Left-back Jonas Knudsen has issued a call for unity as the Blues look to work their way through a tough period which has seen them fail to score for four matches and win only two of their last 11 games in all competitions.

Town, who are down to 16th in the Championship, were booed by their supporters on Saturday as the final whistle confirmed league leaders Huddersfield’s 1-0 victory, the Terriers’ first win at Portman Road in 20 years and the Blues' first home loss in the league this season.

"We have to stick together and that's the only thing I want to say to everybody,” the Danish international said.

“In the dressing room we are going to stick together and every team has been in this position where it's not going the way you want it to go.

"It's not the way to shout at everybody, we have to stick together and we will come back stronger. Of course the fans are not happy but we want to do the best for them.”

Knudsen has backed Leon Best to end the goal drought when the Blues return to action after the international break when they travel to face the 30-year-old striker's former club Blackburn on Saturday 15th October.

"We have missed a goal in the last few games but nobody more than us wants to get another goal,” the 24-year-old full-back added.

“It will come soon because you can see Besty is getting better and better. We have to keep going and stick together."

Best made his second start for the Blues after two sub appearances having joined Town on a free transfer close to the end of the transfer window following a successful trial.

"He is going to get stronger and stronger,” Knudsen continued. “He was out for a little while and now he is in good shape. He is going to be a good striker for us, the big man we need. The goals will come for him if he keeps doing what he's doing.”

Looking back at Saturday’s defeat, he added: "We stopped Huddersfield playing and it is the small details in this league, we know that.

“But we had to get a 0-0 out of this game if you can't score goals. We have defended well this season - you can see that in the table - but were are missing the small details offensively and we will keep working on that.

"When we come out on the other side of this process we will get a very good product out of it.”

Christopher Schindler’s 58th minute goal came after skipper Luke Chambers and keeper Bartosz Bialkowski combined to give away a needless corner.

"We hate to concede from corner kicks and maybe we have done a little too much of that this season but we have to keep going,” Knudsen admitted.

Huddersfield goalscorer Schindler said the visitors were aware that the game was unlikely to be a free-scoring affair.

"We knew by looking at their stats that they don't concede too many goals and that perhaps it wouldn't be a really good-looking game so set pieces were important,” the German defender said.

“I am more than happy that I have scored my first goal for this club.

"I got a good feeling on the set piece. I saw that the space in front of the first defender was not occupied and made a short run from the far post to the near post. The delivery was right on that spot.

All Huddersfield’s eight wins this season have been by a single goal and Schindler says Saturday’s match was typical of their fixtures.

"All our games are quite tight and one situation can decide it,” he added. “Now we won this game and got a clean sheet against not the best opponent playing football but one that defends well on a narrow pitch."

Schindler was replaced in the second half having taken a blow to the head: "I got hit by an elbow I think and felt it was bloody but I thought I would have been able to carry on playing.

"“I got treatment off the opponents' doc and he said the skin was too thin for him to stitch it but I will get some back in Huddersfield.

"Sometimes you get hit, it's part of the game - it's a contact sport and it was not intentional.”

Photo: TWTD

GiveusaWave added 10:43 - Oct 3 Best is not renowned for his goal scoring ability so expecting him to deliver a sack of goals hardly seems fair. Initially he was brought in as a back up or as a sub to come on and offer something different, he was never a replacement for Murphy. Blackburn 8 points in 11 matches, if we can't beat them then something is really wrong. I won't be at the match so we might just score!

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Dissboyitfc added 10:46 - Oct 3 would not do any worse.. should say
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Miles added 10:48 - Oct 3 Completely agree with Jonas here. Whether you're anti Mick or Pro Mick we are all Ipswich Town fans at the end of the day and we want to see our team performing and playing well. I'm not a fan of sacking managers mid season and I do quite like Mick. He won't get us relegated so if a decision is going to be made then I'd personally prefer it to be in the close season. Having said that, I have complete faith we will turn this around. COYB

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Granthamblue62 added 11:02 - Oct 3 Evans out! Our beloved club began its demise when this charlatan acquired it as a front for his other ventures. He has adequately demonstrated he has no ambition for the club. Relegation battle beckons. The club is not getting another penny from me and my family until Evans goes. #ITFCheadingnowhere.
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leahcar88 added 11:10 - Oct 3 We're going down
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Ferguson added 11:11 - Oct 3 This sort of statement should come from Chambers as team captain. On the pitch our performance as a team is his responsibility as much as the managers. Have you noticed that nobody talks about winning any more. It breaks my heart to hear one of ours saying "We stopped them playing" when talking of a game against Huddersfield Town. I'm coming over to the "Big changes are needed" camp as the days go by. I need to see MM looking and sounding positive, and using what we have to better effect after the break. Unless, of course, he goes to Villa..............................

6

Taricco_Fan added 11:21 - Oct 3 - We must always play-to-win at home. - Play two up front at home. - One of Skuse or Douglas (the latter in my opinion) needs to be dropped and replaced with a more creative option. - Chambers needs to be dropped from the right-back position and only used as cover at CB. If McCarthy cannot deliver this then he's not the man for the job at least as far as I'm concerned.

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CornardBlue added 11:27 - Oct 3 I have been supporting Town for over sixty years and this is the worst and most boring football i have ever seen worse even than under Duncan and Keane. I don't care if we are not top of the table i just want a team to be set up to attack not have seven players who are told not to cross the half way line and take a 0-0 as a good result. The last 2 games we have not even created a chance on goal.

17

joepublic added 11:46 - Oct 3 Jonas is correct in what he says. The squad, manager, board and fans should all be pushing in same direction and sticking together in tough times. Trouble is MM makes it very apparent he does not care what fans think. Combined with our elusive chairman some fans feel disconnected from the club we all love. Add in a lack of attacking play and high prices and you get fans speaking up.

9

grantchester added 12:11 - Oct 3 Its sadly a very negative approach from McCarthy. Douglas and Skuse need to take turns playing if thats the case, not both at the same time. We need to utilise a more attacking creative midfielder alongside Bishop. We can sit back and sub one of them on whilst we're in the lead at the end of the game to draw it to a conclusion but its no way to start a game. Glad Knudsen and Emmanuel are stepping up to their roles though. Both looking more solid prospects..

2

TimmyH added 12:14 - Oct 3 Yawn!...more worthless talk from another of our players, not learning anything new here are we? Nice picture of him too with one of his equally worthless long throws, other than that he's done an adequate job at RB nore than can be said about the fella over the other side (not talking about Emmanuel either).
1

jas0999 added 12:19 - Oct 3 What we need is manager who plays attacking football or at the very least sets up to win a game.
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MathieandMarshall added 12:28 - Oct 3 for me the reason that more and more are turning against Mick now is that he managed to bring in some quality creative players in the window in Ward, Lawrence, Grant and Williams (when fit) but is still sticking with his "safety first" approach to each game. We do not play a 433 system despite the appearance of Ward/Lawrence being attacking wide players. The system is 451 with Best isolated and the pacy wingers being shackled to the half way line. Skuse and Douglas sitting in midfield is too negative at home but if you are going to insist on it and allow one other in the middle a free role then that shouldnt be Bru! - that role is suited to Bushop, Williams when fit or even Dozzell. Mick constantly sets up to match the opposition formation (even at home and regardless of how good/bad they are) has no plan B other than to throw another attack minded player on out of position (Pitman out wide many times last season, Bishop coming on Right wing on Saturday) so he can say in the press conference "you cant say we didnt go for it!" I for one am getting bored and starting to question why i spend good money and also time away from my young family each week We have the players now to play decent football. LET THEM PLAY! Happy for Skuse to sit in front of the back four and then ahead of him should be Bishop, Grant, Lawrence, Ward and Sears. get the ball down, use the pace they have and have a go at teams! (rant over) COYB

12

runningout added 14:24 - Oct 3 getting rid of MM is not what I want for one.. but he does need to take stock,and get some help for our non existent midfield. If it be mental or a coach.. I'm a bit concerned with the obvious lack of goals too.. it will only get worse if we have this rediculous trait of sitting on a rare lead, when my view is to demolish the opposition, (any level) not be conent with a half hearted win

2

ChrisFelix added 15:00 - Oct 3 I agree mathieand Marshall 100%
2

coolcat added 15:21 - Oct 3 Couldn't have put it better Miles. Totally agree with you. Too early to make those assessments. We are just 10 games in. We also have 8+ injured (inc a couple who have had to play) so reducing our options, plus decisions in earlier games have cost us points. That is a tough balancing act for any Manager. I would be more concerned if there were no injuries plus a series of poor results. Good news for us in that a few injured are set to return after the international break . All clubs have bad spells. I think the real test is how that bad spell is turned around. Mick has done it before and I'm sure he will do it again.

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bluehook added 15:36 - Oct 3 " I'm the nominated mug this week, to come out and say that we all need to stick together. We are one game away from turning it all around. We've got players ready to come back into the side. We are right behind Mick and Chambo. We know how the supporters are hurting - we are hurting too". And so on and so on.............
1

MonterreyBlue added 16:34 - Oct 3 Why do we have to always "stop the other team playing" first of all? Could we not actually impose ourselves on the match and let them worry about us? At what point, or against who, do we decide "right, we are better than this team, lets attack and wipe the floor with them?" In all reality, we played for a draw at Derby and got lucky, but we were horrific (i was there) Against Villa we played a bit better, but still were happy with a draw and we were still pretty damn bad (i was there) ZERO entertainment and extremely questionable value for money. I regularly travel over from Mexico and my first point of call is to see our beloved Blues, sometimes directly to the ground from the airport (Reading 5 Town 1 being a memorable one after 20 hours traveling) Attendances dropping and time for a change. BUT Mr Evans is using us as a tax diversion (in my opinion) and we won't see any changes for the foreseeable future i don't believe. Rant over, but a very, very disappointed supporter at present.

7

alfromcol added 16:37 - Oct 3 Looks as if Knudsen is getting ready for another of his long throws. Does anyone remember us scoring a goal from one of these??? There have been several where the opposition have broken away from one of them and scored against us! Time he stopped this pointless throw.
4

carlo88 added 16:42 - Oct 3 Can I ask those of you who go regularly what you think of Best ('Besty' already apparently)? I must admit I have no faith whatsoever in him being able to bring anything positive to Ipswich, save possible some business for the local tattoo shops.
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alfromcol added 17:09 - Oct 3 He could be OK with someone playing along side him. But if MM continues to play him up front on his own, he has little chance of succeeding.
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cantona11 added 17:44 - Oct 3 I like knudsen he has come on loads as he has got used to the English game solid in every respect now and I don't think the fans were booing the majority of the player just a few and certainly MM for his constant mate picking and playing 1 up front at home we should be taking the game to them not the other way round and as for Ward he had a good couple of games at the start as he was allowed to be a winger and take people on and have a shot as I think if MM had Ronaldo In his team he would get him to defend you can clearly see Ward was frustrated with the way he was told to play and Chambers well he is clearly not good enough in any position he needs to be dropped and fast as he is the weak link and all the teams single him out as I can't remember a cross that came in since Emmanuel has been playing RB or even gone pass him on run as he would have been duly stopped by him in some way

2

HackneyBlue added 18:38 - Oct 3 I watched my local team on Saturday,goals ,entertainment,cheap beer etc.Whilst being entertained i got speaking to a group of 5 blokes,1 had an ITFC shirt so i asked do you go,"we are all Season Ticket holders that refuse to go until things change" How many others are staying away that have purchased Season tickets this season,answer LOADS. No change and they will all not renew next season.

1

warktheline added 20:50 - Oct 3 I don't want to stick together! I've had enough of McCarthy as a negative manager and I've had enough of an owner who doesn't give a flying s**t about Ipswich Town FC! It's bloody tedious being a Town fan, and has been for over 18 months! Jog on.....anywhere but here!
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dukey44 added 22:08 - Oct 3 Erm how come other clubs can sack their managers but we can't?
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