Boss Mick McCarthy revealed that skipper Luke Chambers apologised to his team-mates for his overall performance, despite having scored the last-gasp winner as Town defeated QPR 2-1 at Portman Road. Chambers powered home a header in the 92nd minute of what McCarthy admitted was no Boxing Day classic.
"I think it’s a really important result and maybe it’s got the monkey off our back at home because we needed to win a game,” McCarthy said, the Blues having previously won just one of their last nine at home.
"I don’t think it was wonderful entertainment, I think it was a fairly turgid, horrible game which was going nowhere.
"It had 0-0 written over it in the first half until we defended abysmally and conceded a goal which was just appalling for us to concede from a number of levels.
"Not just one player, it was typical of us, it was about five little errors which ended up as a huge one and it ended up in our net.
"That gave them the spark and was the reason they were able to sit in and leave one up front, which they did, they left the big fella [Sebastian Polter] up front and he was a handful.
"If anything we’ve won it because of our belligerence, tenacity and the aggressive way we play and kept going. That’s what won us the game.
"And Chambo, who came in and apologised for his performance to everybody else, that’s a captain’s performance - if you’re not having the best game come up and score the bloody winner and everybody forgets about it.
"He can put his performance behind him because that won’t be written down in history but scoring the winner will. I love that about my team, that they keep going.
"He just said ‘Sorry lads, not my best performance’. I said ‘Don’t worry, you scored the winner’. I’m not going to tell you what else I said to him.
"He made up for the first goal because he had a hand in that, Junior Hoilett got across and beat him, but there were a whole load of other mistakes as well, and it should never have ended up as that.
"I love that about him, I think he’s a really top lad, top player, top captain and he has a real influence on the team.”
The Blues manager says he’s been delighted with the way his skipper has adapted to life at right-back: "He’s scored a couple of goals, he’s bought into it, he’s a good professional.
"When you ask people to play in a different position, they can do one of two things. Go and do all right a couple of times, then become a square peg in a round hole and then be left out. But he’s not done that.
"There are days when he’s centre-half and you can see that he’s not a full-back, it’s not all going great for him, but he sticks at it and he’s done that brilliantly today. Well done Chambo.”
Asked what the difference was between the sides, McCarthy added: "The fact that I’ve got a central midfielder [Jonathan Douglas] who has got in and scored because we were putting pressure on them and we were susceptible to getting done on the break on a number of occasions
"They’ve got Junior Hoilett and Matt Phillips, Premier League footballers, and the big fella up front could hold it up.
"And the fact that I’ve got Dougie, who’s 34 and covers about 12km every game, he’s there putting it in and takes his chance.
"He [adds to the goal threat in midfield], he scored eight last year [for Brentford] and he’s got three this year now.
"And I’ve got a full-back, who says himself that he’s not had the best game but is in the box in the 92nd minute and scores. That’s the difference.
"We kept going - I’m not saying they didn’t keep going - but Derby beat us, Middlesbrough beat us, but none of them could have said that it was an easy game. So, what was the difference? We kept going and we wanted to win it, and we nicked it.”
He continued: "You could also say Cole Skuse clearing it off the line [from Leroy Fer]. If it goes to 2-0 we’re goosed.”
McCarthy was delighted that the 23,615-strong biggest crowd of the season will have been sent home happy after the drama of the late winner, but admitted: "They had to wade through 93 minutes of shite before it got great, though!"
The Town boss was pleased with the impact wingers Ryan Fraser and Tommy Oar had from the bench: "I don’t think Freddie and Ainsley are shy at being attack-minded and Ryan needs to be fully fit, but he certainly always has an impact.
"And Tommy Oar, poor old Tommy, he was knocked out [against Huddersfield], then he did his knee ligaments, but he was brilliant this week in training. The best week’s training you’re ever likely to have. I’m sure he’s got a contribution to make.”
McCarthy, whose side remain sixth in the Championship, says that the result has made his Christmas at least semi-happy.
"I’d sooner play well and win,” he admitted. "But I’ve just said to someone else ‘Screw ‘em, I’ve got three points’. I’m not bothered, just win, the object of my job is to win games’.
"That’s what will enable me to have at least a semi-happy Christmas now because we’ve got three points and nothing else really matters to me.
"Sad, but my life is conducted around football results and the way I feel and my mood, my demeanour all revolve around football results. It’s a fairly shallow, sad old life but it f–k it, I feel great today!”
QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was disappointed with the way his side defended as they fell to their first defeat under his management: "It comes down to this, if you don’t defend properly, if you switch off, you’re going to be punished. And Ipswich capitalised on that very well.
"I thought the first goal was a little bit flukey, he mishit it. Douglas was very sharp but it was a mishit but you still have to stop the cross going in.
"I think in the first half we really well organised and we couldn’t have scored at a better moment.
"We had a chance to make it 2-0 but we didn’t take it and when it stays 1-0 then you know you have to be resolute and defend until the end, 96 minutes, you have to defend properly and then try to capitalise when you have the ball.”
Regarding Town, he added: "Ipswich are a good side, we always knew that it was going to be a very difficult match.
"The gaffer here, Mick, has got them playing a certain way and has been doing a magnificent job since he has come in and they are going to be there or thereabouts.”