Boss Paul Jewell was disappointed after what he felt was an untypical performance as the Blues ended their home campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Millwall.

Jewell said: “It’s really disappointing. We had lots of the ball and didn’t do a lot with it. We were very laboured. But in the last 18 games we’ve lost four games.

“We were slow today, lethargic and even the games that we’ve lost I thought we were unfortunate but today we were a bit laboured and laborious, those words I’ve used when we were really struggling reared their ugly heads again today.

“But put things into perspective, we’ve done OK in the last 18 games, it’s the fourth defeat. I think we’ve got 30 points out of whatever it is, it’s just the last thing the supporters see at home is a 3-0 defeat and we accept that it’s not acceptable.”

The Blues boss admitted that it wasn’t easy to come out for the annual post-match lap of the pitch: “It was difficult but we owe that to the supporters that stayed to show our appreciation.

“It’s embarrassing a little bit, but if people and young kids have stayed we want to show our appreciation to them. We would have liked it to have been on a happier note, but you’ve got to bite the bullet.”

Jewell felt the early goal set the pattern: “Goals change games and we were 1-0 down after three minutes and that changed the complexion of the game.

“We’ve got to give Millwall some credit, they came here and sat back and counter-attacked us. Take your hats off to them, they did that very well.”

The Liverpudlian says there was nothing on show that he wasn’t already away of: “We are where we are not because we’ve been unlucky but because we haven’t been good enough.

“At one time we were looking at a relegation fight. We got over that, but today we’ve been caught by a sucker punch, and we gave away bad goals. The defence over the last 16 or 17 games has been pretty tight but today all over as a unit we were second best.

“It’s horrible getting beaten at home like that but we can’t go away from here thinking that’s the end of the world.

“We didn’t play well today, we’ve been punished by a team which has come and done a job on us, but since January we’ve played really well and we’ve shown top six form.

“Today we’ve been beaten 3-0. That’s the Championship for you. We’re not happy about it and the reason we are where we are in 15th with 58 points is that we haven’t been good enough in too many games.

"The second half of the season has been acceptable but we’re paying a price for the first half.”

The Town manager dismissed suggestions that one or two of his players might already have been thinking too much about their summer holidays: “No one said that on Tuesday, and I know that in training we haven’t taken our foot off the pedal at all. That performance was most unlike us, very unlike Ipswich since the turn of the year.

“We know people will go home disappointed but that’s been a one-off. Even when we got beaten by Leicester we were well in that first half. That’s the first time we’ve been beaten where I’ve felt we’ve deserved to be beaten. “

Jewell felt there wasn’t the opportunity to give 16-year-old Byron Lawrence his debut: “We couldn’t really get him on. It would have been difficult for him to go on with the team 2-0 or 3-0 down and chasing the game. We didn’t want to knock his confidence but he’s one for the future.”

The Town boss, who confirmed that Aaron Cresswell suffered a hamstring injury which will see him miss next week’s final game at Doncaster, says he and his squad will now start preparing for the trip to the Keepmoat: “This is gone now, we’re disappointed for our supporters but next week’s another day.”

Millwall boss Kenny Jackett was delighted with his side’s victory: “It was a super result. It looked like we’d slightly let Ipswich into the game, but I didn’t think it was a penalty, I haven’t seen it again, but I thought it was a harsh decision.

“But it was a great save by my goalkeeper and then on the counter-attack we got the third which finished the game.”

Photo: Action Images

Warkys_Tash added 18:04 - Apr 22 @DozzellsBobbleHat. I unreservedly apologise, my post was childish re yr username. (Its not that bad ;o)) Hence I had it removed. The retard part of the comment was kinda tongue in cheek as I was agreeing with 'Lathers' post. As for sacking Jewell I actually said that if after next season we dont make proper improvements then he surely has to go?
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Warkys_Tash added 18:08 - Apr 22 @IG Shorts. You need to get your facts right. I never even spoke to any footballers. Fact. And there are some good posts on here, many that I agree with.
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buryblue77 added 18:52 - Apr 22 Nitroblue, I like your manager scenarios and I too have a feeling that the ar$e will fall out of Norwich's performances and they'll go down next year (we live in hope of failure from the budgies as our own recent campaigns have been so poor) H32, a few new players (GK, 2 x CB and striker and possibly another wide player) but I agree, where do they come from? I want PJ to succeed because I think he seems a decent guy and has a big job on his hands clearing up what's been left for him, also I would like to see some stability with the management of this club, we're running the risk of turning into what so many other clubs have become in sacking managers if it doesn't work out after just a year or so. Remember it took Burley 5 years to get us back into the Premier League (although, yes we were always there or there abouts) and I'm too young to remember the Robson days and how much time was given to him. But it's different now and we all want to get to the promised land of the Premier League (maybe we forget that the Championship has a very good standard of football and generally better and richer than many European top flight leagues, I think many Championship clubs would hold their own against many teams in the Europa League) and maybe we are at a point where we have found our standard, we will become next year the longest serving club in the Championship after Coventry's relegation, but that doesn't mean I'll settle for mediocrity or am happy with our finishing positions in the league over the last few years and I too would love to see us back in the top flight, it's just we seem to have gone backwards at all levels since Evans arrival, although he may have saved us from financial problems, we don't seem to work as a club with a bit of money to spend, so hopefully as it seems that finances will be tighter this year, I'm living in hope that PJ will uncover some more Cresswell type gems.

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alfromcol added 19:35 - Apr 22 h32 My aunt did have bo##ocks and she was my uncle!
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40yearsablue added 19:36 - Apr 22 SickParrot - Fantastic post.
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alfromcol added 19:48 - Apr 22 For all the moaning about playing badly,the Stats from the Millwall game are interesting. Although we were "not at our best" we still created more than Millwall. Shots 18 to 11 On target 9 to 6 Corners 8 to 2 Strange that we lost 3-0??? Defend better and put away the chances seems to be the answer. Hope PJ can sort it during the Summer
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buryblue77 added 19:52 - Apr 22 alfromcol, we've had quite a few games this season where we've had more shots than the opposition, trouble is we've only one natural goal scorer at the club in Chopra and he's so inconsistent. We desperately need someone else who can get at least 15 a season to play alongside/push Chopra.
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IrvinGernonsShorts added 19:53 - Apr 22 Warkys tash, I'm sure you didn't talk to any players-how would I know?! I've no idea what you look like (unless you do sport a tash like warky) and I'm 200 miles away. I was taking the michael out of your posts as I thought the second one was out of order-so fair play for apologising to bobblehat and taking them down. In all honesty I agree that it is pretty naive to be out on the lash after you've been sidelined through illness and the team has just been hammered

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s6blue added 20:46 - Apr 22 utter garbage
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TractorRoyNo1 added 21:27 - Apr 22 perhaps not TYPICAL of recent games, but certainly typical of performances against millwall (away), p'boro, forest etc - the league table doesn't lie, and the goals against column doesn't either it has been another crap season, and if evans doesn't splash the cash, or we get a manager who can motivate journeyman to achieve beyond their logical position (eg Royals and Brum), we will be mid-table again next season

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Langdon_Blue added 21:31 - Apr 22 Quite a backlash considering that EVERYONE had already accepted that the games are now meaningless. Still, everyone that pays to watch has every right to complain, if they feel it's deserved. It's the few that moan the same moans regardless of how the team are performing, that becomes VERY tiring.... I have witnessed some rubbish this season and felt I had wasted time and money at times, but on the flip side have seen some spectacular performances. I guess the performances over the last week have been typical of that inconsistency, which must be a frustration to the players, management and fans alike. All that said, I think we have the basis of an exciting team and hope that next season sees more 'West Ham / Birmingham' type games and NO 'Peterborough's! Jewell is in his last year so it's surely do or die for him. Finally, calling fellow supporters 'retards' for simply having differing views is nothing short of disgusting. The 'fans' that wrote such comments on here should be extremly ashamed of themselves. Here's to a much better season next year. COYB!

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walberswick added 21:40 - Apr 22 Only 27 points off automatic promotion. Well done everyone.
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algarvefan added 00:17 - Apr 23 I think some of you on here are a bit harsh to PJ and the lads. I'm looking forward to next season, I live in Portugal currently but will buy a season ticket and cycle to every home game...I could even fit in a few away games on my way back, shame we didn't qualify for Europe though. If only Dover were in the Championship :( I think to be honest & I'm no expert like some of you on here, but if we sign an experienced keeper, a LB, 2CB's 2 experienced but fit midfielders, 2 pacey wingers and a big frontman and a nippy striker we might make the play offs next season. Oh well off to buy a puncture repair kit and some cream for piles. Have a nice summer and see you all next season at fortress Portman Road...my parting thought is at least my summer will be better than yours :)

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Garv added 00:56 - Apr 23 So a whole new team then? Hmm.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 01:34 - Apr 23 Warkys_tash - no worries.
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ericgates added 06:11 - Apr 23 I was reading the 'on this day in' section and yesterday in 2009 Jim Magilton and John Gorman was sacked and late in this day the dark lord was shortening in odds to become our new manager. Simon Clegg had been in his job 1 day, we had just beaten Norwich, Gio Gio Gio Gio!!!! The reason however for relieving Jim of his duties however was that no progress had been made on the previous season and in the 15 months since Marcus Evans had taken over as manager. I don't like sacking managers, but we have gone backwards under paul Jewell. We have got better than earlier in the season, but we were so so awful in the 1st half of the season that its simply not good enough to just do better than that. We played more vibrant, attacking football under magic, and finished much higher up in the table yet was still sacked for no progress. In terms of consistency, doesn't Marcus Evans have to do the same now?

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algarvefan added 14:32 - Apr 23 Spot on Eric.....and Garv, that wasn't serious, satire right!
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Langdon_Blue added 15:11 - Apr 23 Algarvefan - You will no doubt have a better Summer, but at least we aren't having a run up to the Euro's with people calling for the Manager to be sacked...on the basis that we don't have one!! :-)
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TimmyH added 18:53 - Apr 23 We do Stuart Pearce! -under 21's, Olympic GB and Interim England manager, he must be the best bum licker in the history of Football, saw him at the Fulham game the other day (nice to see he has got that mantle of watching numerous premiership games but also looking stern and above everybody else around him already).All he needs now is a 6 million pound contract for failing at his job/jobs.

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buryblue77 added 19:18 - Apr 23 Eric, I see what you're saying and I felt it was harsh on JIm to have been sacked, and in my opinion he wasn't sacked for lack of progress, he was sacked because Marcus Evans wanted a big name to compliment his corporate machine and there in lies the problem, the big name was such a disaster that any progress Jim was looking to make was taken right back by Keane. Now PJ has such a job on his hands to take us forward again, I'm not sure if he's capable although I'm hoping he is if only for the stability of the club and to stop sacking managers every couple of years.

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h32 added 19:34 - Apr 23 alfromcol - now that's some achievement !!. Maybe you should talk to PJ - but would he know the difference ??
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