Town midfielder Jack Taylor has dismissed suggestions that confidence is an issue within the playing squad, the Blues having won just one of their last 18 Premier League matches.
The 2-1 victory at Bournemouth last month remains Town’s sole league success in 2025, with only one of their four victories this season coming on home soil at Portman Road.
Kieran McKenna’s side dropped to 19th in the table following Sunday’s defeat at fellow relegated side Leicester City, with only West Ham United left to play this weekend before the Blues one-year stay in the top flight draws to a close.
Despite Town’s poor form, Taylor insists the players maintain the belief in no small part due to the work on the training pitch with McKenna and the coaching staff.
"I don’t think it is because we’re still playing,” he said when asked whether confidence levels are flagging. "We’re not just lumping the ball forward and going away from what we train every day for and what we’ve built this club for and how we play for the boss.
"I wouldn’t say we’re not confident, but it has had a part to play maybe in the final third with the lack of goals recently. It’s part of football and the quicker we get that back the quicker the lads will be back to normal.”
Regardless of the end result this season, players have continuously reiterated that they will be better for the experience of playing Premier League football over the past year.
A large number of Town’s squad have been playing at the level for the first time in their careers, with the likes of Sam Morsy and Leif Davis having key roles after climbing from League One with the Blues.
Taylor accepted that expectation levels will be greater for Town next season, but agreed that he will return to the Championship a much better player than when he left it. The 26-year-old said: "One hundred per cent. You’re playing against top players week in, week out here.
"I’m not going to say it’s going to get easier, everyone knows the Championship’s one of the hardest leagues in the world. It will be more of a Tuesday-Saturday sort of basis so everyone’s got to be fit and ready to go and the squad has got to be ready for next season.
"We know there’s going to be added pressure next season. Everyone’s predicting us to bounce straight back up which the club obviously want to do because that’s what we’ve invested for and what we work every day for is to be a Premier League football club.
"We’re in good stead for next year and the experience this year will help the lads so much more. On that aspect of things it’s great, but less of days like [the Leicester game].”
Taylor added: "The squad’s in such a better way than it was last year. We’ve brought in lads who have built, they’ve come in and joined what we’re about and fitted into the group really well.
"There’s timing as well, they’re still quite new players some of them, especially Julio [Enciso] coming in January and is still learning on the job of what we’re about and what we need in every aspect of the game.
"Everyone buying in and time, once we start getting that winning formula back then it will all start clicking again.”