort of bounce off each other and don’t let anyone or anything get them down and out. After a win they never get too high and when we lose they don’t get too low.
"The gaffer had a few words after the game and a few words again on Sunday at the training ground.
"We picked the bones out of the game after watching the DVD. We had a good look at that and did our recovery bits but the manager was very level-headed and placid with us.
"It’s always sore to lose a game and I was on my phone talking to friends and family afterwards trying to explain why we’d lost.
"It’s tough but as soon as I step through the front door when I get home and I see my little girl I start to feel better.
"The dogs are jumping up as well and I need to have that time at home to switch off or I’ll have even more grey hairs than I have now.
"I’m similar to the manager in that I won’t get too high with the highs or too lows with the lows. I like to keep it on a level playing field.”