Town boss Paul Jewell was hugely disappointed by the Blues' 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, the Liverpudlian again left ruing individual defensive errors after Forest - who were without a goal in their last seven matches - netted three times for only the second time this season, the previous occasion having been when they last scored in the game against Town at the City Ground in November.

Jewell said: “It was hugely disappointing. Some of the defending which went on today was calamitous really and it’s not the first time this season.

“We created a few opportunities in the first half but we were always susceptible. Every time a ball went in the box or there was a long ball, there was blind panic.”

The Town boss says centre-half Ibrahima Sonko was a big loss: “I think we missed Sonko, I think he’s been a bit plus for us and he was missed today being suspended.

“There were straight long balls that we missed and all of a sudden they were at us and we were under pressure. They were meat and drink to most centre-halves but today for some reason we were all over the place.

“I take responsibility because I’m the manager, so it rests at my door,” he added. “But some of the individual basic errors from experienced players I’m struggling to explain.”

While conceding twice at one end, Jewell felt his side ought to have scored themselves at the other: “Daryl’s had two really good opportunities at the back post, JET’s had a header and he’s hit the underside of the bar.

“We’ve probably created more opportunities than them in the first half but we found ourselves two goals down.

“From their perspective, they’re great finishes, but the second goal should never have come to that. We were under pressure and gave the ball away. The lad did a little bit of skill and stuck it in the back of the net. We shoot ourselves in the foot.”

The Blues manager explained his change of formation, revealed that the missing Jimmy Bullard had phoned in sick: “Jimmy was ill, he rang me this morning about 10 o’clock and said he’s been up all night and there’s obviously been a bit of flu going around.

“Chopra’s been a bit low on confidence. I thought they might play with five in midfield and I just thought it would give Andy Drury a go. He did excellently, I thought he was a bright spark today. We’ve created more opportunities today at home than we have for a while.”

Jewell defended himself against accusations that playing only Jay Emmanuel-Thomas up front was an overly cautious approach: “Daryl Murphy’s an attacking player, Lee Martin’s a winger and Andy Drury’s an attacking midfielder. I don’t think it was a defensive system.

“Against Derby we played 4-4-2 and we created fewer chances then. You can talk about systems all day, it’s about players. We created more opportunities today than we did against Derby.

“You always have to nullify the opposition but for me it wasn’t a defensive formation at all. You can talk about formations all you like, Barcelona don’t play with a striker and you wouldn’t say they’re defensive.

“And if you give goals away like we did today, it doesn’t matter how many forwards you play."

Jewell admitted that it was another poor result and says his side need to improve, particularly at the back: “We’re hugely disappointed and some of the defending was embarrassing but it’s not as if we’re the champions of Europe and Notts Forest are mugs, it’s two teams who both think they should be in the top echelons of the league.

“But I didn’t expect us to be as bad as that defensively, we were very, very shaky. OK, we’ve lost Sonko, but we’ve got to be doing better than that.”

Skipper Grant Leadbitter added: "We can't give goals away in the manner that we have done today.

"We're doing it far too often and you just can't do it at this level or you are going to get punished.

"When you give goals away early in the game you make things hard for yourself, but that is football and we need to look ahead to the next game."

Forest manager Steve Cotterill was delighted with the win, which he says has been on the cards: “If you look at the performances, that result has been coming, unfortunately it’s been taking too long to come.

“I thought the goals we scored today were outstanding, three fantastic goals and we’ve done it with nine players who would predominantly be in your 16, of which seven would be in your starting line-up, not here through injury.”

Photo: Action Images

Woodbridgian added 18:31 - Jan 2 This has to be one of the worst Town performances by one of the Worst Town teams ever. Paul Jewell is a complete waste of space and should be fired immediately. Probably a nice bloke but completely clueless and full of ****. He proved today he is tactically inept i.e. starting with one up front at home against team who hadn't scored a goal for 7 games. Lacks any plan to change things i.e. bringing on Ellington when we need a goal! Playing Imgamarson full stop when he has completely lost it etc etc etc Absolutely no progress since RK was fired and in fact I think we've got worse. Time to get a young up and coming manager and get a team of young hungry players and if that takes us 3 years to achieve anything then that's fine. This current manager and team are just dreadful!! He has put this team together and can't blame anybody else. A team full of overpaid journeyman who don't give a stuff about this once great football club a club build of the great traditions of bring through home grown talent. All credit to Andy Durey who at least put in as shift today and was probably the best player on the pitch but I'm afraid that just tells you how bad the rest of this team is very few a fit to wear the Ipswich Shirt and frankly is something isn't done immediately this team is going down.

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bluelady added 18:35 - Jan 2 Paul do the right thing, walk away now
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Smithy added 18:40 - Jan 2 Enough is enough, we have had 3 incredibly poor managers in the last 4 or 5 years
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Sindre94 added 18:41 - Jan 2 4-2-3-1 is not a defensive system, its a modern attacking formation, without doubt. BUT, this is starting to annoy me, fearing the worst now
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suffolkpunchdrunk added 18:42 - Jan 2 At first I was afraid I was petrified Kept thinking I could never live Without you by my side But then I spent so many nights Thinking how you did me wrong And I grew strong And I learned how to get along And so you're back From outer space I just walked in to find you here With that sad look upon your face I should have changed that stupid lock I should have made you leave your key If I've have known for just one second You'd be back to bother me Go on now go Walk out the door Just turn around now 'Cause you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no, not I or in other words JUST GO!

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Punchless added 18:43 - Jan 2 Please do the right thing Mr Jewell and just go, we hit a new low today with a decent size crowd watching. Why oh why did you play 4-5-1 at home against a team that up to today couldnt score, my team is in a mess. Mr Evans, as owner sort it out or walk away.
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evansblue added 18:43 - Jan 2 We may have missed sonko but the truth is macauley was not replaced in the summer. Too many loan players and one year contracts is a recipe for disaster. You need to do better jewell.
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PimsOclock added 18:45 - Jan 2 Who's up for some Barcelona Bingo? Every time Paul Jewell mentions Barcelona in a press conference, first person to say bingo wins a prize.... I'll take this one... Bingo!! More tomorrow,( I'm sure!)
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kipper added 18:45 - Jan 2 Absolutely convinced that if Jewell remains in charge we will be relegated. Struggling to think of a worse time at the club, even including the John Duncan era.
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piersmorganisatool added 18:46 - Jan 2 2 very poor managers in the last 2 years in my opinion, the common link? Evans and Clegg, fast becoming the Laurel and Hardy of League football. a great pity for our once great club.
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WoodfordTim added 18:47 - Jan 2 Sorry, but you can't blame Paul Jewell for the mistakes our two centre backs made this afternoon. We could have been (or should have been) 2,3 or even 4 up at half time. I thought Forest defended tightly and in numbers as a team, something we just do not seem to be able to do. An old fashioned ale-house ball is lobbed at our defence and our players seem like rabbits caught in the headlights. Ball watching. We made Forest look fairly good. Very puzzling. We have the players, but....

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RetroBlue added 18:48 - Jan 2 This is the worst Town side Ive ever seen. And I witnessed the Duncan era ! We have had 3 managers in recent times, and not one of them has addressed the issue of the defence! We have a team of ageing players , happy to see out their time at PR on hefty contracts no doubt. Are we unable to attract younger players, or simply do not bother to seek them out? We have relied far too heavily on loanees who have now all cleared off to pastures new, and we will got the same way that Scum did - why have we not learned from their mistakes?

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AlanMahon2011 added 18:49 - Jan 2 Bowyer, JET, Delaney, Ingamarson, Leadboots and Jewell out.
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cornishnick added 18:49 - Jan 2 ...but PJ is manager
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FornhamBlue added 18:50 - Jan 2 Spot on piersmorganisatoll.
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ITFC1978 added 18:51 - Jan 2 What a load of rubbish as normal! All of us deserve Better performances, and better managment! Jewell is clueless!! And most of the team have no heart Or the passion or desire to wear our shirt!! But well done to drury and jet, at least they showed promise.
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Blue_Again added 18:51 - Jan 2 re-re-rewind when the crowd go bad selecta. sorry i mean bring back goergey burley
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s6blue added 18:52 - Jan 2 jewell just fek off
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punch_bowl added 18:52 - Jan 2 We were a better side when we were poor! Before Marcus turned up we had a Rookie manager with passion in his heart for ITFC and a lot to learn, we were sitting well in the top half of the table and had just beaten narwich! We all know that our two central defenders are poor...even Jewll must know this...so why didnt he play 3 centrals or a sweeper?..and why oh why do we keep getting linked to players that are not defenders? we have been without a passionate central defender who can lead the team for years...a player that will give many years of service to our team! not seen flowing football with wingers crossing the ball in since Burley... So Mr Evans and your circus...money is not the question...get players who want to play with passion...dont go buy someone because they have been good once before...if not jog on and stop ruining our beloved team!

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RegencyBlue added 18:53 - Jan 2 Not half as disappointed as I was! This team is beginning to make the John Duncan years look positively entertaining by comparison! 7 points out of the last 36 is relegation form and we are going down unless Jewell is replaced - now!!
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manualthetisfanclub added 18:53 - Jan 2 As I've said before,same s##t different game!! Todays game another example of crap gutless players and an tactically inept manager,who if anything made us worse than under keane!!!.this is Not a knee jerk reaction comment,Time for change before its to late!!!!
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Notts_tractor added 18:54 - Jan 2 Smithy - Jim was a genius compared to Keane and Jewell. I told all my Forest supporting friends on Saturday that they need have no fears about this game. If you can't buy a goal we're the team you want to be playing. CB was the problem position which had to be sorted out after we lost McCauley. What does Jewell do ? Bring in Reading 's back two of about 5 years ago. I'm anti sacking usually but there's not many clubs that would tolerate the catalogue of humiliating results that Jewell has presided over. Evans and Clegg can bugger off with him, too.

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N4_Blue added 18:54 - Jan 2 Woodbridgian, I completely agree with you. I am so fed up of watching players whose only interests is picking up their over inflated wages each week . Under Keane and Jewell we have effectively had pretty much the same leadership - both tactically clueless, used Evans budget to buy journeymen football men and just hope it might just work. It hasn't and it's driving me insane. We need a young manager who understands the football playing traditions of our club, who will be given time to sort the academy out and develop a young and hungry team who want to play for the shirt.

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irishtim added 18:54 - Jan 2 Get out pj please. Same excuses every week. If u wer good enough it wouldnt happen. Now please leave.
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gifkins_itfc added 18:56 - Jan 2 jewell if u dont like it thn u no where the doors is
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