Town boss Paul Jewell says the Blues had got to learn how to grind out draws when they aren’t playing well rather than falling to defeats such as Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Blackpool. After a relatively even first half, Town never recovered from Gary Taylor-Fletcher’s 49th minute opener.

Jewell said: “We’ve got to get to the stage where we start drawing games when we’re not playing well, I said that last year.

“We don’t seem a team which can avoid losing when we’re not at our best, and we’ve got try and get over that.”

Town drew only eight league matches last season and are yet to record a stalemate during this campaign,

The Blues manager feels his side are lacking self-belief, something which will only come by showing the right attitude when things aren't going well: “To get to that confident level where you think you’re never beaten, you’ve got to get results.

“Confidence is the hardest thing to give anybody. Every manager says that. But certainly you won’t get that if you go under and feel sorry for yourself.

“I don’t feel sorry for myself. I feel really low, I feel really disappointed, but we have to bounce back and try again.

“All we can do is to try and learn from our mistakes and our games and see if we can get better. No one ever said that this job was going to be easy.”

Jewell says the extra couple of days before the live Sky game at home to Coventry next Monday will be helpful having not seen much of several members of his squad during the international fortnight: “We only got Carlos Edwards back from international duty on Friday morning.

“Keith Andrews, Stocky and all these players, [after they’ve been away] they come back a little bit flat, but now we’ve got nine days to try to get them ready for another tough encounter against Coventry.”

Photo: Action Images

26_Paz added 11:43 - Sep 12 I am confused as to why we are playing so badly. A midfield containing Bullard, Andrews, Bowyer and Leadbitter should surely be one of the strongest in the championship. Chopra is a quality striker, with Collins we should be stronger at the back, Stockdale is in the England squad! A side with this quality should not be struggling in the manner that we are, which only points to the manager. I am not saying get rid of him yet but it is time that Mr. jewell started delivering.

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itfc1981 added 11:55 - Sep 12 26_Paz Bullard is not fit, Andrews is good, Bowyer and Leadbiter are crap. Thats why
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bluetoba added 12:02 - Sep 12 What the hell is he on about.. He's going on about gaining confidence but seems to be lacking lots himself. Sure, if 1-0 up but playing poorly and the other team equalise then perhaps 'grind-out' a draw. But grinding out a draw when we can't find the net once is quite frankly pathetic...Tosh.
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Bergholtblue added 12:02 - Sep 12 Ipswich v Coventry on Sky. The whole nation is drooloing at the thought of this one. Hope its not another public humiliation for us!
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NorseBlue added 12:03 - Sep 12 So we've just signed our TWELFTH player in the close season - another excellent addition. 199 Premiere League games, Stoke paying nearly £3 million for him two years ago, and a year younger than McCauley. PJ had a disaster of a team to try and rebuild and he's doing a great job. Give him and the players time. September is going to be a write-off - away at Blackpool, West Ham and Middlesborough, how many points do you think we'll get? Players who never having played together, players needing to get fit, and PJ himself still not sure about his best 11. Yes, we need pace - Carson should have been in team or on bench. I'd like to see JET up-front with Chopra. BUT.... GIVE THEM ALL TIME. Look at where we are come end of October, then start to moan, judge and go on about how appalling the management/players/chairman and owner are. Until then GIVE THEM A CHANCE!!!!

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Surco72 added 12:07 - Sep 12 Jas 0999 we are still doing much better than when your hero Keane took over in his first start to a season his record was Pl 6 W 0 D 2 L 4 Pts 2 and we were second from bottom but then according to you it was Jims fault for leaving such a poor squad and Keane needed time for his new players to gel .Well Jewell has taken over a much bigger shambles than Keane ever did so give him the same courtesy . Keane didnt even manage a win until the last day of October ,ye of short memories

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HARRY10 added 12:27 - Sep 12 'got to learn how to grind out draws when they aren't playing well " Might it not be a better idea to address the problem of why we are not playing well, instead ? 'away at Blackpool, West Ham and Middlesborough, how many points do you think we'll get?' Well ,you have already judged their potential after few games, have they already 'gelled' ? If we are to be serious challengers for at least a playoff place then I would expect a few points from those games. That is 'if we are ...'

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Jesney_Havoc added 12:44 - Sep 12 Well that's all fine and Dandy, but if we manage a point a game from now until the end of the season, we're relegated ! Call me over-ambitious if you want to but I think we should try for the odd win !
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Tractamatt added 12:48 - Sep 12 The reason we dont draw is because we are so scared of losing that we let teams play infront of us then fall deeper and deeper till the inevitable happens,then our opponents score and our heads go down and we cant get back into the game.Things have to change or Chopra and bullard will both be putting in transfer requests come next summer but it only takes a change in tactics and some pace on the wings and its all change at portman road.

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Mark added 12:49 - Sep 12 Jewell is not saying we should play for draws, he is saying we should learn to grind them out when we are not playing well (i.e. win when we are playing well!). I do not like one-up-front, but the line up was not overly negative with the likes of Andrews, Bowyer, Bullard, Chopra and Murphy all starting - players well capable of scoring goals. We were relegation candidates last season under Keane, so I'm not sure it is realistic to think we should finish top six after our signings were mainly limited to free transfers and loans, that is after the loss of McAuley, Norris and Wickham. Perhaps we should take a longer term view. This season Jewell had to plug a lot of gaps on a limited budget. Hopefully things will improve, but let's keep behind the team and the manager.

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Guthrum added 13:04 - Sep 12 In case people had forgotten, Ipswich Town have already won a third of their League games this season. If you read what Jewell is saying - rather than just the headline - he's talking about not meekly subsiding to defeat when games are going against us. He doesn't mention setting out to draw games from kick-off.
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blueherts added 13:04 - Sep 12 Bowyer is sub at best - Bullard and Andrews in middle - Youth out wide - lets start running at teams !!!!
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Lightningboy added 13:28 - Sep 12 Said it yesterday Paul..decide on a formation & your best 11 and just stick with it...chopping & changing will get us nowhere as the last 4/5 years has proved. Next monday's game is a biggie for PJ I think.
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Tiggs added 13:30 - Sep 12 Grind out draws? What a negative thing to say when he has previously stated that anybody can beat anybody in this division. This is the same spiel he used at Derby evidently and look what happened to them. Whatever happened to the Ipswich way of playing. Oh how much fun we had watching the teams of Burley and Royle. PJ / CH negative football or the past? I know which I prefer......

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VILJOEN67 added 13:39 - Sep 12 We created our three best chances on Saturday when we had two up front with J.E.T. out wide. Chopra needs support. Shame Daryl couldn't convert though. Would like to see J.E.T. play behind Scotland and Chopra in what we used to call the Eric Gates role, with a 3 man midfield behind them. Bullard Andrews and ? bowyer or leadbetter. Would be worth a go as i think it plays to the strengths of the front three.

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RedDust added 14:31 - Sep 12 ...............stockdale.............. edwards..sonko..collins..cresswell carson..bullard..andrews..martin ............jet.....chopra........... and the approach should be "the all or nothing days" go for the juggular from the off and never relent!
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roders added 14:40 - Sep 12 atack is the best form of defence.score more goals than the other team.come on jj its not rocket science.two up front ,two wide men,and a midfielder to support them.then we might just score some goals.put a target man up front with chopra then we will see the best of him
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roytheboy added 14:44 - Sep 12 As a supporter I don't want to settle for the "Get a draw" mentality, even though it would be better than settling for a loss of course, Paul Jewell and his coaches must sort out the problem we seem to have in going forward and providing adequate service for the Strikers and quickly !!
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corunnaviking1759 added 15:04 - Sep 12 What a stupid thing to say PJ !!!!! WIN WIN WIN !!!!! you should of said you '@*±±!*
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borat_the_blue added 15:24 - Sep 12 Reach for the sta
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borat_the_blue added 15:28 - Sep 12 Reach for the stars! lol Worst post of his career in magement for me... Can't imagine churchill ever settling for a stalemate! COYB - sort it out
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fourth added 15:39 - Sep 12 Tactics, overall strategy are in PJ's court. Having chosen the players, their playing at their best is up to him too. I'm SURE a CAPTAIN would also be rather handy to represent and demand commitment, fighting spirit and dogged determination when things are tough. We have some way to go, but it includes everyone taking 100% responsability in their own area.
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4dy added 16:14 - Sep 12 er...we dont need to grind out draws, we need to take advantage of the many opportunities we create and win games.saturdays game reminded me of last seasons QPR game when we could have won well but failed to put chances away.for me,these different formations and players week in week out is our weakness.we have potentially one of the deadliest strikers in the division so our line ups should be to play to his strengths !!!.i'm not telling mr jewell how to suck eggs but i feel in need to remind our lot the "down rule" of football...the team that scores the most goals wins.

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4dy added 16:18 - Sep 12 P.S.we would rather see the team going down 2 1,than 2 0
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alfromcol added 16:22 - Sep 12 Sad place this blog is, lose a few games and all the moaners come out of the woodwork. Patience everyone. It takes time to build a promotion winning side.
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