Blues manager Paul Hurst insists his summer policy of largely bringing in players from the lower leagues was the right approach, despite admitting that Town are firmly in a relegation battle.
Hurst signed 12 players during the close season, seven of them from Leagues One and Two.
Yesterday, former skipper Matt Holland said on talkSPORT that it was "asking an awful lot of those players” to all make the jump to the Championship together.
"I think the idea behind that was that we were trying to help the club move forward,” Hurst said. "I think, from memory, the fans were used to getting a certain type of player and didn’t like that.
"Now we’ve already got still a group of players here who perhaps fit into that category that they’re talking about, so I still think that it was the right way to go.
"I think he’s probably right, as in it’s a big ask, but maybe you’re looking for some of those to get a little bit more help along the way as you progress.
"I didn’t expect every one of those players to come in and play 46 league games, that’s for sure.
"But in time you’re wanting them to contribute at various points. And then as the seasons move on that they do become players that are established because you’ve got to have an opportunity first to get to that point.
"That’s where the thought process for it was at. Matt’s entitled to his opinion and if he’s right, he’s right. But if he’s not then…
"But it’s very easy to comment from the outside. It’s funny because [QPR manager] Steve McClaren was speaking before the game and said he doesn’t like anyone really passing comment that much unless they’ve been in the job themselves. I thought that was interesting from such an experienced manager.”
While those players came in, does he feel too much Championship experience departed? "Possibly, I know there’s been a lot made of the lads that went out. Now all I will say is each one of those players wanted to leave the football club.
"You would have to ask them face-to-face - and whether they’d be genuine or not — whether they wanted to leave because of me or whether they wanted to leave because of the football club or whether they wanted to leave because of the football club that they were going to.
"I certainly think in Adam Webster’s case, I think we’d worked together for maybe two days so I’d be very surprised if it was me. In David McGoldrick’s case, he wasn’t on any sheet or budget I was given [having the club left in May].
"That leaves two players. Joe Garner clearly wanted to go back home and Martyn Waghorn, I said I really liked the lad, we got on well and he found the situation difficult.
"So unless there was something that they weren’t telling me I think we’re comfortable where we’re at.
"It’s easy to say you don’t have to let players go, but I think that’s a little bit naïve and you’ve maybe not been in the job and around football if you think that by saying ‘no’ you would have got the same player that’s performed in the past for Ipswich Town.”
As it stands at the moment, is Hurst confident that this squad is good enough to avoid relegation?
"At the minute there’s no doubt, whether we like it or not, we’ve got to accept that that’s the situation, not kind of pretend suddenly we’re going to be just outside the play-offs or mid-table.
"Let’s stare the situation straight on. At the minute there’s almost a feel of confusion around the place, instead of just saying, ’This is where we are, we’re at the wrong end of the table, we’re bottom of the table’.
"Not ‘rock bottom’ as I’ve read. I’m not sure how we’re ‘rock bottom’ when we’ve got the same points as someone else and one win could see us move up.
"But at the same time, that’s where we are so we need to accept that and be willing to do the things required to get out of the situation.”