Former Blues coach and skipper Tony Mowbray says Town supporters shouldn’t be too concerned about their side’s prospects for the season ahead, despite Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to his Middlesbrough team putting them in the bottom three of the early season Championship table.

Mowbray was impressed with the Blues, who are 23rd, although three points from eighth with the season five games old: “I think Ipswich will be fine, they’ve got some good players.

“Obviously, I appreciate and like the way they play, they’ve got footballers who want to play, and yet the game is about winning football matches, as we all find.

“We’ve lost away at Barnsley and Millwall, matches that in my mind and I’m sure in our supporters’ minds which aren’t the toughest games in this division and we should have been picking up points and haven’t.

“So, we have to go to Blackpool and Blackburn this week and try and get some points. It’s a very, very tough league and I’m sure that as the season unfolds Ipswich will win lots of football matches.”

The 48-year-old, a scorer in Town’s 2000 Wembley play-off triumph over Barnsley, says Town have the striking options to win those games: “They’ve got the ammunition to do that.

“There’s Michael Chopra, obviously, I really like Paul Taylor, he’s a good player who can score goals, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. They’ve got good options in those wide areas. I wasn’t sure who or what they were going to play today.

“Daryl Murphy’s obviously an attacking threat with his physicality to start their attacks off, play direct into him and play from there. There are some good players, some good footballers in midfield. The full-backs have both got quality, so they will win football matches as they go along.

“Thankfully for us, I thought Jonathan Woodgate and Andre Bikey were mountains at the back for us and we came out with a victory.”

Photo: Action Images

bobble added 06:13 - Sep 17 see its all okay, just relax, pour yerselfs a cyder and settle down.....
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arablue added 07:29 - Sep 17 Let's not panic...18 months ago, a substantial number of posters complained about hoof-balls and losing games...now we play passing football, still losing games but at least that's an improvement and step to the right direction. Its early in the season, so there's time to develop the cutting edge to finish teams off...so exciting times ahead...
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Sir_Bob added 07:30 - Sep 17 We'd also be ok if we had Woodgate & Bikey at the back, but we haven't.
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evansblue added 07:38 - Sep 17 It is early days and on one hand the table can be ignored, however after just 4 premiership games the top 4 are the expected top 4. Lets hope we get 6 from 6 this week and get the season moving.
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StuartBrett8 added 07:47 - Sep 17 Even at 48... he would still do a job for us :)
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itfc1981 added 07:53 - Sep 17 He is basically saying to Jewell you fart arse around with the ball to much, be a tad more direct up to Murphy. Less predictable in the build up. If only we had Mogga!
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TimmyH added 08:12 - Sep 17 yeah chill out...if Mogga says we're fine we're fine! - how he can say that on the back of one game....
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Keaneish added 08:18 - Sep 17 That's very nice mogga, but I don't think so! An own goal secured a point against Blackburn, a last minute goal scraped us a win at watford, we were anhilated at Blackpool, dumped out of the cup by lower league opposition, thankful of a last minute penalty save to nick a point at home to Huddersfield and couldnt score or keep a clean sheet against you. So all in all, no, it's been a piss poor start to the season where we're struggling to score, struggling to keep clean sheets, are yet to win at home and conceding far too many away! Tell me where the positives are someone!? I said I'd give jewell 10 games of this season. After 6 I've pretty much had enough! 2 wins and nothing less from the next two Jewell otherwise I want you out along with Evans and Clegg!

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Duncan added 08:18 - Sep 17 Too early to be hitting the panic button - but the hand is hovering over it shaking nervously! Big game Tuesday night - not sure if looking forward to it
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brockleyblueboy added 08:40 - Sep 17 It's very tough when results don't go your way and it could be the wrong time to panic BUT if we don't get something against Wolves then Jewells position as manager has to come under real scrutiny. I have tried to remain positive but a pal said something to me that really made me think. After the dire stint he had has Derby manager, has Paul Jewell just resigned himself to being OK as a manager, has he lost that fight and determination he had at Bradford and Wigan, and after all the post match same after same drivel he is spouting I am starting to see that. I strongly believe we have a very good team on paper, other managers see and say that, but something isn't clicking on the pitch, whether it is "that cutting edge", "losing concentration" "not putting games to bed" etc etc all stuff PJ has been saying for the past 18 months, well the buck must stop with the manager and questions have to be asked what are they actually doing on the training pitch. You never know though, we could trounce Wolves which gives us this hallowed self belief and we go on an amazing run but somehow I just don't see that happening. Once a Blue always a Blue so will keep the faith as I have always done, but at some point something's gotta give. COYB

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walberswick added 08:46 - Sep 17 he didn't say we'd be top six, just ok
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bluey123 added 08:49 - Sep 17 3 wins since 24th March 2012 no reason to worry I think that record speaks for its self
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righty added 08:58 - Sep 17 No need to worry we have nothing at this club to be confident massive cuts in the way ITFC is run debt of 74mn poor 1st team squad no back up players useless CEO useless Chairman and the worst manager in our history No reason to worry at all
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OldClactonBlue added 09:00 - Sep 17 I'm beginning to doubt Mogga as a manager, aftre all he has signed Leadbitter. We could do with him back at Centre Half though!
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WickedBlue added 09:16 - Sep 17 ITFC1981 your a fool of the worst kind.
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Keaneish added 09:17 - Sep 17 On another note: Gallagher, beckford, St. Ledger - none of then getting a game at Leicester. Go get them!
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irishtim added 09:17 - Sep 17 Three wins since march24th. Tells its own story.
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algarvefan added 09:34 - Sep 17 Keaneish are the players you mention not in contention at all at Leicester, football today is a squad game & maybe they are not available? Do you think Ipswich can just swan into any club and say I want him, him and him? I don't like seeing us where we are currently in the league, but think we must accept we are at best an average Championship team, we'll be fine as Mogga says but we won't/aren't yet good enough for promotion. Wish some of you experts on here would grow up and stop moaning!!!

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itfc1981 added 09:40 - Sep 17 WikedBlue, Intelligent Avatar!
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Guthrum added 09:41 - Sep 17 "Three wins since March 24th" - most of which period has been the (extended) summer break. And that completely arbitrary date has been picked to come after the end of a run when we won seven and drew two games out of ten, i.e. to make the figures look as bad as possible. You could equally say "only five losses since (and including) March 24th". One win and two draws out of five are the only statistics that are of any real importance or significance.

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Surco72 added 10:03 - Sep 17 Keanish i think Gallagher is out on loan already ? And Beckford also on his way elsewhwere and ST Ledger has been playing ? 5 Games gone and we have played 4 out of the top 8 sides including the top two and the panic is already here . If we are still in this position at Christmas Jewell will be gone until then just support and enjoy the ride
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Superfrans added 10:15 - Sep 17 Mogga's view on this is interesting, isn't it. Cynics might view his comments as being part of the manager's union code - but he knows his football, he also knows what its like to be plugging away for a couple of years and falling short of his target of promotion. In other words, he knows you need time to get things moving. Oh, and I'm sure plenty of people will argue that Mogga's a much better manager than Jewell. His 43% win ratio is not that much better than PJ's 38% (at their current clubs).

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pazelle added 10:19 - Sep 17 We've only had 3 home games (2 in the league) and are unbeaten at PR! Let's see if we can pick up max points in our next 2 games, Wolves and Charlton at PR. If we don't win either of those, it's gonna get ugly on here!
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Keaneish added 10:26 - Sep 17 The reason I say that Algarve is that we've been linked continually with Gallagher and St.Ledger! Didn't realise Gallagher was out on loan already. Where's he gone? Think st.ledger had a run in the league cup and that was it. Christ knows we need Beckford to support chops! What happened to the Church link from Reading or has he gone somewhere else too?
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Michael11 added 10:53 - Sep 17 Such a shame wehaven't got Mogga as boss, brings on the youth and knows how to sort a defence out!
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