Town boss Mick McCarthy says “glaring errors” or a number of smaller mistakes have been behind the Blues’ uncharacteristically disappointing recent defensive record.
Having built the Blues’ resurgence on a solid backline since he took over as manager in November 2012, McCarthy’s side have kept just two clean sheets in their last 21 games in all competitions.
They have conceded 15 goals already this season - equal with number they have scored and coincidentally their points total - with only four teams in the division having shipped more, none of them in the top half. At Reading they conceded five for the first time since McCarthy's first month in charge.
"It’s not because we’re wide open or anything like that, we carry a far greater threat going forward I think, we look a threat every time we go forward,” McCarthy said. "But unfortunately we look threatened when we’ve been defending.
"Some goals have been down to individual mistakes, glaring errors, some have been down to little 20 per cent of a mistake and then another 20 per cent and another 20 per cent and it ends up as a whole one and it ends up in the back of our net.
"And that’s not like us at all. But having done that we’re still where we are, we’re still in good shape and we’ll still be competing for those top places.”
McCarthy, who has worked on defending with his players in training this week, believes the Blues ought to have won last Saturday’s home game against Bristol City, despite having added two more to the goals against tally.
"I thought we had enough chances on Saturday, even having conceded the two goals we had enough chances to win the game and enough balls in the box,” he added.
"Were we on the move, did we get across the defender? There’s all that going on but we’ll have another good time and we might have another bad time, that’s the Championship unfortunately.”
McCarthy has remained loyal to his first-choice back four and believes continuity is important in order to develop partnerships in all areas of the field.
"You only get them with playing,” he added. "Everybody wants to play but whether it’s a full-back and a centre-back or a full-back and a winger, you can only get that through continuity and keeping playing together.
"And training together, of course, because if somebody gets injured or suspended somebody else comes in and has to pick it up.”
He admits that given the increased size of the squad in all areas he has a balancing act to keep everyone happy, particularly now the Blues are out of the Capital One Cup.
"Would you expect that any of our four strikers who are not playing would be happy?” he continued.
"I don’t want them to be happy at not playing but there’s a certain part of being happy at coming into training and being in here and the atmosphere that there is and being ready to play if they get that opportunity.
"Is Bart happy about being not in the nets? No he’s not, absolutely not. I guess if Teddy Bishop’s fit, Kevin Bru’s fit now, they’ll want to play. Tommy Oar I thought did really well at Man United and Larsen Touré’s done really well. They’ll want to play.
"They’re never going to be happy while they’re not playing but I’d like them to be content at the club and ready to go and support everybody else because there are times when you’re out of the team.
""For instance, strikers go and play their 70 minutes, run their nuts off, get no chances at all and then the two strikers who come on get the chances, we win 3-2 and they’re the heroes.
"Well, that’s the way it works and that’s the way it’s always going to work. But they’re not going to be happy not playing, no.”
Last season’s 27-goal Championship top scorer Daryl Murphy is yet to open his account this season but McCarthy anticipates that once the Irishman hits his first more will quickly follow: "I hope so, and I’m sure he hopes so. Murph was outstanding for us.”
The Town manager is pleased he has alternative options in Freddie Sears and Brett Pitman this year and no longer has to depend on just his two Ireland frontmen, as he has had to do at times in previous seasons.
"What’s good this year is that I’m not just relying on two strikers and looking over my shoulder and going ‘I’ll leave you two on because I can’t take you off’,” he added.
"And then they get injured in February and we miss them for three months. So at least I can mix and match and all of them need to be ready when they get their opportunity.”