Skipper Luke Chambers apologised to travelling fans for the Blues’ performance as they were beaten 5-3 at Lincoln yesterday in a heartfelt chat with reporters about Town's current situation after the squad and staff had spent an hour locked in discussion in their dressing room.
Asked if the defeat was a painful one to take, Chambers said: "Yes, you’re seeing things happening which shouldn’t be happening on a football pitch and to concede five goals is not acceptable, especially the way we’ve defended this season and as a team prided ourselves on a decent record of defensive clean sheets.
"But the way things happened today, [we conceded] far too easily. Obviously we’ve kept you boys [the media] waiting around today, so I apologise for that, but we’re trying to find the answers in the dressing room, not just people nodding their heads and sitting there with their heads down, but actually standing up and actually giving an opinion or seeing how we can stop this happening.”
What happened that shouldn’t be happening? "Everything that probably could go wrong did go wrong. We’re not keeping the ball, we’re not challenging centre-halves, we’re not winning our battles in the defensive areas, we’re wide open, they’re getting through us like a knife through butter.
"There’s nothing I can really say that’s going to make anyone feel better other than us taking even more stick that we probably are due.”
What was the performance down to? "I’m not sure, obviously we’re so desperate to get back on the winning track that maybe we’ve left ourselves open, whereas maybe at the start of the season we had erred a little bit more on the side of caution.
"We were keeping it solid, keeping it solid, bang, 1-0 and then the game’s in our hands then, whereas now we’re trying to force the issue and maybe taking quick throw-ins and trying to start attacks quickly from the goalkeeper which stretches us as a team.
"I’m trying to settle us down, yet we’re still trying to continue to do the same things that leave us vulnerable. Teams in this division are set up to defend, especially against us.
"We can say we’ve had good possession today, we’ve played some nice football but that means nothing, we’ve been beaten again. Winning football is what required in this division and we didn’t do that today.”
Asked if he feels there’s a need to get back to basics, the 34-year-old added: "Like I say, I don’t want to be here with you guys talking, it’s a nonsense, there’s nothing I can say which is going to make anyone feel any better.
"I can only apologise to the travelling fans because they’ve been absolutely with us from day one. That’s a given, they’re absolutely fantastic, so we need to start turning up, me included.
"We’ve had a discussion in there, that if things don’t change for us then there’ll be even more choice words.
"We need to rectify some of the things I’ve mentioned and put ourselves in a position to win a game of football. I don’t think we did that today.”
Chambers, who joined the Blues after leaving Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2012, says he said his piece but that it wasn’t just him or manager Paul Lambert giving their opinions.
"I say my bit but again, how can I comment when we’ve conceded five goals?” he continued. "You’ve got to take responsibility for your own patch and we’ve not been good enough today.
"So I said, ‘Look if I’m saying stuff that’s out of order or you disagree with speak up, because we’re all here for the benefit of Ipswich Town and we want to succeed as much as anyone’.
"If there are things happening that people want to get off their chests, whether anyone likes to hear it or not, whether that’s me, the gaffer, the staff, the players, it’s got to be said because once you cross that white line together you need to know everyone is on the same page and that needs to happen in the dressing room.
"So when you do have those discussions, everyone needs to at least acknowledge of have something to say for themselves.”
And did people speak up? Are there enough characters or leaders in the squad? "There are characters, there are leaders but it’s easy to say. Like I said, I don’t want to be sat here talking because people will be pointing fingers at me and for whatever reason we haven’t done our job.
"We have to stand up, I was saying before the game that we really have to nail down certain scenarios and we didn’t do that today.”
Chambers admits the poor run - in all competitions the Blues have now gone 10 games without winning in 90 minutes - is now more than just a blip.
"Of course, that’s why we’re having chats and you’re staying here for an extra hour after the game when you boys should be on your way home,” he said.
"We need to find a way to change things because we can talk about the first 15 games all we like but that’s a million miles away from us now.”
However, asked if he felt the situation is a big concern, he disagreed: "No, I don’t think it’s a worry, I think it can easily be rectified, just putting ourselves in a good position to win games.
"If we’re going to kick long, put it in to one side - basics of football really. And, like I say, we’re letting it get on top of us a little bit by trying to force the issue and being wide open and allowing teams to create a chance out of nothing really.
"That’s what we need to do, we need to defend in numbers in certain situations and certain positions on the pitch and I think we’ll do that come Wednesday [at Wycombe].”
He believes it’s the sort of run which could be turned around by one positive performance and result.
"Without a shadow of a doubt because the small details which we didn’t do today are easily rectified,” he insisted.
"We talk about leaders, this that and the other, we need to have a lot more control on the pitch to settle ourselves down.
"We haven’t celebrated a goal today. What are we? Man City playing in an FA Cup game against a League Two team? No, we’re not, we’re Ipswich Town in League One playing against Lincoln, we’re 1-0 down, we’ve scored a freekick - go and celebrate.
"Because it’s the worst feeling as a professional footballer watching the opposition celebrate when you think you’re in a good position.
"It’s now one-all, you’re taking two, three, four, five minutes in the corner, you’re celebrating. That’s winning football, that’s things that need [to be done].
"The second goal to equalise - celebrate! I’ve said that in there. We’ve wasted opportunities, we’ve just run back to the halfway line as if we’re like Man City playing against [a League Two club].
"We’re here for a reason, you need to enjoy these moments with your 2,500 fans that we’ve taken with us and really put the pressure on the opposition.
"Luke Garbutt’s been an absolute revelation for us and the best thing we can do is to try and get him in for the foreseeable future. He needs a home and I think he’s found one.
"Every time he stands over a freekick I think it’s an opportunity for us - go and enjoy it mate. Yes, they want to see us get back in it but there’s so much time left.
"Again, the first goal came from us trying to be eager, trying to take a quick throw-in. We lose possession and it’s on us, we’re on the wrong side of the ball and it’s in our net. Just settle it down. All I can do is be brutally honest with you and that’s what I’ve always done.
"I said we need to stand up and take responsibility for our performance today, it wasn’t good enough and you guys will write what you want, people will say what they want and, like I said before, I can only apologise to the travelling fans that we didn’t put in the performance befitting of their support.”
Despite the current run, does he believe Town should be up there at the top of the division this season? "Absolutely, why not? We’re fourth in the league but the last 10 games tell a different story. We’re still in a really good position after being on a really bad run.
"So, whoever played and contributed to those first 15 games needs to really stand up and the boys that are around the squad need to stand up and be counted. These are clichés I don’t want to use, but what more can I say to you today?”
Would a more settled side help? "Yes, absolutely, why not? Go again, go again, see where it takes us. We’re not going to worry about anybody else from this day forward, we’ll worry about Ipswich Town and we’ll see where that takes us.”
Quizzed on whether the squad were unsettled by Lambert’s comments on Boxing Day in which he called his future into question, the skipper added: "You guys will make of that what you will. We’re all in there pulling in the same direction and we just want to put this bad run behind us and we’re looking to do that starting on Wednesday, and they’ll be under a lot of pressure as well.”
Looking to that live-on-Sky trip to leaders Wycombe, who were beaten 4-1 at home by Coventry yesterday, Chambers was asked if it might be the ideal game to kickstart Town’s season.
"We’re having a conversation about kickstarting the season when we’re fourth,” he added. "I don’t want to say we would have taken this [position at this point in the summer], but we need to draw a line under what’s happened, after 22 games we’re in fourth.
"Bang. The line’s been drawn, we’ve got a 22-game season now, we’ve played everyone [except Oxford] and we’re looking forward to cracking on with the second half of the season.”
He added: "People are asking if there are extra nerves and stuff, but for me there were more nerves in the first 12 or 15 games of the season because we needed to get off to a good start.
"Now it’s almost as if potentially, I don’t know, some of us maybe have taken the foot off the gas. These are questions I don’t have the answers to. All I can try and do as captain is take responsibility for the group of lads, myself, our performance and apologise.
"But we have another game, we’re still in a good position, we have to break this bad run and what better way to do it than on the TV against the league leaders.”
Asked if the younger members of the squad are having to grow up quickly given the situation, he said: "They have to. We’ll be in tomorrow anyway, whether we sit down as a group and talk it through.
"Like I say, actions speak louder than words but if we have to look at videos and see how the eff that’s happened today, how has he run off you, how’s he beaten you in the air, how have you not held the ball up, how have we not missed the chance, how have we not cleared a cross, [then we should]. And if you can’t take that as a professional footballer you’re in the wrong profession.”
Quizzed on whether supporters might need to be patient if the players stop trying to force the issue by taking, giving his example, quick throws, he said: "I think the fans can see that we’re trying, there’s never a question with this group that you’re not trying, you’re not working your nuts off, you’re not pressing the game. It’s naivety a little bit, I think.
"I think if you’re in the opposition half and the ball goes out quickly, bang, by all means. But if you’re away from home and they’re just going to look to get it forward as quickly as possible, just settle it down as and when.
"We’ve got enough experience and the lads have played enough games to know that you have to look at risk versus reward sometimes.
"That’s not me being negative, it’s just saying, ‘Look, put yourselves in the best position to win the game’. The longer it goes on as an away side, the better it’ll suit you.
"We can’t get ahead of ourselves thinking we battered everyone at the start of the season, we won 1-0 virtually every week and ground it out. We went 1-0 up, which opened the game up to allow us to have more chances.
"But let’s not kid ourselves, we didn’t batter anyone, so let’s not start thinking we should be up there [by divine right], we’ve got a fantastic squad, we need to work hard every single day in training. Again, I don’t really know what else to say, apart from having a bit more nous about us really.”
He added: "The fans are desperate to succeed but they will back us, they always have. You just have to play the game not the occasion, just block out all the noise, there are no worries. For me, they’re not going to cause us any issues if we’re in our shape for 90 minutes.
"We have a good solid group of players that if you’re in your shape for 90 minutes, if you’re doing the right things, we’ve shown that teams won’t cause us a problem. We went six games in a row with clean sheets. The proof is in the pudding, we’re trying to force the issue and leaving ourselves vulnerable.
"They’ve had a half-chance and they’ve scored today and it takes it to 2-1 before half-time and it took the wind out of us when we were playing well.”
Does he feel there might be some element of a hangover from last season during this run? "No, we’ve got a lot of different players. And we’ve got a lot of different players who can come into the team still. We’re just looking forward to putting these 22 games behind us and looking to the second half of the season now.”
Asked whether he believes the post-match chat has helped cleared the air after such a disappointing result and run, he reflected: "You have to because it’s no good anyone leaving that dressing room and sniggering and chatting nonsense on the bus.
"Take responsibility. I’ve come out in front of you guys, taken responsibility for us as a team and myself.
"There’s nothing more we can do, there’s another game on Wednesday and after what’s happened today there won’t be many people in that dressing room sleeping properly tonight. And we’ll need to recover and get our minds on it tomorrow.”